Dunno if there are any friends from Confoederatio Helvetica are here, but I'm afraid the other day the Daily Show just tore your country a new one:

 

 

For starters, Switzerland has passed a ban on minarets, the towers of Mosques. Was the minaret situation getting out of hand?

 

The minarets issue is an especially strange one considering, as Jon Stewart points out, that there are a total of 4 minarets in the entire country.

 

John Oliver's subsequent interview with the Swiss ambassador notes the country took a stand on minarets, but not on HITLER.

 

All in all it was quite a skewering of Switzerland.

Rather ironically, because I'm not in the US, I can't watch that video.

Rather ironically, because I'm not in the US, I can't watch that video.

 

John - You should be able to watch the same video here at the link below regardless of location:

 

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-december-3-2009/oliver-s-travels---switzerland

Still blocked I'm afraid, but thanks for trying

Ah... Don't you just love how the internet breaks down barriers and allows information to be shared globally?

 

Additional options:

 

http://vodpod.com/watch/2631044-the-dayily-show-olivers-travels-switzerland

 

http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/?id=4101250

 

http://video.aol.co.uk/video-detail/daily-show-with-jon-stewart-olivers-travels-switzerland/942897921

 

http://www.zimbio.com/watch/W8AyZeEPZT2/Olivers+Travels+Switzerland/The+Daily+Show+with+Jon+Stewart

 

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/single-prayer-option-the-daily-show-investigates-switzerlands-ban-on-minarets.php

As someone working on Internet video distribution, I find the locked-in geographical rights mentality appalling. Rest assured this is a feature I will fight against tooth and nail in any distribution system I design.

 

And as a bizarre turn of events, I work for a Swiss company, and cannot send them this video due to the geographical restrictions.

I'm particularly amused by the one which says "videos are not available in your country".

Switzerland has, as I recall it, a very base-driven democracy. Results like this (i.e. most likely more emotion-driven than rational) are one of the consequences...

If you ran a campaign in the US showing minarets that look like missiles scattered across an American flag, I'm afraid you might get at least 51% to vote on a ban. Eight years of fear, coupled with recession and jobless frustrations...?

 

Yeah.

If you ran a campaign in the US showing minarets that look like missiles scattered across an American flag, I'm afraid you might get at least 51% to vote on a ban. Eight years of fear, coupled with recession and jobless frustrations...?

 

Yeah.

 

Then again we live in a country where many would also support a ban on DHMO

If you ran a campaign in the US showing minarets that look like missiles scattered across an American flag, I'm afraid you might get at least 51% to vote on a ban. Eight years of fear, coupled with recession and jobless frustrations...?

I found the Taliban woman on that poster somewhat more inappropriate. A skyline full of minarets at least had something to do with the question (in principle, not necessarily in scale). Anyways, my impression is that blaming the result on a questionable campaign, narrowed down to a single poster, is a lame excuse. It is in fact also an offense to the voters, too.

 

I claim that the average voter did not base his decision on that poster. They (can't remember exactly who, perhaps some newspaper, perhaps some official statisticians) did ask the German people about what they had voted if they had had the choice. Result: about 50:50. Consider people are more afraid to admit politically incorrect attitudes (disallowing building of minarets would be a total no-go officially) when directly asked than to secretly give their vote for such endeavors in the voting cabin => I think there would be quite a solid majority for banning building of minarets in Germany, too. And, and this is my point, that is without any muslims-come-to-assimilate-our-glorious-culture campaigns at all.

Assuming Germany being somewhat similar to Switzerland: The result of this vote is not due to questionable campaigns, it is a representative statement of the people's will/fears/racism/atheism/whatever.

 

EDIT: Since most people will not know the poster, here's a picture:

Just noticed these posters are in French, et tu Romandy?

The posters exist in German, Italian and French. The three main official languages spoken in Switzerland. I posted the French version because it is the language I simply assumed the most people to know at least a little. I am not from Switzerland at all.

Romandy is the only part of Switzerland I've ever been to, so perhaps I'm a little biased