perfidy

For the week ending 4Oct04

Spotlight UAE: The Al Jazeera program "Counter Direction" devoted an episode to discussing the pros and cons of beheading prisoners. The pro position won the day, if one can judge victory by the racous support the man had from the studio audience. Think gory Jerry Springer, but substitute "beheading American mercenary dogs" for "Out-of-control teens".

Spotlight Saudi Arabia: In other despicable television news... A Saudi program did man-in-the-street interviews asking, "'Would You, as a Human Being, be Willing to Shake Hands with a Jew?" and similar questions. Read the transcripts. Non-hilarity will ensue.

Spotlight England: As of a week ago, police had not identified a woman found laying unconscious in the middle of a London road, bleeding from a head wound. Police have asked for the public's help in establishing her identity, and would especially like to hear from the drivers who swerved to avoid her body. You might have expected the cops to start with interviewing the people who had rendered aid. Except that there were no such people. Couldn't even be bothered to poke her with a stick.

Spotlight America: A former nurse's aide, convicted and currently imprisoned for raping a comatose patient, actually claimed to a parole board that he did it to help the victim. Presumably with a straight face, he tried to convince the board that, according to his reasearch, pregnancy may have brought the victim from her decade-long coma. Parole was denied, also presumably with a straight face. Maybe the next time he's raped in prison by skinheads, they'll tell him they're just trying to help. Definitely with a straight face.

And hey, speaking of skinheads, say what you will about their politics but they are starting to get a grip on their marketing and branding. Some sort of Nazi record label has packaged 100,000 compilations to release to young people around the country. Creepily dubbed "Operation Schoolyard", the record apparently has several hate-filled broadsides masquerading as rock music.

Quick note to Nazis-first, if you're trying to reach the MTV and younger group, rock music ain't gonna cut it. Unless you've got some good beats and skilled rappers, or at least someone half as fly as Usher, save your $$ for new flags and tanktops. Second, the old-school Nazis spent a fair amount of time and energy trying to exterminate what they considered "primitive music", like jazz, without which rock and roll would not exist. Your movement's intellectual forebears tried to exterminate the very music you now use to recruit young people into your movement.

Grab your Langenscheidt and look up ironisch.