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[Bobby Isosceles]

In the early 1950's, to test the effect of x-ray radiation on the human body, Israel pumped over thirty thousand times the safe amount of x-rays into a number of Sephardic children, under the pretense of eliminating ringworm. Thousands died soon thereafter. Others are dying slowly, cancerous and with their DNA altered to pass on cancers to their children.

In 1994, the Knesset voted to compensate the survivors and their families. A documentary on the affair is on Google Video.

[AugustWest]

The cartoon cats make me laugh.

Laughing helps me forget about things like this.

[Bobby Isosceles]

Why is it that the worst discrimination happens within one's own group? Sephardic versus Askhenazi (Jew), Shiite versus Sunni (Muslim), light skinned versus dark skinned (black American), Croat versus Serb (Slav), touamb versus assbar (nerds), etc.

The human condition sucks, man. Sucks.

If those kids had lived then some of them would have probably tried to irradiate someone else, too, so incremental improvements have diminishing returns.

[Ben-San]

Why is it that the worst discrimination happens within one's own group? Sephardic versus Askhenazi (Jew), Shiite versus Sunni (Muslim), light skinned versus dark skinned (black American), Croat versus Serb (Slav), touamb versus assbar (nerds), etc.

Because those who are completely unlike Us could never be Us. Those who are almost like Us are voluntarily rejecting what We hold dear.

[Doc]

Hurm, wiki claims that the protocol used in Israel wasn't any different to that used in other parts of the world but confirms that the Israeli government is providing compensation, which seems contradictory.
I've also found two different articles that seem to be talking about the same population but quote different amounts of radiation, which is frustrating. This might be a misunderstanding on my part though as both show an increased risk.
I did find an article from 1949 outlining the technique, or rather a modification to it, which talks about using 300 rads which is equal to about 3 Grays (similar to the amounts quoted in the first article I linked above), and reports many of the children feeling nauseous (then again kids feel nauseous a lot of the time). Some brief googling suggests that 3 Gy is certainly getting up to the sort of level that can cause serious damage, particularly for kids and particularly if it was done all in one go.

Not sure what any of this showed but it was an interesting way to spend half an hour. To be honest I'm kind of more interested in what happened to the technicians, I don't imagine safety standards were awesome back in the day.

I don't have flash on this computer, but what kind of numbers do they quote in the documentary?

[AugustWest]

Because those who are completely unlike Us could never be Us. Those who are almost like Us are voluntarily rejecting what We hold dear.

Ben, I don't know if I've ever told you, but I think you're a hell of a smart guy and I'm glad you're here on TOUAMB.  Have a can.

[wombat]

Why is it that the worst discrimination happens within one's own group?

Isn't the simple answer the most likely? It's that these are the people who are conveniently nearby. Hating people obviously satisfies some deep need, and you don't get much mileage out of hating people half a world away. It's hard to even know enough about them to figure out what it is about them that's your excuse for hating them, and you never get the thrill of running into them on the street and snubbing them. They're just no use for satisfying the need, not like someone who lives right across the street.

[R2DTrousers]

I wrongly thought thread was going to be about Van Morrison.

[lprkn]

We fed a stray cat for awhile that my friend named Ringworm.

[theinevitable]

I started to post this back when this was first posted, and for some reason I did not.

Freud calls this the Narcissism of Small Differences.

In a class I took on the history of religion in europe we talked about how this is relevant in terms of the protestant reformation and stuff. And also all the different groups in the US.
There isn't a lot of danger of your brother converting to Islam... there's more danger he's going to start going to the Baptist church down the street where they let him wear a t-shirt to services.
So then you have to play up that those people are Baptists, but they're BAD Baptists who are going to Hell just like all those Jews and Muslims etc.

Israel is just...
goddamn, no one ever learns anything from anything.

[Doc]

Yeah I was reminded of this thread when we started talking about the assetbar again, which is kind of the same thing.
Except, less genocidy.