Journalist throws shoes at Bush

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by thatmariolover

Of course I don't think throwing a shoe (or violence in general) is an acceptable form of protest. But you do have to take his point of view to heart before judging him. He doesn't recognize Bush as somebody that gave him freedoms. He sees Bush as the leader of a military occupation of his country. If the US was crumbling from within and another country came over and enforced unfamiliar rules and laws, of course part of the population would rebel.

Those supporting this war see themselves as benefactors, bringing the light and justice to the underprivileged. But not all of them want our help, and you can hardly expect them to take that sitting down. Of course there are less violent ways to express your frustration than throwing a shoe.

In the end I think 15 years in prison is hardly a just punishment for somebody who threw a shoe for something he truly believes in.

I recognize his rights to dislike Bush, and I recognize his argument as being a legitimate one, even if I disagree with it. What Im disagreeing with is the shoe tossing. Its his actions that are punishable, not his ideas or speech, and that was and is my point. The reporter simply could have stood up and screamed the same messages and gotten as much attention for his beliefs.

His show throwing destroyed his own argument and marginalized his opinion because he looks like a fool.

[mickydaniels]

Originally Posted by Professor S

I recognize his rights to dislike Bush, and I recognize his argument as being a legitimate one, even if I disagree with it. What Im disagreeing with is the shoe tossing. Its his actions that are punishable, not his ideas or speech, and that was and is my point. The reporter simply could have stood up and screamed the same messages and gotten as much attention for his beliefs.

His show throwing destroyed his own argument and marginalized his opinion because he looks like a fool.

I don't know about that.
The shoe throwing is something that anybody all over the world can understand without any translation. And compared to other kinds of projectiles, is relatively harmless. Screaming out in Arabic limits his effective audience (would have been carried out anyway). So does using accented English that most people wouldn't understand.

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by mickydaniels

I don't know about that.
The shoe throwing is something that anybody all over the world can understand without any translation. And compared to other kinds of projectiles, is relatively harmless. Screaming out in Arabic limits his effective audience (would have been carried out anyway). So does using accented English that most people wouldn't understand.

So if he had simply gotten up and started to angrily scream, his message wouldn't have been sent? The media wouldn't have covered it or translated his message? Really?

Throwing shoes is assault and is unacceptable under any circumstances, not to mention silly, regardless of the message intended. Something tells me that if some republican whack job had done the same to Obama, you'd be singing a different tune. And no, its not ok because it's Bush.

That said, I think it would be a big PR win if Bush pushed for this guy's release. It would show compassion and in the end shoe throwing is unacceptable but as mentioned, harmless barring some freak accident. The release would go a long way to show that Americans are understanding and magnanimous, a perception we have not cultivated in that region.