Mideast War - thought experiment, which is worse?

Post Reply New Topic

That's inside the megachurch?

Still, what's with all the chairs?
I don't do chairs.
I'd need a Lazy Boy and some Christmas lights.
Perhaps a weighted blanket and some Ambien.

Maybe if you read it backward on Ambien there are hidden messages?

Not certain, the main building I posted a picture of used to be known as the Compaq Center, so it's literally an old stadium.

The Who and Metallica (among others) have played there. (Both) Houston Aeros hockey teams have played out of that building too.

Did you literally mean Joel Osteen's megachurch, itself? Or did you mean to ask a more general question about possibly other hypothetical buildings of the same size and structure? Are you assuming that the only relevant characteristics of the building are its size and structure, or should we also consider its geographic and cultural context?

My answer would vary a lot depending on exactly which building it is, and in what location. Let's consider two very different cases:

1) Assuming you literally meant Joel Osteen's megachurch itself, which is located here in the U.S.A., what would the IDF soldiers and the Palestinian boy be doing there, in the first place? Obviously, since the U.S.A. is Israel's biggest ally and Joel Osteen is a Christian Zionist pastor, the IDF soldiers would not be there to fight. They would be there in full dress uniforms, for the purpose of helping Joel Osteen rally his congregation to support Israel. On the other hand, the armed Palestinian boy might be there to make trouble. So, in that specific context, the armed Palestinian boy is potentially more dangerous.

2) But let's now consider a hypothetical other building of the same size and structure, located in Gaza during the current war. There, the IDF soldiers would clearly be much more dangerous than a single armed Palestinian boy.

Last edited by Mona Pereth on 04 Jan 2024, 6:37 am, edited 1 time in total.

There is no actual hatred between a little boy and an ordinary people assigned to the battlefield. Some bad realities.

Reluctantly admits this to be a good concept, regarding circumstances...given currently .

I think the correct answer depends on what you look like. Would one or the other perceive you as friend or foe? That would likely determine your outcome more so than whether it were 1 against 1 or 1 against 500.

Unless the person happens to be wearing either traditional Orthodox Jewish garb or traditional Arab garb, there is no reliable way to tell the difference between a Jew and a Palestinian Arab just by looking at the person.

One can safely assume that any non-Palestinian civilian one encounters in Gaza is a committed anti-Zionist. Any Israeli military person who encounters such a person will probably have that in mind, and might not feel especially obligated to ensure that person's safety, although I have no idea if they'd execute that person without some sort of provocation. OTOH Joel Osteen's church isn't in Gaza.

I will assume this thread was sparked by the IDF killing three white flag waving hostages.

That incident does not prove the IDF are modern day Nazis as is conventional wisdom or the most professional military in history as the IDF claim. Friendly fire incidents(and massacres) are common in any war. Soldiers are human, they snap. All the deaths often of their buddies cause dehumanization and blind rage. This is especially true in a very overpopulated area and as has been pointed out where both sides look the same because they are both semitic.

All I can say for certain the IDF killing white flag waving Israeli hostages was a major propaganda victory for those who oppose how this war is being conducted/Israel’s right to exist.