An Apple a Day Blows an Iraqi Away
I like my Apple products as much as the next guy (OK--better than the next guy, because judging from the groans and angry rumbling, he’s apparently running Windows Vista on a Dell laptop and “squirting” songs from his lovely brown Microsoft Zune), but there’s something wrong with this picture: ”iPod being used by Army as Arabic translator in Iraq.” Yes, I’m sure some pro-war faux libertarian could wax rhapsodic about how “the glories of the free market are injecting peace and democracy into the heart of the Islamofascist world,” but my concerns are more mundane.
These aren’t soldiers using these iPods--or, rather, yes, they are, but not in a traditional sense. If they’re using the iPods “to speak phrases like ‘Please get out of the car,’ and ‘may I see your ID?’” then, no matter what uniform they’re wearing, they’re security forces--glorified policemen, if you will. And the idea that security officers are relying on technology and not being trained in basic commands in the language of the people they’re policing is mind-boggling.
Imagine the scene: A car containing an Iraqi family is pulled over because it is following a security vehicle a little too closely. Soldiers emerge, but they can’t communicate with the driver of the vehicle. Instead, they fumble around with a iPod, looking for the appropriate phrase in English, so that they can play it in Arabic, while consulting the “simulated graphics of suggested gestures for each phrase.” The driver can’t figure out what’s going on, so he turns to the passengers to see if they understand.
Anyone care to guess what happens next?
Iraq war
Comments
@Scott
I have this quick text that I apply before passing
moral judgement. I ask myself the following question
“If the Three Stooges would have been the ones in charge,
how different would be the results?” If the answer,
not very, then I do not waste time making moral
judgement, I just try to get at a safe distance before
the next explosion.
This Iraq war can no longer be judged on moral or
ethical criteria…
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History always repeats itself - the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce. So said Groucho Marx, who knew a good farce when he saw it.
Vietnam was a tragedy. Iraq turns more and more into a particularly unfunny farce.
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I think I was reading in Charles Pena’s book ‘Winning the Un-war’ about how quite a few Arab speaking staff in the US military were fired because they were openly homosexual.
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This is another example where “leadership” presumes
technology is the answer to a problem. Soon we will
hear about some outrageous misuse of the iPods.
No doubt Haliburton or the other Really Bad Dogs of War
( http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/?p=355 )
will get contracts to maintain those iPods.
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<<I think I was reading in Charles Pena’s book ‘Winning the Un-war’ about how quite a few Arab speaking staff in the US military were fired because they were openly homosexual.>>
That’s why the neocons want to attack Iran. They know
that all of the Farsi translators they hire will be
heterosexuals, because, as we all have been told, there’s
no homosexuality in Iran…
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Adriana,
“This Iraq war can no longer be judged on moral or ethical criteria…”
Agree with you that stupidity is not a moral vice. However, Hell has it’s own economy and this is just another example of the spiraling effect of sin.
Those who brought us to Iraq suffered from at least 2 deadly sins; pride - “we know they’ll welcome us with open arms” and sloth-"counter-insurgency, not my job.”
Scott and Harry W. may suggest the other sins rummaging through the hearts of the key planners behind this debacle.
Note the lack of virtues. Starting with Prudence and Wisdom in this whole thing.
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Scott,
Note this comment at the linked page;
“Sounds like a great idea to me. Using off-the-shelf technology like this is certainly a win for taxpayers.”
Beyond parody.
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