On War Criminals and Heroes: The Whitewashing of Ariel Sharon

[Tace]

Ramzy Baroud | World News Trust

Jan. 15, 2014

The death of former Israeli leader Ariel Sharon enlivened U.S. media’s interest in the legacy of a man considered by many a war criminal, and by some a hero.

In fact, the supposed heroism of Sharon was at the heart of CNN coverage of his death on Jan. 11.

Sharon spent the last eight years prior to his death in a coma, but apparently not long enough for U.S. corporate media to wake up from its own moral coma. CNN online’s coverage presented Sharon as a man of heroic stature, who was forced to make tough choices for the sake of his own people. “Throughout, he was called ‘The Bulldozer,’ a fearless leader who got things done,” wrote Alan Duke.

In his article, “Ariel Sharon, former Israeli Prime Minister, dead at 85,” Duke appeared to be confronting Sharon’s past head on. In reality, he cleverly whitewashed the man’s horrendous crimes, while finding every opportunity to recount his fictional virtue. “Many in the Arab world called Sharon ‘the Butcher of Beirut’ after he oversaw Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon while serving as defense minister,” Duke wrote.

Nevertheless, Sharon was not called the "The Bulldozer" for being "a fearless leader" nor do Arabs call him "the Butcher of Beirut" for simply "overseeing" the invasion of Lebanon. Duke is either ignorant or oblivious to the facts, but the blame is not his alone, since references to Sharon’s heroism was a staple in CNN’s coverage.

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http://worldnewstrust.com/on-war-criminals-and-heroes-the-whitewashing-of-ariel-sharon

[yeoman6987]

1. A possibility

8 years in a coma is a long time and people have short memories. Add that to the fact that the man died and people often are positive toward the dead. I was just at a funeral on Sunday afternoon (more a memorial) and you would have thought this guy walked on water. This is the same guy that people used to bash on a daily basis about one thing or another. Even his ex-wife was there praising him (5 children is the real reason she was there). But this is also the woman that went through a long and bruising divorce and she used to call him a sick son of a bitch all the time with zero positive qualities. Yet at the memorial she was saying what a wonderful human being he was. I think it is human nature to exaggerate about the dead especially immediately after it happens.

[Jefferson23]

2. Yea, and given he was a political figure..it seems to happen even more so.

Hard to imagine it when it comes time for Cheney and the Shrub..but they're ours and
the MSM will display enough accolades to make one puke too.