This is a rather lengthy clip from the January 5th episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=213380&title=strip-maul
To begin with, the clip is entitled "Strip Maul" which is a pun. The Gaza Strip and the Israeli "maul"ing of the area, as well as the similarity to the "strip mall."
As The Daily Show mocks the media and politicians, Stewart's comments are of particular importance, particularly when juxtaposed with the comments from the journalists, politicians and commentators in the clips shown. One interesting point is when Stewart comments that the conflict "happens all the time in the Middle East [itself a stereotype of the region as a whole as a violent place]... the 2009 missiles coming in, got to make room in the silos. Right?" This is posed against various journalists commenting that even "Israelis admit, this could take a long time," thus destroying the hope for a peaceful 2009.
Perhaps one of the most telling instances is when Stewart asks the question "Why right now?" The response is that Israel is afraid that Obama will not support their actions, whereas they know they have unlimited support from the Bush Administration. Thus, Stewart comments that Israel has to get their bombing in "before the January 20th Hope and Change deadline."
Stewart also points out that both Democrat and Republican politicians support Israel wholeheartedly, to the point that Stewart comments there is only one side to the various debates. This goes to the heart of Western media perceptions of Israel, particularly in the United States. Support is widespread throughout the United States, in areas often unexpected, while the Palestinian side is rarely stated. The solidarity between members of the United States and Israel continues in this clip as various politicians responded that if the US was attacked by its neighbors in the same way as Israel, it would respond in the exact same manner. The dominant rhetoric in the United States, particularly among political groups, is that Israel is simply protecting itself from hostile neighbors. The conflict has no time-frame. It is an eternal entity. This relates to the dominant Western narrative that Israelis live in perpetual fear of terrorist attacks by Arab neighbors/Palestinians. This, of course, ignores the complicated issues that surround the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The clips utilized throughout this segment reflect a variety of news programs and even political perspectives within the United States. Yet, this variety does not translate into the views of the conflict as Israel is seen as a justified actor with no detailed mention of the Palestinians (aside from Hamas launching missiles into Israeli territory, the justification for the Israeli response). Although The Daily Show is directed toward the youth in the United States and is broadcast on Comedy Central, the mocking reveals a great deal about the general portrayal of the situation in Gaza (and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on a whole) in Western/American media as well as the political response to the Israeli military position.
A sexual revolution -- women moving up in Iran
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To continue the focus on women from the reading, I found this article
posted on a non-profit news-source called Iran Focus**'s website. The
article itself...
15 years ago
