DescentBB

After looking at the incoherant mess of a funeral the palestinians displayed, one can't help to wonder how they will ever succed as a people.
Compare Arafats funeral to Reagans and it is easy to see the difference between a disciplined people to a mob ruled one. Not talking how much money is spent but how organised the funeral is. The success of a nation is proportional to how disciplined it is. Laws and respect for laws are paramont for the nation state to prosper. Arafats funeral shows how undisciplined the Palastine people are. Emotions running wild as exhibited by the funeral procession, shows how easy it is to control the Palestine people by emotional issues.
So any bets on a new strong man rising like a festering boil, taking control of Palestine and continuing the same old kill the jews rhetoric?

I think that has a 1.000 chance of occuring.

Arafat had a sort of "cult of personality" thing going for him. Whoever steps in, he won't have that going for him.

I think the Palestinians will go through 3 or 4 more leaders before they finally get a decent one... but none of the 3-4 will last more than a few years.

With respect to the coffin swarm... consider the similarity to the Ayatollah's funeral.

The Israelis and Palestinians will quit fighting when the Israelis quit treating the Palestinians like non-humans and the Palestinians quit being so jealous of the Israelis ... i.e. never ...

Really, both sides are so wrapped up with the transgressions of the other that they are unable to see their own faults. I believe that what both sides need is one huge dose of humility. That humility will come only when they hurt so bad they cannot possibly continue this behavior.

Lothar, the Iranians gave a whole new meaning to the word "Rendering". I was hoping a similar end for Arafat.

When i first went to a funeral in this neck of the woods i was also a little shocked. There seemed to be no order to the ceremony, almost total chaos. The body was carted around without what seemed any respect for it at all, people were wailing and shouting and carrying on in a fashion that wouldn't go down well at all in Manchester where i grew up.

Back in the UK i was used to an order of ceremony, a pre-organised set of rules that were adhered to in a melancholic, almost drab kind of way, with everyone dropping there eyes to the floor so as to avoid others. Keeping all their emotions in check.

I've come round to the Arab and Israeli funerals that i've been to, i think the outpouring of emotions is essential and real. The huddling together of loved ones in a disorganised mess seems to have a greater meaning than the rank and file staid ceremony i was used to back in the UK.

Anyway it isn't important what i think. What i want to say is that the middle east (Israeli's included to a certain extent)obviously have a different culture to westerners, and that goes to burying their dead also.

I'll give you an example where i and freinds of mine turned the tables. Four years ago next week a close freind of mine died of inflammatory breast cancer. She was also an ex pat from the uk who met somone and started family on the kibbutz. One of her wishes was for everyone she was close to go to the local bar to have a good drink and listen to Mowtown all night. After she died we arranged the evening and slowly people rather uncomfortably started drifting in to the bar. Because the Israelis wern't used to this kind of "irish wake" i made a little speech about culture differences and how it would disappoint the deceased if we didn't have a laugh in her honour, and slowly people started to come round. In the end it was a great night enjoyed by her close mates and family.

Culture is a funny old thing.

Woodchip whats with all the hate?

Hate for a murdering terrorist? Why not?

I don't remember him beign on Bush's deck of cards. Was he the joker or somethin?

Gooberman wrote:I don't remember him beign on Bush's deck of cards. Was he the joker or somethin?

He's been grandfathered in since he's an OG.