Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Women Stranded on the Road in Saudi Arabia and a Parking Space in Chapel Hill

It is getting absurdly ugly and lethal out there. So much so there is a great urge to shut down the desk top and lock the television onto something utterly mind numbing, like reruns of ScyFy's, "Destination Truth."

How else should one react when the eminent Saudi historian, Saleh Al-Saadoon says his nation doesn't allow women to drive because it protects them from getting raped. He went on to clear up the fuzzy connection between the two activities by assuring a couple of Saudi TV talk show hosts if a woman's car breaks down on the highway she is vulnerable to roaming rapists on the look out for stranded female drivers.

While that may say a lot about Saudi men in general, Al-Saadoon went on to explain the reason western countries allow women to drive. According to him it is because, "They don't care if they (the women) are raped on the roadside..." In addition he made it clear that when it came to sexual assault, western women were far more comfortable with it, "It's no big deal to them," he said, "beyond damage to their morale. In our case however the problem is of a social and religious nature."

To their credit, according to the Huffington Post article, the reactions of the show's hosts and other guests on the set were described as incredulous. Despite their shock there is something to learn here about the difference between Saudi Arabia, plus other places on this globe, as opposed to much of the western world. Hidden away in the grotesquely ham handed presentation--not to mention what is, perhaps, a disturbing personal sexual fantasy--is the acknowledgment that women who are raped in the United States are considered victims, while those in Saudi Arabia instantly become social pariahs.

An American woman, in almost every instance, will not be shunned by her family, or divorced by her husband because she was attacked by a sexual predator. That sort of compassion and understanding simply doesn't exist in Saudi Arabia. There, once a woman has been violated, no matter what the circumstances, she is forever unclean and untouchable.

Besides this one awful little peek into a societal divide so deep it is unfathomable, everything else the misogynist cretin said reeks of absolute bullshit. The Huffington Post article pointed out a woman convicted of driving in the kingdom can be sentenced to lashings and two women who did brave the ban last year are being tried in a court usually reserved for terrorists.

Isn't it great to know these guys are on our side?

Meanwhile, speaking of, "our side" yesterday, three Muslim students at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill were executed by a neighbor, because--well--they pissed him off. The reason why is not completely clear, although it is easy to take a guess and many are.

While covering the tragedy, CNN's Wolf Blitzer seemed to fall off the Mr. Reality Roller Coaster at Disney World when he told viewers, "It is hard to believe this could happen in the United States."

It is unknown exactly when Wolf began to cultivate those wonderful and weird Psilocybin mushrooms in his basement, or consume them on air. I mean, let's face it, despite the obvious religious motives for the crime, you'd think he would at least have a working knowledge of the appalling statistics of gun violence in America. This terrible shit happens 24-7 from sea to shining sea. Just ask them in Chicago.

The main suspect in the case is 46 year old Craig Hicks. He turned himself into police last night. Blitzer claimed Hicks' social media sites are filled with anti Islamic rants. His reporting is a tad overwrought. Other media outlets point out Hicks is an atheist. They published samples of his posts, none of which mentioned Islam, or Muslims, although he did obsess on an unnamed religion known only as, "you."

Apparently Brother Hicks went off his nut because of a dispute about a parking space. If true, it is an act of brute stupidity which is so American it makes apple pie look like it was invented in Thailand. The father of one of the victims, a psychiatrist, probably nailed it when he said the murders were a hate crime and the parking lot argument was simply the trigger.

Well, there is a long history of that here. The motives range from religion and race to the guy who cut you off on the freeway. Everyone has a beef and unfortunately we all have loaded guns.

No, it isn't hard to believe the Chapel Hill tragedy happened. That's because it happens each and every day in these United States. In the end the only things which differ in the ongoing carnage are the excuses for it.

And--unfortunately--as the man in the movie said, excuses are like assholes, everyone has one.




2-11-15

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