An apology. A concern. And an invitation. [View all]

[Syzygy321]

Last night I had a post hidden. (My first, so pop some champagne!)

In brief: I put up a post titled "Isis and Zionism: Links revealed!". I linked to a Saudi daily I read regularly, the Saudi Gazette. The article I linked to was insane - yet sadly typical of what one sees in SG, and (by my experience) in line with typical Arab theories about where their problems originate.

Basically, the writer said ISIS was created by zionists, western intelligence agencies, and Freemasons. Yes, Freemasons! That was why I posted it: it was so nutty that I thought it would make everyone gape, then laugh hysterically...and finally, think about what it means. The article presents a Saudi rebuttal to the (obvious) question of whether KSA-style Islamism and KSA riches are driving groups like ISIS.


Anyway: my apology is because DU readers apparently thought I was trying to promulgate the wacky Zionist-Freemason-ISIS theory (!?!) Which is the kind of misunderstanding that can only happen in cyberspace where my ironic smirk is not visible. So, guys, I am sorry my intentions were not clear. I am a longterm mocker of anti-Zionist conspiracy theories - and once the Freemasons were brought up, I could not resist the urge to share.

Now to my concern. In the few minutes before the thread was locked, some DU posters actually seemed to take it seriously. And to you-all I say: you are truly messed up. (well, that's the censored version of what I am saying.).

Public Service Announcement: The Arab press, also Fars (Iran) and Huuriyet (Turkey) is chock full of nonsense peddled to audiences who are eager to lap it up and who, yes, believe it. (I am related to some of them, is how I know.) I am shocked and disgusted that some (liberals?) here have apparently embraced their spew. Ugh. And WTF?

Finally, the invitation: Please think about reading Saudi Gazette and other mainstream sources from all over the place, just to see how other people are being raised to see the world. I especially like SG because the editor is a female and is stealthily putting out stories that shine a light of women's problems in KSA.

I am new here, so forgive me for saying this... but what I see is an appalling amount of binary thinking on this site (eg: Blacks good so all cops bad. Democrats good so all Repubs evil. Drug war bad so all drug criminals pitied. Israel the devil, Arabs the victims.)

I think that kind of black/white cartoonish thinking is an enemy to be resisted. So: i invite you to please read foreign papers - and let them open your eyes to all the BS getting slung by every side.

Best wishes.