Falluja - The Day After

June 1, 2005 2:32 PM

Falluja - The Day After"This video has been recorded in Falluja in early Janury, 2005, when the city was reopened to civilians after the American attack of November 8th, 2004."
Warning: contains graphic images. [via Informed Comment]
posted by kirkaracha (14 comments total)

"il video che mostra il peggior massacro americano in Iraq."

They certainly don't mince their words. It's refreshing to see a media outfit that does something behind turning a blind eye to this sort of thing.
posted by clevershark at 2:59 PM on June 1, 2005

Thank you, kirkaracha.
posted by blendor at 3:22 PM on June 1, 2005

This sure would make a lot more sense if I understood what was being said.
posted by odinsdream at 3:38 PM on June 1, 2005

(pounding the table)
yes, yes, Ye of the Third World, serve me up some English voiceover for my death and destruction, for it is so confusing for me!
posted by RedEmma at 7:57 PM on June 1, 2005

I don't find much to laugh about when I see an entire city that was once not much different from any city throughout the world turned into so much rubble and ruin. Imagine your own city looking like this.
Civilization mourns . . .
posted by mk1gti at 9:13 PM on June 1, 2005

This may be a torrent, guessing by filename and size.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:49 PM on June 1, 2005

Imagine Boston being disappeared like that.

Do you think America would turn insurgent if Boston were taken out?

Do you think the (surviving) people of Boston would be thankful?
posted by five fresh fish at 9:52 PM on June 1, 2005

perhaps i should have ended my post with

/sarcasm.

because believe me--i wasn't laughing.
posted by RedEmma at 8:46 AM on June 2, 2005

But the important thing is that democracy was saved in Falluja. Now the Iraqis too know that freedom isn't free. Truly patriotic Iraqis are grateful to us for saving them from destructive tyranny. Right?
posted by davy at 9:57 AM on June 2, 2005

fff, that torrent isn't working. Anybody have another?
posted by davy at 10:40 AM on June 2, 2005

Democracy was SAVED in Falluja!? I thought we were bringing it to them 'cause they didn't have any. Laser-guided, in 500lb packets...
posted by c13 at 1:26 PM on June 2, 2005

I hope you didn't take my remark about the language as flippant, RedEmma, even though I certainly understand how, in the face of such horrible destruction, it certainly is a petty thing to complain about. But, I do think it's relevant, simply because America doesn't get this kind of footage on television at all. The best we can hope for is a low-resolution internet copy, but I think there really would be a huge response to this footage if more people got to see it. Most importantly, though, in order to keep apologists from explaining away the images with remarks like "Oh, those were all terrorist snipers," we need to understand the language itself. It would be great if Americans knew more languages, and I myself am currently working on learning Russian and Spanish, but I'm not a genius, and it takes time. I spent about 20 minutes with a book on Arabic before I went cross-eyed... so I don't think it's unreasonable to expect very, very few Americans to understand Arabic at all, especially quickly spoken Arabic.

These news organizations should do everything they can to spread this footage with as much hope of touching people on an intellectual and emotional level as possible, and that includes translating as much as possible to reach the widest audience, as well as using the internet to distribute high-resolution copies suitable for rebroadcasting on television.
posted by odinsdream at 3:36 PM on June 2, 2005

odinsdream
I couldn't agree with you more about getting this media to more sources who could get it out to everyone across the country, but it, sadly, is not going to happen. It's not going to happen because everyone in this country is brainwashed that they're too 'sensitive' to be able to handle the truth, the scary images of maimed bodies, that kind of thing. I wish the major media would start acknowledging that adults are adults and can handle these things and need to see the results of actions taken in their name and the consequences of those actions. Only then will people finally acknowledge the pain and suffering inflicted in their name and start asking for accountability.
Stepping off my soapbox now . . .
posted by mk1gti at 10:32 PM on June 2, 2005

odinsdream: certainly you weren't being flippant, but i was reacting to the expectation that one must have English language narration to understand what one is seeing. i may not understand Arabic, or any other language being spoken in the film, but just as when one watches a foreign language news source, you can sort of get the gist, which is still miles ahead of what people get on the network news. (none of which would ever show this stuff, i agree. no matter what.)

honestly, you could show this film with direct, exact, word for word translation, and those multitudes who refuse to live in this fact-based reality still wouldn't be able to take it in. they say, "ah, war is hell," and close their eyes, tsk tsking us for somehow being unrealistic (!!).

i apologize for any unnecessary harshness, but i think all too many (perhaps not you) in this world will find whatever excuse they can to ignore what's happening or pretend it's somehow justified or even claim that some level of ignorance means it's all beyond evaluation.

i stomped my soapbox to pieces ages ago in frustration, but i still carry some sharp splintery pieces in my satchel.
posted by RedEmma at 10:36 AM on June 3, 2005