to AS, dr Pipes and like-minded others

Submitted by Magda (Poland), Nov 13, 2006 at 09:09

OK, probably I'll get lynched for saying this out loud, but as much as your and anybody else's concern for the poor American women getting used, abused, cheated etc. by some Arab guys they met online is understandable from the perspective of empathy or even pure common interest of your societies, it strikes me as odd (to say the least) that you seem to see the problem only in those men being tricksters.

As the saying goes, it takes two to tango, or maybe in this case I should say: when there's demand for something, somebody is sure to offer you the supply you need. My point is, why is it that nobody seems to see the underlying problem here: that these women ever resolve to looking for men over the Internet in the first place??? And not even for men of their own 'kind', but for smooth-talking, dream-selling, exotic illusions???

What's wrong with the western societies that people mistake their virtual adventures, some dreams they are chasing, for real life??? To truly know someone, to plan to spend your life with him, you need to know the person FOR REAL. And even if you've known him for most of your life, if you met in the kindergarten playground, it does not guarantee success. How, HOW, can anyone build his or her future on a persons who's in fact no more than a figment of their imagination? And I mean ANYONE, no matter what his ethnic or social background, religion or whatever affiliations are.

Much as I despise people using others in such ways, I must say I do understand the OBVIOUS mechanism. As long as the Internet chatrooms (or even bars in Notth Africa's holiday resorts) are full of unfulfilled, unsure of their own value, longing and - most of al - utterly gullible women looking for their fairy-tale prince in a shining armour, there will be men ready to sell them this dream.

And clearly, these 'sellers' come from all places and cultures. If there are more of them in Morrocco or similar places, it is because they are more in need of such transactions to improve their own lives. The irony is so blatant that verging on hilarious: the western world is selling them the dream of affluence and luxury . And exactly BECAUSE they buy it from us, they want it and they try to find whatever way to get it. And if it takes selling some other dreams back to the westerners, well... who can blame them? ;P

...maybe it would be more useful to put more effort and insight into raising our children, children of the west, in such a way to make them perceptive and sociable people with enough self-esteem and self-awareness, with enough sound judgement and courage to face the real world and cope woth their own lives - so that they WON'T NEED to delude themselves like this, to go chasing such dreams only to feel loved and warmed up for a while.

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