I feel like continuing a fight with billysumday.
The story so far...
Commenting in a
post about the disputed election results from Iran, I
quote Chris Floyd to the effect that the Powers That Be probably aren't displeased with the outcome.
billysumday
comments:
So, this is all really about Western conservatives, "Zionists," and George Bush? Grind away ye axe, oh myopic American! Some things in this world really do occur relatively independently from the machinations of Washington, DC.
I
reply:
True as far as it goes. But the Iranians have the nearby example of the Palestinians to remind them of the unfortunate consequences of exercising their franchise in a manner displeasing to the empire.
billysumday
counters:
Dude, that is so effing tired. Tired, tired, tired. You really think the Iranians were thinking about the Palestinians, the Lebanese, or the Americans when they voted? Maybe they were thinking about their economy, their standing in the world, whether they liked the candidates' demeanors - the manner in which MA lives his life, the clothes he wears, how he presents himself - you know, all the shit we think about when we elect a president. Iran is too interesting of a country for us to be lazy and talk about it simply through the prism of how it affects America, or vice versa.
I
reply to the effect that: Yes, I do think the Iranians think about America when voting.
billysumday
replies:
LOL. Good ole Joe. It gives me great pride to know that Metafilter's own personal blogger knows the thoughts of ordinary Iranians and what they consider when they vote for their President.
I
obliquely suggest that his credentials for speculation are no better than mine.
He
counters:
you make my point well. I don't know what motivates the ordinary Iranian anymore than you do - but your narcissism fails to allow you to admit that.
I
suggest that this is inconsistent with his earlier statements.
He
replies:
Joe, I don't really want to further derail this thread. I've made my point, you've made yours. If we want to continue this argument, we can do it in your next blog post, which is scheduled to be posted to the front page in (checks watch) about two hours.
Billy, aside from the fact that you seem insistent on making this personal, I think that you're trying to have it both ways here. For the record, I agree with your more recent statement that we are equally well or poorly equipped for speculating on the thoughts of Iranian voters. Does that mean your earlier comment "You really think the Iranians were thinking about the Palestinians, the Lebanese, or the Americans when they voted?" was not the rhetorical question it appeared to be?
posted by Joe Beese to MetaFilter-related at 11:00 AM (5 comments total)
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posted by SeizeTheDay at 11:02 AM on June 13 [10 favorites]