The Oil Drum | Sunday's Dilbert (or, talk about surreal...)

116 comments on Sunday's Dilbert (or, talk about surreal...)

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

Twilight on February 19, 2006 - 9:51pm

Informational packets prepared and distributed (with "bonus" cartoons not actually printed), shipments of Danish flags for burning. It's not hard to set angry people off. I don't make any claims about who orchestrated this stuff, there seem to those on both sides who benefit. Mostly I see an overwhelming anger and hatred boiling over - it probably wouldn't matter what the provocation was. The REAL underlying provocations have been manifold. Now we can all stand back and say - "those crazy Muslims, look at them rioting over a cartoon". I think that seriously misses the point.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

Gets IT on February 20, 2006 - 12:46pm

Twilight, you're on to it. This latest trouble has MISUNDERSTANDING written all over it. But not just the misunderstanding about this one incident. Its about 50 years of it. Same is happening in Nigeria now, as it has in Colombia, and Venezuela and Cuba. It just goes on and on. The US government (and the west in general) sees unjustified attacks on the oil companies and the average punter sees his gas bill go up. Nobody here (in the west) understands the desperation that is behind this. I've been shot at in Colombia while working at a pump station. We had a helicopter shot down and I ate crap for a week until they would fly back to the pump station and bring supplies. Some of my collegues were kidnapped, another contracting company employee was killed. I don't like what's going on, but I DO see their reasoning. It's not so hard to understand. When you've got nothing to live for, yes total desperation, why not. I'd have to say, if you (not you specifically) had the same vision of your future as these guys have of theirs, you'd be running guns to them (at least blankets to Pakistan earthqake areas), if not fighting side by side with them, rather than worrying about what you're going to do in 5 years when the oil runs out or something. You'd be thinking, "Hell! I ain't going to live 2 more days anyway. Give me the gun.", If I can be so bold to say so. Please, I'm not saying IMO they are justified or not. I'm just saying that I "get it".

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

Agric on February 20, 2006 - 8:32pm

A couple of underlying numbers: both per capita food production and per capita oil production peaked over 20 years ago. It's not you and me that have gone hungrier or consumed less energy.

I do see their reasoning in that they find themselves having to struggle more to survive yet see others growing fat and consuming with abandon. It doesn't smell right to them, nor does it to me.

They crystallise that onto religion. OK, I have a problem with that, I think it bloody silly, but maybe that's my downer on monotheisms - they seem to lend themselves to such silliness.

Maybe this perceived disrespect for Islam is a proxy for our more fundamental disrespect for them as humans.

When humanity has the possibility and perhaps necessity to coalesce into a powerful wholeness, what I see is the accelerating opposite.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

116 comments on Sunday's Dilbert (or, talk about surreal...)

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

Beware email scams!

Beware email scams claiming to be from this site. We do not have any job openings. If anyone contacts you about a job at The Oil Drum, do not reply to them, and definitely do not give them any personal information or send them money. Read more here.