How offensive is this comparison to Americans?

[GreenCardSeeker]

From an interview program on the Swedish state TV:

"The American journalist Philip Gourevitch has written about two of the most traumatic events of contemporary history. The atrocities committed by American soldiers on prisoners in the Iraqi Abu Ghraib prison and the genocide in Rwanda fifteen years ago. Kobra's Kristofer Lundström met him in New York, to among other things discuss what the two events may have in common."

http://svt.se/2.104367/kobra for the state TV webpage in Swedish.

[coyote_sprit]

Americans don't even know what Rwanda is and in 15 years they sure as hell won't remember Abu Grahib.

[acptulsa]

Americans don't even know what Rwanda is and in 15 years they sure as hell won't remember Abu Grahib.

Oh, lots of people know all about Rwanda--or, at least, they know all about Hollywood's version of the tale from Hotel Rwanda.

GCS, you tell anyone who will listen that I'm quite offended. The only thing that makes Abu Gharib as notorious as that genocide is the fact that Abu Gharib was perpetrated by the most powerful nation on Earth. Now, I understand why that gives people elsewhere pause; hell it gives me pause and I'm a born and bred American. But I maintain that the fact that this nation is powerful is the only thing that makes it as attention-worthy as the damned genocide was.

[ScoutsHonor]

Yes indeed. :o

[NewEnd]

Yah, it doesn't make much sense at all. And more people were killed in Vietnam. That might actually start to match Rwandan numbers.

[Kludge]

I'm unsure what I'm even supposed to be reacting to. You could compare me to Hitler, if you'd like. AFAIK, we're both men.

In a somewhat unrelated note, one of my old English teachers was friends with a man who escaped Rwanda as a young teen during the genocide. He came in to speak with us. Interesting to note the biggest reaction did not come from when he described how previously peaceful neighbors were going through others' houses and slaughtering others, nor when he and his family huddled in a hallway trying to avoid incessant gunfire, but when he stated he was offended upon first arriving in NYC at how Americans turned cheese into a condiment.

[HOLLYWOOD]

Have Philip Gourevitch investigate through connections the acceptable "Collateral Damage" that's incorporated into every American invasion. Abu Ghab... that's a Park's sand box to the real deal of death, destruction, and the multiple avenues of costs.

There's plenty of info out there, instead of his lazy journalism.