Swamppundit

Dear Salam,

A lot of folks over there are celebrating what they claim to be a Hezbollah victory. Apparently victory is defined as shooting rockets at Israel and surviving. And apparently surviving is defined as having lots of fighters not killed, regardless of the number that are killed, and regardless of the amount of destruction to that area of Lebanon which Hezbollah once called “home.”

I have to say Salam, over here we have a different definition of victory. Over here we tend to view the people who are sending tanks through the other guy’s neighborhood as the victors. We usually think of the people who are relying on the Red Cross/Red Crescent and other relief organizations for things like food, water, and ambulance services as the losers.

Over here we have an expression for when a loser loses less badly than expected. We call that a moral victory. I don’t why we use that term. I see nothing moral in losing less badly than expected. And I certainly see nothing moral in intentionally firing rockets into civilian areas, so although some here would claim a moral victory for Hezbollah, I would not.

Also, here is the thing: over here everyone knows that moral victories are not really victories. Over here everyone knows the expression is a joke – we don’t really mean it. At best, claiming a moral victory is a useful way for keeping up a loser’s spirits. It makes them feel better about themselves. But, see, here is the other thing: When we say that, we mean that the losers feel better than being the lowest of the low, but we don’t mean that the losers feel as good as normal, or as good as someone who hasn’t lost, and certainly not as good as someone who actually won. Over here, people who win moral victories don’t celebrate in the streets; they just feel a little less depressed.

One last thing about moral victories: the more you have, the less well they work to improve spirits. You can’t really have a string of moral victories – it is just not possible. If you think otherwise, if you celebrate in the streets after a string of moral victories, you just don’t get it. You are delusional. You and reality are no longer acquainted.

Salam, a real victory would be creating a better life for you and your family. Has anything happened in the past month that improved the chances of a Lebanese family to lead a healthy, safe, productive life? There were no victories in Lebanon my friend.

Wishing you a peaceful life with real victories,
Clarence