Comments on: Up, Up, and Away

Up, Up, and Away

lelilo — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 20:44:29 -0800

to be flown ”on both sides of the 500-kilometer long barrier that separates Israelis and Palestinians” on my birthday (but not in my honor). Inspiring, or just silly?

By: mosch

mosch — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 20:54:44 -0800

I just hope there's adaquate wind.

By: [insert clever name here]

[insert clever name here] — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 20:55:17 -0800

I really wish there was an anti-comic sans filter . . . .

By: nkyad

nkyad — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 20:56:47 -0800

what's a klte?

By: [insert clever name here]

[insert clever name here] — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 21:02:30 -0800

I just hope there's adaquate wind. Imagine 10,000 kites lying lifelessly on the ground as nary a breeze could be found . . .

By: BoringPostcards

BoringPostcards — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 21:06:49 -0800

Silliness often IS inspiring. This sounds like one of those "senseless beauty, random acts of kindness" kinda things. I like it.

By: ilsa

ilsa — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 21:13:03 -0800

I'll see your 10,000 kites, and raise you 99 red balloons.

By: StickyCarpet

StickyCarpet — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 21:15:23 -0800

Could be trouble.

By: dhruva

dhruva — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 21:17:52 -0800

All it needs is one kite fight for the thing to go haywire. damn, too late

By: orthogonality

orthogonality — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 21:30:33 -0800

10,000 what? Please don't use that ethnic slur. I think "Hebrews" or "Jews" is the polite term.

By: The Cardinal

The Cardinal — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 21:32:10 -0800

Very silly, but a neat idea.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 22:12:34 -0800

"Inspiring, or just silly?" Hey, whatever it takes to keep these people from killing each other. Provided it does that. Provided it doesn't just inadvertently give them yet another reason to hate. However, anyone who's able to take something as innocuous and cute as kite flying and use it to stir up trouble? They're just lookin' fer a fight, and nothin's gonna stop'm. So we'll just have to wait and see.

By: Jimbob

Jimbob — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 22:27:55 -0800

Hey, whatever it takes to keep these people from killing each other. I don't think the kind of people who will be flying the kites are the same people who are into killing each other. Unless, you know, some kind of Mary-Poppins-esque miracle happens. Picturing jihadists and zionists flying kites, hand in hand, joyful glee on their faces

By: thirteenkiller

thirteenkiller — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 23:40:48 -0800

orthogonality: giggle.

By: blacklite

blacklite — Sun, 01 May 2005 00:45:17 -0800

Go fly a kite.

By: Kifer85

Kifer85 — Sun, 01 May 2005 01:02:29 -0800

yeah, it sounds cheesy at first. But 10,000 israelis and palestinian kids are gonna have participated in a beautiful display only possible through cooperation between the two sides. I think such an event in their formative years could really make a difference in their attitudes and political beliefs as adults. /stoned optimism

By: scarabic

scarabic — Sun, 01 May 2005 01:49:10 -0800

It's a tradtional form of protest among Palestinians. It's one of the few things you can do to protest from your balcony when the curfew gets slapped down and you can't leave your apartment. Symbolic? Yes. Silly? No, dead serious, actually.

By: pracowity

pracowity — Sun, 01 May 2005 02:52:54 -0800

This kite stunt will do nothing but boost string and paper sales for a day or two. To make even a bit of difference, Israel and Palestine would need a couple of generations of integrated housing, shared corridors and courtyards, common shops and neighborhoods, shared schools, and shared workplaces. Instead of Jewish settlements, build integrated border towns that force people to interact. But kites are pretty. I hope no one is shot.

By: fixedgear

fixedgear — Sun, 01 May 2005 03:58:11 -0800

This just in: War starts over tangled kite string.

By: TwelveTwo

TwelveTwo — Sun, 01 May 2005 04:51:10 -0800

Feh. I've seen sillier.

By: carter

carter — Sun, 01 May 2005 08:22:18 -0800

Why not?

By: Space Coyote

Space Coyote — Sun, 01 May 2005 10:33:11 -0800

Inspiring, or just silly? What was the point of this?

By: lelilo

lelilo — Sun, 01 May 2005 13:23:26 -0800

What was the point of this? The point of flying the kites, or the point of my asking the question? I wondered if other people would think this whole thing (which also is happening at various places in America, by the way) was something they found inspiring, or just another ridiculous event in a seemingly hopeless situation. I wasn't sure, myself, but I like what BoringPostcards said, which I had temporarily forgotten: Silliness often IS inspiring.

By: kickingtheground

kickingtheground — Sun, 01 May 2005 13:41:55 -0800

Somewhere, deep in Shabak headquarters, someone is worrying about whether a kite can carry aloft a grenade.

By: Crosius

Crosius — Sun, 01 May 2005 14:40:58 -0800

The two sides won't be able to tangle their strings, since that would require the wind to blow towards the border from both sides. :-)

By: ikkyu2

ikkyu2 — Sun, 01 May 2005 18:24:49 -0800

10,000 kites seem like a good cause in and of themselves. If this were my project I'm not sure I'd've tied its strings to something that's proven so disappointing in the past. But that's just me. I hope it works!

By: jb

jb — Sun, 01 May 2005 22:20:01 -0800

scarabic - So kite flying is a Palestinian pasttime/protest? I had no idea. That would give the whole event so much more meaning.