Comments on: Promoting "Dignity"

By: Solomon2

Solomon2 — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:08:27 +0000

I think the world would be a better place if Arabs sought dignity less and truth and justice more.

By: tommy

tommy — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:10:10 +0000

Barack Obama seems to have little in the way of concrete ideas. His whole campaign revolves around vague promises of “hope,” “change,” “dignity,” and “prosperity.” You’re right to call him out to explain exactly how “dignity” will draw Lebanese Shiites away from Hezbollah.

Furthermore, as terrorist experts are well aware by now, terrorists tend to be drawn not from the poorest members of their societies but from the better off. Prosperity, assuming it could be achieved, might only bolster Hezbollah.

I suspect Hezbollah will find a more concessionary partner in Obama than in the current president, but I doubt any president is likely to have much of an impact on Lebanon one way or the other.

By: Lewis

Lewis — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:10:47 +0000

Exactly, Happy Arab.

By: Happy Arab

Happy Arab — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 06:42:17 +0000

I don’t know about this Obama. If he’s repeating some textbooks like a parrot.

But the issue of Dahieh can be solved, actually, with prosperity or dignity or whatever you prefer to call it.

For example, if jobs are created, schools builts, hospitals opened, and people stop wasting their time listening to Hassouna, but they go about their lives… If people start thinking “I want to be the successful man, not Hassouna…” then we may end this Hezbollah crap.

Perhaps we need to explain to the people in Dahieh and Lebanon that they can dream and reach the top, they don’t need to follow losers like the ones they keep following. Some “ego” building is needed. Self confidence. Be a leader, not a follower.

By: Bronx-man

Bronx-man — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:33:24 +0000

The sources for “dignity” are different for different people and are based on customs and culture. It will take a targeted approach for a targeted audience – no small exercise. Mus’s, “ah, so neat” and BV’s, “offer concrete steps” pretty much follows my own thinking. Spelling out the details is a big order. I confess to being cynical enough not to place too much faith in what politicians say when running for election. A picture of hope has been offered. Now what we need is a game plan.

By: Bad Vilbel

Bad Vilbel — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:44:41 +0000

The idea is sound, but pretty much relegated to ivory tower intellectualism at this point as it does nothing to offer concrete steps as to HOW you go about making people in Dahieh prosperous (to use Mus’s example) when their religious leaders (who they are far more inclined to believe than an American president) tells them it’s all a sham to sell out Lebanon to the Zionists.

By: Amir in Tel Aviv

Amir in Tel Aviv — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:40:43 +0000

Although your cynicism, there is a point in reaching “dignity” as a step toward progress.

It wasn’t the overwhelming defeat that Egypt suffered in ’67, that facilitated the Israeli-Egyptian peace. But it was Egypt’s “victory” of the ’73 October war. In other words, Egypt first had to regain it’s dignity, then it was mature enough to make peace.
.

By: Lewis

Lewis — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:42:16 +0000

By “dignity” he basically means prosperity. Using that term instead, the idea sounds pretty old and basic. Bring a minimum prosperity to an area, such as reliable basic services and a function system of law and order, then people don’t feel their lives are cheap anymore, and they don’t throw them away to violence. They also have more to lose by that path, and less to gain.