Posted by Greg Laden on December 14, 2008 OMG!!!! … I have new respect for Bush. He’s really good at ducking, it turns out.
Yes, yes, indeed. In Arab culture (which may or may not pertain to Iraq, depending on ethnicity) the sole of the FOOT is very very dirty. I don’t know so much about the sole of the shoe. But I’m thinking that you don’t throw your shoe at someone because you like them. (As is done in certain cultures, of course.)
I guess he’s pretty lucky it was only a shoe.
I guess he’s pretty lucky it was only a shoe.
You mean, like, instead of a truck bomb?
No one was killed but two soles were injured.
Some heel did it! (This is an old joke about the shoe factory burning down, right? Or am I remembering incorrectly.)
Back in the 80s, my Dad traveled to Saudi Arabia to help them plan a national park system. Before going over, he attended some cultural awareness classes sponsored by the State Department. One of the ‘no-no’s’ on the list was crossing your legs, or putting your legs up, in a way that points the sole of your shoe towards a person. This is, he was told, quite insulting. Of course, his hosts in SA were aware of American habits and told him not to be too concerned with all the horror stories the State Department told. It is only an insult if done intentionally.
In Iraq, showing the sole of a shoe (intentionally) to another person is a very effective insult. The connotations can include (but are not limited to), “I step on you,” “You are dog feces on my shoe,” “You are the dirt under my shoe,” and “I will stomp you.” The insults range from passive (you are dirt) to aggresive (I will stomp upon you). Either way, its an insult.
US troops in Iraq are, in many areas, routinely greeted with shoes held up with the soles facing them. That said, I have never run across the idea of actually throwing the shoe. I guess if the executors of the policy are shown the sole, the creator of the policy gets the whole shoe. Twice.
Where’s MacNelly when you need him? One of his editorial cartoons would have been wonderful.
Now that it’s clear that Bush can, and with some skill indeed, perceive real threats and respond to them effectively, I’m even more pissed off about the last 8 years.
Or maybe it’s just the “ducking” he’s perfected…
Great reflexes at ducking – I guess all the hunting trips with Dick Cheney did pay off in the end.
“Who throws a shoe? Honestly, you fight like a woman!”
It’s obvious the guy who threw the shoes was doing his best to be as insulting as possible(otherwise he would have probably thrown a tomato or something). This, as others have commented, makes sense in that culture, since feet, which touch the ground, and by extension, shoes, are, well, unclean. And the guy apparently also shouted out “This is the end, you dog!”, which, at least in that culture, would just have reinforced the insult. He was obviously very angry and upset. While I believe people should respect the office of President of the United States, I really don’t blame the guy, under the circumstances — it’s Iraq, and this stupid war has been going on for nearly five years now.
Anne G
LMFAO!!!!!!! Props to Bush on his uncanny dodge feat. Looked like he was expecting it to me.
I’d throw my shoes at him, too! The heel has no sole!
Too bad he missed.
“Or maybe it’s just the “ducking” he’s perfected…”
I thought Dubya was a lame duck. Maybe he’ll play up the fact that he faced enemy fire in Iraq and is now the “sole” survivor of his mission.
After a lifetime spent ducking responsibility for his actions, you’re surprised at his skill? Seriously?
(Ok, I admit that I didn’t expect a dope-and-alcohol fiend like King George to be able to move at all, but then again, I’ve seen the Rolling Stones.)
Hmmm, I’ve spent a good bit of time in Saudi. I was stationed (while in the military/USAF 1991-92 and 1995-97 and 2000-2001) in the capital Riyadh; and besides shoes, the left hand (which one uses for personal sanitation purposes), and the “Evil Eye” which is still a mystery to me were considered TABOO.
These are the fellows to beware of. They will beat you if you’re with a woman who’s not covered in an abaya, regardless of nationality.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutaween
Here are some funny Business Cards I picked up…
http://www.jabpublish.com/saudicards2.jpg
The
the sole of the FOOT is very very dirty
Of course! Think of those magic Kinoki detox foot pads.
Click here to visit my page for the novel Sungudogo
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