How Many of You Knew 'Aleppo' Before Johnson's Interview?

a reply to: SentientCentenarian

I knew what Aleppo was/is. It has been the city fighting has been centered on, and it was in the news again for chemical weapons just prior to Johnson's gaffe.

Is it possible you're all watching CNN a LOT?

Because that's one station I don't bother with even in snippets on line.

a reply to: SentientCentenarian

no I don't ever watch TV.. I do read all kinds of news sources in ATS threads though.

I have noticed that people off of ATS have a huge decline in their knowledge of Syria in general. So my two roommates for instance know about Syria and the "civil war" but I bet they havn't read a single article and they don't know what aleppo is..

Maybe our next world leaders need to have been members of ATS for at least 2 years to qualify for office?

haha

I'm kidding,

but this has hurt my support of Gary Johnson. He's still my pick, well not like I have a choice haha... Gawd..

a reply to: SentientCentenarian

Nope.

originally posted by: Reverbs
a reply to: SentientCentenarian

no I don't ever watch TV.. I do read all kinds of news sources in ATS threads though.

I have noticed that people off of ATS have a huge decline in their knowledge of Syria in general. So my two roommates for instance know about Syria and the "civil war" but I bet they havn't read a single article and they don't know what aleppo is..

Maybe our next world leaders need to have been members of ATS for at least 2 years to qualify for office?

haha

I'm kidding,

but this has hurt my support of Gary Johnson. He's still my pick, well not like I have a choice haha... Gawd..

I thought he handled it honestly and well - given the circumstances. He seems willing to learn which is important. Trump would have blustered through it and neither MSM candidate would have EVER been responded to with a 'you're kidding' - which I think was the most unfair part of this. If Trump's obvious lack of deep knowledge of any topics isn't challenged, why are they picking on Johnson who is the domestic and economic half of the Johnson/Weld ticket - Weld being more on board with foreign issues.

As he pointed out in one interview, he's not been privy to briefings yet; obviously Clinton has been for a very long time and Trump finally started getting them a week or two ago.

But anyhow, thanks for your responses - it's enlightening.

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: SentientCentenarian

Aleppo has been in the news for years , ignorance of what and where Aleppo is is ignorance of the outside world.

Most people who are "very familiar" with the city are generally people who pride themselves as "up to date" because they watch the news feeds and networks 24/7/365. Like all mind programming, after you've seen it covered for the 18th time today, it becomes more significant to you.

Some may call me out of touch, maybe even ignorant, but I knew little about Aleppo because I disconnected cable and stopped watching TV over a dozen years ago. I get my news online, but it apparently isn't as prominent in digital print as it is on CNN and other networks. I have no regrets for not being "fully up to date" on a middle eastern city, since I prefer to focus first and foremost on our nations domestic needs.

I certainly didn't. Had you asked me on the street, I'd of said it was dog food. I remember when the incursion into Iraq war started, I had to look on a map to find 'Irack' ......., even how to spell it obviously.

Show me ten people, and I'll show you nine who up until last week, were oblivious.

“No man burdens his mind with small matters unless he has some very good reason for doing so.”
― Arthur Conan Doyle

a reply to: SentientCentenarian

No. Aleppo features prominently in the news reports on the radio when I drive to work every day.

Generally, I listen to a talk show that does more local stories, but you can't escape the news reports every 10 minutes and I need to traffic/weather updates to help deal with a city commute.

a reply to: ketsuko

Ah - no radio listens here anymore. No commute

This brings up an interesting sub-topic. Johnson is inarguably the fittest candidate for high office right now, being an Ironman Triathlete and having summitted Mt. Everest.

But all that exercising comes at a huge time sink spent biking and other things, not so much time spent in front of a computer or reading the news.

IOW, his focus may be on other things. I wonder what the other candidates are 'focused' on - what their day to day attention spans default to?

I have the luxury of reading and watching what I want and ignoring the rest of the world now - do they? Or is their day necessarily swamped with issues like polling data and repeating speeches ad nauseum, planning appearances and shaking endless hands?

Can't say I know who Gary Johnson is but I have heard of Aleppo - hard not to if you have heard the news over the past few years as it has been widely covered as part of the Syrian conflict.

Can't remember whether I already was aware (probably not but my geography is not bad)

I find it pathetic that somebody senior in politics is unaware though - would be like not knowing about Kabul or somewhere like that.

Aleppo is an ancient and interesting city with some fantastic history and was made a UNESCO World Heritage centre a while back. Shame that it's been destroyed like so many of the ancient cities in the M.E. (one would almost think somebody was trying to remove all these ancient cities ) Baghdad was also well known as being a beautiful city.

a reply to: SentientCentenarian

Who doesn't know where Aleppo is. If you pay attention to the happenings of the world you'll easily know at least what country Aleppo is in.

originally posted by: SentientCentenarian
This brings up an interesting sub-topic. Johnson is inarguably the fittest candidate for high office right now, being an Ironman Triathlete and having summitted Mt. Everest.

But all that exercising comes at a huge time sink spent biking and other things, not so much time spent in front of a computer or reading the news.

IOW, his focus may be on other things. I wonder what the other candidates are 'focused' on - what their day to day attention spans default to?

I have the luxury of reading and watching what I want and ignoring the rest of the world now - do they? Or is their day necessarily swamped with issues like polling data and repeating speeches ad nauseum, planning appearances and shaking endless hands?

I've heard that campaigning for office is an endurance sport in its own right. I think after enduring the campaign season, the actual job might almost be easier in terms of hours worked although it is still massively stressful.

I'll look at it this way - my husband works more than 8 usually and his job is not physically demanding, but because of the level of responsibility he has (if he makes a significant error; it could be his head), his job is very, very stressful. I imagiine the job of president is much like that where the job of campaigning is likely more of the physical mixed with the psychological of doing everything right.

a reply to: SentientCentenarian

ALEPPO ????????????

it has been a key location for the duration of the current syrian conflict

and site of repeated outrages - as the various factions attempt to take , hold , consolidate , capture or recapture various parts of it

a reply to: ignorant_ape

Jeeze, this is amazing. I honestly never HEARD the word before the Johnson interview.

Maybe I should go back now and read all those Mandela effect threads I've been avoiding.

a reply to: ReprobateRaccoon

I think there is a huge, huge difference between you and others not knowing because you choose not to, and someone classed as a USA presidential nominee not knowing seeing as American forces are currently directly involved.

BTW, I wouldn't by any means say you are ignorant because you don't decide to look at such things, but if you were being interviewed for a job as a history teacher and had to respond to a question by saying 'what's Abraham Lincoln' you wouldn't be on the list of nominees for very long.

I'd say most people on this site.

The issue isn't about a candidate not keeping up with all our little engagements across the world. It's that he didn't keep up with an ongoing proxy war with Russia.

Incompetence to the max, used to like the guy. Laid back, seems sensible. The truth is he's winging it and doesn't actually know his own platform.

a reply to: SentientCentenarian

Johnson is running for President, Aleppo is something anyone who is running for President should know.

It doesn't matter if some, or even the majority, of the general public doesn't know what Aleppo is....the fact that a man who wants to be Commander in Chief doesn't know says a lot about him.

being stupid and uneducated of everything outside your back garden isn't the best defence for a candidate being stupid and uneducated.
this is nearly as bad as defending trumps racist outburst because your racist.

a reply to: SentientCentenarian

Allen is the transportation of the biggest (possibly the first) proxy war since Afghanistan in the 80's.

The last couple of weeks have really heated up, Turkey has come in, as an ally we teamed up with them against the Kurds, another of our allies. And chemical weapons came into play. Syria will be history written as the start or end of a much larger conflict. Whether it be ISIS or much more larger players.