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Duterte update
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phallus dei
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Re: Duterte update
Apr 02, 2017, 14:25
nigelswift wrote:
Excuse me, I think you need to explain your statement "One can of course debate whether Duterte's "strong man" approach is appropriate in such a situation" and a recommendation that people should seek a more "nuanced" view.

Would you say that about Hitler?


As I mentioned, and as the article also explains, the Philippines weren't in a good situation before Duterte took over. It had a skyrocketing crime rate propelled by drug gangs, and substantial parts of the government were corrupt and in on the take. It also had a loss of national dignity, becoming most "famous" on the world stage as a site for sex tourism and human trafficking. In such a dire situation, one can of course debate which approach is the "best" one to take. Apparently, Duterte's "tough on crime" rhetoric appeared persuasive to the Philippine people that voted, and he at present enjoys considerable support in his country. Being lucky enough to live in an area that is not wracked by drug crime and neo-colonialism, I'm not going to condemn the Philippine people for the choice that they made. Rather, I find it more fruitful to understand why Duterte and his message of "Fuck the West!" currently finds such resonance in that area.

Just because Duterte made a comparison (in my view, an ill-advised one), between himself and Hitler, doesn't mean that the two are actually comparable. He's not invading other countries, he's not outlawing other political parties, he's not going after people based on race, etc. The figure of 7,000 dead that the Western media attributes to his policies is also questionable, in that those numbers include those killed in gang-on-gang violence. Objectively speaking, Duterte is no more brutal than many other Third World leaders. Why then is Duterte targeted in the Western media for vilification? The most plausible explanation, to my eyes, is that he goes against Western interests.

The dominant media we get in the West is biased to reflect the policies of our government and their corporate backers. The article that I posted earlier is biased, too - it reflects the aspirations of people so eager to free themselves from Western domination that they view Duterte through rose-colored glasses. But between these opposing views, lies a more nuanced - and therefore more true - understanding of the world.

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