The Inside Assyria Discussion Forum #5

=> The Great Debate Embarrassment

The Great Debate Embarrassment
Posted by pancho (Moderator) - Thursday, January 22 2009, 19:22:03 (CET)
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Jesus! My face turns hot and flushed when I recall my debate with Dr Ross at Los Angeles City College some years back. What a fool I made of myself...what an ass! My intentions were good, raised as we all are on the we-are-Assyrians nonsense fed to us since birth. Dr Ross had come across some of our choicer idiots in his classes who’d taken exception to his unwillingness to believe in their direct ancestry and nationalistic claims. The students complained and went on their way. It took this idiot to make an issue of it.

Passing this poison on to my children I got them fired up and we worked for hours printing up petitions and placards. This all occurred during the same week as the state convention which was held in Long Beach that year. The next day I drove down to Long Beach, spent the night curled up in the front seat in a parking garage and showed up at the hotel where the convention was held. I circulated pamphlets and petitions decrying Dr Ross’ “slander” of our Great Peepils. Oh Lord!

I also appeared at the picnic and was handed a mic to speak to the dancing crowd. I told them I was going next day to the campus, unannounced, to speak with the president of the college. More than any apology I wanted a public debate with Dr Ross....I’d show him! Many promised to show up and lend their support but....none came. Jassim and Aprim and all the heroes were there but none of them bothered to drive to the college....maybe they feared Arab snipers along the Hollywood freeway.

The college president was at a downtown meeting when I showed up at her office...fortunately many Assyrians had “risked their lives” by at least signing the petition. I demanded to speak with the president, said I didn’t have an appointment and would wait there all day and into the next day until we met. Her staff reached her at the meeting and put me on the phone. I told her I needed to speak with her as, among other things, Dr Ross had mentioned Assyrians in the same sentence with Hitler. I distinctly remember her sighing, “Oh Lord”. An hour later she returned and called Dr Ross to get himself to her office. We shook hands and I told him I disagreed with his sentiments and challenged him to a public debate. To his credit he agreed and a date was set.


When we finally squared off a few weeks later there were all of seven Assyrians in the hall....there were more Jews, sitting together, than Assyrians. Naturally they were interested...and not afraid...and not indifferent. Although I’d spread the word about the debate and many said they’d come....only a handful did. I wonder why?

As one hero told me, “what have you done for me that I should show up for you?” Is there any need to comment on that? Here was a perfect chance to air their views in public....on a college campus...with other people in attendance. Okay, so I was the one up on the stage and not Aprim or Jassim...but they could have asked questions and put Dr Ross on the spot...they could have shown how empty and shallow and ignorant he was about modern Assyrians.

Where were they?

At least I was an honest fool....and not a fearful one either. True, my head was filled with religio-nationalist crap...but at least I backed the crap up with action...at least I risked public humiliation and failure...what are these nationalists willing to risk? Not even a debate....in the United States....a Christian country....on a college campus? But the Christians stuck in Iraq now and fearful for the remaining children they have left must STAND UP and DEMANDSES their RIGHTS from the Kurds and Muslims? Really? Is that how it works in Assyria.....is that what Assyrian heroes do? Tell others to DO SOMETHING, even under the most dangerous circumstances imaginable while they can’t even be bothered to take on ONE college professor?

Incidentally, I'll bet this was the first time one of us had forced a debate...that's right, FORCED a public debate...and where were the heroes? These guys are going to TAKE ASSYRIA???



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