Month: May 2011

Charles Kenny underscores the difficulty of pre-modern lifestyles. He focuses on the Jarawa, a limited-contact tribe living on islands off the coast of India:

The glorification of the Jarawa and in general of tribal life, with its supposed freedom from violence, poverty, drugs, crime, and overpopulation, is part of a dangerous denial of the huge benefits that modernity has brought to the vast mass of humanity. It is easy to get emotional about a supposedly idyllic Stone Age existence when we're staring at elegant photographs on a computer screen while sipping our Starbucks chai latte. But if we decided to actually return to the lifestyle of uncontacted peoples, the vast majority of the planet would die off from starvation, and those who remained would face nasty, brutish, and short lives. Romanticizing that lifestyle provides no insights into how we can better run a planet of 7 billion people on a sustainable basis — and does little to illuminate the challenges and needs of tribal people themselves.

(Photo: A portrait of a Jarawa man, naked apart from a decorative belt and chest straps, taken against a forest backdrop. Andaman Islands, India, circa 1900. By Father Browne/Universal Images Group/Getty Images.)

Hitchens weighs in on the terrorist's death:

It seems thinkable that he truly believed his own mad propaganda, often adumbrated on tapes and videos, especially after the American scuttle from Somalia. The West, he maintained, was rotten with corruption and run by cabals of Jews and homosexuals. It had no will to resist. It had become feminized and cowardly. One devastating psychological blow and the rest of the edifice would gradually follow the Twin Towers in a shower of dust.

Well, he and his fellow psychopaths did succeed in killing thousands in North America and Western Europe, but in the past few years, their main military triumphs have been against such targets as Afghan schoolgirls, Shiite Muslim civilians, and defenseless synagogues in Tunisia and Turkey. Has there ever been a more contemptible leader from behind, or a commander who authorized more blanket death sentences on bystanders?

Room for Debate bats around the relevance of Xanadu, an unfinished mega-mall. Judith Martin wants to pull the plug:

[W]hat can justify such giant retail/entertainment venues now? The U.S. has thousands of abandoned malls, even some quite large ones, like one Twin Cities’ regional mall, which has been empty for some years, looking for new life. We all can and do shop from our computers, which is far more convenient than driving miles to get to, and parking far away from, the things we want to buy. The “public” space argument about big malls was lost long ago.

(Photo by Brian Williams, who asks, "Good fortune for Meadowlands Xanadu?")

Last night the Dish live-blogged news of Osama bin Laden's death. Andrew remembered all those who enlisted to kill Osama bin Laden, listed Obama's accomplishments thus far, and elected this as his greatest thus far. Osama hid behind his wife, the US buried him according to Islamic custom, and readers reflected on his death. We rounded up the full left and right reax from around the web, Heather Mac Donald waited for Obama to get his due from the right, Limbaugh praised Obama, and Dish readers were convinced it was all sarcasm.

Peter Beinart kissed the war on terror goodbye, and Trump acted like the executive he is, by bringing LaToya Jackson back. Weigel celebrated at the White House, as did the US Naval Academy, and New Yorkers persevered. Ezra Klein tallied the bill on Osama's head, Hollywood shifted gears on its bin Laden flick, and we all waited for a real photo. Think Progress tracked the new conspiracy theorists on the right, Kit Eaton surveyed the DNA science, and Christopher Preble commended the government for keeping its mouth shut.

We pondered Pakistan's involvement here, Nate Silver charted Obama's Osama bump, and we closed the books on whether Obama's a real American. Issandr El Amrani gauged Al Qaeda's growing irrelevance, Hamid Karzai seized the moment, the Saudis were mute and Iran pivoted. Steve Coll thought Pakistan too big to fail, Jonah Lehrer pecked at the psychology of revenge, and Glenn Reynolds got caught with his pants down.

Tweet of the day here, gaffe of the night here, video of Osama's compound here, chart of the day here, quote for the day here, MHB here, FOTD here, VFYW here, and the view from Osama's window here.

–Z.P.

[Re-printed from earlier today].

I understand those who feel that joy is not an appropriate or civilized thing to feel right now. As a Christian I am asked to pray for the soul of Osama bin Laden, not to celebrate his death. And this prayer I have spoken as I am bound to. But this is also true: the joy will not leave me either and I am not ashamed in the slightest.

In fact, the only sane thing to feel right now, I think, is both great sorrow and great joy.

The reason for the sorrow is obvious: that this one figure was capable of inflicting so much pain on so many people, that he distorted so many minds and souls, that he killed so many human beings. And that he did it all in the name of God.

The reason for the joy is actually less obvious. It is, at its best, I think, not vengeance or relief -  although they are within us all, at various levels of suppression. The joy comes because somewhere we feel for the first time in so long that this hideous, bungled, tortuous, torture-filled decade of war and mass murder might, after all, have some smidgen of emotional closure, some sliver of justice in its long arc, some core thread leading to something we can call victory.

I think especially of all those young Americans who, on September 12 2001, woke up and decided to serve their country in her hour of need. I think of all those who signed up for war because of 9/11. And let's face it. They did not sign up because they wanted to re-shape the Middle East, or bring democracy to Iraq, or to bribe Hamid Karzai.

They signed up to find, capture, or kill Osama bin Laden.

They signed up to attack everything he represents.

It gives bin Laden too much credit to say he made them soldiers. But they became soldiers because of his crime and what he had done to the country they loved.

Many of them were cheering last night. But many were not alive to do so. I think particularly of those men and women now. They died in battle not knowing that America would eventually, finally find this murderer, and bring him to justice. Imagine telling them now, as if they were still alive, "We got him! We got bin Laden!" Imagine the look on their faces. Imagine what you see in their eyes.

And then look at their faces as you also tell them that it was done by Navy SEALS, in a gun-battle, where bin Laden was given the option of surrender, and refused. And then we ensured that his funeral was a dignified one, in accordance with the protocols of Islam.

Which is to say to our heroes: You did not die in vain. And your comrades finished the job.

And who can not feel joy at that?

(Photo: Cpl Patrick Tillman, a former Arizona Cardinals linebacker. November 6, 1976 – April 22, 2004.)

A reader writes:

You know the odd thing? I'm not feeling … ecstatic. I'm just feeling a kind of sad relief. I recall reading Miep Gies' book about her role in hiding the Frank family. When it was declared that there was victory in Europe, she said that people in Holland were hysterical and tearing into the streets to celebrate. But her husband, who'd risked so much working in the resistance movement, just sat quietly. She asked if they should go out and celebrate with everyone. He said no. It seems too much had happened. Too much pain witnessed. Too much death as a result. He was tired. It was enough to just know that it was finally over. I think I know what he meant.

Another writes:

I keep reading a lot of accusations from well-meaning critics who say that those Americans who chant "USA!" and wave the flag, or are even just plain happy right now are somehow "celebrating death".  (I'm particularly irked by David Sirota's finger-wagging piece). Going beyond the obviously flawed comparison of a terrorist celebrating the death of an innocent civilian to innocent civilians "celebrating the death" of a terrorist, I feel an urgent need to point this out: We are not celebrating death. 

A mass-murdering and very powerful lunatic is dead, yes, but our joy just comes from the simple fact that he is not going to kill anymore.  His cohorts will, yes.  Like-minded fanatics may continue to do so as well, sure.  But this one – the biggest terrorist there is – will not. 

If the news had come in that he was no longer dead, but instead had just been put on a rocket and shot into space, or simply been captured and brought back to stand trial, we would STILL have been singing in the streets and cheering on our nation and our armed forces and Obama and … well just cheering because what the hell else have we had to cheer about in the last 10 years?  A 1-1 draw with England in the World Cup?

I'm a progressive Buddhist.  I abhor all violence, as it is the perpetuation of suffering.  I don't celebrate the death of Osama Bin Laden any more than I'd celebrate the death of anyone.  It is sad that it came to this, but what I do celebrate is the look in the cheering faces of my friends and family, my fellow Americans and my fellow human beings around the world, who for the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall can all find a few moments of peace and rest from a world overflowing with anxiety and fear.  And I don't care much that this massive catharsis just so happens to come at the expense of a dead bogeyman.

Another:

I was struck by your mention that, as a Christian, you are required to pray for Osama Bin Laden’s soul. Somehow, as an atheist, I feel similarly.

While I am still processing this event, and am still somewhat ambiguous about it (much as I felt about the beginning of the war in Afghanistan), I must say that I am happy he was killed and not captured. The reason is that what disturbs me almost as much as the horrible carnage and moral vacuity of terrorism is the blind patriotism and blurry-eyed thirst for vengeance from some quarters of the American population. Had he been captured, and if there was any kind of a “trial” (with an outcome surely predetermined), I can only shudder to think of the rising choruses of bloodlust from our “civilized” compatriots.

I believe that this quick, brutal, and successful operation was the most merciful option both for Bin Laden and for America. The chapter is closed; it is time to move on.

Another:

On Sept. 11, 2001, I was awoken by a phone call by my brother to turn on the T.V. to any channel.  All I really wanted to do was go back to sleep. I turned on my T.V. and ESPN was on, but it wasn't sports.  It was coverage of the terrorist attacks.  In my naivete and sleepiness, I was dumbfounded that any news besides sports could be aired on ESPN besides sports news. 

Last night, I was watching the Phillies/Mets game on ESPN and about to fall asleep in front of the T.V. and all the sudden I see a marquee scroll at the bottom of the screen of breaking news along with the announcement that Bin Laden has been killed. I am not sure why, but I was overcome with emotion more than I was on Sept 11, 2001.

It has been a long 10 years.  It's over and I can finally go back to sleep.

It's become pretty clear it was sarcasm. A reader writes:

He was LAUGHING at y'all in his third hour. "Obama was the only one who knew proper Muslim ritual for handing Bin Laden's body," Limbaugh told his audience.

Another writes:

Watch it again, my friend.  When Rush says "It was Obama alone" it gets really obvious what he is trying to do.  And what he is trying to do makes him as unpatriotic as any relevant American I've ever known.  Jane Fonda looks like Pat Tillman next to this odious pig.

A reader writes:

I saw a number of posts like the one from Mark Steyn, but I have to say, even with the bar set very high, Jennifer Rubin has one of the dumbest talking points of all time:

It’s hard to imagine the sense of relief and satisfaction George W. Bush must feel, after weathering undeserved and vicious criticism throughout his presidency, to see American deliver justice to the greatest evil-doer of them all. It is also regrettable, but not unexpected, that President Obama would mention Bush only in passing and fail to specifically credit him with eight years of tireless work that contributed to this victory.

The same George W. Bush who two years after 9/11 was quoted as saying “I don’t think much about Bin Laden.”

The same George W. Bush who said, “Well, we were attacked by a group out of Afghanistan so let’s invade Iraq because my ‘gut’ tells me Sadaam had something to do with this.” The same George W. Bush who had 7 years and couldn’t find OBL. The right’s biggest problem now is that echo chamber has dug in so hard they can never accept that Obama might do anything well, and as a result, their spin has gotten sloppier and sloppier.

A study examined the Prisoner's Dilemma, in which two "criminals" are apprehended. If one rats the other out, they get a lowered sentence. The experiment then punished the "defectors" by electrically shocking them, to the approval of witnesses. Jonah Lehrer summarizes:

[W]e are engineered to get pleasure from punishing those who deserve to be punished.

He opines on Osama's ocean burial:

While such a disappearance might be less emotionally satisfying (at least for our dopamine neurons) than some bloody images of the revenge, I think it also helps to slow the downward spiral of tit for tat. As Gandhi famously said, “An eye for eye, and soon the whole world is blind.”

John Pavlus philosophizes on that odd end:

This isn’t justice as erasure, even though we did “rub him out.” This is something more abstract, and more quintessentially contemporary: justice as absence. The man has been disappeared. But so has his symbology, his meme, his brand. They’ll endure as memories and fixed images but (in all likelihood) won’t adapt or evolve — or at least, not in the same virulently powerful way.

Cliff Kuang parses the PR machinations:

What would happen if images of the actual killing surfaced? Would they become a rallying cry for Al Qaeda sympathizers — the terrorist's equivalent of those gruesome images of Neda Agha-Soltan, whose death, at the hands of state police, inflamed riots in Iran? And would they be grotesquely tacked up across the U.S., affixed to gates and telephone poles like the modern analogue of a head on a pike?