Seat belts in Iraq: an oxymoron?
A while back I had lunch with Michael Totten during one of his rare moments in this country. He’d just returned from a recent visit to Iraq and Kurdistan, and was telling me what it was like to travel there.
One of the things he mentioned was that the cars he rode in invariably lacked seat belts. No, it wasn’t because the automobiles were old. According to Totten, it’s because the Iraqis had purposely ripped out the seat belts. Why?
Apparently it’s a point of honor (as in honor/shame culture; see this and this) in many Arab countries to do away with the protection afforded by seat belts. In their eyes, this shows bravery.
According to Totten, some taxis still sport seat belts. But they are somewhat like vestigial organs; the drivers take it as a personal insult if you put them on or even indicate a desire to wear them. “What’s the matter,” they say, “don’t you trust my driving?”
Although my personal experience of Israelis is that they can be mighty macho, too; according to Michael, Israel is the only Middle Eastern country where seat belts are widely used. Somehow, that’s not a surprise.
[ADDENDUM: Yes, yes, I know that not everyone in this country wears a seat belt, either. Some of my best friends (you know who you are!) refuse to wear one; something about having once been in an accident and having survived by being thrown clear of the wreckage. In this country, seat belt usage in lowest in young males (a telling fact; they tend to be higher risk-takers than other segments of the population), but most people of all ages wear them; the costs and annoyances seem small compared to the possible benefits.]
yet another humanitarian reason to help Iraq succeed: to save, through education, Iraqi drivers and passengers from themselves!
for this reason alone (and I’d be interested to see a serious attempt at estimating the lives which would be saved) the Democratic Party should support the success of the OIF. This is their kind of issue! It gives them a chance to “make the world a better place” through telling other people what to do.
No, no, not the Democrats. This is a job for Ralph Nader!
Neo, great post, very interesting and illuminating. As we used to say in the Marine Corps, “There’s a fine line between hard and stupid.”
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In their eyes, this shows bravery.
This is what I meant by pride Neo, whenever Pat brought up the honor issue in Arabia. Pride, false pride, hubris, etc. It is what lead to the Al Anbar tribes to ally with Al Qaeda to fight against the US “occupation”. It is what led the Anbar tribes to fight against Al Qaeda, without US help. And FINALLY, when it is all fracking over and done with, either because all the prideful boasting got them bit** slapped or the proud volks died, did they finally ask Americans for help. That is progress, of a sort.
“What’s the matter,” they say, “don’t you trust my driving?”
This is why the Ayrabs respect and follow the lead of the American “cowboy” and “gungho” attitudes of the US military. The US military is both proud and honorable, but they can back their shat up. Ayrabs see that and they respect it. They don’t respect US politicians though.
And any future alliance will be aborted before it even begins in the Middle East if America proves the coward. These types of people don’t respect weakness, Neo, and you of course already know that. If only everyone else would accept it and make it important.
Yes, yes, I know that not everyone in this country wears a seat belt, either.
Do you always have to say the obvious for the “others”, Neo? Cause I know you’ve had Fort Knox full of comments years ago misinterpreting what you said, sometimes purposefully. Do they still email you about things like that?
Whomever “you know” is, is a dumbass. 25 years as a paramedic tells me so. For one person who (allegedly) is thrown clear, there are a hundred who are thrown under and crushed, peel the top of their scalp off the windshield, and a dozen other hideous deaths and dismemberments.
I have spoken.
It seems as though the American forces in the Middle East could have a great deal of success just by broadcasting ads to jihadis: “We DARE you to jump off the Tigris River bridge! We DOUBLE-DARE you! Any jihadi who doesn’t jump off the bridge is a pussy!”
How has such an idiotic culture survived this long?
If I didn’t trust someone’s driving (even a taxi driver) I wouldn’t get in the car. I always wear my seat belt.
The answer is simple… “I trust YOU, I don’t trust THEM,” and point at the other drivers.
Funny, Synova. If I may add to that, you might also tell them that seatbelts keep them in the car, which means if some gunmen come along, you trust the driver to be able to get away. Because if you didn’t, you would bail as soon as possible; a seat belt would just slow you down.
bin-Laden probably thinks the USA should be invaded because our teenagers run free and naked and screw each other like screwing is going out of style, killing their babies and American parents won’t leave the bar to do anything about it. Different strokes for different folks, that what I have always wanted to tell him. No reason for us to bug each other about it.
Bonnie,
the Koran, the Prophet, and the Hadith are the reasons for Muslims to bug us about it. The “peace” which will exist once the entire world is Muslim is the reason to bug us about it. The fundamentalists number in the hundreds of millions. They are committed to that peace which will exist only when YOU are converted, subjugated, or killed. Have no doubt about their committment. Good luck talking to them…
I have been working in Saudi Arabia for several years. The antipathy toward seatbelt use isn’t so much a matter of personal bravery, as Muslim fatalism. “If it is Allah’s will that I have an accident today, nothing I do will matter.”
I am not so concerned with machismo, or whatever name it goes by in that part of the world. Nor do I fail to wear my seatbelt, a lesson well learned on my part. What I do mind is government interference on a real choice that involves no one else, and or makes the state the family planner.
So much is involved now, however, for it to be simple. Since the government is involved with paying for people who cannot pay for their own accidental medical, it has a stake, therefore, with a stake and legislative power, it acts. Do you see where this is going? Yes, get the government out.
As for the safety issue, if enough people see enough things, they will either take responsibility for their actions or not, and they will reap or weep. Gee, what is the problem here? Save compassion for those who through absolutely no choice have bad things happen, not those who choose to live with risk and lose.
typo
seat belt usage in lowest in young males
Do they feel the same way about child seats as well?
We have a similar problem here: no helmets on motorcycle riders.
My own opinion is that the first high speed skid should take care of the “cooth” problem.
And now for a Darwin Award for the first legislator who repealed the safety helmet requirement. He’s really made a difference in raising the quality of the species.
Bonnie:
By your reasoning it was immoral for the Union to impose its views on abolishing slavery on the Confederates.
And anyway, if you’re going to claim there’s complete moral equivalency between us and them, then we should be free to summarily behead any jihadis who fall into our hands, just as they treat our soldiers.
Oh, wait — we shouldn’t do that? We’re better than that? Then the whole moral equivalency argument is completely bogus. We’re right, they’re wrong, and you’re an idiot.
Why is bonnie an idiot?
You might find this amusing, Neo.
Link
It tells about how the Left talks about “changers” from the Right, which reminded me of your comment concerning why changers always more or less go from Left to Right.
Well Alphie tells us why there are so few changers that it takes the Left to actually make them up as they go along. If you are on the right and have Leftist allegiances, you just pay the allegiance fee and stay on the right so to speak. But those that harbor conservative or humanistic motives on the Left, eventually dissociate themselves from the Left because they become Disillusioned by Leftist totalitarian techniques.
Having been in a car accident where the car flipped off a freeway offramp, dropped 15 feet and landed upside down, I highly commend seat belts. It’s not a matter of machismo, it’s a matter of physics. Israelis, who understand physics more than most people, probably don’t feel the need to prove their egos against gravity and momentum.
I think I indicated I wore seat belts. Still, if it was an absolute safety issue, perfectly safe in all situations, perhaps I would encourage it. What most of you who keep pushing for it are indicating to me is that you have an emotional response. As I said, I wear them from my own experience, and emotion. However, my feelings should not be mandated. Can you understand that or not?
If not, don’t respond. Though, I know you will anyway. Which is exactly why you should be in control of no more than the plate set in front of you, from which you will eat. Nice kitty, nice kitty. Scat. Oh, not that scat.