I will stick to my stance that all self-immolations as a political protest should de discouraged and not romanticized (hence my reluctantly agreeing).

But I do believe there is a great difference between this kid and Mohamed Bouazizi. I really am in no position to judge whether Mohamed Bouazizi had other options to voice his rage against the machine but I know this kid did.



>>I am making a value judgement that I think no one should
>commit Self
>>Immolation under any circumstances and in no instance should
>we
>>encourage, applaud, romanticize, ennoble the act of
>Self-Immolation no
>>matter how righteous the cause. This is my first major
>point.
>
>I think there's a huge difference between committing
>self-immolation because you are actively being severely
>repressed and that you are completely powerless to stop it and
>being alive under those conditions is intolerable
>
>-and-
>
>A 25 year old guy driving his kid to the Israeli embassy in
>the US and live-streaming it on his own channel and uploading
>it to a blog doesn't reach that very high bar *in my eyes.*
>Looks like a TON of folks in here disagree.
>
>If a senior Hamas leader set him self on fire I might be able
>to see that as a possible act of political protest. Or a
>member of the Israeli Knesset, or Israeli activist. Or just
>Gazans/Palestinians.
>
>This, TO ME, seems like the wrong approach in the U.S. where
>he had very little involvement of what is going on - and he
>could have protested in literally 1000s of other ways and
>maybe made a difference.
>
>This seems like he was taking on himself to show *HIS*
>sacrifice - that it was about *him* - that's how it seems to
>*me.*
>
>>and in no instance should we
>>encourage, applaud, romanticize, ennoble the act of
>Self-Immolation no
>>matter how righteous the cause.
>
>100%, with a few small allowances.
>


**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"