Philosophy
It has been very interesting watching the administration's finesse in handling the bin Laden assassination. Some of the interest was in doing the right thing because it is the right thing, some of it has been to make sure that there was as little backlash in the Muslim world as possible, but some of it has been driven by the desire to deflate bin Laden instead of inflate him. The possibility of conspiracy theories has been a genuine concern and things have been done in the way they have to try to create a context the inhibits the rise of conspiracy theories. The question I have is how important this squelching really is.
What the Obama administration is clearly worried about is the "Dread Pirate Roberts Syndrome." In The Princess Bride, when Wesley explains how he both is and is not the dread pirate Roberts, he recounts getting the title from someone else who had inherited it. "It is the name that is important." The "brand" dread pirate Roberts is what instills fear and gives the current Roberts his power, regardless of who happens to be the CEO of DPR, LLC at the time. What concerned the President was that the disappearance of bin Laden would give his name a similar power.
But would the conspiracy theories make bin Laden legendary or would it marginalize those who bought into it? Think of those who did not -- and especially those who still do not -- believe that President Obama was born in Hawaii. The so-called birthers are an embarrassment to conservatives. Would the same be true of those who thought that bin Laden was alive and living with Elvis somewhere in Michigan?
Are the conspiracy theories that may have sprung up around Osama bin Laden to be feared, or do they help identify and marginalize those would seek to introduce other forms of nonsense into the popular discourse?
- Closure
In the conversations involving the death of Osama bin Laden, one hears the word "closure" used very frequently. Is it a meaningful notion or just pop psychological nonsense? It is certainly true that in unusual cases such as the disappearances of political...
- Had Been Laden, No Longer Is Laden
I suppose this is bad news for some: First there are popular uprisings demanding democratic reforms in Muslim countries and now the death of bin Laden. It's not been a good couple of months for the jihadists. Donald Trump lost his birth certificate...
- An Award For Cokie Roberts
I'm kind of getting used to this winning thing. Supporting Obama was a new experience for me. Generally, if you wanted to know who would win an election -- primary, general, or otherwise, look at who I didn't vote for. But now I'm on a roll,...
- Poisoning The Well With The Enemy's Propaganda
Fascinating quotation from one of the President's speeches from last week: "You do not create terrorism by fighting terrorism. If that ever becomes the mind-set of the policymakers in Washington, it means we'll go back to the old days of waiting...
- Obama & Seth Myers At The White House Correspondents' Dinner
Disclaimer: there is a chance I may have broken some ribs over the weekend. If that's the case, I'll probably slow down on the funny entries for a while because unfortunately, apart from sneezing and getting up in the morning when your ribs are...
Philosophy
Osama bin Laden and the Dread Pirate Roberts
It has been very interesting watching the administration's finesse in handling the bin Laden assassination. Some of the interest was in doing the right thing because it is the right thing, some of it has been to make sure that there was as little backlash in the Muslim world as possible, but some of it has been driven by the desire to deflate bin Laden instead of inflate him. The possibility of conspiracy theories has been a genuine concern and things have been done in the way they have to try to create a context the inhibits the rise of conspiracy theories. The question I have is how important this squelching really is.
What the Obama administration is clearly worried about is the "Dread Pirate Roberts Syndrome." In The Princess Bride, when Wesley explains how he both is and is not the dread pirate Roberts, he recounts getting the title from someone else who had inherited it. "It is the name that is important." The "brand" dread pirate Roberts is what instills fear and gives the current Roberts his power, regardless of who happens to be the CEO of DPR, LLC at the time. What concerned the President was that the disappearance of bin Laden would give his name a similar power.
But would the conspiracy theories make bin Laden legendary or would it marginalize those who bought into it? Think of those who did not -- and especially those who still do not -- believe that President Obama was born in Hawaii. The so-called birthers are an embarrassment to conservatives. Would the same be true of those who thought that bin Laden was alive and living with Elvis somewhere in Michigan?
Are the conspiracy theories that may have sprung up around Osama bin Laden to be feared, or do they help identify and marginalize those would seek to introduce other forms of nonsense into the popular discourse?
- Closure
In the conversations involving the death of Osama bin Laden, one hears the word "closure" used very frequently. Is it a meaningful notion or just pop psychological nonsense? It is certainly true that in unusual cases such as the disappearances of political...
- Had Been Laden, No Longer Is Laden
I suppose this is bad news for some: First there are popular uprisings demanding democratic reforms in Muslim countries and now the death of bin Laden. It's not been a good couple of months for the jihadists. Donald Trump lost his birth certificate...
- An Award For Cokie Roberts
I'm kind of getting used to this winning thing. Supporting Obama was a new experience for me. Generally, if you wanted to know who would win an election -- primary, general, or otherwise, look at who I didn't vote for. But now I'm on a roll,...
- Poisoning The Well With The Enemy's Propaganda
Fascinating quotation from one of the President's speeches from last week: "You do not create terrorism by fighting terrorism. If that ever becomes the mind-set of the policymakers in Washington, it means we'll go back to the old days of waiting...
- Obama & Seth Myers At The White House Correspondents' Dinner
Disclaimer: there is a chance I may have broken some ribs over the weekend. If that's the case, I'll probably slow down on the funny entries for a while because unfortunately, apart from sneezing and getting up in the morning when your ribs are...