'But what about Syria'. Would I be unreasonable to tell this woman to go and fuck herself?

[Runny]

I have a Facebook friend who I think it's fair to say has some very extreme political views that she's not afraid to air. Normally I think live and let live, but she really gets her knickers in a knot over things like the Western bombings of Syria, refugees, Israel etc. I should say I'm also against the bombings in Syria and have donated to refugee charities.

Since the Paris terror attacks she's become very vocal about how Western media organisations ignore the terror attacks that happen in the Middle East, lots of 'why don't we change our FB profile pics to Palestinian flags' and the like. I let that go, even though I think she's talking out of her arse and it's blatantly obvious why our media focus on stuff happening in Europe. Since then with every terror attack that's happened she's posted similar stuff, even when the Westminster attacks happened the other week. This person lives in Central London so it bloody happened on her died doorstep and she was still at it even then!

Then yesterday arrived, my feed was full of comments about how awful and horrific the events in Manchester were. She was uncharacterstically quiet for most of the day, then late afternoon she posts a status 'I weep for the children, children everywhere'. What followed was a load of guff implying it was a 'false flag' designed to rig the election in the Tories favour. I hate the Tories as much as the next person, but come on that's just lunacy!

She's been at it most of the night, posts about fucking Syria, don't forget about Syria. Seriously, there's a time and a place for her crack pot opinions, and I really want to comment telling her she's a fucking insensitive idiot for spouting this now. WIBU to do this? She seems to have a complete empathy bypass. I'm so angry reading her posts, she posts this guff just hours after children have been blown to bits at a pop concert. What the hell is wrong with her?

Lol. Except if you happen to be a Jewish kid. Then he's pretty warmongery.

Has Corbyn advocated war on the Jewish people? Is that you Katie/Theresa?

So the answer is we should never get involved?

We should not get involved in a country with a democratically elected leader, where the leader hasn't asked us to be involved. We shouldn't fabricate things like WMD to create a pretext to go to war for reasons that only benefit us (arms sales, oil deals).

What political party can I vote for that says we won't get involved with any of it?

Greens. Caroline Lucas does so much anti-war campaigning. Also, Labour under JC.

It's classic awkward squad behaviour, I'm afraid. It's like a sickness, they can't really help it. But yes, I agree with all the points about timing etc. Are they really a friend? Mute 'em or whatever it is you can do.

Is there a country in the world which doesn't focus it's media reporting on its own affairs, and which gives equal space to loss of life thousands of miles away in different cultures than it does to events at home? Which country does this?

She's right. But yeah, tell her to go duck herself and I friend her because she has a differIng opinion to you.

*fuck herself

We should not get involved in a country with a democratically elected leader

What about dictatorships and authoritatian regimes where we know minorities are being killed eg: gassing of Kurds, chemical attacks by Assad?

So long as we post on social media about the horror of their deaths, does that make standing by and watching okay?

So are local newspapers which give more coverage to an incident in their area than one similar or worse in another part of the country wrong? Communities who are more upset about a crime in their area than one somewhere else? Every country's media for focusing more on what happens there than abroad?

The person the OP referenced has been posting "what about Syria?" Could post to her "what about Yemen?" "What about the Central African Republic?" "What about Boko Haram?" "What about South Sudan?" And so on.

What about dictatorships and authoritatian regimes

Youll find that a lot of them will have been put in place by the US and then when they refuse to listen to their orders thats when US/UK 'military intervention' is needed. Not because they are killing their own civilians

Tell her to fuck right off and get on with her yoghurt knitting, or whatever it is those holier than thous do for fun.

Block the thick bitch.

I think that's twattish of her to post this kind of thing at this time. I can see her point but what she is actually doing is causing the opposite effect because of the timing and insensitivity of it.

Youll find that a lot of them will have been put in place by the US and then when they refuse to listen to their orders thats when US/UK 'military intervention' is needed. Not because they are killing their own civilians*

^ this x 100

Youll find that a lot of them will have been put in place by the US and then when they refuse to listen to their orders thats when US/UK 'military intervention' is needed. Not because they are killing their own civilians

This. The things they are "accused" of doing that makes an intervention "necessary" are often complete and utter cockwomble.

You'll find that a lot of them will have been put in place by the US and then when they refuse to listen to their orders that's when US/UK 'military intervention' is needed. Not because they are killing their own civilians

I specifically referenced regimes that had not been put in place by the West.

Incidentally which countries regimes were you thinking of? That don't kill their own civilians and are put in place by The West?

It's very easy to continuously blame the West and I absolutely agree that blame lies there to a point, but is standing by and watching any better? The region seems only too capable of slaughtering its own kind. Do we just stand back and remind ourselves that their pain is the same as ours? Ensure parity of media reporting but don't intervene?

The region seems only too capable of slaughtering its own kind.
That's so very high and might and civilised of you.
No one needs help than our own people right now. Everyone needs freedoms to sort their own problems. It's the colonialism of 21st century to go and pretend to help people.

It's natural that the media in Britain will focus on events here more than other places in the world. Not really sure why your friend is so surprised by that tbh.

That said, the coverage has been awful - the media are treating this like it's entertainment. The bickering and other shite on fb is much the same. I honestly think the kindest, most respectful thing that anyone could do for those families right now is to realise that the most awful thing in the world has happened to them and stfu with their political opinions and appropriation of their grief.

While I'm here, I am massively pissed off at the implication that these atrocities are a result of Western foreign policy and therefore somehow 'our' fault. No. Very few people in this country wanted to bomb anywhere. If you choose to bomb a concert full of children, that's on you. No one else is responsible for it. Those 8 year olds didn't bomb anyone.

While I'm here, I am massively pissed off at the implication that these atrocities are a result of Western foreign policy and therefore somehow 'our' fault.

If Western forces blow up your town, your family and your entire life, you cannot be surprised that some of these people get radicalised (or "have an axe to grind" as someone put it) to believe the West is evil and go on to commit atrocities.

If my home town got bombed etc, I can honestly say I wouldn't go out and murder innocent children, whose only connection to the bombers is that they come from the same country! Like I said, if you murder children, that's on you. No one else is responsible.

Yolo the bomber was from Manchester That was his town. His family was given refuge and a good life there.

The idea that radicalisation only happens to desperate people in war torn countries is manifestly stupidly wrong if you take the trouble to examine recent terror attacks in Europe.

If Western forces blow up your town, your family and your entire life, you cannot be surprised that some of these people get radicalised (or "have an axe to grind" as someone put it) to believe the West is evil and go on to commit atrocities.

This^^ The inconvenient truth is that your friend is spot on! Think how many Iraqi Afghan and Syrian children have been killed, maimed and orphaned by the actions of the British armed forces and her allies over the last few decades. You don't see this on TV because the government don't want Jo Public to compute it.Children hurt the same whatever their nationality!

She's been at it most of the night, posts about fucking Syria

Seriously? 'Fucking Syria'? That's deeply disrespectful to the thousands who have died there and that have been displaced. Would you say 'fucking Manchester'? You seem to be playing some 'atrocity top trumps' yourself, OP.

chloe84 surprising that hasn't been picked up more really. Pretty disgusted by the op and some of the responses here.

I specifically referenced regimes that had not been put in place by the West.

Which ones would they be then?

The idea that radicalisation only happens to desperate people in war torn countries is manifestly stupidly wrong if you take the trouble to examine recent terror attacks in Europe.

People being radicalised in this country and Europe is a lot to do with perception, how many times do they have to see headlines in the redtops or the daily fail blaming 'muslims' for stealing all their houses, jobs, benifit money, how many times do they need to hear the words 'fuck off back to your own country' thrown at them when they are just going about their business of living life.

Throw all these young people on the scrap heap like successive governments have done, bomb their relatives or the region their family hail from and see how long it takes till the anger has to find somewhere to go, then you have the likes of farage, hopkins. coulter, mensch, trump, nuttall, bnp, britain first constantly othering these people, we make it easy for the recruiting sergeants

Youll find that a lot of them will have been put in place by the US and then when they refuse to listen to their orders thats when US/UK 'military intervention' is needed. Not because they are killing their own civilians

Amen to that. Western interference in foreign domestic affairs has a long running and long reaching history.