Congeries of cross connected concepts
After sparring a bit over at Brothers Judd, I realized that one reason the French and the Palestinians have gotten along so well is that they share the same sort of delusional world view.
OJ mocked me for saying that the Palestinians might end up blaming their current financial difficulties on a Zionist conspiracy instead of Hamas’ genocidal policies. Yet the one thing I have taken away from first person travelogs of the region is the deep embedding of conspiracy theories, particularly those involving Jews, in the society. I don’t see it as so far fetched that yet another conspiracy theory involving Jews and international banking would be much of a stretch.
Yet even though OJ compares me to the loony Left for this, he has no problem believing basically the same thing about the French1, which brings me back to my original point. The French, too, believe that their financial difficulties are not the result of their own government’s policies but some evil “global capitalism” conspiracy trying to impoverish them. In both cases the national Street is blaming the very thing that could lift them out of their financial problems. If the Palestinians had embraced the Israeli Jews as neighbors and friends, they’d probably be envied by the Lebonese.
In reality, the Palestinians would envy the Somalis if the world had not poured almost endless streams of money into their coffers. What prosperity they have is because the PLO was good at conning cash out of the international community and holding down the violence enough to keep the money and jobs flowing from Israel. Hamas is unwilling to play that game and so we are seeing the slow motion collapse of the Palestinian economy to its natural level.
The idea that the gang of thugs who comprise the leadership of Hamas are even capable of grasping how to escape from this trap, much less willing, I find highly implausible. Just like the French government, the Palestinian leadership has created its own monster society which now traps them in to repeating the same old errors because they dare not admit that the conspiracy theories that have been peddled for decades were wrong. In both cases this is excacerbated by the intense sense of entitlement that has also been inculcated in to the population. And finally, the leadership in both cases is just as trapped in the failed mindset as the population, unable to take a truly bold step toward a solution.
1 One of those special Islamic exemptions I suppose. I am waiting to be accused of thinking that the Palestinians are unique in this regard, even after spending this post showing how they are just like another ethnic group.
| cjm Wednesday, 12 April 2006 at 11:04 |  |
there is such a thing as a death spiral for a culture or society. it’s very funny to me how the euro’s propped up the palistinians as club to bash israel with, and now are being devoured by their brethren. both europe and the arabs are locked in this macabre death waltz, each convinced they are doing ok and stop anytime they want to.
now the euros are stopping the money flows to the palistinians, and final collapse of their dog assed state is nearing quickly. once the current situation reaches a terminal state, and the gunmen have all left for greener pastures (or killed each other) you might see a decent replacement rise up, but history shows this is unlikely.
your main point, that the french are just like the arabs is valid. it remains to be seen if they will in fact be able to pull out of their own death spiral before they disintegrate as a society.
America’s role in all of this is interesting in that we provide an alternative for the people in failed (and failing) states. someone who under different circumstances would stay and fight to make things better just says screw it and moves here. we are this huge gravitational singularity, distorting people’s decisions at the micro and macro levels. add in the subversive effects of seeing how people live here and you can see how this head in the sand attitude (which is what pathological fantasizing amounts to) is so deadly. i guess it comes down to idealism vs fatalism.
| Annoying Old Guy Wednesday, 12 April 2006 at 12:12 | |
Yes, I sometimes wonder if the existence of the USA encourages the formation of dysfunctional societies precisely because it drains off the people with the character to change things.
| Michael Herdegen Friday, 14 April 2006 at 01:13 | |
Before the start of the current intifada, cooperation between Israel and some elements of the Palestinian Arabs had resulted in a per-capita GNP that was FOUR TIMES HIGHER than it was last year.
They were doing OK, even if not the envy of many.
| Annoying Old Guy Friday, 14 April 2006 at 10:17 | |
Just think what they could have achieved had they actively partnered with Israel. That is precisely what makes me so dismissive of the view that economic success is of any significant importance to Palestinian society.
| cjm Friday, 14 April 2006 at 10:47 | |
it is deeply ingrained in human nature to assume that other people are at heart, the same as we our (royal “we” there :) so a rational person just knows that the russians love their children too. except they don’t, and neither do the palistinians. personally, i have a kind of hybrid personality, part rational and part atavistic, so it helps me “see” both sides of this issue a little differently than most do. societies enter a terminal state whereby they never recover, and eventually die. the circle of life writ large.
think either of the two world wars was an economic benefit to europe ?
both of you understand how the whole of a system is different than the sum of its parts; i.e. group dynamics are not linearly derived from the behavior of individuals in isolation. sometimes you just have to accept that a whirlwind is enivitable, and saddle up to ride it out.
| Jeff Guinn Wednesday, 08 November 2006 at 06:39 | |
Yet the one thing I have taken away from first person travelogs of the region
WRT to OJ, that is your sin: commentary polluted with first hand knowledge.
