Carnage in Kabul

Joe Xuereb

Dec 8th 2011, 12:45

More of the same. This one in Mexico.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzkpuztoJiA

And this one in New York. The men normally wear a black shalwar(trousers) but for this occasion, white is better as the blood shows up more. The whole shebang is, of course, about self-flagellation for whatever sick reason but its public performance - quite like giving charity with your left hand and making sure the right hand knows it (unlike Tosca in Puccini's opera of the same name) and, according to Western Christian thought, this invalidates the entire exercise if wanting to please(appease?) god is the intention - and blood in much evidence for everyone to see is very interesting. And mass hysteria plays a part too. And all this in New York, in the U S of A. I hope it does not happen in Malta; although that is a moot point as these manifestations of 'piety' reverberate the world over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SxRZBa-ruk

Joe Xuereb

Dec 7th 2011, 12:59

These young men (in the video) suffered at the hands of the suicide bomber. But there is a paradox here. The mindset that publicly acts out its expiation of guilt, religious fanaticism, etc. by self-flagellation is exactly the same mindset that is easily cajoled into acts of terror, inflicted on its own people. In other words, same difference! Useful to know that this public display occurs regularly in Tehran. As in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNt1wowOt_4

Of course public display of self-inflicted punishment - 'walking' on one's knees, chains round one's ankles, bare-footed prostrations during Holy Week are not unknown in Malta. The Iranians just do it with more drama. Again, same difference.

Joe Xuereb

Dec 6th 2011, 15:58

They can not blame this on the presence of Western troops (I hate to imagine what it will be like when they do leave). This - as reported here - happens in countries where homosexuals are vilified and executed and young men in their procreative most urgent years, procreatively speaking, are denied access to women under pain of..... Few endure this with equanimity and when they do, they flagellate themselves to ease the burder of the natural, human anguish, to expiate their guilt at lascivious thoughts, to make those thoughts bearable. We have seen it all before. What a shame! What a waste!

A shame and a waste because these young men (no women?) are publicly showing their devotion and their piety. But what they are really saying is: 'see how much blood I am bleeding. more than Abdul next to me'. Boys will be boys. As we say!