As IF Times

link Iran, Venezuela leaders seek new world order – Yahoo! News.

These guys are sure to be lauded as true visionaries by someone.  Probably themselves.  It’s both bizarre and disheartening that popular mass media are not poking fun and ridicule at pompous nutbars such as these two sociopaths.  Of course politicians are almost obligated to make ridiculous pronouncements, that is part of the reason they’re in office in the first place.  Even recently in the U.S. someone claimed that the oceans would recede and the earth begin healing upon his election.  This hyperbole aside, in western countries, people are mostly elected on presumed ability to run the country, whereas in banana republics such as Venezuela, the more nationalist fervor  you can drum up, the better your chances of staying in office. 

I’m trying to imagine the electorate in western countries massing and chanting with fists pumping, “death to Iran” or “down with Chavez”.  It doesn’t happen.  And a good question is, why not?  Statesmen such as Mahmood and Hugo are constantly lobbing incendiary invective in the U.S.’s direction like black flies on a summer night at the lake.  Why do we care?  Wouldn’t it be more news if they proclaimed  how civilized and compassionate western civilization is?  Now that would be a man bites dog story.

People in most nations likely could not give a rat’s ass about percieved western imperialism.  In some of those places, having enough to eat and drink likely occupies most of their daily interest as is the case in many western countries.  However, there are always the few that revel in the sound of their own belligerent voices and elevated sense of power that comes from ‘leading’ a country, which is then fueled by other countries paying attention to them! 

Does anyone in Nevada or California or New Brunswick really care what Hugo and Mahmood have to say?  With the exception of deranged liberals who think that these statesmen’s points of view have any merit at all, their pronouncements are one note taunts played in an endless loop. 

The standard line is, “U.S. imperialism has caused_______” just fill in the blank.  World hunger, world war, disease, oppression, global warming, global cooling, depleted resources, etc, etc and etc.  Sadly, there are those in the west who actually believe this as well.  It’s akin to complaining about the food in a restaurant but continuing to frequent it.  If it’s so awful, why do they stay here?

Perhaps it’s just because we haven’t been exposed to the niceties of life under the rule in the great societies of Iran and Venezuela.  There just has not been enough effort on selling the high points of living in those places.  Maybe they need to mount a Club Med style ad campaign to convince outsiders of how idyllic life can be there.

They should play up the charm of living in exotic locales where you are free to think what you want as long as it conforms to the nation’s view of things.  They can feel comfortable in knowing that there are draconian and medieval punishments for their versions of criminal behavior, such as women being seen in the company of men who aren’t their relatives.  Ah yes, a few dozen lashes and a bit of stoning keeps that outrageous behavior in line.  They can play up the business prospects of selling thousands of yards of black fabric to a clamoring female populace.  They can live in the comfort of a society in which the state will deliver all your food and power needs…eventually and only as long as you don’t lose your place in line.

I think I’ve just handed Leo Burnett some new ad customers.