Palestinian symbol, made in China

[MaryCeleste]

Globalism is even reaching the West Bank...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-mideast_slider_bdmar30,1,1714736.story

[cliffordu]

1. LOL!!

:rofl:

[bahrbearian]

2. Uh....I don't care what you think....?

It is not funny.

[MaryCeleste]

3. What I found of particular interest

was the claim that trash volume had increased due to the poor quality of Chinese goods.

[cliffordu]

4. That's right it's not funny.

It's absolutely hilarious in the "leave-no-society-unexploited-and stripped-the-market-will-cure-everything" kind of way, though.

Maybe my laughter wasn't clear: Unregulated greed has finally reached a place so broke, so devastated and choked off from the rest of the world that the idea of a salesman from some fucking toy company would actually fly in there and sell some piece of shit copy of a kaffiyeh and get away with it is beyond the pale.

It is a very black, malevolent laugh. Gallows humor.

Kind of like those American flag pins that are all the rage among the NEOCON religionist bulletheads........

All made in China.

[Tom Joad]

5. Here is the reason, the Occupation Forces destruction of Palestinian industry

"Old industries are being squeezed out while Israeli restrictions on movement and land development limit the scope for new ventures."

the article does not mention that Israeli development is ILLEGAL in the West Bank, and violates international law. But the squeeze comes from the terror forces of Olmert and his criminal gang.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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[Tom Joad]

7. these things are getting more popular,

as people here in the US wear them as a symbol of the struggle against Israeli apartheid.
I think most of them worn around here come from the West Bank.

[MaryCeleste]

8. Tourist trinkets and dish towels for the latte liberal crowd

as a show of solidarity of course

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

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[MaryCeleste]

10. Bet it lasts longer that Chinese made kaffiyehs

Seriously, I have not seen a proliferation of them, and those I have seen are not being worn properly. I have seen them used as towels by those who do not know what they are.

[oberliner]

11. You use an Israeli flag to clean your toilet?

That's quite a statement.

[Tom Joad]

12. Not really.

It would not clean effectively.

[Tom Joad]

13. it might be used best with Ariel, the ethnic cleanser...

[Tom Joad]

14. i know it is harsh, but when this regime is talking "peace" and then

demolishing kindergartens (not just bits of cloth, but a real kindergarten) at the same time, it does not encourage much Israeli patriotism...

If all Israel had done was destroy 10,000 Palestinian flags in the last 8 years things would not be nearly so bad... instead they have destroyed 10,000 Palestinian HOMES in the last 8 years... nothing that would bother folks like you, but it sure does raise my ire.

[oberliner]

15. The destruction you described does bother me a lot

I also think Israel is a beautiful country with many wonderful people whom I respect and admire deeply.

Hopefully the Israelis and the Palestinians will reach an agreement in the very near future that will lead to an end to the occupation and the beginning of two states living side by side at peace with one another.

I deplore the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe but I would not wipe my toilet with that nation's flag, but that's just me.

I respect your opinion and I appreciate how fervently you espouse your positions and try to encourage people to take action.

[Tom Joad]

16. The whole world is filled with beauty and wonderful people

including Israel and Palestine.

Israel, however, continues to destroy Palestine, day after day, farm after farm, home after home, kindergarten after kindergarten. Worrying about the cloth symbol of Israel should be the least of your concerns.

[oberliner]

17. Well the Israeli flag does feature the Star of David

And that is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity.

What people do with an Israeli flag is certainly not the most of my concerns, but if someone announces that they use it to clean their toilet then I would certainly register my displeasure with that.

[Tom Joad]

18. Haven't heard you say much about Israel killing Palestinian kids... but

but cloth... now that certainly gets you going.

It should bother you more that the bulldozers and the machinery of war used to demolish homes of children and families display this flag... isn't that the greatest disrespect?

Which would bother you more...
that a soldier based at Abu Grahib (who wears a US flag on his uniform) tortured men and women under orders from their government?
or a protester that burns a US flag?

Isn't bush-boy, every time he goes and makes another lie, with US flags placed in the background... showing the greatest disrespect for the US and the people who live here, more so than any protester?

Who is doing the most harm?

[oberliner]

19. It is deeply tragic when any children are killed in this conflict

I am confident that I have expressed that sentiment numerous times.

What if instead of using the Israeli flag to clean your toilet, you displayed the Israeli flag side by side with the Palestinian flag as a statement in support of peaceful coexistence?

I think that there would be a greater possibility for unity and progress towards peace if folks who feel the way you do about this conflict were more willing to reach out to those with whom they share some common ground (but not total agreement) and less desirous to antagonize those potential allies.

[Tom Joad]

20. I don't have an Israeli flag.

you didn't say anything when it was mentioned kaffiyehs were used as dishrags, which is when i responded with my irreverent remark.

didn't seem to bother you that Israeli military restrictions harm the production in the West Bank of these symbols of the struggle for liberation.

again, i do think the tank drivers are more disrespectful to the Israeli flag than anything i can do. cleaning the house is an honorable task. demolishing homes and farms is not.

[oberliner]

21. The poster was not saying that he or she cleans his or her dishes with a kaffiyeh

The poster seemed to be suggesting that some people buy one, not knowing exactly what it is meant to be for.

If one said that some people buy yarmulkes and (not knowing what they are for) use them as coasters or something then that would be somewhat similar to what the poster seemed to be suggesting.

That is a very different sentiment from the one expressed in your claim of deliberately taking an Israeli flag and cleaning your toilet with it.

[MaryCeleste]

22. Indeed I have seen just that

fairly typical Americanism, unfortunately

[Violet_Crumble]

25. No, the poster was not saying *some* people do that...

They didn't say *some* at all. They seemed to be making out it's most if not all who buy them, because they seem to have taken offense that anyone could buy one as a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian people...

[oberliner]

26. That was not the sense that I got from the post

The post stated that most who bought them were not wearing them properly and that the poster "had seen them used as towels by those who do not know what they are".

I think it's fair to conclude that the group who used them as towels could be construed as "some" rather than "most".

In any case, the point of the initial post, it seemed to me, was that some/most/all people were buying them without completely/necessarily understanding how they were generally meant to be worn.

I did not get the sense that the poster was implying that people were buying them with the full understanding of their association with Palestinian culture, and then choosing to use them to clean things.

It seems like there is a different statement being made by the responding poster who suggests "irreverently" that he uses an Israeli flag to clean his toilets.

[Violet_Crumble]

27. 'Tourist trinkets and dish towels for the latte liberal crowd'

I don't think I imagined that post, Oberliner. What's with the 'latte liberal' nonsense anyway?

And having read some of that posters claims in previous posts (eg the rest of the world is really into racial profiling), I take all of their anecdotal stories with a massive grain of salt.


on edit: for the record, I couldn't give a shit (no pun intended) what anyone does with any nation's flag, even if Tom meant it seriously, which he didn't...

[MaryCeleste]

29. Thats OK

Your lack of experience international is such that I discount much of what you say as well

[shaayecanaan]

34. Spoken like a true Contiki-travelling backpacker

man, you've acually travelled? Outside America? Holly mamolley! How hardcore is that?

[Name removed]

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[MaryCeleste]

32. Actually, I have only seen it here...

And I have seen kaffiyehs used as linens by those who did not know what it was.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

33. Only Israeli symbols have value here. Even American symbols are OK to

disrespect.

[MaryCeleste]

28. I was satirizing those who have no clue what it represents

[ProgressiveMuslim]

30. Yes indeed. It represents a people united, who will never be defeated.

It has as much meaning as the Palestinian national flag, if not more.

Personally, I feel privileged to wear one!

[Violet_Crumble]

24. Unlike some other posters here I do think you feel it deeply when any civilian is killed...

So I don't want you to take this the wrong way, Oberliner. I sometimes get the feeling that when you do speak out against the killing of Palestinian civilians or the racism towards Israeli-Arabs, there's a disclaimer attached that goes along the lines of: 'Yes Israel has a problem with this, but many other countries do too' or 'the Palestinians do it too' sort of thing. That may be the combative nature of this forum that does this. In a way we've got to be mind-readers. With you I've worked out from an almost reading-between-the-lines that you do believe it's deeply tragic when any child is killed in this conflict, but the same can't be said for another poster in this forum who claimed they just don't have time to say anything critical of Israel coz they're too busy combatting the 'lies and propaganda' they see. In their case, and having some knowledge of what they've said in the past, I don't believe for one second that they give a toss about anything else but Israeli children...

I'm in a very cynical mood and after having posted here at DU for nearly six years, this forum isn't the place where many folk look for common ground. While it's easy to find common ground with folk like you and LeftishBrit (even though we do disagree on many things), there is no way in the world I'm the slightest bit interested in finding common ground with one or two other posters in this forum based on what they've said in their posts...

[Name removed]

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