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This is just something I’ve got a soft spot for: Art/Activism. I discovered Poetry Slams fairly recently and it was amazing stuff…In its Most Basic Terms, it’s a poetry competition. Judges are randomly selected from the audience, and each poet gets three minutes to talk. There’s usually a few rounds before the winner is picked… But anyway!
{This guy (Eric Darby)’s website is http://www.ericdarby.net/, in case you like it}
My point is that this is a gateway for mindblowingly powerful messages, and I loved every bit of it. Some of these people are really speaking up on current issues, refusing to just follow the uncaring path others have chosen. Some are more indirect, speaking about more personal matters like love or frienship; their own story, but this is still activism I think. By exposing these stories, they allow us to identify with them and realize that we’re really all equals in this world (Eventually we have to get it in our brains and act on it no?). So there, now you know. A lot of cities host their own official slams, and if yours doesn’t, you’re encouraged to start one up. Basically, poetry wins. Thumbs up.
At the ceremonial lighting of the Olympic torch in Greece, two French activists from Reporters Without Borders attempted to wave a black flag with the Olympic rings as handcuffs as the envoy from China made his speech.
There are talks of possibilities of violence and boycotting during the Beijing Olympics, but Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee has said that there is “no momentum” for a boycott. (Yeah, and as much as many people would like to claim the contrary, it is very hard not to catch some glimpse of the Olympics – 90% of the channels here will be broadcasting some clip or report from it. Unless people boycott TV in general over the summer, it will be close to impossible. However, there’s really no telling what could happen; the situation is too delicate.)
Meanwhile, a Tibetan monk spoke to the BBC a couple of days ago about the riots, and claimed that all the Tibetans want is more autonomy, and not necessarily independence. Protesters in the Gannan region have until midnight on 25 March (tomorrow) to surrender – those who come quietly will be given lenient punishment; those who don’t will be “dealt with harshly”.
I do think we have another Serbia/Kosovo/Burma situation on our hands here. China is notorious for its nefarious treat of human rights – not only in its various territories, but within its own country as well. The violence at Tiananmen Square in 1989 is proof of that. There have also been reports of limited media access in China during the Olympics. Currently, Facebook is also banned, and their search engines are heavily monitored. (Imagine that here in North America; I expect there would be public outrage.) It’s interesting also to note that while the Tibetan-government-in-exile has said that 99 people have been killed during the riots, the Chinese government has claimed only 19 dead.
China is also accusing the Dalai Lama of orchestrating the protests. Well of course he is; he’s the head of one of the most (if not the most) peaceful religions in the world. Disregard the fact that he, in a widespread press release, has stated plainly that he supports neither violence, nor repression, and he is very much willing to open up a dialogue with Chinese officials. Really. The nerve of people.
Unless both parties agree to meet and discuss the matter at hand, the protests will continue. China will be dealt a severe blow, especially if these things don’t stop before the onset of the Olympics. And… there’s no telling what could happen next.
Because my Internet Explorer version 7.0 has way too many tabs open, time to close about 80% before my window explodes.
Now that that’s over with…
According to polls conducted by CBS News, USA and Gallup, Rev. Wright’s inflammatory comments about racism may have a profound negative effect on Sen. Obama’s campaign. I am personally a firm supporter of the Democrats (leaning towards Hillary Clinton, but either of them would be wonderful for the position, methinks). Given our modern society and so-called widespread of tolerance with the blossoming of women’s rights and Black rights, etc, it’s sickening to see that the presidential race for the U.S.A. (allegedly the epitome of the modern world) is flooded with racism and sexism. People could argue that it is inevitable, given the country’s history, but are we really that close-minded? A variety of people have become leaders of countries globally. It is possible. If a white man can rule the U.S., then so can a Black man and a woman… and an actor, a womanizer, and a clown, evidently.
Building on what Zián wrote about opting to not care to make it less painful for our poor little braincells to digest information, get a load of this:
I cannot even begin to describe how utterly ridiculous this is. I don’t know what’s worse: Paris Hilton resorting to an all-time low of searching for the ultimate “BFF” via a reality TV show, or people actually buying into this publicity stunt and jockeying for her attention. Really. Has global warming warped our common sense or what?
Case in point: we tend to be more interested in what entertains us, rather than what informs us. It’s either (a) we keep ourselves up to date on current issues, like, say, the recent developments in Tibet (if you’re curious, China has posted a wanted list of 21 people); or (b) we stay tuned for the next episode of around twenty people sacrificing their intellectual dignity by battling it out to be Paris’s next club buddy. Hmm… wonder which channel will get more traffic: [insert news channel here] or MTV?
It’s rather sickening to think that we know more about pop culture than global issues; that we care more about entertainment than awareness. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have any entertainment – I know I love my weekly dose of American Idol and House and the odd movie here and there - but there has to be a good balance. If we are capable of being such huge and obsessive fans of movies, anime, what have you, we are also capable of following news reports. Ignorance is not bliss: it’s dangerous. It makes us more vulnerable to manipulation and false information and, you have to admit, stupidity.
Ever wondered how people are brainwashed? There’s your answer.
When Luke Skywalker asked Yoda if the dark side of the force was stronger…Yoda explained that it wasn’t stronger, but it was easier to follow.
Now, we’re probably all familiar with the word “Meh”. My best attempt at defining it would be…”A general expression of uncaring that goes beyond even going through the effort of saying ‘I do not care’”. Would this be accurate? I’m not sure. It will have to do for the time being.
But in the world we live in today, I find it hard to believe people can actually walk around not caring. People are at each other’s throats over political, religious, and a zillion other differences, there’s poverty and starvation and mass manipulation by the media and…you get my point. We’re pretty messed up.
So here’s a theory: It’s not that we don’t care. It’s that if we took the burden of worrying and thinking about all these issues we’d go crazy. And at first glance, no one seems to be doing much to make things better so caring could even alienate us from other people (odd how such a delusion could work, considering that promoting change would be the result of a sense of connection with people who are somehow not getting the elements they need to live happily).
We know, somewhere in the back of our head, that we should be doing something. But it’s much easier not to. It’s much easier to stick to our every-day routine. And Because we also know, deep down, that ignoring the problem is just not right, we keep ourselves distracted with an overload of mindless entertainment. We avoid learning about the world beyond what we see every day, because then our feelings might overcome our fear and we could (God forbid!) make an effort to get active about one cause or another.
Conclusion? “Meh”. Could it be that the word doesn’t quite mean “I don’t care” but “I want to convince myself that I don’t care because I don’t know what to do”? At least when “Meh” is the response given to things involving discrimination, poverty, war, etc.?
If this was the case, what’d be the cure to this wave of intentional ignorance that so many people end up living in? I’m not too sure, but maybe it’s a matter of courage. All it takes is the guts to turn around and face the fact that if we don’t act up, our future could get grim…And where does this courage come from? Well, if it helps, know that there’s an ever-growing number of people who are just fed up with ignorance and impotence and so if you choose the harder path, you will not ever be alone.
Oh, and did I mention that making a difference in someone else’s life feels super good?
To put it short…it may be hard to work for the well-being of our world, but it is certainly more satisfying than the alternative.
I don’t know, just a loose idea. Thoughts?
