This useful idiot

Submitted by Michel C. Zala (Switzerland), Jan 10, 2011 at 13:00

managed to have an interesting discussion with a few muslims and readers of calibre. Managed to disagree and exchange viewpoints across a range of topics. Managed even to find traces of common ground. Maybe even managed to educate and learn at the same time. That is a result, a return on investment.

Without resorting to insults and verbal slandering this useful idiot triggered responses from various intelligent and knowledgeable readers. Drove you nuts, didn't it?

What is the purpose of any debate or discussion anyway?

As opposed to you, it does not give me any satisfaction to just heckle someone else's debate, rarely getting a response, which is why I make an effort to remain polite and respectful and to trying to see any topic from the other's viewpoint as well. More often than not, I actually learned something.

Your reaction is the one of an ignored child. The more it is ignored, the louder the temper tantrum. It is fanatic people like you who give my Republican Party, if not Americans as a whole, a bad rep in the world, and I can only hope that, while you obviously represent the loudest voice in the lynchmob here, the majority of the readers here do not mistake you as a true representation of the American People.

Lastly, I post here under my real name, unfraid to voice at times harsh opinions and unafraid of any possible ramifications, while you hide behind the anonymity of the internet and a pseudonymn. This makes you in comparison to me a coward, does it not?

You call me a useful idiot. Fine with me. If indeed such a forum has a purpose to exchange, learn, grow, debate and engage parties with different viewpoints, then I obviously get results, whereas you must be qualified as useless and a joke, as people have given up engaging with you, even though nobody screams louder and more often. You look for controversy and at best some likeminded people will devote a brief line to applaud you. Watch you masturbate. But when was the last time you actually had a refreshing debate or more than just an exchange of insults?

Don't you realize that listening may be as important as speaking?

Is it really just me who thinks that tunnel-visioned Fanatics like you inflame the mob on both sides of any topic? While you seem to draw some sick satisfaction from that, for me personally it is a waste of time and energy, which is, why I will no longer dignify your crap with any more responses. Time for someone else to call for a bit of humility, tolerance and respect, let alone civility and politeness.

This useful idiot is exhausted. Bravo. You win. Applause and curtain....

PS.

While I can't ascertain, if your Arabic is perfect, and I could not care less, if Holy War is transcribed as Djihaad or Jihad (I wonder where any rules of transcription to English are defined), your English however, grammar as well as spelling, is mediocre at best ; quite ironic indeed, as you rarely miss an opportunity to correct Arabs on their own language. How funny it would be, if some Egyptian came along and upgraded your English to the level of for instance Tovey or GIK.... I'd laugh my ass off.

- which brings me back to my conclusion of you being a joke.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".