This Is Why Afghanistan Will Never Come Into The Modern Age

Not quite. Mohammed Shafia's action are supported by the culture in which he grew up, but not the one he decided to take advantage of. Ted Kennedy's were not supported by the ethics of the culture in which he grew up. So Shafia is a lot closer to = all Afghanis than Ted Kennedy is to = all Americans.

Two things: One, WF is very quick to extrapolate from the individual to the general, as this thread witnesses, and two, if you don't think Ted Kennedy was a product of his culture, you don't know old Joe Kennedy.

Considering he got away with it, I'd say Ted Kennedy's culture did support his actions, so long as he remained rich and a member of an influential family.

^That's what I'm talkin' about.

Teddy was most definitely a product of his culture -- that of the rich, snobby, spoiled, whoring, entitled, out-of-touch, political elitists in this country.


In other words, people who are like ten pounds of cow shit in a nine pound bag.

And yet, the majority of WFers want to be just like them when they grow up.

Or are you only saying that because the Kennedys are Democrats?

Did I mention any party affiliation?

No, I'm extrapolating, which is why I used the smiley. I think you and I share the same disdain for inherited money, but given the usual yowling about "The Death Tax" in the Red Room, we'd be in the minority.

I have no problem with people having money, just if they act like assholes about it.

Was Joe Kennedy the whole American culture? Who's extrapolating now?

Just looking at the nuances. Shafia is the product of a tribal culture that a sophisticated Afghani would sneer at. The Kennedys were/are also a tribal culture, whose value system is very different from that of most Americans.

But if you're going to judge an entire nation by the behavior of one bizarre family or tribe, you'll get yourself in trouble every time.

Besides, if there is an "honor killing" it's usually SELF killing to save the honor of the family/clan/whatever. Even to redeem one's own honor.

Since you're positing the prevalence of Afghani sneering at the mores of tribal Afghani culture, Skin's confident that you'll be forthcoming with evidence to support your claim.

With whom, and why does Skin give a crap about getting in that kind of trouble?

It's getting more and more difficult not to paint an entire culture with a broad brush when news stories like these crop up every week:

Afghan man kills wife for giving birth to daughter

I'd kick the daughters out and kill the wife that bitches the most.

Well a couple of things. First there is no 'Afghan' culture. The closest you might get would be Pashtun culture as they are the dominate ethnolinguistic group.

But Garamet is correct in that people from the cities view people in the rural areas as backwards, b/c well people in the rural areas ARE backwards as fuck.

So then Pashtun culture is what, French?

Wonderful. Still waiting to see some evidence that urban Afghans see their rural countrymen this way.

Ancient. Pre-Islam.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashtunwali

I see you as an idiot.

What kind of evidence do you want of that?

Centered in which country?

You could just say, "I don't have any." You'd still be conceding the point, but you'd look a little less like a sissy ideologue for having said it.

Jesus Christ you're an idiot.

Have you been paying NO ATTENTION this last decade to any of the news reports on the war? The Durand Line pretty cleanly bisects Pashtunistan. (Thanks a lot England)

And apparently you missed my point. I honestly do think you are not that bright. Now how would I go about proving that, or would you just have to take my word as the person who has the most experience dealing with me that I know what I'm talking about?