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http://membank.org/dataset/n/zizek.o.mp3



A Non-Western Voice

 By Irina Malenko

 "Non-Westerners of the world, unite!"
 Since the 11th of September events in America the media are full of
 condemnation and condolences.
 What I had hoped them to be full of, was the simple question: "Why?"
 Because without asking this question the world is going nowhere.
 What I feel after the 11th of September here in Ireland, is exclusion
and
 discrimination. No, I am not a Muslim and I do not look much different
from
 the Irish people. And yet, there is an invisible division line, sadly,
 created by the majority of the Irish people, perhaps, even not
realizing
it.
 It is their division between "us" and "them", "non-Westerners", on
behalf
of
 the "civilized" West.
 They demand - yes, demand!- us to grief for the Western innocent
victims
 while themselves, they didn't have a single SECOND of silence for
 non-Western innocent victims of the Western governments who were and
still
 are being murdered "in the name of democracy and freedom".
 If you don't bow to this demand of compulsory extra-grief - and I
refuse to
 grief more for one sort of the victims than for another!- you are
labeled
as
 "uncivilized" or even "terrorist".
 Can you imagine Iraqis or Yugoslavs demanding from Westerners to grief
for
 their loved ones? Even though they have undoubtedly more moral rights
to do
 so.
 I can't. That must be a prerogative of "civilized" nations!
 Where were you with your "civilization" when your own governments in
cold
 blood murdered Iraqi and Yugoslav children? Where were others of you
when
 your governments were applauding to these killings?
 I feel sick to my stomach watching oh so many times how Bill Clinton
who
can
 never wash off his hands all the innocent blood that he has shed around
the
 world in his 8 years in the office, was cheered and greeted in Ireland
as
 "The Peacemaker".
 Let's face it: our, non-Western victims, do not count for the majority
of
 you. You don't even like us to say how we feel about it. We are
supposed to
 mourn only your deaths.
 If they do count - and I mean not just for the small groups of
courageous
 Westerners who are raising their voice against the current barbarity of
the
 "civilized" world, but for all those Irish people who had their 3
minutes
of
 silence on Friday, 14.09- , if they do, where are you now, when even
more
 innocent HUMAN BEINGS are being slaughtered? Simply because they were
 "unlucky" to be born outside of your "civilization".
 With all its beautiful talks against racism (even though Durban has
pretty
 much shown to the world who is who on this issue!), the West divides
nations
 into categories even after death. It invented 2 sorts of victims. Did
 anybody notice that, apparently, there is the 1st class victims: those
from
 the rich countries who deserve minutes of silence, mourning days,
candle
 light vigils, tears and millions in solidarity donations - and then
there
is
 2nd class, "the rest of us", - "the collateral damage", as they nicely
and
 civilized put it here.
 What I am about to say, is not going to make me very popular here. But
my
 pain and my dismay at the double standards of the Western general
public,
 are too strong and it hurts too much to continue to keep quiet.
 Ashes of the "collateral damage" of your civilization are knocking into
my
 heart.
 It is apparently "OK" to kill the innocent "in the name of democracy
and
 freedom". It is "OK" to kill the children of one nation "in the name of
 human rights" for another. Is that what your "civilization" is about?
 People of Afghanistan now are yet another "collateral damage" to the
most
of
 you. Just like in 1999 during NATO aggression against Yugoslavia *(if
you
 still remember it!), now we are being told the same fairy tales - that
this
 is "not the war against the Afghani (Yugoslav) people, but against
terrorism
 (president Milosevic)".
 Whom do they hope to fool? It is the people, not the leaders, who are
dying
 daily. Just as the terrorist acts in America weren't "the war on the
 American people", but on their leaders' policy - yet, those leaders are
 still alive and kicking, while nearly 6000 civilians have vanished.
 Where is the difference?
 The difference is in the Western public opinion on different values of
 different nations' human lives.
 I can only imagine how furious not just the media, but the ordinary
citizens
 here would be if anybody would have called the American 11th of
September
 victims "collateral damage" in the global fight against Western
domination
 and Western state terrorism.
 American terrorist Timothy McVeigh has used the term "collateral
damage"
for
 his own American victims and was immediately condemned by the outraged
 Americans: how dared he, a private terrorist, to compare his American
 victims with some "uncivilized" non-Western victims of his state
 counterpart?
 TO SUGGEST THAT NOT ALL HUMAN LIVES ARE OF THE SAME
VALUE, IS NAKED RACISM.
 Yet, the Western governments and media are not just suggesting it: this
is
 their preconception of the world. It is clear as daylight from the
actions -
 no matter what they say. This is an axiom for them, something that
doesn't
 even need a proof. That is why their own leaders whose true place is
the
 cells of Scheveningen jail in Holland, in the defendants' box of the
Hague
 tribunal, are still being cheered and greeted as "peacemakers".
 After the 11th of September , when we are forced "to make a choice" :
either
 to be with Mr. Bush and his understanding of freedom (that is, freedom
to
 bomb any other nation, without any need for any international law, and
to
 threaten anybody who disagrees) or else., I feel increasingly that I am
not
 with the West on this one.
 How can I be? I was just shown once again that myself and people like
me,
 are not equal. That for far too many Irish people it is only "an
enormous
 tragedy" if there are people of Irish origin among the victims (what
about
 enormousness of the tragedy in Rwanda?!)
 I am a non-Westerner here. It was not my choice to feel this way. Just
like
 any human person, I felt a shock when I saw other human beings jumping
off
 the skyscraper on the 11th of September. I felt pain for their families
 because I know what it's like to lose somebody you love. Now, finally,
 Americans as a nation feel that too. But what is their reaction?
 The reason that I feel a stranger here now, was the choice of those who
have
 no respect or compassion for the dead ones of other nations. For the
victims
 of their own governments in other countries.
 It was the choice of those who can throw McDonald's food that is left
over,
 into the bin, cheerfully shouting: " This is for Ethiopia!"
 We, non-Westerners, have less and less choice in this world, since the
 continuing destruction of any decent alternative that we had, to "The
 Western Way of life" that is being forcefully imposed on us in our home
 countries.
 What are our choices? Either to flee our homes and to come here, where
we
 live so often in hostility while creating wealth for the West, or to
die
 slowly from poverty, crime, sicknesses, diseases and oppression at
home,
 under our own comprador governments, because of the debts they made to
the
 same West, in order to pay for their own luxury lives.
 Aha, there is also a new alternative now: to be bombed to pulp by a
deadly
 mixture of ultra-expensive missiles and "humanitarian help" "in the
name of
 civilization". "Civilized" nations need to restore their economy from
 depression, you see, - and a war is the best way to do it..
 Let me tell you something. This is NOT "retaliation".
 If it was right and just to "retaliate" this way for crimes against
humanity, the whole West should have been leveled to the ground by now.
 What we are witnessing, is last century's imperialism on its way back -
 under that brand-new smiling mask of "Civilization". Sadly, it seems
that
 countries that weren't imperialist in the past and that are even now
still
 partially colonized, are also joining this "crusade".
 Retaliation? What retaliation? Remember, looking back at the part of
your
 own history, which you refuse to recognize: we didn't start the fire!
_________________________________
Irina's e-mail is:  
            "Irina Malenko" <pravda@utvinternet.com>






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