Rant on Hospitality> Ahmedimajad

Scalfin2000 · **Joined:** Sat Mar 10, 2007 11:31 pm **Posts:** 597

I am disgraced by the treatment of Ahmadinejad. I don't like the guy, but he's a head of state, for heaven's sake, and should be treated with respect or not invited at all. Pot shots are not acceptable, especially when people overseas are having so much fun with what Bush says over here:

Quote:

“Regarding external risks, God has helped us a lot because our enemy Bush is stupid,” he said in an interview last May with Asharq al-Awsat, a Saudi-owned newspaper. “His stupidity has helped us a great deal.”

Imagine what some universities could do to him if the showed the hospitality Ahmadinejad was shown.

Bright Eyes · **Posted:** Tue Sep 25, 2007 4:51 pm

I think he shouldn't have been invited. The last thing we need is a homicidal Hitler wannabe going around making speeches about how homosexuals do not exist in his country. (possibly because you KILLED them all, perchance?)

Scalfin2000 · **Joined:** Sat Mar 10, 2007 11:31 pm **Posts:** 597

While that answer was kind of dumb, it was the result of people trying to get "gotcha" moments (purity:Iran::Macho:The Republican Party) rather than any sort of discussion, kind of like asking Bush far his thoughts on the Iraq W.M.D.'s when you already know he's on record showing his conviction that they exist as late as 2006.
Though he's an ideologue, he's also shown himself to be a skilled rhetorician, and there could have been an informed discussion had the questioners allowed it. He made some valid points in the excerpts I've heard and he has more than a few grievances against the United States that he could have started debate on, such as the American "detention" of Iranian diplomats.

Most Iranians can't figure out why Americans are so fixated on him, as he's mostly a puppet of the Supreme Leader Whatshisface, who makes up for his lacking power the same way as his American equivalents: with bellicose rhetoric to gather popular support from the hard-liners, who he's estranged with his personal war on corruption, as many hard liners are part of the establishment.
Israel is an example. The Six Day War was caused by a disjunction between rhetoric and intentions and a misunderstanding of that by Israel's part. The neighboring countries, especially Egypt and Jordan, used rhetoric for political mean, Egypt for popular internal support (and a soft spot for a stupid general) and Jordan to avoid being ostracized from the pan-Arab nationalist community, resulting in its absorption by Syria and Iraq. Ahmadinejad is trying the same thing, but he knows that there's nothing we can do about it. Hi nuclear program is a stratagem for his plans on national improvement to be hampered by a great American-Zionist conspiracy, gaining him martyr points (they've said that nuclear weapons are against Islam's tenants and they're an Islamic state, so I don't think they are stupid enough to risk their public credibility by lying on the cornerstone of their support).

Frankly, he was in town and could display a unique opinion, so why not?

Wynni · **Posted:** Tue Sep 25, 2007 10:27 pm

I do my best to attempt to stay out of Middle East issues lately.
1. misinformation is RAMPANT on both sides.
2. I don't even pretend to have current information anymore and
3. nobody much cares for my political opinion anyhow. (at least on this topic)

I'm not sure what all happened but this much is fact: invited guests are due courtesy; right up until they insult the host. If a guest insults the host, then the host has a right to remove the guest from the proceedings.

If the guest did not insult the host by word or deed, and the host instigates the unpleasantries, then that host will be unable to draw quality guests from then on, his reputation ruined.

how much of this applies to your topic Scalfin, I don't know. But it seemed to need saying. /blush

Hanii Puppy · **Joined:** Sat Dec 30, 2006 6:33 pm **Posts:** 62

i'll just copy + paste what i wrote on RuneVillage concerning this matter

Hanii Puppy wrote:

i think they treated him appallingly for a world leader. In general, you should try to be polite to your guests, regardless of what you may think of them (the negative views being in proportion to the visit, obviously), and try to avoid hiding an insult in everything you say or trying to paint complicated matters in black and white as a way of patronisation. i was neutral when i was reading the article on msnbc (even slightly against him), but when i saw the way they were talking to/treating him, i was almost immediately on his side. To be honest, i find it ironic that a man who the US depicts as barbaric and rude turns out to be civilised and learned, while a man who is seen as wise and insightful constantly takes every turn to make digs at his guest, thoughtless of any etiquette.

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