My pet theory on why the middle east is so uncivil

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jojobean
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13 May 2011, 2:36 pm

I thought I would run this by you all to see if it has any validity

As I mentioned in another post, since the begining of mesopotamia (region of the middle east in ancient times) till now there has been only 200 years of peace in this region. I was told this a few years ago by my college history professor. This got me thinking...Why???
Well there has been many changes in goverments since then, and some not so much, but I have this idea that the conflict is caused by the natrual surroundings. Well first you have a desert...very hot and arid. Studies in psychology have proven that people are on average more aggressive in the heat than they are in temperate weather and colder weather. If you dont believe me, get a married couple in a house in the deep south without A/C for 3 months and see how well they get along. (its not pretty, I know)
So the heat in the middle east can easily get up to 115 degrees...sometimes 120.
Also look at the 2 rivers in that area tigris and the other one I cant pronounce....these two rivers are highly unpredictable and are prone to flooding without much warning and they run right down the middle of most conflicted regions. i dont think this is a coiniedence (sp), over time, the unpredictability of these rivers, in my opinion, may have caused a cultural post traumatic stress disorder. Science has learned that PTSD can alter the genes of its victims and then ptsd is passed on to offspring. With ptsd, one will see violent outbursts and unpredictable behavior, as well as many other things. So this unforgiving climate, unpredictable rivers gave rise to a very a very hostile culture. The same thing can be seen in similar conditions of Africa such as the desert regions of Sudan.

What do you think? Do a have a valid point?


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yellow-eyeballs
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13 May 2011, 3:07 pm

jojobean wrote:
I thought I would run this by you all to see if it has any validity

As I mentioned in another post, since the begining of mesopotamia (region of the middle east in ancient times) till now there has been only 200 years of peace in this region. I was told this a few years ago by my college history professor. This got me thinking...Why???
Well there has been many changes in goverments since then, and some not so much, but I have this idea that the conflict is caused by the natrual surroundings. Well first you have a desert...very hot and arid. Studies in psychology have proven that people are on average more aggressive in the heat than they are in temperate weather and colder weather. If you dont believe me, get a married couple in a house in the deep south without A/C for 3 months and see how well they get along. (its not pretty, I know)
So the heat in the middle east can easily get up to 115 degrees...sometimes 120.
Also look at the 2 rivers in that area tigris and the other one I cant pronounce....these two rivers are highly unpredictable and are prone to flooding without much warning and they run right down the middle of most conflicted regions. i dont think this is a coiniedence (sp), over time, the unpredictability of these rivers, in my opinion, may have caused a cultural post traumatic stress disorder. Science has learned that PTSD can alter the genes of its victims and then ptsd is passed on to offspring. With ptsd, one will see violent outbursts and unpredictable behavior, as well as many other things. So this unforgiving climate, unpredictable rivers gave rise to a very a very hostile culture. The same thing can be seen in similar conditions of Africa such as the desert regions of Sudan.

What do you think? Do a have a valid point?


This whole... thing... is just drenched in so much unchecked first-world privilege and pseudoscientific racism. :?



techn0teen
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13 May 2011, 3:45 pm

That is not a valid point at all. Where I live, it always reaches about 115 degrees. I live in the middle of the desert, and we do not have the violence like some areas of the middle east.

Also, the middle east as a whole is not violent. Only parts of it are. This happens everywhere on Earth. Heck, I would rather spend the night in Cario, Egypt than in Chicago, United States.

Look into Wahhabism. It is a small sect of ultra-conservative Islam that is largely responsible for any unrest. Many answers lie in there.



jojobean
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13 May 2011, 3:50 pm

techn0teen wrote:
That is not a valid point at all. Where I live, it always reaches about 115 degrees. I live in the middle of the desert, and we do not have the violence like some areas of the middle east.

Also, the middle east as a whole is not violent. Only parts of it are. This happens everywhere on Earth. Heck, I would rather spend the night in Cario, Egypt than in Chicago, United States.

Look into Wahhabism. It is a small sect of ultra-conservative Islam that is largely responsible for any unrest. Many answers lie in there.


What is Wahhabism????


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jojobean
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13 May 2011, 3:52 pm

yellow-eyeballs wrote:
jojobean wrote:
I thought I would run this by you all to see if it has any validity

As I mentioned in another post, since the begining of mesopotamia (region of the middle east in ancient times) till now there has been only 200 years of peace in this region. I was told this a few years ago by my college history professor. This got me thinking...Why???
Well there has been many changes in goverments since then, and some not so much, but I have this idea that the conflict is caused by the natrual surroundings. Well first you have a desert...very hot and arid. Studies in psychology have proven that people are on average more aggressive in the heat than they are in temperate weather and colder weather. If you dont believe me, get a married couple in a house in the deep south without A/C for 3 months and see how well they get along. (its not pretty, I know)
So the heat in the middle east can easily get up to 115 degrees...sometimes 120.
Also look at the 2 rivers in that area tigris and the other one I cant pronounce....these two rivers are highly unpredictable and are prone to flooding without much warning and they run right down the middle of most conflicted regions. i dont think this is a coiniedence (sp), over time, the unpredictability of these rivers, in my opinion, may have caused a cultural post traumatic stress disorder. Science has learned that PTSD can alter the genes of its victims and then ptsd is passed on to offspring. With ptsd, one will see violent outbursts and unpredictable behavior, as well as many other things. So this unforgiving climate, unpredictable rivers gave rise to a very a very hostile culture. The same thing can be seen in similar conditions of Africa such as the desert regions of Sudan.

What do you think? Do a have a valid point?


This whole... thing... is just drenched in so much unchecked first-world privilege and pseudoscientific racism. :?


really?? How so??


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13 May 2011, 3:56 pm

Well, to be honest, it's because of religion. Religion creates unrest, end of story.


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13 May 2011, 4:12 pm

jojobean wrote:
yellow-eyeballs wrote:
jojobean wrote:
I thought I would run this by you all to see if it has any validity

As I mentioned in another post, since the begining of mesopotamia (region of the middle east in ancient times) till now there has been only 200 years of peace in this region. I was told this a few years ago by my college history professor. This got me thinking...Why???
Well there has been many changes in goverments since then, and some not so much, but I have this idea that the conflict is caused by the natrual surroundings. Well first you have a desert...very hot and arid. Studies in psychology have proven that people are on average more aggressive in the heat than they are in temperate weather and colder weather. If you dont believe me, get a married couple in a house in the deep south without A/C for 3 months and see how well they get along. (its not pretty, I know)
So the heat in the middle east can easily get up to 115 degrees...sometimes 120.
Also look at the 2 rivers in that area tigris and the other one I cant pronounce....these two rivers are highly unpredictable and are prone to flooding without much warning and they run right down the middle of most conflicted regions. i dont think this is a coiniedence (sp), over time, the unpredictability of these rivers, in my opinion, may have caused a cultural post traumatic stress disorder. Science has learned that PTSD can alter the genes of its victims and then ptsd is passed on to offspring. With ptsd, one will see violent outbursts and unpredictable behavior, as well as many other things. So this unforgiving climate, unpredictable rivers gave rise to a very a very hostile culture. The same thing can be seen in similar conditions of Africa such as the desert regions of Sudan.

What do you think? Do a have a valid point?


This whole... thing... is just drenched in so much unchecked first-world privilege and pseudoscientific racism. :?


really?? How so??


Not all people living in hot, dry regions are inherently aggressive, as techn0teen said. There is more that affects a person's behavior - or the political state of the Middle East - than climate and geography alone. Large-scale conflict anywhere is primarily politically motivated.

And the "cultural PTSD" thing just sounds entirely false. There is a reason why it's called post-traumatic stress disorder (as in it shows up after personally going through a traumatic experience), not "my ancestors lived in a flood-prone region so now my people are stressed out as a result" disorder. :roll:

ETA: The agricultural Mesopotamian society relied on the periodic flooding of the rivers to deposit silt onto the farmland to enrich the soil and increase crop yields. After the rivers receded, the farmers knew that they could start planting. (Thank you, 9th grade social studies.)



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13 May 2011, 4:45 pm

Your theory assumes the rest of the world has never experienced any forms of conflict. Which as we know is not true. Adolf Hitler wasn't Arab, nor was Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Genghis Khan, Joseph Stalin or the Romans, the Barbarians and the Vikings.

I think your teacher probably failed to mention that wherever there are humans there is conflict. The oldest known civilization is said to have formed near Damascus, Syria, hence the presence of people and thus conflict in the region. The Middle East's central position between the continents of Asia and Europe makes it a valuable area to control too. Plus it being the birth place of three Monotheistic religions makes it even more important as a socio - political area to be controlled.

Plus if you were to look at the rate of violent crimes in the middle east it is much lower than America for example.

I'm sorry but I don't agree at all with your hypothesis.



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13 May 2011, 6:04 pm

It's because of the Taliban. Once they get rid of the Taliban, things will slowly calm down again.


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13 May 2011, 6:18 pm

CockneyRebel wrote:
It's because of the Taliban. Once they get rid of the Taliban, things will slowly calm down again.


Are you trolling ?.



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13 May 2011, 8:34 pm

How about because they're savages?



jojobean
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13 May 2011, 9:01 pm

appartently my theory is full of holes that I did not consider...thank you for pointing that out.


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i_wanna_blue
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14 May 2011, 5:33 am

I think a lot of people's perception about the Middle East is flawed, as it based entirely on propaganda. I suggest you go there to see for yourself and you will be surprised.



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14 May 2011, 10:26 am

It because they don't have Eurovision. It's all in the music.



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14 May 2011, 11:50 am

jojobean wrote:

What is Wahhabism????


It is an Islamic Puritan movement.

Please see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahhabi

The Wahabi are the most bad-a** Muslims on Earth.

ruveyn



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14 May 2011, 12:06 pm

I thought it was from lack of zinc.