Nobel Prize Joke

[mistermack]

The Nobel Peace Prize has been nothing but a joke for years.

It's reduced to a political statement, rather than a reward for people who have changed the world towards peace.

Barak Obama, peace prize? What the fuck? All he did was get elected, to get his prize.
Al Gore and the IPCC ? That's the biggest joke of all. Nothing to do with peace, and Al Gore's film is nothing but bullshit.
Jimmy Carter? Another joke.
Yitzak Rabin, Shimon Perez and Yasser Arafat? Unbelievable.

And who DIDN'T get one? None other than GHANDI !!!


This years is just as laughable. Liu Xiaobo??
He's camaigned for DEMOCRACY. Since when did democracy equal peace?
If it was a democracy prize, it would be fair enough.
But where is the evidence that instant democracy in China would equal peace?
I would suspect it would equal nationalism, and violent breakup of China into smaller parts.
Gradual democtatisation is far more likely to be peaceful, and that's the way China is (very slowly) going.

But a bitter breakup of China would suit the west very well, so they would love to see a revolution in China. That's why China is so upset by this year's peace prize, because they know perfectly well what the purpose really is. This prize is certainly nothing to do with peace.

An empty chair is a fitting recipient for this empty gesture.
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[devogue]

An interesting post.

[sandinista]

It's always been a joke. Well since the 70's anyway, fucking kissinger won it, a war criminal. Mother teresa even won the piece of shit.

[Rum]

Of course it is political. It is chosen by a committee drawn from the Norwegian parliament and it is an instrument (about the only one!) that Norway has for exercising their rather niaive and quaintly idealistic foreign policy. It makes no pretence at being in any way impartial. I think it has often, though not always, been aimed at the right issue, if not the right individual. Arguably the relative peace that Northern Ireland achieved would not have been arrived at without John Hume and David Trimble getting it in the late 90s.

[sandinista]

Obama? Really?

[cowiz]

I don't get the joke? Where's the punchline?

[sandinista]

I don't get the joke? Where's the punchline?

It's a "peace" prize but really has nothing to do with "peace". I know, not too funny of a joke, but a joke nonetheless.

[Rum]

I don't get the joke? Where's the punchline?

Your nose?

[Trolldor]

The Chinese Democratist got the peace prize for the same reason Mandela did

Ghandi didn't deserve to get one because he was a bigot, a nationalist, and he threatened the British with the force of the Japanese army.

[sandinista]

The Chinese Democratist got the peace prize for the same reason Mandela did

So, what reason is that?

[GreyICE]

Lets quote wiki for a sec:

Liu Xiaobo is a human rights activist who is little-known inside China. His writing is considered subversive by the Communist Party, and his name is censored.[15] He has called for democratic elections, advocated values of freedom, supported separation of powers and urged the governments to be accountable for its wrongdoings.[16] Since 1989 he has been sentenced to prison and labor education camp four times for his peaceful political activities, beginning with his participation in the Tiananmen Square protests. When not in prison, he has been the subject of government monitoring and put under house arrest during sensitive time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_08

Amending the Constitution.
Separation of powers.
Legislative democracy.
An independent judiciary.
Public control of public servants.
Guarantee of human rights.
Election of public officials.
Rural–urban equality.
Freedom of association.
Freedom of assembly.
Freedom of expression.
Freedom of religion.
Civic education.
Protection of private property.
Financial and tax reform.
Social security.
Protection of the environment.
A federated republic.
Truth in reconciliation.

Oh no, how against the goals of the Noble Peace Prize. How terrible.

[Warren Dew]

The Chinese Democratist got the peace prize for the same reason Mandela did

So, what reason is that?

Political alignment with the Nobel committee, of course.

[mistermack]

Oh no, how against the goals of the Noble Peace Prize. How terrible.

It's just me being a bit naiive, then. I thought the goal of a peace prize would be peace.
By all means have a "Democracy Prize" or a "Human Rights Prize". But don't call it a peace prize. They're not the same thing at all.
If anything, the Chinese government deserves a peace prize, because they've kept a country of well over a billion people reasonably peaceful, and increasingly prosperous, and haven't fought any wars lately. Unlike some I know.
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[Trolldor]

Really? So attempting to democratise a tyrranical communist Government through peaceful activism is not at all in lines with the goal of peace?

[sandinista]