According to a recent Reuter's article, many locals believe that the U.S. military is responsible for the presence of a shark found in a southern Iraqi river. I can't think of a more effective or efficient way for our military to evoke fear in the hearts of our wartime enemy, can you?
At first I was a surprised that people would believe such an outlandish claim, but then I got to thinking...it seems pretty clear that people will believe anything, no matter how ridiculous sounding, if it agrees with their preconceived ideologies. We see this demonstrated all the time in America with anti-gay and various religious and moral propaganda.
How do we encourage people to take an interest in facts when it comes to conviction?
NASSIRIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - A two-metre shark has been caught in a river in southern Iraq more than 200 km (160 miles) from the sea.
Karim Hasan Thamir said he was fishing with his sons last week when they spotted a large fish thrashing about in his net. "I recognised the fish as a shark because I have seen one on a television programme," he told Reuters.
The shark was pulled from the mouth of an irrigation canal that joins the Euphrates River. The Euphrates joins the Tigris River further east to form the Shatt al-Arab waterway which flows south past Basra into the Gulf.
Dr. Mohamed Ajah, assistant dean of the college of science at Thi Qar University in Nassiriya, said barriers in river estuaries usually prevented sharks swimming upstream.
"In this case, I think this animal was there for a long time but no one had managed to see it," he said.
Locals blamed the U.S. military for the shark's presence.
Tahseen Ali, a teacher, said there was a "75 percent chance" Americans had put the shark in the water.
"This is very frightening for us. Our children always swim in the river and I believe that there are more sharks. I believe that America is behind this matter," said fisherman Hatim Karim.
4 comments:
That's pretty funny, and sad that they would blame our Military for something so stupid. As if our Military has nothing better to do over there then go find a shark from the ocean, trap it somehow, and place it in a river? And... the purpose that would serve please? You're right, people will believe anything if it supports their pre-conceived beliefs.
I agree with Kerry. This is evidence that there are far fewer smart people in the world than crazy ones. I find it incredibly interesting that not only real political issues (WMD's, torture, etc.) are slanted and spun, but now we're bringing sharks into the mix-like they're a weapon. That's like saying terrorist were involved in a plan to kidnap my recently lost socks.
The public is trained to look at things with skepticism. Hence the shark issue! God forbid people think that the shark actually showed up via "natural causes." It is nature, after all. Now our military is being blamed for planting a vicious animal in foreign waters for the purpose of killing innocent people. Really?? Is that why we're spending millions, billions, and trillions of dollars on the war? When did sharks become so expensive? Think again.
But keep in mind also, these people are living under an illegal American occupation and their country has become a slaughterhouse. That would have more to do with the level of distrust of the US military than any "preconceived ideologies."
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