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> If another war breaks out in, for instance, Syria, a white American like me can’t waltz in and take pictures. Really enjoyed the article but as someone who h
by 616c 4y ago
> If another war breaks out in, for instance, Syria, a white American like me can’t waltz in and take pictures.
Really enjoyed the article but as someone who had and has friends who don't look local and travelled the Arab world and ended up stuck in bad shit, this perception always comes up and personal anecdotes prove otherwise.
If anything looking foreign and speaking passing Arabic, even if peaceful situations, makes you stand out and get unwanted attention. I have a lot of experience with this bit. Haha
- klohto 4y agoThat’s exactly what he is saying?
- 616c 4y agoThat is not how I read it. He is saying being a white American person, commonly that would not speak Arabic, in Syria would make him a target as a spy. What I am saying: no, it's not like that. Even the attention I describe (looking that way but speaking some Arabic) isn't that. I guess that wasn't clear.
- inglor_cz 4y agoOr a target for kidnapping. There was quite a few of them in Middle Eastern war zones.
- 616c 4y agoAgain, anecdotal. Not all the Middle East is the same. That is the point I was making. Is Iraq your example? Some other country? He moved in and out of combat zones, but most of the article he shows the good side of civilian Ukrainians not in active combat zones enjoying life and not threatening them. Do we think all of Syria, for example, during different parts of the conflict was a giant war zone? This is HN. When people talk vaguely about technical problems like this without data or pose with anecdata, there is usually a higher bar of proof. Saying "Ukraine is full of white people who look like me, so less risky" and "Syria is dangerous" are not apples to apples comparisons in my book. https://idlewords.com/2014/07/sana_a.htm https://idlewords.com/2014/07/sana_a.htm
- baybal2 4y ago