Eric Deamer explains why Salam Pax, the Baghdad blogger, is such a hit with the decadent liberal media: he'd make a good dinner companion. The hipster Iraqi (now outted as being, shockingly, chubby, which may hurt his ability to be accepted by New York media types who clearly want to make him one of their own) would certainly make better company than a scythe-wielding Shia fundamentalist. But, just because he's someone that they can imagine hanging out with at WD-50 doesn't make him, as Nick Denton ludicrously suggested the "the Anne Frank of this conflict". Anne Frank was trying to escape genocide. Salam "do you know who my father is?" Pax is merely turning a blind eye to the ones his government has perpetrated, and using his Tariq Aziz like qualties to try to become a media sensation.
He's right, of course. I have a soft spot for any fan of Philip K. Dick -- Salam was discovered, by Peter Maass, reading Man in the High Castle. He introduced the Cranberries to the car stereo, which impressed Peter no end.
We all assume that people, if they like our culture, share our values. The French have always had a soft spot for African dictators, if they've read Voltaire in the original. And, I confess, I warmed to Tariq Aziz, after Vanity Fair was discovered at his abandoned Baghdad mansion.
But there's a logic. Even Western liberals, under a veneer of multicultural modesty, are cultural imperialists at heart. We believe, even if it remains tactfully unspoken, in the global conquest of sexual freedom, rock music, and science fiction. The more sensible liberal pacifism goes along these lines: no point in sending in the Marines, because Hollywood and the internet will do the job so much more effectively. Salam Pax is living proof of that. So, of course, we like him. And, let's not kid ourselves, international relations have always been, in part, about the people you can do dinner with. So 5 Minutes Ago
