Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Osama and Obama Uncovering the Mythos
Aljazeera-Larbi Saddiki's editorial discusses the legacy of these two iconic figures in global politics. He uses what is called the Pygmalion Syndrome. This syndrome refers to the ancient story of the sculpture Pygmalion who falls in love with a female statue that he has created. Aphrodite then turns the statue into an actual woman. The moral of the story is that what we want to be true usually becomes true but at what cost? Please pay close attention to the middle of the article where Saddiki mentions that a reflection of America needs to take place. What does he mean by this and how should we "celebrate" this critical victory in the war against terror.
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First off I want to say that I commend the author for writing what seems to be a bias free article on a topic that is obviously a highly one sided issue in the US. The comparisons made are both interesting and pretty bold ones to make so close to Osama's death. I agree with Sadakki when he mentions that the US needs to make reflection upon itself. I believe that the American people don't question the government enough which causes things such as the US helping dictators. Americans need to be more involved in current events and should stop and ask questions. I don't know what the death of Osama will lead to. Attacks? War? Panic? One positive (other than the obvious one) is that Obama now has the country's loyalty and is viewed as the man who killed the leader of 9/11. I'm just interested to see what happens next...
ReplyDeleteTwo men, two different sides of the world, and two different beliefs/ideas, yet they are similar. The articles author explained that Osama and Obama share/shared similar names, similar governmental positions, similar devotion of supporters, similar desires to breathe life in their respected Galateas, and similar passion for what they believe in, even though their beliefs are very different from one another. It is true that Obama and Osama have similarities, but they are still polar opposites. Osama was a terrorist to America, and Obama is the one that is the one in power when he was killed. I agree with Pete when he says it is bold of the author to release this article so close to the murder and I also do not know what is next for the relationship between American and Pakistan. However, unlike Pete, I do think this article is biase, based on the support the author has for Obama, instead of Osama.
ReplyDeleteThroughout this article, the author sheds light upon many of the similarities between Osama and Obama. They both were/are viewed as very strong, influential leaders with strong followings and oppositions. They both are/were very clear on their opinions and beliefs. I was happy to see that the author made it clear that not all Muslims were in support of Osama/terrorism and that the US needs to be sensitive to this fact. We much to commonly generalize and stereotype others out of revenge and hate. I agree with the author that it would be unwise for the US to over celebrate this victory publicly. This will be especially true within the Muslim world. If the US is seen generalizing and celebrating, it could be taken as an insult even to those not in support of terrorism. It is fine for there to be relief, but it would be a show of poor character to make this out to be a victory over "Muslim Terrorism". It was a matter of security, the terrorists being Muslim had nothing to do with the President's decision making and should not be brought into this, It will be very interesting to see what happens next. I agree with Pete that it is important for US citizens to stay informed and involved in current events and not take things for granted. I also see how Shauna would see this article as biased because the author did seem to be in support of Obama but I appreciated that they looked at both side a bit.
ReplyDeleteWhat caught my attention right away was when Larbi Sadiki. refered to america as "the most powerful and feared nation on earth." "Feared" was the word that stuck with me the most. Do we want the rest of the world to fear our country? Are we happy that the whole globe fears our country? I agree with a good chunk of what Sadiki wrote, he mad his opinions and facts very clear. Osama and Obama were two very different people, yet with many of the same aspects.I strongly agree with what he said in the Contemplate, Not Celebrate paragraph. He made a good point, "Many Muslims did celebrate when Osama inflicted pain on the US. That was wrong. Many more did not. Today there is a reversal of roles: Americans celebrating as the news of Osama's killing was made public." I do believe that justice has been served, and I can understand why many people were glad to hear the news of Osama's death. But how do you think that makes us look to the rest of the world, when there are clips in the news of Americans dancing in the streets and climbing up trees with joy, all due to Osama's death.I dont believe it is correct to "celebrate" a human beings death. I understand that people, including myself, are glad that he is dead and can no longer cause any harm. Sadiki later talks about arabs stepping up and coming up with possibilities and ideas on what do from here without there leader. The question that keeps coming up in my head is, Will the death of Osama quite down the battles and on-going fighting, or will it cause a flare up in the near future.
ReplyDeleteIsaiah, you ask the eternal question of politics posed by Machiavelli. "Is it better for a leader to be feared or respected?" And to answer in the words of tony stark from Iron Man(1st movie) "Why not both?" You have to understand that fear is a form of power. If other nations didn't fear each other, why would they submit to international court and the U.N. when they could ignore them? Why respect the sovereignty of other states when you can conquer them? Fear makes people think twice about what they are doing. Fear makes people listen to you and your opinion. Fear, in other words, begets respect.
ReplyDeleteAs for your remark about celebrating death, what do you call Easter?
As for your last question, if you kill a martyr, you make ten more. Osama was a symbolic and economic leader, and there is no one who can fill his shoes right now. But there will be. His death will create hundreds of waves of men with bombs under their jackets. it is the long term affects that we should look at. Al-qaeda will fall apart now that the unifying figure is dead. people will argue who will succeed him, what he wanted, what were the goals he had, etc. Eventually, this will cause the rift that already exists in al-qaeda to grow. If we are lucky, they will kill most of each other of. But if they divide and weaken themselves, that will be good enough.
This article has interesting connections between Osama and Obama.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the paragraph Contemplate, not celebrate. I agree with Julia, whether Osama deserved to die or not, it wouldn't be a good idea to publicly celebrate the death of a Muslim terrorist. It was a victory over terrorists, not Muslim terrorists. Labeling and including a religion in a group of terrorists will justify their hatred of America.
I disagree with Luke, fear cannot replace respect. Fear breeds hate, which leads to more violence.
I have to say, this article definitely made me think about how similar Osama and Obama are. As Julia mentioned earlier, they both love for their country, they have strong view points and beliefs, and they both have a great influence over the people. Before reading the article I did not think or imagine our president and Osama could have so much in common. In addition, I liked how the author talked about the celeration of Osama's death. I agree with the author when they said we must reflect/contemplate what has taken place rather than celebrating it. Saying that, I agree with the comment Buddy made about the passage "Contemplate, not celebrate".
ReplyDeleteNow that Osama is dead and the whole world knows that the US has killed him, I have to wonder what the consequences (if any) will be. If terrorist groups who supported Osama now seek revenge, how does the US plan on dealing with it? Has Obama planned for retaliation? Will any of it directly effect me?
Pete, I like that you commended the author on the non-bias of the article. I completely agree with you. I just wanted to say that one day in the future, I am afraid that we will be attacked by Al-Queda one more time for killing their leader. I do however agree that we have a very strong U.S. Army, Navy, and Marines that are guarding and protecting us now more than ever. I agree that we should have been able to find Osama more easily because it kind of seemed like he was in plain sight but maybe that's why we didn't find him; we were looking too hard. I like the comparisons that are made between Osama and Obama; it really gets you to think about what our president has done for us. And now we can celebrate and think of him as our hero. But will Al-Queda decide to retaliate against us for killing their number one? The U.S. may be in for another 9/11.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this article was very interesting. I especially like the comparisons between Obama and Osama. The two men are very similar in ways that I had previously not thought of. The two men are both have a very strong following and an opposition. They are influential, whether it is for good or bad. Obama’s name will now forever be associated with the killing of Osama, and many people will regard him as one of the greatest presidents. I also agree with Buddy when he says that we need to stop labeling specific regions and people as terrorists. This labeling will only lead to the people becoming angry, and the violence will escalate. Even though we killed the leader of Al Qaeda, we need to remember that he was just one man and there are many more like him out there. There is no doubt that terrorist attacks will emerge as a result of the killing. The next few months are especially important for our countries national security. Vigilance will be essential if we wish to remain a safe nation.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting that Alex brought up the point that both these leaders have many follwers as well as much opposition. I think that it is also interesting to note that there is a very strong divide among the followers of these two leaders and the opposition. Although I understand the connections the author is making between these two leaders, I am having a hard time following them and completely agreeing with them. I suppose that would be because both of the leaders have gotten into power and carried out their goals and ideas in very seperate ways. Osama's was by violence and Obama's pathway was through a more peaceful way, by gaining the favor of the people- most of them.
ReplyDeleteThis article was very interesting in the form of seeing a viewpoint outside our normal stance on such a bias issue(Osama must pay). This article takes you past the avengful passion that fills many Americans hearts with frustration and now relief. We must put these two leaders up on a pedestule and throw away relations with other countries, the amount of power each controls and look at their nature. This is what truly defines and individual. It is so easy to see your own countries side of an issue, that many people forget that the only way to find the truth is to understand both points of view. You must break through the Pygmalion effect shown above and seek escape the cyclical nature of that train of thought. I thought it was an intresting point Alex brought up that the United States must prepare for a retaliation made by Al-Queda. This is important because an attempt will most likely happen. If we are to take one thing out of this messy war in the middle east, it is not to rush into a conflict completely based off of retaliation. I mean just look at Isreal and Palestine, they have been fighting for thousands of years. Do you think they look happy? No no they dont.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the article had many valid points about the similarities of Barack Obama and Osama Bin Laden i would say that the similarities are based souly on their leadership position. Any leader must have strong beliefs, love for their people, and also have an influence on their people. However, this connection between Obama and Osama does not say much more then the fact that they were both leaders.
ReplyDeleteThe elimination of Osama was a victory for the United States. It is understood that any victory comes with a sense of pride and accomplishment. This does not justify the celebrations of the loss of human life. The celebratory riots were inappropriate and did not display the globalized figure we are bound to uphold. Even the families who have lost loved ones in 9/11 or in the war in the middle east are reluctant to celebrate. After all, Osama may be dead but that does not fill the empty seat at the dinner table. That seat will remain empty forever.
After reading the article, I read some of my classmates' comments, and like Isaiah, the first thing that struck my attention when reading this article was the fact that Larbi Sadiki referred to the US as the "most powerful and feared nation on earth." Like Isaiah, similar questions pulsed through my mind. How should we feel about being feared? Do we want to have so much power? In the "Contemplate, Not Celebrate" paragraph, I disagree with most of what Sadiki stated. I believe we as Americans have every right to celebrate the death of a man who stole our country's sense of security and held onto it for over a decade. He single-handedly ruined the safe haven that the US once provided. Aside from the thousands of lives that were taken on 9/11, consider the families of those victims, who have been scarred for the rest of their lives.
ReplyDeleteRelating to the comparisons between Obama and Osama, I have to say that Sadiki made many good points, however, like Billy said, they were primarily based on each man's leadership positions. If Sadiki were to have discovered other inside similarities, I would have been more impressed.
I think that America’s celebration Osama’s death was expected, and deserving. Considering how many people he killed and how much time, effort and money we spent trying to find him, we should all be relieved. But I also think that we should have been more careful about our celebration. I don’t believe there is really any doubt that al Qaeda is going to try to retaliate, and I think we could have handled more somberly and thought more about the effects of what happened. This is defiantly not the end of the war on terror, not even close.
ReplyDeleteAs to the author pointing out similarities between Osama and Obama, the only similarities he could come up with are the fact that their names rhyme, their leadership and that they have the ability to get people to support and follow them