What do you think of this?

English as a Second Language What do you want to talk about?
1

Hi,

What do you think about this? I took this from today’s copy of The Independent a national newspaper in the UK.

Alan

2

Hi Alan,

Seems like those in charge were under a certain type of pressure and as a result they overreacted. Or rather reacted to something they thought was a thread when indeed there was no danger at all. I think it’s all down to the media and how you perceive what is happening around you. We get information from different sources and often it’s just plain arrogance or lack of interest that makes us create an opinion.

Why on earth do people think that if somebody speaks Arabic they must be dangerous? Why are airline officials not even capable of distinguishing between Arabic and another language? Why do I have to be dressed in shorts in a T-shirt if I want to use a certain airline?[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEFL listening discussions: A conversation between a professor and a university student in the professor’s office[YSaerTTEW443543]

3

This is a big debate in the United States right now. Due to political correctness, airport authorities have been selecting people randomly for complete security checks. This means that even an 85-year-old Irish Catholic grandmother can be detained for a thorough search.

Most people think this is a ridiculous waste of time, because so far there has been no case of an 85-year-old Irish Catholic grandmother hijacking a plane and flying it into a skyscraper, blowing up a passenger train, shooting people at an Israeli airline ticket counter or murdering elderly Jews in a social club. So far, all people who have tried to do these things in the United States has been young Muslim men from the Middle East.

So here’s the predicament: Just because you are Muslim and speak Arabic, it doesn’t mean you’re a terrorist, and you’re probably not. However, nearly all the terrorist attacks have been carried out by Arabic-speaking Muslims.

Most people believe, therefore, that Arabic-speaking Muslims, and anyone who looks like them, should come under more scrutiny than 85-year-old Irish Catholic grandmothers. In fact, in the US media recently I read a commentary from a man who is half Pakistani who said, “I want myself, and anyone who looks like me thoroughly searched before we get on an airplane.” He does not feel offended if they detain him, and he’d rather be inconvenienced and “discriminated against” than blown up.

The Muslim community as a whole could do a lot to calm people down if they clearly and categorically condemned terrorism, but they don’t. Their statements generally sound like, “This attack was a great tragedy and we do not support it, BUT…” followed by a defense of the terrorist attack. In the same sentence, they first condemn terrorism, and then they support it. I don’t blame people for being nervous.

4

this is complicate topic, since all the terrorist attacks have been carried out by Arabic-speaking Muslims, because you are Muslim and speak Arabic, and you know it is airplane, it is hard to alive if terrorist attacks happen,
Muslims who did terrorist attacks influenced all the muslims, even you are not terrorist, but who know, if you are, hundreds peoples will die, so Most people believe that Arabic-speaking Muslims, and anyone who looks like them, should come under more scrutiny

5

Hi Alan

I won’t give you my opinion , but I will give you some articles from " some international newspapers" …

[articles removed]

Herc

6

Dear Hercules,

Please understand that I had to remove the three newspaper articles you had copied and published here. Our forum is a place where you can exchange thoughts and ideas. If you want to communicate with other forum members and tell your opinion on any subject, you are free to do so. Posting long winded articles you have copied from Internet newspapers is a different story.

We want to know what you think. So if YOU have something to say then please let us know. You can also comment on a newspaper article you have read. You can even post part of an article here as long as you share your own thoughts on that article.

Thanks for your understanding,
Torsten[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEFL listening discussions: Why is the young woman unfamiliar with Q22?[YSaerTTEW443543]

7

Hi Torsten

Even you ??? :shock:

[size=200][color=black][articles removed] [/size] [size=200][color=black]???[/size] :shock: :shock: :?: :!:

You made me laugh …my friend :lol: :lol:
Are you a dictator ?? I don’t think that … :smiley:

So, to avoid your ununderstanding doing , I don’t think I should tell you that those authors were an Amrican or an European and those articles were published on Amrican websites or on European websites , so you might keep them …
and If you want be honest …you must remove Alan’s article too … or any articles is/was published there … :wink:

Anyway ,and in the the outspoken font

[size=200][color=black]THIS IS YOUR WEBSITE[/size] not our… :frowning:

and of course you are free to do anything " removing or keeping " harmonious with your ideas and that you like to hear or read …

Thanks for your reading,

Herc

8

Hercules, do you see a difference in copying and posting 3 full length articles and sharing your own opinion? If everybody copies and posts newspaper articles on our forum what will be the value of our forum? Imagine going to a seminar where every participant reads newspaper articles.

Again, we are interested in what you have to say. You are not the author of those newspaper articles, are you? Alan was only referring to an article, he didn’t copy and post 3 full length newspaper articles without any comments.

I’m sure you understand that there must be a limit as to how much text one can copy and post in their forum messages. Imagine somebody copying and posting an entire book.

Herc, please understand that I didn’t remove your post. I removed three newspaper articles that you cannot claim are yours simply because you didn’t write them. You found and copied them. I also did not remove them because of their contents. I removed them because you didn’t write them. I respect your thoughts and I also respect the opinions of the authors of those articles. However, I don’t think it’s a good idea to use other people’s ideas and publish them as your own. You are capable of thinking for yourself. Have an opinion and share it with us. Don’t just copy other people.[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEFL listening discussions: A conversation between a professor and a departmental secretary[YSaerTTEW443543]

9

Hi Herc

Could I make a suggestion?

Why not write a comment and/or your opinion about the articles and then post the link(s)?

It seems to me that would be a good solution.
What do you think?

Amy

10

Hi Herc,

Since I started this thing off I think I need to make a comment. I quoted the paper and date of my extract which was purely descriptive and I wanted to know what people thought. I had no axe to grind, no point to make, no view to express - I merely wanted to elicit people’s reactions. It seems Amy’s suggestion is a very sound one that reference by link should be made to a newspaper article, for the poster to comment on it and for anyone interested to read it for themselves. After all we want this particular forum to be a talking shop.

Alan

11

:shock: :shock:

I never ever said that I wrote them , and you know that Torsten …
Why did you say that ??? :!: :?:
could you tell me why ??? :?: :!:

[size=200][color=red]???[/size]

and I sent below that articles the links of them to be honest …

So , after your latest post , I’m sure that there are some hidden reasons that you don’t want all members here know them , and that reasons push you to remove that three newspaper articles …
SO!
Why did you remove them ??

I’m so disappointed :cry:

Herc

12

Hi Alan & Amy …

you are great teachers

and you are right …but be sure that I didn’t want to share or create this storm …

Thank you , and I wish you good luck at your life …

Herc

13

Hi Hercules,

Please don’t be disappointed, my friend. As I have read most of your posts, they are quite interesting :smiley: . Really, I’m very curious about your opinions concerning those.

Have a nice day!

14

Hi, Herc

I shocked too.
Why!!! When Alan wrote what he wants.
The all don’t do anything. :!:

Alan: your quote was very unwelcoming for Moslems and Arabs.

Of course I can do the same thing but I said to all members (We are big family and this web is our home).

Torsten

Alan said

Did you think the article wrote by Alan???

Torsten

You must say too: So I removed your article :lol

by the way, this what do you want Alan:

Torsten, I swear that just a part of article and do you know what my opinion!!!..

All that talk is babble (A…'s article) :!:

Why are we writing unwelcome words? But we can write words which make us friends and lovers…

Torsten, do you remove my post too.

Thanks for your understanding (I afraid you won’t understand me).

Mba

15

Hi

I can understand the reason why texts of so long articles (regardless the subject) posted to the forum with no personal comments had been removed by moderators.

I don’t understand why the links itselves have been also removed.

Generally, what I want to say is:
We all are from different countries and cultures and we all know quite well that the situation in the world sometimes (or permanently) is quite… hot – when there is not the only truth…
So, as I think, we ALL have to understand clearly that this is not a political board, but a language learning forum, where too active conversations on politics always bring a great danger and risk to destroy forum’s relationships… :frowning:

That’s just my thought.

Tamara

16

Thanks a lot Tamara and Mba and Rosalisa

Herc

17

Hi Herc

What about the links? Are you going to post them?
I’d be interested having a look at the articles you’d picked out. There’s really no need to post huge quantities of text. Links are fine.

I agree with Tamara that this is probably not a terribly appropriate place to discuss the world’s most difficult political problems. And this is why I’m reluctant to comment on them. It doesn’t mean I’m not interested, though.

There are many other topics we could discuss here that would be profitable and constructive for all of us. We all together make up one forum here. And we are a rich cultural mix. :smiley:

Amy

18

And I, Herc, share comments given by Amy and Tamara.

19

It will be done …

Herc