9/11

[pipnasty]

Hypothesis - that a line can be drawn between 9/11 and Trump / Brexit and the rise of the fascist right and that Bin Laden was right when he said that he wanted to destroy the US by drawing it into an endless war. 

 

Discuss

[Tosh]

Think there's a much clearer line between the end of Northern Rock & Lehman Brothers to Trump/Brexit.

 

You could argue that the corporatists in the arms game loved the results of 9/11 but the real money was spread out after 2007/8 in bailing out the banks while no-one paid the price. Well, by no-one I mean no individual. Everyone hammered by austerity or sensing the system was rigged against them paid the price and the backlash from that is Trump&Brexit. Unfortunately, the next step of corporatism usually involves people, lots of people, being killed.

[pipnasty]

I think that what happened after 9/11 is that we managed to define a race of people, Muslims, as 'the problem'. I agree about austerity and the banking crisis but I think that rather than putting the blame on the perpetrators of the financial crash, as would normally happen, folk were able to focus their anger against an imagined enemy. Hence both Brexit and Trump coming home by playing the race card. I don't think this could have happened pre-9/11. 

[Tosh]

I see your point - an "other" to rally against. I was driving down the A21 in Sevenoaks a few weeks back and on a motorway bridge was spray-painted "all muzlims are terrorists" "kill a muzlim".

 

So you might be right.

[pipnasty]

I see your point - an "other" to rally against. I was driving down the A21 in Sevenoaks a few weeks back and on a motorway bridge was spray-painted "all muzlims are terrorists" "kill a muzlim".

 

So you might be right.

 

The galling thing is that Bin Laden might have been right.

 

We, the US and UK, did not have to take the road that we did post-9/11 and were warned of the potential consequences of such a disastrous folly in Iraq. Certainly, in the UK, New Labour had found a ready made excuse as to why their neoliberal policies were failing large groups of people and that was 'the other' - see Jack Straw's 'we need to talk about Muslims' rhetoric. 

 

And now that we have run out of enemies in our quest for endless war, we have turned in on ourselves and, as you said earlier, we kinda know what happens next.

[John am Rhein]

.. Bin Laden was right when he said that he wanted to destroy the US by drawing it into an endless war. 

 

 

 

right in the sense that an endless war will eventually destroy the US?

 

Or right in the sens that the US should be destroyed?

[Duncan Disorderly]

In my simple World-view, Capitalism needs wars, so any excuse will do...

[John am Rhein]

I think that what happened after 9/11 is that we managed to define a race of people, Muslims, as 'the problem'.

 

This was already happening before 2001 and it continued to happen afterwards. The reaction to 11/09/2001 was a big step in that direction, of course.

[pipnasty]

right in the sense that an endless war will eventually destroy the US?

 

Or right in the sens that the US should be destroyed?

 

Sure he probably meant both

[RedSalmon]

I think it has more to do with smart phones and social media. Peoples village has got a lot bigger. Banks, pharma and arms industry has been doing the same thing for decades now.

[guernseygareth]

All a bit Adam Curtis.

[muleskinner]

Think there's a much clearer line between the end of Northern Rock & Lehman Brothers to Trump/Brexit.

 

You could argue that the corporatists in the arms game loved the results of 9/11 but the real money was spread out after 2007/8 in bailing out the banks while no-one paid the price. Well, by no-one I mean no individual. Everyone hammered by austerity or sensing the system was rigged against them paid the price and the backlash from that is Trump&Brexit. Unfortunately, the next step of corporatism usually involves people, lots of people, being killed.

Yemenis and Syrians currently. Venezuelans next target.

[Falconhoof]

Unfortunately, the next step of corporatism usually involves people, lots of people, being killed.

Is that really a thing ? I mean is there a clear correlation ?

[cymrococh]

When you say the rise of the fascist right, has there definitely been a rise? Are there more EDL supporters than there were BNP supporters?

[Nerik]

Interesting point but I think there are so many ingredients in this toxic mix that it is hard to pin it to one event or idea. 

[Earl Hafler]

[Falconhoof]

Why can’t Jon Stewart be the president and be our PM while he’s at it.

Edited June 13, 2019 by Falconhoof

[drdooom]

That gave me goosebumps.

[Beardsley]

Great speech. A wonder that he managed to speak at all since he was angry as hell underneath

[melia]

Powerful from Stewart.

[Swipe]

He's just ace. 

[New York Red]

Jon was absolutely awesome there. He always is. He really could be a very influential politician and I hope he does do that in the future. I absolutely love the guy.

[pipnasty]

He's a self-congratulatory neoliberal and is as much a part of the problem as Trump is

[Nebraska Red]

He's a self-congratulatory neoliberal and is as much a part of the problem as Trump is

Really. Wow.

[Duncan Disorderly]

He's a self-congratulatory neoliberal and is as much a part of the problem as Trump is

So he should just keep his trap shut and not bother then?

 

Yeah, right...

 

If it was a Committe in volving the NRA or oil, you'd be sure those f*ckers would have been fighting over the best seats.