As Iraqi youth see U.S. culture, many turn to nationalism

[DeathvadeR]

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- In a darkened arcade in Baghdad, Iraqi youths gather to sip Cokes, smoke Marlboros and battle for the highest scores on video games that were banned under Saddam Hussein's regime.

Bootlegged Sony PlayStation 2 games poured into the country after the war, but one remained boxed on a shelf this week: "Conflict: Desert Storm," set during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

"They made the Iraqi soldier look very weak and the American soldier very strong," said Yaser Ali, the arcade's 22-year-old attendant. "You shoot the American soldier many times and he doesn't die, but you shoot the Iraqi once and he's dead. See, what we get from America is not always good for us."


<http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/atlanta_world/0903/13iraqyouth.html?urac=n&urvf=10634987473890.6450473675340554>

[rocktivity]

1. Ain't liberation great?

Yet many young, middle-class Iraqis -- future leaders of the country -- say they are losing admiration for the America they glimpse through action movies, raunchy music videos and the soldiers their age who patrol the streets. For many, thinking of themselves as Arab and Iraqi has taken on new importance since the American soldiers arrived.

...many students who perfected their English and dreamed of attending American universities now are joining Iraqi nationalist factions and, in some cases, resistance groups that attack U.S. soldiers. They are...spraying Baghdad walls with graffiti that reads "Go wage jihad!" and "Down with Bush!"

The U.S.-led coalition is courting Iraq's youths with programs to revamp teen centers and re-establish sports teams in time for the soccer season that begins in October...

Maybe the youth centers can show Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney movies.


rocknation

[mbperrin]

2. Yeah........

"Let's have a show!"