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Hi Rick O'D. I would say if we could look at the picture and turn things around (I think this is what the psy folks call role playing;). An American is burning a picture of Saddam and Bin Laden (apparently there have been recent evidence of Bin Laden recruits training in Iraq) in fury of the attack on the twin towers.. Unfortunately his baseball cap with I love NY on it catches fire and so his hair and his Charley Chaplain mustache. And he explodes. The crowed around him cell-phones the fire brigade but unfortunately , it was the end of the protester. I believe the question is more are we allowed to smile on another person's or our own misfortune. Is this unethical? Of course a misfortune should invoke in another person if he is a good human being empathy, sympathy and a response to help. But even if a person respond like this, there may be another side to the coin. And that is HOW DO WE COPE ourselves with other's and our own misfortune? For whatever research is worth, some researchers have shown now that humor and making fun of impossible situations is an important way to cope with it. Although initially kept from making public, there seems to be evidence that even the Jewish victims (and others possibly as well) of the Nazi's used humor to help themselves in the horror predicts. Concentration camp jokes seem difficult to imagine and seem not respectful but they existed (exists) even (mostly I should say) among the victims. But hey, you Brits are famous for humor... so.. now no more cartoons these days in the British news papers? Are these all banned by angry writers or censored may be by the your security services? I hope that this helps to not to get too offended about burning as(h)wholes and pigs killed on the humor road. Have a good day, Shlomit *************************************************************** Dr Shlomit C. Schuster, Email: [log in to unmask] The Philosophical Counseling Web Site: http://www.geocities.com/centersophon The Philosopher's Autobiography: A Qualitative Study http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/Asin/0275977897/thephilosophicac/ Philosophy Practice: An Alternative to Counseling and Psychotherapy http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/Asin/0275965414/thephilosophicac/ *************************************************************** ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rick O'Donoghue" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2003 12:01 AM Subject: Re: terrorist > Is there anybody there who finds this picture with its slogan, offensive, as > I do? > > 1. Is there a direct linkage to burning the American flag because you may be > an Arab who doesn't want America taking over not his destiny but his very > identity? > > 2. Why confuse (yes, violent) protest with acts of terror? > > But the question that moves me the most is why do we, as therapists, vilify > the culture of those living in another part of the world whose cause may be > as deeply felt, as valid, as those that we hold? > > This is a series of questions because I would hope for a response. > > Yours Very Sincerely, > > Rick. >