Ryan Girdusky clashed with British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan on Monday night.
CNN has banned a conservative commentator from appearing on the network again after he told a Muslim journalist “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” an apparent reference to the spate of exploding pagers in Lebanon that killed members of the Hezbollah militant group last month.
Ryan Girdusky made the comment during a heated debate with Mehdi Hasan, a prominent British-American broadcaster and an outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, on “CNN Newsnight” with host Abby Phillip.
The guests were discussing the racist jokes made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, which overshadowed former President Donald Trump’s rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday and continue to make headlines two days later.
As the debate turned fractious, Girdusky and Hasan sparred over whether the latter had been labeled an anti-Semite. “I’m a supporter of the Palestinians, I’m used to it,” Hasan said.
Girdusky replied: “Well I hope your beeper doesn’t go off.”
I’m still flabbergasted that there hasn’t been more of an international outrage concerning those pagers.
The use of mines as an indiscriminate weapon are already frowned upon,
And here they are using them, scattered throughout a civilian population with absolutely no regard to who could be standing next to their target.
Un-fucking believable.
There hasn’t been outrage because blowing up people with pagers is actually the most targeted thing Israel has done in the past year. Certainly a step up from killing hundreds of refugees to maybe take out one hamas guy.
They killed children in that pager attack. Which I guess is part for the course, so ya, nevermind, you might be right.
It was a terrorist attack. We must condemn all terrorist attacks
What’s even crazier for me to wrap my head around is those pagers were a safer method for civilians than what they’ve been doing. They’re indiscriminately leveling city blocks killing thousands of innocents.
well we know who could be standing next to their target- another brown person in a majority muslim country. IE, nobody western supremacist racist pigs give a fuck about which is why there was no punishment and there will be no punishment against israel for any single thing they do. if it were gonna happen it would have by now. it’s not as tho once they get to that 300,000th dead palestinian suddenly the “rules based order” is gonna enact some of those “consequences for breaking the rules” on israel. not gonna happen. someone needs to dylan crooks netanyahu.
The conflict is not one based on racism, it’s literally based on religion and at least 3 groups of people in a small area using their religion to justify the murder of others. Full stop. Jews are not white. Jews who were expelled from Israel and became Europeanized are essentially genetically identical to the Jews that remained. Skin color is not race, but making this conflict about race makes that individual racist
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This is the kind of eloquent response I had been waiting a month for about this clearly black and white topic. Kudos.
Wait… what?
I’m I reading that right?
12 people killed. 6 of which were 2 children and 4 healthcare workers.
But 2,800 wounded? So all of that wasn’t even about neutralizing targets, but maiming?
How many were set off? I have a hard time believing a 12killed : 2800wounded ratio…
EDIT: Google says bout 5000 pagers
CNN: reports 37killked but 3,000 wounded.
The only people who had those pagers were Hezbollah members. Hezbollah has been lobbing missiles into Israel, killing civilians including children and forcing an evacuation. They picked a fight, why should there be an expectation that Israel just sits back and takes it? Don’t get me wrong about Gaza, they have gone way too far there. But Hezbollah seems at least somewhat justified.
The only people who had those pagers were Hezbollah members.
Did they have camera’s in them to know that? and also know about people in the surrounding area?
Hezbollah has been lobbing missiles into Israel, killing civilians including children and forcing an evacuation.
And you think this is the appropriate response to that?
I get the Israeli people are absolutely tired of this shit. But what makes them think that kind of response isn’t going to do anything other than bolster the other sides hatred/resolve?
As they indiscriminately kill more, they are recruiting more to the cause. When someone loses their kids/brother/father/home/etc. That just makes them having nothing more to lose, and join the war. People don’t want to fight. People just want to live their lives.
Israel is the one with all the weapons/tech/money in this. If the Israeli people are tired of this shit, they need to look at a leader who’s not going to perform actions that just increases Hezbollah’s and Hamas’s numbers.
Pretty clear from the footage and lack of civilian casualties that the collateral risk was very low though
Yeah no, the exploding pagers and radios, which were from an intercepted supply specifically for Hezbollah, was far more targeted than anyone could reasonably ask for.
Like yes, Israel’s overall actions in Gaza and Lebanon have been horribly ruthless and against civilian well-being. And there is the broader context of Palestine. But this is what you’re outraged by?
If everything between bombing Hezbollah and targeted attacks like the pagers/radio are off the table, like what would you actually do if a non-governmental military was indiscriminately firing hundreds of rockets into your cities for an entire year? Seriously, how would you actually respond if you were in the leadership position?
Idk dude, generally things like booby traps are considered illegal in part because they’re not selective. Like if someone breaks in and you kill them with a gun it’s self defense, but if it’s a booby trap then we view it differently. Disguising bombs as typical civilian items seems pretty messed up.
Did you forget that
every “responsible” western power(Edit: Ottawa treaty) the US and Ukraine (who was a signatory of the Ottawa treaty) also has an arsenal of anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines which are specifically meant to be hidden and disguised? Quite literally booby traps with long-lasting risks for civilian lives. Many children have lost their lives due to mines, yet they are still deemed acceptable in war.Anything that risks civilian lives is pretty messed up. But even compared to the mines being used in Ukraine, the pagers/radios were far more targeted and posed less risk to civilians.
Did you forget that every “responsible” western power also has an arsenal of anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines which are specifically meant to be hidden and disguised?
This is not true.
Oh snap, that’s awesome! I wasn’t aware of this. I assumed NATO would be consistent with the US on mines. Thank you for sharing this.
I’ll modify my argument to “Even the US and Ukraine use mines”
It’s interesting though, according to my research the distinction between mines and weapons lie in how it’s activated. For example, the C19 ex-Claymore is now remote detonation only to comply with the Ottawa treaty because it can only be activated remotely and cannot be used with an indiscriminate activator like a tripwire. Therefore it is a weapon. With this les, the pagers/radios are more akin to weapons rather than mines.
So booby traps are allowed, as long as someone is there to decide when to press the button, which the Israelies clearly did.
The use of mines as an indiscriminate weapon are already frowned upon,
Did you forget that every “responsible” western power also has an arsenal of anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines which are specifically meant to be hidden and disguised?
No, I didn’t forget. Someone even mentioned them in this same comment chain.
Okay, so let’s go with your position that attacking soldiers with explosive weapons in civilian areas are not justifiable.
Based on your beliefs, what do you see as a justifiable response to Hezbollah’s year long barrage of rockets and missiles into Israeli cities. Keep in mind Hezbollah by and large conducts these strikes directly embedded in or right beside civilian sites. And they also store weapons in civilian sites.
The goal now is not to say which is worse, there’s plenty of blame to go around. The goal is to understand how you think about conflict and the principles you believe in that shape your views.
let’s go with your position
This was never a debate, I was just saying that I feel like disguising bombs as everyday, civilian objects is bad. The comment where I even posted that I literally began with “idk dude” to make it clear I wasn’t trying to engage in debate about this topic. The only reason I even replied again was because land mines were mentioned in the context of “did you forget” when literally above in this comment chain land mines were already mentioned.
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No dude, it’s pretty reasonable for me to ask that they don’t kill children with IEDs.
Serious question, would you condone assassinating Putin with an IED even if several children were killed? Would it be better if they used a missile strike with 5x the civilian casualties because at least it isn’t an IED? Would it be better to do nothing and allow an opposing military force to continue bombarding your cities and your children with rockets and missiles?
I abhore the mass bombings and utter destruction Israel has wrought over the last year. It is beyond the pale. I would genuinely have prefered it if they could’ve taken out all of Hamas by blowing up cell phones in their pockets instead.
There’s no risk of Putin being at a random grocery store or hospital so your hypothetical doesn’t tea make sense.
That doesn’t answer the question. Let me rephrase to be more direct.
What do you believe makes for acceptable and unacceptable civilian casualties (e.g. children) in urban warfare and what principles do you draw on to form these beliefs? Please use an example from a side you feel are “the good guys”.
If you’re a pacifist or believe not a single civilian casualty is acceptable, what would your approach be to resolving a conflict where your civilian population is being attacked with rockets/missiles?
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Girdusky appeared indignant on social media in the hours afterwards and said in a tweet “apparently you can’t go on CNN if you make a joke.”
“It was a prank, bro!”
The last refuge of the Trumpist shitheel.
Playing off hate as a joke, this is why it’s okay to punch nazis
Punching nazis always produces a smile if not a laugh
Yup, there’s also this idea that certain people like to posit that Nazis never laugh or attempt to make jokes. It’s not that you aren’t joking, it’s what your joke says about you.
I can understand that in a particular moment you’re not calling for the literal death of your political opponents, yet still believe you’d be pretty okay with the literal death of your political opponents, and your “joke” may well help me be more confident in my conclusion.
Yeah. This was definitely a joke. It’s also definitely not a joke whose teller I want anywhere near a political panel or as the guest on a news show. I wouldn’t think of this joke, it makes my skin crawl. The fact that he not only thought of it, but found it worthy of saying, speaks volumes as to how he thinks about people.
That’s because it’s true. Fascists fundamentally destroy humor. They aren’t joking when they say this stuff. They just say they are.
It’s so much more straightforward than people act like.
It’s always a joke when these folks get pushback.
That’s called a Schrödingers douchebag. Something is both a joke and not a joke until one is called out.
aka the Trump superposition.
I thought that was when he cheated on his wives
Yup. It came off as ignorant hate, not a joke.
“I’m a supporter of the Palestinians, so I’m used to it.”
“Well, then I hope your beeper doesn’t go off.”
“Did you just say I should die?”
“Are you a Hamas?”
That was my point. His response was, “It was a joke, bro” which is the last refuge of Trumpist shit heels like him. “I’m sorry that my racist, hateful comment offended you.”
Absolutely. I was supporting your point with the interview itself, since it wasn’t linked in the article.
Thanks! I misunderstood.
No worries. You’re totally right.
Well, people like this Girdusky are a joke. At least that much is certain.
Basically telling someone who’s Arab, “I hope you die” in the most racist way possible.
This hate is brought to you by Israel.
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He hoped the beeper didn’t go off though, isn’t that the opposite of “I hope you die”?
Still not a good thing to say. Even if one were to believe him that it was a joke, it would still be pretty horrendous
It still implies he’s a terrorist for supporting Palestinians.
And that the other people were in the blast radius. Truly fucked-up.
How?
Those pagers weren’t just distributed to the general population.
Good point
Ever hear of sarcasm? That’s the way it came off to me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
True. Also unrelated: I hope you and your family don’t die in a car crash.
Thanks! Same to you!
GOP: “stop canceling me!!! everyone should be able to say whatever they want!!!”
also GOP: “stop kneeling for the anthemmmmm!!!”
Israelis are now using the same arguments as they do in Israel on American TV.
Not even Western media can protect them from themselves anymore.
The absolute state of Hasbara.
western media will always only protect israel. this dude isn’t going to face any consequences. “banned from CNN”, yeah we’ll see about that. bro probably just had to get back to englin airforce base to post more zionist propaganda on reddit, he wasn’t ever asked to leave and certainly not told to never come back. mark my words, he will be back on CNN within the next two months.
I am moreso hinting towards completely insane Israeli articles such as this not getting western coverage: https://lemmy.world/post/21368819
Good that they banned him. Wishing someone that has a conversation with you but does not agree with you this kind of harm means you need to be excluded from the discourse.
I agree that it was a blatantly out of line and wrong thing to say, but it’s not wishing harm. At least the phrasing isn’t.
Look at it this way. Say someone has tires on their car which are practically falling apart. The conversation goes:
Friend: “you really need to get new tires, they’re complete thread-bare”
Owner: “nah, they’re fine”
Friend: “you’re being negligent, I hope you don’t get into an accident”
The way the CNN conversation reads to me is that the guy was implying “if we listen to you, then things might progress to the point where you might get attacked, and I hope your pager doesn’t go off”.
Maybe that’s not what he meant, but generally that’s how such a statement is used.
No, he said exactly what he meant.
The logic Zionists employ: Palestinian = terrorist. Because Hasan said “I’m pro Palestinian” the other dude called him a terrorist and said harm should come to him using the phrasing “I hope your pager does not explode”. Because of the Hamas pagers recently being blown up by Mossad and Mehdi is pro Palestinian so a terrorist and would have a pager of a terrorist organisation.
CNN and everyone at the table rightfully reacted the way they did.
You completely glossed over what I said. If he “said what he meant”, then he said nothing to wish harm.
Edit:
CNN and everyone at the table rightfully reacted the way they did.
No one is saying otherwise.
Well then, if I would tell you I" hope you don’t get a cut on your tongue from all the boots you lick" how would you interpret that? As its the same type of gist.
It’s incredibly spiteful and passive aggressive, but that’s still not wishing harm. For it to be wishing harm it would have to be “I hope you DO get a cut on your tongue from all the boots you lick”.
You’re wrong on this one buddy. Using irony as a shield from consequences is a classic strategy for assholes and fascists alike. Just like the “it’s just a joke, bro”.
Have a nice evening.
Using irony as a shield from consequences is a classic strategy for assholes and fascists alike.
Well, I think you’re entirely right about that.
Just like the “it’s just a joke, bro”.
That whole thing has always been lame and annoying.
Have a nice evening.
You too.
No. The message is hidden between the lines. He’s not saying he hopes they don’t get bombed; he’s saying you deserve it while hiding behind sarcasm.
he’s saying you deserve it while hiding behind sarcasm.
That’s still not wishing harm! This is basically “just desserts”. It implies the person gets what they deserve (good or bad). Depending on the context it can be benign or malicious, but it’s still not wishing harm.
It’s basically like saying “you are going to get hurt, it’s your fault, it’s what was coming to you, and I have no sympathy”. We can debate about which interpretation makes him look worse, but I’m entirely firm on my “not wishing harm” stance. I can agree I’m maybe splitting hairs or not considering intent, but the meaning of the words spoken is not literally about wishing harm.
“I hope you don’t get raped wearing that.”
Totally cool things to say.
You’re not making any argument against what I said. Your comment “totally cool things to say” implies I’m arguing that the guy on CNN said nothing wrong. Which isn’t true.
What an utter piece of trash. I’m sure he’ll have a good home at Newsmax or whatever.
Who financed Hamas to destabilize the PLO? Israel.
Reminds me of when you guys invaded my country, murdered my people and fucked off home to call us names and racist sluts for decades. No apology. Now you guys want to moralize to the rest of the world while your hands drip with blood.
Do you know how little that narrows it down?
The exact quote that popped into my head.
Which country? You’re gonna have to be a bit more specific.
Weird I don’t remember doing that
Yeah you just benefited from it and moved on
serbia? I mean, I think we should do the exact same thing to Israel honestly
bruh’s out here advocating for genocide
bruh, we stopped the genocides there, learn a bit of history, Most Serbians are upset that we didn’t let them slaughter the Kosovar Yugoslavs and Bosniaks
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Going on Twitter to complain that your bigotry wasn’t well received and then suggesting that Qatar funding is partially to blame is peak irony
In person was all back tracking, and regret. Gets online, and is now a big, strong, keyboard warrior.
Mehdi is the GOAT.
Good. The guest deserves to be gone.
from the liver to the knee my internal organs shall be free
what a goddamn idiot
they got so comfortable… they at least used to hide under their hoods before.
To think, all they had to do was appeal to the lurking bigotry within societies to bring them out and normalize that sort of language. They are sort of screwed if they think they aren’t sliding into a world where the evangelicals being radicalized and increasingly in control of the nation financing and supplying it will come asking for their pound of flesh when the shift into a theocratically-narrative-driven oligarchy is established, and then take the whole body.
“I’ll bet you wouldn’t say that joke about Muslims or Jews”. The joke they actually have in mind:
