Western Civilization

When asked whether he thought photos of Saddam Hussein in his underwear would inspire insurgents in Iraq, President Bush said, "I don't think a photo inspires murderers. I think they're inspired by an ideology that's so barbaric and backwards that it's hard for many in the Western world to comprehend how they think."

Whereas those in the Eastern World understand perfectly, we can presume from this statement?

Yes, I must admit, it's a little hard for us to comprehend barbaric ideologies. I mean, sure, we Westerners have hosted the Inquisition, presided over the slaughter of Native Americans, the slavery of Africans and African Americans, the torture, captivity and murder of Jews, Russians, Gays, and other people considered undesirable in the Holocaust, the dropping of the most destructive bomb in human history, the systematic dismantling of society's safety net for the most vulnerable...but never anything truly barbaric like what's happening in Iraq.

Maybe it's the "backwards" part that Bush is saying we don't get. We may be barbaric, but we always use the most sophisticated methods at hand...'course in Iraq, you don't have a lot to work with. That's why they had to resort to leashes, boxes, hoods, and phony electric wires at Abu Ghraib, right?

Reminds me of the apocryphal story (anyone know if it's really true?) told about Gandhi's response to a reporter who asked him, "What do you think of western civilization?"

"I think it would be a good idea," he said.