Are you allowed to have an opinion on Iraq?
Comments (3) Published December 10th, 2006 under General, PoliticsApart from the Iraq Study Group, plenty of people have come out with their plans and opinions about Iraq. The Sunday talk shows are booking these guys by the dozen. As I was watching one of them this morning, my observations for months (or years) are finally confirmed. The only people who seem to have an opinion (at least that’s what the TV guys communicate to me) about Iraq are white men. Now there is nothing wrong with white men having an opinion about Iraq, and some of those opinions on solutions may very well be right on, but it is frustrating that more voices are not in the mix.
Part of the blame is on the Arab and Muslim communities. At various times, we hear some voices, but more often than not, those voices are out of the mainstream (the media likes those looneys better for some reason). Apart from protests, what we need are more voices from the Arab communities submitting papers and articles to journals and magazines and newspapers. We need those voices on speaking circuits, and those voices need to articulate those thoughts into books.
But the blame is also on us (society)–not the media, but us who tolerate and allow our media to go on without highlighting a diversity of voices. I was on a blog once where I was ‘discussing’ or ‘debating’ with another about the legitimacy of the war in Iraq. Is it just me who thinks that it makes sense that Iraqi-Americans should be asked on what they think should be done in Iraq? The other guy had no patience that I was born in Iraq and have family there. He felt using that in an argument was “weak sauce.” Race shouldn’t trump arguments, but the reality is that in our discourse it already does–it seems that you are allowed to have and express your opinion only if you are a white man.
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