dww@stl.UUCP (David Wright) (05/15/86)
Many of us here in Europe find it ironic, sad or disgusting (depending on how we happen to view Americans and the US raid on Libya) that many Americans who supported the raid as a way to "stop terrorism" promptly cancelled their trips to Europe in case terrorism here had been increased by the US action. But there are people who panic or are cowardly in any population, so presumably this was just a reaction of such a minority? Imaging our surprise, then, when the Great All-American Hero, Rambo / Sylvester Stallone, didn't dare to visit the recent Cannes Film Festival! Given the mugging figures in certain US cities, plus the environment I saw last time I visited LA, he would have been safer in France, which suggests a charge of ignorance to add to cowardice. What hope for the West if the formerly brave citizens of the US have become so craven? For if the only solution is to sit at home and fling bombs across the world, we shall soon have no homes to sit in anywhere.
neal@weitek.UUCP (05/20/86)
In article <286@stl.UUCP>, dww@stl.UUCP (David Wright) writes: > Many of us here in Europe find it ironic, sad or disgusting (depending on how > we happen to view Americans and the US raid on Libya) that many Americans > who supported the raid as a way to "stop terrorism" promptly cancelled their > trips to Europe in case terrorism here had been increased by the US action. > But there are people who panic or are cowardly in any population, so > presumably this was just a reaction of such a minority? Actually, this current paradoxical Eurpoean view of Americans as "wimps" is fairly common, and justified to an extent by fact. Americans tourists are staying away in droves, and here's my fifty-cent theory why: Every country has its conservatives. It just so happens that America's conservatives - usually with large disposable incomes - are also a good-sized slice of the worldwide US tourist trade. These are a wimpy people who worry about trivial things, like if their hair dryers will work on `foreign' electricity or if the locals will understand `american'. Natch, they are fearful of terrorist attack, as incidents of it are very well publicized here (on television in particular, since this gets ratings.) This not entirely dissimilar to the origins of the European fear of violence here. Nevermind that one is many times more likely to be killed, say, in an automobile accident (here or elsewhere) than by terrorist attack. > Imaging our surprise, then, when the Great All-American Hero, Rambo / > Sylvester Stallone, didn't dare to visit the recent Cannes Film Festival! > Given the mugging figures in certain US cities, plus the environment I saw > last time I visited LA, he would have been safer in France, which suggests > a charge of ignorance to add to cowardice. Let's face it, Sly Stallone ain't exactly a paradigm of foreign-relations wisdom - after all, he's just an actor (for that matter so's Ronnie, but *I* didn't elect him...) Anyway, I'm certain the Cannes went along just fine without Sylvester in attendance... [Sorry, I can't resist:] Next time, David, why not skip LA and visit Northern California.... > What hope for the West if the formerly brave citizens of the US have become > so craven? For if the only solution is to sit at home and fling bombs > across the world, we shall soon have no homes to sit in anywhere. The hope lies in the diversity of our people and the First Amendment protection of the opinions thereof. This means that eventually the truth will be known and the paranoia will subside. In the meantime, there must be some nifty Europe travel bargains floating around... maybe I'll take advantage of one of them and visit the UK.... -Neal -- "Reality is a sandwich I did not order." -Zippy [UUCP: {turtlevax, resonex, cae780}!weitek!neal]
hijab@cad.BERKELEY.EDU (Raif Hijab) (05/22/86)
In article <321@mhuhk.UUCP>, jleb@mhuhk.UUCP (LEBOWITZ) writes: > Having just returned from France I must say I did not feel confident > in the security measures taken to thwart terrorism. Not once while > entering or leaving Geneva airport, crossing into France,etc... > was my passport even more than glanced at. A few sub-machine guns were > seen being sported by some black leather jacketed police but that > is it. Have you checked into how someone with a darker skin, *Arab* or *Middle Eastern* looking, is treated by those same black leather jacketed police? Security forces automatically assume that fair- skinned, *European-looking* individuals are clean, and that people like myself, with the further calamitous identification *Palestinian*, are terrorists until proven otherwise. This is not only the case in Europe, but at major U.S. international airports (JFK,LAX) as well.
chrisa@tekig5.UUCP (05/23/86)
In article <392@cad.BERKELEY.EDU> hijab@cad.BERKELEY.EDU (Raif Hijab) writes: >Have you checked into how someone with a darker skin, *Arab* or >*Middle Eastern* looking, is treated by those same black leather >jacketed police? Security forces automatically assume that fair- >skinned, *European-looking* individuals are clean, and that people >like myself, with the further calamitous identification *Palestinian*, >are terrorists until proven otherwise. This is not only the case >in Europe, but at major U.S. international airports (JFK,LAX) as well. I won't comment on how bigotted that policy is because it is overshadowed by it's stupidity. If you will remember, the British just recently prevented a bombing of an El Al Airliner. The bomb was carried not by any Middle Eastern looking person but by the girlfriend of a Middle Eastern looking person (she didn't know she was carrying it). What's to prevent a terrorist from using an unsuspecting third party to carry out the attack for them? -- My mailbox is always hungry. Life, Love, Laughter, and Hope, Chris Andersen ...tektronix!tekig5!chrisa