Friday, November 22, 2013

Syria: The War of Perception and the Idea of Exceptionalism

President Bashar al-Assad has said that the reason Syria is giving over its chemical weapons has nothing to do with America.



Saying Syria is placing its chemical weapons under international control because of Russia; that U.S. threats do not influence the decision.



Assad adding that Syria would submit documents to the United Nations, for an agreement governing the hand-over of its chemical arsenal.



And (just really quick), before we go even further with this war of perception, Putin, who's obviously really good friends with the president of Syria, said two things that stood out to me.

The first was:



And, to that point, I agree. It's something I ask myself, and I think it's something many of the American people wonder. But, if one is to point out filth, he should wash his own hands. I've read two separate stories saying Syrian rebels received their guns from the United States; and then we have the Syrian government receiving aid from Iran and Russia. It's completely and horribly hypocritical. Nonetheless, it's still a very good question.

The second was:



Apparently, an editor removed "...unless you're gay". Ultimately, God may have created us equal, but we do live in different places. Some where, you know, there can be racism. And then, some, you can stone your 8-year-old wife to death because she probably looked at someone sexier than you by a long-shot. Proportionally, one of those situations is greater than the other.

Without a doubt, the idea of American exceptionalism is so hated by Mr. Putin, broadly because he thinks they claim to be the best in things they're not the best in. Personally, I do see America as exceptional in several ways: I think it's exceptional they don't jail political opponents, I think it's exceptional that they're not trying to arrest members of the Bloodhound Gang because they're expressing their distaste for the country by putting a flag down their pants.



Additionally, I think the USA is egregiously exceptional because they're slowly (as a big group) accepting their gay brothers and sisters; and that's what I think of when I see American exceptionalism, it's not that they're better. Admittedly, the U.S. is kinda fucked up, they don't have it all altogether (no country does, not even mine). They have some good things though, and they're striving to be better. In my honest humble opinion, the idea of exceptionalism is only bad if it's blind and without humility. Even Mr. Putin was deemed to be exceptional compared to his opponent (unless his elections are rigged).



All of that typed, Putin is just playing the liberal western media and everyone else following it. And he's doing it so, so well.

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