This exchanged chilled me
Is it patronizing for us to argue that the influx of Western pop culture is detrimental?
Yes, just as it's patronizing to say, "It's their culture. Let them flog one another. We don't want to impose American democracy on them." No one wants you guys to impose anything on us, but support us when we are saying that we want democracy.
OK, fine. It's pretty clear where the author stands. But only kings, editors, and people with tapeworms get to use the royal "we."
I'm a fossil. I can remember very clearly in the late 1970's walking down the Infinite Corridor at M.I.T., where the blue-jeaned Iranian students used to congregate, holding out flyers about how the wonderful Iranian Revolution was going to be the best thing since pita bread. There was so much gnashing of teeth it smelled like a dentist's office. Oh, it didn't work out so hot? Well, big, fat, hairy surprise!
"No one wants you guys to impose anything on us, but support us when we are saying that we want democracy." Uh-huh. Yea, verily. We don't want, like, some imposition or anything. But we do need, like, some support or something. Which is totally different from imposition, for some reason. Like, they're spelled differently. It's not like we want the U.S. to do anything, like. Just support, you know, like support. Do something.
Clue brick here. If you don't want to be patronized, then act like an adult. If you want to act like an adult, and the people around you don't, then you have a choice. You can either separate yourself from them, which this person seems to have done for the most part. Or, you can repudiate the people around you. Either way, it isnt "we" anymore.
You want "western" democracy? Fine. Work for it, and accept it for what it is. You don't want "western" democracy? Fine. Make up whatever you like. But don't act all surprised and betrayed when there's a gun muzzle against your head for wearing the wrong kind of socks.
Humans are at least as numerous as pigeons, their brains are not significantly costlier than pigeon brains, and for many tasks they are actually superior