Deep Spirits

"This American Life (TAL) is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by Chicago Public Radio and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays, memoirs, field recordings, short fiction, and found footage. The first episode aired on November 17, 1995, under the show's original title, Your Radio Playhouse".

"For two seasons on Showtime, they tried to make a television show that would feel exactly like the radio show. It won three Emmys".

The episode I've chosen to post this evening is, Haider Hamza's field trip to meet the Americans who wanted to invade his country, Iraq - a part 1/2, so be sure to watch the second part as it will automatically begin when the first part ends.

This brings home how little we really understand about the country and why we are there. God told Bush to go ...... find the weapons of mass destruction which never existed in the first place. Tell the american public it is for God and "freedom", if they believe the "invisible guy in the sky", we can fool them about this too.

Until the horror and tragedy of war is experienced first hand, the utter uselessness of it is not really understood. What we are asking our young people to do is insane. The worst part of it is, we really don't konw why we are there. Ypu hear the people interviewed spout a bunch of rhetoric thay have learned from political and religious leaders.

After all it's the 21st century and "Big Brother" has come as predicted. These videos fill me with despair abount the sanity of the human race as a group and the relative ease with which most
are manipulated.

Thank you for sharing, George - I share your sentiment with

This brings home how little we really understand about the country and why we are there. God told Bush to go ...... find the weapons of mass destruction which never existed in the first place. Tell the american public it is for God and "freedom", if they believe the "invisible guy in the sky", we can fool them about this too.

Additionally, I appreciated this alternative idea of Mr. Hamaza traveling around with an intent to meet and talk to people in an effort to ask the following questions: Why are you for the war? How did it happen? Why did it happen? On a personal note, I couldn't help but to feel embarrassed and frustrated by a few folks who were, instead of asking Mr. Haza questions - were telling him how life was under Sudam ... what was good for him ... and, that of the Iraqi people.

This one mans approach left me feeling inspired - in the sense, that there are people like him in this world that are curious to find out what people are thinking, and in return, are educating the ones he has crossed paths with; even, if it merely planted the seed for future thoughts within those who were not listening. Furthermore, that there is hope when an eleven year old - home schooled girl communicates, "I have been waiting three years to apologize to an Iraqi" ...

"Everybody hears what is easier for them to believe" - (Mr. Haza) ... probably a true statement, but I'm optimistic because this does not apply to me, therefore rules out "everybody".

Why is common sense not so common??

Where I live there is no war and the country I live in is not at war with anyone else... and they don't support the current wars.

Holly,
First to tell you that I give you Kudos for this topic and this video. Just watching it and concentrating to answer the question you put transforms a passive observer into the actively thinking human who should think twice at least before answering. This is a sad realization what was the dominant thought by people who approach Mr. Hamaza. Except the eleven years old girl and her way to apologize, for most other people there I felt sadness for being so limited in their minds and let to be so brilliantly manipulated. This is so sad. When today one adult person is able to say that having war in Iraq protects America's freedom, it is not only sad but frightening.
Second part was even worse, so I do not know what else to say, except that I agree with George and his words:
"After all it's the 21st century and "Big Brother" has come as predicted. These videos fill me with despair about the sanity of the human race as a group and the relative ease with which most
are manipulated.

Holly,
This is such excellent material.. His idea and the active approach.. it's pure sunshine, I love it! This topic would also fit well in the Civil Courage forum.

The part that was for me the hardest to swallow was where some of the people are telling him how things are and/or used to be in Iraq! The ignorance of that just seemed inconceivable!

On the other hand... the part where the 11 year old girl approached him and what she said... it has touched me very deeply.

Great topic Holly!

Mans inhumanity to man...

The part that got me going was the soldier and the marine talking, the ignorance was apalling. Why is it that Americans assume they are more informed, closer to God, more righteous, etc than any other nationality i have come across.
Truth is they seem to swallow any misinformation that enables them to feel like they are freeing the oppressed.

In Ireland the I.R.A who were an outlawed terrorist organisation (certaintly in modern times), went to the States to fundraise for their war effort. They had massive success, people thought they were supporting a 'freedom fighting' organisation, when in fact they were targeting civilians and planting bombs in public places.

Of course not everything American is bad, this is just something i have been aware of. It must be the same reason that people like George end up serving in what he describes as hell.

What is it?
d.

Sabina wrote:...This topic would also fit well in the Civil Courage forum.

Put it there too.

dermot wrote:Great topic Holly!

Mans inhumanity to man...
...
Of course not everything American is bad, this is just something i have been aware of. It must be the same reason that people like George end up serving in what he describes as hell.

What is it?
d.

This is a good question Dermot. I think that a part of the answer is connected to comfortability toward life including many life aspects, where step by step people in mass were brain washing with systematically and very well led system for making them obedience for everything that their government will do. I gave my thoughts about this mechanism of action and its results in the topic something terrible is happening.

As I have mentioned before, Sam Harris in "Letter to a Christian Nation" has hit the nail on the head Dermot. As the quote I remember from somewhere finishes up.... "It takes religion to make good people do bad things."