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tweakabelle -> RE: Iran leader lays wreath on terrorists grave (2/2/2014 8:31:15 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Marc2b
quote:
That self evident double standard is a tell tale sign of hypocrisy at work.
Welcome to the human race. That self same hypocrisy is why such symbolism is meaningless. Everyone knows that certain customs, ceremonies and rituals are bullshit but they are performed anyway
because it is what people have always done or because they need to reassure their own lies to their self. People just going through the motions is just that. It is not interpreted by anyone as anything other than that
(although, they will lie about it if asked because that too is expected). It is when someone breaks away from the usual routine that people take notice and give consideration to other possibilities. President Obama sending a gay
delegation to the Olympics (in your face, Putin!) is a good example.
There's some merit in your argument. But it overlooks a basic fact - symbolism isn't and can never be meaningless. Symbols may be insincere, empty, or merely rhetorical. But they are never devoid of meaning. Meaning is their raison d'etre
The meaning is not found in the symbol itself, but what it represents in a given context and how it is interpreted. A national flag is really nothing more than a piece of coloured cloth. But wars have been fought over those pieces of coloured cloth. Person A laying flowers on a grave, or mourning at a funeral service of Person B is not symbolic of anything beyond personal grief and sympathy.
However, if Person A happens to be a Foreign Minister or Vice-President (and therefore a symbol of the entire nation they represent) and Person B happens to be a terrorist with a history of brutality and uncompromising violence stretching back over half a century, this symbolic act is fraught with meaning. It represents the nation's ongoing stamp of approval for the goals and/or acts of said terrorist. It is support for terrorist violence.
No player of any consequence in the Palestinian/Isreali conflict will interpret the acts of the various Foreign Ministers/Vice-Pesidents differently.
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