Diretribe

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2009-11-20T03:01:00.002+08:00

Charity? Bah Humbug!

2007-01-22T14:31:00.000+08:00

"The Guardian's annual Christmas appeal is aimed at assisting two very different vulnerable groups in our society: poor communities in the developing world affected by global warming, and those in the UK experiencing mental health problems."

That is what I call, 'The Tyranny of the Salient'. What humanity engages in, or is motivated by, is largely determined by what is most salient to the current version of humanity. The Guardian forgets to mention the 'third vulnerable group in our society' who stand to gain the most from your generosity and system-induced myopia - the bourgeois class (which includes both the material bourgeoisie[the conventional 'capitalist pig'] and the cultural ones ['artistes', celebrities, etc]).

The Charitable Institution is, indeed, when we take on board the extent to which it subsidises the aforementioned class, one of the greatest pillars of modern bourgeoiscratic civilisation. Where would we be without such an institution? Bah Humbug!

Guardian : The Guardian Christmas Appeal

Christmas uk capitalism socialism communism

Big Bother bout Bein'Indian

2007-01-18T12:22:00.004+08:00

She ain't Indian, She's a 'Bimbette'

('bimbette' - female derivative of the male 'bimbo'. If men want to have terminological monopoly, as in, for instance, their being 'managers' or 'actors', whilst women are seen as 'manager-esses' or 'act-resses', then the same ought to apply in the case of 'bimbos' and other such words which traditionally do not have a male variant.)

It is only to be expected that the statements made in Big Brother - which were allegedly racist -would be made in such a show. We must remember that such 'reality shows' do not attract those of average or above average intelligence. Thus, it is to be expected that Shilpa Shetty would be appreciated as 'the indian' since it is the most salient of features that appeals to the shallow mind - minds that would be appealed to by such shows enough to take part in it.

On another note, Shilpa cannot be considered to be truly 'Indian', as the true Indian, reared within the multi-faceted perspectival aupisces of Indian culture would naturally shun shallow rubbish like 'Big Brother'. Additionally, allegations that Shilpa wants to be 'light-skinned' would probably not be untrue given the Indian penchant for being 'fair and lovely' - well, no matter how perspectivally-rich Indians might be, one wonders why such an irrational inclination towards fairness and the tendency to equate 'fairness' with 'loveliness' still persists. Again, Shilpa cannot be considered a quintessentially 'Indian' beauty as her features are basically 'white' tinted with brown. For true 'Indian' beauties, one has to look towards south India where one may find beauties with features that are more 'full' and whose brown tint is more rich. They are also more voluptuous, more passionate in nature, more critical-minded and intellectually vibrant - not dissimilar in some respects to Italian women.

Additionally, a statement made by one of the idiots partaking, and being partaken of, in 'Big Brother' alleged that Indians were slim because they did not 'know how to cook food properly' cannot be considered racist. No culture is perfect, and culture, which is synonymous with a particular way of bringing up a person, or collective, can be flawed. However, this statement is to be expected from one who would take part in 'Big Brother' as it does not take into consideration the fact that being slim is a fad-come-lately that has its origins in the hegemony the American/Juvenile media wrecks with untoward consequences on the human persona on a global scale. If there is anything wrong with Indian cooking, it is evidenced by it generally resulting in voluptuousness or obesity - i.e. the use of ghee, amongst others, in their cooking.

uk big brother india indian culture

Go Go Hugo!

2007-01-11T15:16:00.000+08:00

"In front of a packed national assembly he accepted the presidential sash, raised his right hand and declared: "Fatherland. Socialism - or death! I swear it." After a pause, he added: "I swear by Christ - the greatest socialist in history."

guardian

What is Communism but the political translation of philosophical perspectives found in, or illustrated by, amongst others, the 13th Commandment of The Christ - "Love Thy Neighbour as Thyself". Communism translates the Christian, 'what you ought to do', into, 'how it may be done'. In other words, Communism is Pragmatic Christianity given the human potential in being the best it can be without doing so at the expense of another.

Remember, the essence of Communism lies in the appreciation of the fallibility of human nature, and thus, democracy must always be a central feature in any communist state, as it provides the medium via which new ideas flow. The only restriction that must be placed is that of proscriptions on desiring to do unto others that which one would not want done to themselves - thus, the outlawing of bourgeois parties. This is what we may call a 'Communocracy', as opposed to 'Bourgeoiscracy' - which does not need to place proscriptions on communist parties simply because the system's appeal to self-interest in all leads to its thus nurtured mass rejection of such parties.

Best of luck to Hugo Chavez. May you realise the Communist Ideal in Venezuela and not give it a bad name like your predecessors in China and the USSR (where it mutated into state-capitalism.)

chavez news capitalism socialism communism venezuela south america

Pinoshame Goes Unanswered

2006-12-11T21:41:00.000+08:00

“Despite his human rights record, many Chileans loved him and said he saved the country from Marxism, and put the country onto a path of strong economic growth [more than 3000 people were killed or ‘disappeared’ in the course of his 17 year rule].

But many loyal supporters abandoned him after it became clear in 2004 that he had stolen about $27m in secret offshore bank accounts, the BBC's Daniel Schweimler says.”

bbc

1.
The phrasing of the aforementioned article in the BBC is yet another media effort, perhaps unwittingly, to demonise the Effectively Empathetic and Communitarian ideas and ideals of Marxism and Communism by presenting it as a scourge worthy of deliverance.

2.
Given the opposition to Marxism by the ‘many Chileans’ who thus supported Pinochet for delivering them from it, it is not surprising that such minds would deem his stealing $27m a bigger crime than his responsibility for the murder/disappearance of more than 3000 people.

Pinochet: Q&A

pinochet communism marxism

I-Mag : Progressive Islamic Periodical

2006-11-21T14:20:00.000+08:00

Just published. The 8th issue of 'I-mag', a progressive Islaamic journal. A refreshing break from weststream media. Click on the image to go to the site where you will be able to download the latest issue.

islam pope christianity iraq muslims middle east malaysia indonesia india singapore thailand uk usa culture terrorism

Marx for Beginners

2006-11-18T16:01:00.000+08:00

tip: to view the vid smoothly, it is best to press play first, and then pause it once it starts. The vid will then be downloaded - as seen by the extending red line by the side of the play button. It can then be viewed once the red line reaches the end or at least when it is half-way done.

tip: To keep the video, just go to keepvid.com and insert this address - http://youtube.com/watch?v=0RCdwaWiNYE - into the address field at the top of the page and select 'youtube' in the drop down menu by the side. Wait a few seconds, and click the link that will appear at the bottom of the address field and save the vid at a location of your choice. Also remember to rename the file with a '.flv' extension in order to view it.

tip: For a universal player, go to videolan.

marx engels communism socialism capitalism cartoons karl marx communist manifesto youtube bush iraq

The Communist Manifesto(on)

2006-11-16T13:25:00.000+08:00

It is pathetic that we live in an age where people are appealed to by cartoons and visual stimuli as opposed to the pure idea - as seen by the high ratings received by 'the communist manifestoon' in, and amongst others, Technorati. Can it be seen as a good introduction to the relatively docile masses or would their docility and penchant for such trivial presentations and 'infotainment' only serve to cancel out their appreciation of the message transmitted by the cartoon? I fear it is the latter. However, we have to at times speak the language of the masses, though it may be intellectually debilitating in itself, in the off chance that this better-than-nothing approach may lead to something-other-than-nothing.

tip: to view the vid smoothly, it is best to press play first, and then pause it once it starts. The vid will then be downloaded - as seen by the extending red line by the side of the play button. It can then be viewed once the red line reaches the end or at least when it is half-way done.

tip: To keep the video, just go to keepvid.com and insert this address - http://youtube.com/watch?v=NbTIJ9_bLP4 - into the address field at the top of the page and select 'youtube' in the drop down menu by the side. Wait a few seconds, and click the link that will appear at the bottom of the address field and save the vid at a location of your choice. Also remember to rename the file with a '.flv' extension in order to view it.

tip: For a universal player, go to videolan.

The intellectually-inclined might find the following interesting :

Friedrich Engels : The Principles of Communism

Karl Marx : The Communist Manifesto

Other books of an enlightening nature may be found at The Propounder

marx engels communism socialism capitalism cartoons karl marx communist manifesto

The (RED) Manifesto - the unvetted version

2006-11-15T12:26:00.000+08:00

red bono shred joinred ipod ipod nano motorola armani gap amex converse red manifesto capitalism africa aids

Pope Converting to Christianity?

2006-11-13T13:10:00.000+08:00

"Love They Neighbour as Thy Self",

said the Christ. It was supposed to be the 13th addition, and 'fulfillment', of the Law of Moses.

As seen on BBC news today, the Pope has called for an economic restructuring globally so as to effectively address the case of global poverty and starvation. The promises made by the bourgeois elite, and despite the hypocritical efforts of so-called 'celebrities' and exploitative projects fired from the same kiln as that of Bono's (RED), to halve global poverty 10 years ago has not been met. Are we to be surprised. After all, where the Profit Motive is paramount, all else takes second place, especially if it eats into the resources required by the Bourgeois elite to expand and ground their dominion.

So perhaps the Pope's latest efforts at being truly Christian - in terms of an appreciation of what seems to be an appreciation of the relevance of the 13th commandment of Christ - might see the Church's gradual transition from being an opiatic lackey of the global Bourgeois elite to one that might aspire to be, for the first time in Christian history, a satellite of the Will of God.

Or perhaps this is yet another effort to be seen to be Christian by paying lip service to the plight of the global suffering. We'll have to wait and see.

The countermovement to Bono's (RED), known as Sh(red), calls it [Effective Empathy], Marx et al call it Communism, but whatever the name, either is, and respectively, efforts to perspectivally and politically translate, amongst others, the 13th Commandment of the Christ into a social reality.

pope christianity socialism capitalism poverty communism red shred

Let's Indeed Do The RED Thing!

2006-10-17T21:29:00.000+08:00

The Truth of the matter is,

If the above aren't paid as much as they are, or raised to the status of Beacons of Morality (aka, 'celebrities', oka, 'saints'), AIDS might not have reached the proportions it has to-date...along with global warming, eco-crises, starvation, death-tolls from 'natural' disasters..........

It is the perspectival system within which humanity is interned that enables the above to attain the status that they have and fuel the foundations for inequality and irresponsible and ineffective empathy. ('responsible and effective empathy' - empathy that is expressed with as much vigour for those of a foreign land or another family as one might expect to be expressed for one's own citizenry or one's own family.)

Yes, let's indeed 'Do the Red Thing'....

...and bring out the guillotine.

...or boycott all 'red products' for a start.

The Red Manifesto - Bourgeois Socialism at its Worst

2006-10-16T20:48:00.000+08:00

After the Bourgeois success in falsely demonising the idea of Communism by synonymising certain nations and their notions with the ideal of (which were anything but) 'Communism' in the past, they have now taken to expropriating and redefining the Communist Ideal in self-serving terms.

This blatant pretense on the part of the conglomeration of Bourgeois Socialists cannot find a market for such hypocritical and illogical rubbish if the phenomenon known as 'Consumers' (synonymised with 'Human') have not degenerated to a perspectival stage where the status quo is generally perceived to be the natural order of things. In other words, if any good is to be done, it can only be done within the existing socio-economic milieu. This socio-economic system is thus implied to be 'natural' and without causative fault. Any evil that arises is 'our fault' and/or due to some oversight or evil nature, but not the fault of the system we operate within and those that profit the most from it. So we all have to pitch in together to make the best of things. This is when all sorts of 'wars' - i.e. 'war on terror', 'war on AIDS' - are conducted in tandem without our turning away from the systemic cause of all the evils that we conduct such self-absolving wars on. In truth, this becomes little more than wars conducted to deny our collective and direct complicity in the evils of our days, be it 'terrorism' or the 'AIDS' pandemic.

This is when money may be made out of misery. This is when all parties except the sufferers can walk away feeling good that they've made a difference.

LINKS

Above manifesto of the oxymoronic 'Bourgeois Socialists' (a union of Armani, Amex, Apple, Converse, Gap, Motorola....and growing) from : joinred.com

If you are an intellectually/perspectivally-challenged technophile/national fascist/capitalist pig/americofascist, the following links are not for you....unless, of course, you are aware of your perspectivally retarded condition and sincerely hope to address and remedy this scientifically verifiable disability.

For the true version of Communism : The Principles of Communism - by Friedrich Engels

For the original Communist Manifesto : Manifesto of the Communist Party - by Karl Marx

tech ipod ipod nano apple motorola gap fashion armani amex capitalism socialism communism marx aids africa bush america americofascism

On 'Misinterpreting' the Holy Father

2006-09-26T12:08:00.000+08:00

"The Pope is to be commended for his efforts. I don't believe he said anything wrong. He was misinterpreted."

Victor Pavamani, USA

from BBC's 'Have Your Say' : Pope Meets Muslim Envoys

I regret to say that it requires more than a simple catholic-style 'Profession of Faith' to absolve the Pope. To clarify,

To Victor, the Pope, and other similarly disabled:

You're a bast@rd. 'Misinterpret' that.

pope news

Here Thak, there Thak, Everywhere Thak Thak - the song of s.e.asia

2006-09-21T11:25:00.000+08:00

title : sung to the tune of 'old macdonald had a farm'

Amongst other functions, a government is supposed to be the arbiter between those who take (the capitalists) and those who are taken from (the proletariat, or simply, the worker).

So what happens when a member of the former sector of society becomes the government?

When those 'who take' become the government, the people have little choice but to do unto others that which is done unto them. How else can they be expected to feed the Leviathan-with-a-Capital-C if they do not scurry to deprive their neighbour so that they may not be deprived. In other words, everyone has two mouths to feed. Incidentally, why these people are equally scurry-ious when it comes to having children is because the burdens that accompany advancing age have to be borne by the children and not the 'government' (the darker and underlying rationale behind the overly-vaunted Asian observance of 'Filial Piety') - whose sole responsibility is to take whilst they (the workers) are able whilst ensuring that the people are able to be taken from time and again by maintaining the economy. Thus, a vicious society. Marx’s concept of ‘alienation’ realised. Not only are they alienated from each other, but also from their children who are seen to be means to an end.

Such is Asian society as of to-date – Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Singapore, India, and not forgetting Thailand, are some cases in point. Such are the so-called ‘tiger economies’, ‘rising dragons’, shining tigers’ and whatever other members of the animal kingdom have been conscripted to personify the ‘progressive’ parts of this region.

The index for measuring corruption is antiquated. It detects the existence of the means via which corruption exists, NOT the equally profitable results that may still be attained via legislation and the so-called ‘democratic’ process – which, in Asia, basically means, lobotomising the population via fear and their ‘education’ system prior to a ‘free and fair’ elections. Corruption, we ought to keep in mind, is not how you get what you get, but what you get despite how you get it.

Well, it looks like Thaksin’s time is up. But not to worry, when we are faced with a people who attempt to achieve via charms and offerings - as it is has been practiced as the 'safe way' of contending with the trials of life in the face of age-old authoritarian imperiums - what can best be achieved by the acquisition of pertinent knowledge and inquisitorial and intelligent debate, we may rest assured that we will get yet another bastard like him in power.

That’s the Asian way innit? Nothing to be proud of i'm afraid.

thailand Bangkok Asia thaksin marx capitalism malaysia singapore china india hong kong

Pope Refuses to Apologise

2006-09-19T11:47:00.000+08:00

"dum di dum di dum...."

Pope 'deeply sorry' but Muslim protests spread
guardian

Pope apology fails to end anger
bbc

The alleged apology :

Pope : "...I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims." full text

Inquisitor : alright then, say the act of contrition, a couple of rosarys and spitshine and polish all the bells in the Vatican... and, oh yes, don't do it again or i'll take St. Peter's sandals to your ecclesiastical behind.

Ahem...but seriously now...

The above ‘apology’ is no different from, for instance, one forwarded by a distressed parent in the face of her horde of irate children that goes along the lines of, “I am deeply sorry for the reactions of the children to my statement which were considered offensive to the sensibility of children.” Would anyone view that as an ‘apology’? Stating that one is sorry – ‘deeply’ or otherwise - that another feels the way they do does not qualify, according to the definition of an apology, as an ‘apology’? With such ‘apologies’, one would immediately be directed to the, ‘sensibilities of the children’, part of the statement in order to make sense of the whole problem rather than consider the statement to be erroneous in itself. In other words, the pretender to the sandals of Peter – just as many were before him, yes, including the fool otherwise known as PJP II for his views on communism – ought to keep in mind that an apology or an appreciation of the error of one’s ways is that which is forwarded in recognition of the error of one’s views/actions/etc independent of the sensibilities of any particular group.

This is not an apology but a statement and expression of dismay at the reactions that has resulted. However, the western media is making the most of this alleged ‘apology’ by entitling their related articles to give the impression that the Pope has indeed ‘apologised’ but to little avail in the face of the ‘sensibilities of Muslims’. The ‘error’, therefore, is subtly located in the propensities and/or deficiencies naturally arising from the said ‘sensibilities’ rather than the statement. In this, we can quite categorically state that the Pope has refused to apologise.

On another note,

it would be interesting to consider if Muhammad was indeed wrong in attempting to ‘spread the faith by the sword’ – which is a historical fact. However, if it can be determined to be a wrong, I would still hesitate to condemn his entire person and message on this basis. This begs more thought.

pope Islam Terrorism

Why the Baneful Blogger was passed over for Clueless Clooney

2006-09-15T12:05:00.000+08:00

“Oscar-winning actor George Clooney has made an impassioned speech to the UN Security Council over continuing violence in the Darfur region of Sudan.

He told council members genocide was taking place "on your watch", and how they responded would be their legacy.

Mr Clooney was speaking at a special informal session hosted by the US ambassador to the UN, John Bolton.”

bbc

The question now remains as to why a ‘special informal session’ was not hosted by the US ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, for Mechanic Rick Yokel - who does fantastic jobs on Hot Rods - or, perhaps, Abdul Kassim bin Larden who cooks up a real mean doner kebab at his kebabery down the road.

Perhaps one of the reasons why we are encumbered with the myriad and multitude of crises in this world is because we have yet to reach the relatively mature age where we can appreciate Reason in itself despite. The masses’ daily practice in perspectival idiocy, whether it be, amongst others, via the aforementioned hosting of ‘special informal sessions’ for alleged ‘artistes’ who are relatively ill-qualified to speak on such matters, or exposition to American media – that kills far more brain cells in a half-hour ‘sitcom’, ‘beauty’ pageant or ‘reality show’ than the aftereffects of a nuclear fallout in year – basically detracts us from appreciating Reason in itself, as and when it rears its treasonous head, unless it is paired with that which is deemed to be of value because it is prominently and positively portrayed.

My first question when I saw the hallowed Clooney, who, as a profession, pretends to be a hero, was, why was a special session not hosted by John Bolton for, for instance, some bloggers who have far more insightful things to say on the subject, humanitarians and social activists or even the bongo-busting weekend placardist for that matter? After all, they are far more pertinently skilled and dedicated when it comes to such issues are they not?

Putting it simply for the benefit of the american/ised reader, when we get smart enough to realise the above, then we will be smart enough to recognise and react to the barrage of Reason and Truth that assails the masses' (currently) numbed and dumbed down senses on a daily basis. When we start according prominence to the 'least amongst us' because of content as opposed to status, then we would have made a significant step towards resolving all evils as this is an enterprise that requires our full awareness and appreciation of Truth despite.

Truth is deserving of prominence in itself whosoever's shoulders it alights upon momentarily. But when we hang on the words of the prominent, it will most certainly come at the price of our attention to what then becomes the elusive and flittering flight of Truth.

clooney Entertainment darfur Sudan un Celebrities news truth sociology

Remembering 9/11 Right

2006-09-13T11:53:00.000+08:00

The fifth anniversary of the dismantling of the Twin Obtrusions in New York marks the murders, actions and inactions of the west that took place prior to 9/11 that in turn led (or ‘caused’ – yes, it does have a ‘cause’. We are living in the scientific age are we not?) to the aforementioned event. Perhaps if that was what was 'remembered' on the anniversary of the event this year, then the 'remembrance' that took place might not have been a pointless activity.

related article @ The Heretic : Time To Stop Remembering 9/11

first article written on 'Terrorism' @ The Heretic : The War on Terror & the Idea of The State

"9/11" 911 terror Terrorism News Islam usa

Steve Irwin : Victim of Terror

2006-09-05T15:51:00.000+08:00

police are seeking the above suspect for questioning.

What can be said of the man, Irwin?

Was he popular because of the quality of his productions? Was he popular because of the inordinate amount of prominence given to his rants and raves whilst he chased, clutched and harassed some hapless creature?

Well, perhaps he was popular because ‘quality’, in line with those aspects of the global persona that is being developed and underdeveloped by the capitalist experience and juvenile/american media, is fast becoming synonymous with the sensational and trivial – in other words, that which is able to rely on little more than thoughtless and reflexive responses as opposed to thoughtful consideration for reactions.

It takes a particular kind of world, where ‘thrills and spills’ are preferred to insightful and thought-provoking information, for characters like Irwin to come to the fore. His productions, generally, are choreographed to elicit little more than ‘oohs!’, ‘ahhhs!’ and 'crikeys!', with Irwin saying just as much in his introduction, body, and conclusion. He harasses animals, purposely and actively places himself in compromising positions, and basically reduces the non-human animal kingdom to little more than an amusement park (I recall one episode, amongst others, where he kept running ahead of a komodo dragon to give the impression that he was being chased when it was clear that the said dragon was hardly interested in his presence).

aside: Perhaps the non-human animal kingdom had just about enough of Irwin’s antics and decided to visit an ‘act of terror’ on him via the rude end of a stingray. Terrorism : an act of cruelty acquiring terroristic proportions solely due to the fact that it happened to us. Who started first is not important.)

Personally,

I prefer The Jeff Corwin Experience – which is far more of an experience requiring and developing more parts of the human intellectual persona than Irwin’s Antics. Corwin exudes, in words and demeanour, insightful appreciation, love, respect and consideration of the comfort of the creatures he acquaints the viewers with. As for Irwin, no doubt kicking the proverbial bucket whilst in the midst of yet another act of harassment, and probably in the midst of yet another meaningless sentence ‘insightfully’ flanked by yet another ‘ooh!’ and ‘ah!’, one would not be wrong in assuming that the animal world would be breathing a collective sigh of relief at his passage from this form of life to the next. Wonder how he would fare if Buddhist-style reincarnation was true.

In mourning the passing of the familiar,

...one ought to be cautious to avoid mourning the passing of that which is familiar because it is familiar, but because of its intrinsically insightful quality and its contribution to the overall development of the human persona rather than its diminution.

There is nothing wrong in speaking 'ill' of the dead. Especially if their sins have the potential of wrecking a greater impact on the propensities of the living by virtue of their posthumous elevation to 'legendary status.

Steve Irwin jeff corwin terrorism terror news

Child Beauty Queens?

2006-08-18T21:35:00.000+08:00

‘Child Beauty Queens’?

Is there no end to this american/juvenile nonsense,

amongst a host of other perspectivally-retarded rubbish, of affording those with a particular set of features the kind of treatment and validation that contributes to their psychological resources and further endows them to take on life’s challenges? This, in addition to the positive view people are trained to have towards those with the said set of features, via their elevation to prominence in the media for the most trivial and meaningless of reasons, only serves to ease their path to success in various sectors of society at the expense of the expanse of the thus created, ‘less-endowed’. Having child ‘beauty queens’, in effect, becomes little more than an effort to stream and channel the development and underdevelopment of humanity at an earlier stage. It is not unlike Malcolm X being told in his youth that he could only aspire to be a carpenter because he was a ‘nigger’.

The unabridged version of this article may be found at The Heretic

beauty pageants beauty pageant beauty racism jonbenet america news usa psychology capitalism consumerism culture bbc media

Diretribe 2007

2006-08-12T11:31:00.000+08:00

Diretribe 2007

Charity? Bah Humbug!

Big Bother Bout Bein' Indian

Go Go Hugo!

The Essence of Humanitarianism

2006-08-10T13:03:00.000+08:00

The essence of Humanitarianism lies in the ability to identify an alternative to the current perspectives underlying, motivating and directing Social Activism, and to agitate for the Displacement or/and Infusion of the said 'current perspectives' despite one’s propensity to take the well-trampled route and ‘join the (placarding) crowd’.

In this lies the recognition of the probability, given the fallibility of humankind, that Evil cannot subsist without the collaboration of unrefined Good.

London March : Why the Grass is Always Bloodier on the Other Side

2006-08-09T12:17:00.000+08:00

Their pretending death leads to others suffering it

photograph by The Antagonist

Would a 'march' have been appropriate in the face of an anticipated Nazi invasion? Would there have been a mass 'war effort' in the form of the construction of placards? Would the populace have been appropriately armed with bongos and whistles? Would they have confined this concerted and fearsome effort to their 'day off'?

Or perhaps the British would have resorted to 'more appropriate' means of defence befitting of a 'citizen'?

In which case, the weapons of mass disaffection placardists deem 'more appropriate' is determined not by the similarity in plight of the distressed, but by which side of the illusory border s/he happens to be on - even when it is 'our' government which is inflicting the said plight on another. Whilst we have got the idea of 'self-defence' quite right, this has not been complemented by an appropriate definition of 'self'.

As I'm inclined to say, the concept of the 'citizen' necessarily produces the 'terrorist' due to the success and failure of the borders of the nation-state in curtailing a nation's sense of familialarity. 'Success' in the case of the fully initiated 'citizen', 'failure', in the case of the transnational Muslim. The former produces that level of apathy that instigates outrage in the latter.

related section at The Heretic

Israel Lebanon uk london protest

Gibson vs God

2006-07-31T20:44:00.000+08:00

“
Mel Gibson Apologises for Anti-Semitic Abuse

Mel Gibson yesterday apologised for his "despicable" remarks after a Los Angeles police officer claimed that the actor had shouted a barrage of anti-semitic abuse, including a claim that "the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world".

”
guardian

And this coming from one who portrayed The Christ in 'The Passion of Christ'.

That is why I elected a long time ago to worship God/s who/m at least, whether S/he exists or not, is the embodiment of perfect ideals and ideals of perfection.

As for humanity, I take the good that comes forth from them and discard the bad. For to worship 'celebrities' is to lose the ability to distinguish between the bad and the good that leads one to take the bad with the good, whilst simultaneously validating the appetites of the day, be they bad or good, which they seek to satisfy, reinforce, and profit from.

mel gibson israel News islam christianity Religion hinduism buddhism god celebrities Entertainment

Why are Arabia and Muslims Not a Part of This World?

2006-07-27T19:42:00.000+08:00

UPDATE to this Article (28th July, 2006 a.d., or 911 c.e.[colonial era])

Shortly after the following article (by Diretribe - perhaps this article was instrumental in effecting the change. We will never know.) was written and published on this site, the BBC changed the heading and content of the following article.

The heading of the said article at the BBC site, and accessible by the following 'bbc' link, is now,

"Israel says world backs offensive."

However, the initial heading and content may be still be seen as a 'freudian slip' revealing the true and 'first reaction' stance of the west, which, in its less blatant forms, results in the Colonial approach taken to many a global event. This site regrets not having copied the entire original article for the reader's perusal. However, the Inquisitor, following up on a suspicion that the BBC would have changed it upon realising their blatantly Colonial stance, rechecked the link and found it to be so.

END Update

Diretribe's original article follows...

“
World 'Backs Lebanon Offensive'

Israel says diplomats' decision not to call for a halt to its Lebanon offensive at a Middle East summit has given it the green light to continue.

"We received yesterday at the Rome conference permission from the world... to continue the operation," Justice Minister Haim Ramon said.

”

bbc

It is interesting to note that the BBC found it appropriate to report the backing of some nations for the Israeli Offensive Force's actions in Lebanon under the title, 'World 'Backs Lebanon Offensive' '. It could have been reported that the Israelis have interpreted the failure of those at the conference to unite in calling for an end to the offensive. But the aforementioned and excerpted stance was taken by the BBC instead.

Perhaps this is a product of the same perspectival position witnessed in the aftermath of the unceremonious dismantling of the Twin Obtrusions in New York where the Americans and the rest of their nationally disparate disciples viewed it as an 'attack on the world/civilisation/democracy'. I doubt if the BBC's version of 'the world' included the Arab League or the yet to be inaugurated, [transnational] Nation of Islaam (which 'The Heretic' supports, ideally, as an 'interest group' within a global and singular state instead of a nation-state amongst others). This indicates that the Great Chain of Being that drove the Colonial/Nationalist/Capitalist enterprise in the pre-'modern' phase of Colonialism is alive and well.

If the BBC et al were not a product of this mindset, then they would naturally have thought it fit to entitle the said article,

' 'World' Backs Lebanon Offensive'

Instead of,

'World 'Backs Lebanon Offensive' '.

Israel Lebanon Middle East colonialism bbc

On the Real 'Third' Party Behind this Conflict

2006-07-26T22:40:00.000+08:00

Bush accuses Damascus over crisis

"US President George W Bush has said he suspects that Syria is trying to use the crisis in the Middle East to reassert its influence in Lebanon.

He suggested that Hezbollah activities were being orchestrated by Damascus."

bbc

Blair accuses Iran of arms supply

"Tony Blair has accused Iran of supplying weapons to attack UK troops in Iraq, and of giving arms to Hezbollah so it could target Israel."

bbc

What many fail to consider is the possibility that the 'third party' in this conflict might just be the 'self-defensive' instinct or the 'incredulous indignation' left over from the actions of the Colonialists in their presuming the right to carve out a portion of Arabia and inaugurating the State of Israel. Whilst it may not seem to be ‘self-defensive’ to the mind situated in the present, when one considers the entire saga and its origins in the inauguration of the Israeli State, what is currently deemed to be offensive (the actions of the Hezbollah) becomes the inverse.

Of course, it is far better to blame an identifiable and sentient third party in order to detract the attention of the masses from the aforementioned and most plausible probability - not unlike 'terrorism'. It’s psychological benefit in giving ourselves the impression that we have ‘control’ over the situation when an identifiable (and thus ‘stoppable’) bogeyperson behind the conflict is presented cannot be understated. Thus, amongst other reasons, the west/ernised seem to consistently exhibit a penchant for situating the cause of a crisis at a geographical locality rather than a historical one. We ought to resist the temptation to ‘localise’ conflict within our space and time – or in the case of ‘terrorism’, contain it within a conceptual fallacy - and appreciate its antecedents, even if this leads to the revelation that the evils on the other side of the illusory border of the nation-state finds its roots in ours.

And when we allow ourselves to objectively appreciate this discomforting truth, then we might just find that the real 3rd party behind this conflict is our subconscious acceptance of the moral supremacy of the Colonial powers during the earlier phase of Colonialism and the Right of Power to do as it pleases despite the Proscriptions of Right.

OM

Inquisitor
for,
The Heretic

written on the 911 year of the Colonial Era.[as dated from the first crusades, 1095]

Israel Lebanon Hezbollah colonialism History terrorism

Why the Zionist Anti-War Movement is Oxymoronic

2006-07-25T22:00:00.000+08:00

“Presumably the existence of a Zionist Peace and Anti War Movement movement in Israel is bad news as it does not fit not the image of ugly Zionism many have, or others who wish Israel to fight Islam for them.”

shorno.net

A “Zionist Peace and Anti-War Movement” is an oxymoron of sorts.

Putting it simply, I take a part of your land by force, and then later ask that we live side by side in peace. (not unlike the Bourgeois class appropriating the resources of humanity and then calling for collective respect for the Rule of Law.)

This order of events, unfortunately, is a historical fact, and the existence of Hezb'Allah, amongst others, is its consequence. Upon closer inspection of the stitches comprising this aspect and part of the tapestry of history, we will discover, to our discomfort or otherwise, that when a ‘Zionist Peace and Anti-War Movement’, despite its intentions, follows in the wake of a ‘Zionist War Movement’, it becomes little more than a PR venture in the wake of a war machine. It serves as an effort at validating and legitimising the status quo brought about by the said war machine via an appeal to a virtue that was conveniently not observed prior to the expropriation of the land. An olive branch in the talons of an eagle - yet another counterpart of the oxymoronic, 'National Humanitarianism'.

Whilst, I do not begrudge the right of the Jews to exist in Arabia, and to be included, by law, in significant positions in government, I do find it difficult to countenance their right to appropriate land on the basis of their ancient occupation of the land now known as Israel, and nothing short of collective impertinence to appeal to our appreciation of the the idea of peace in order to legitimise and perpetuate the existence of the said state.

note: One can be Anti-Zionist without being Anti-Israel. ('anti-semitic' is an inappropriate term as a semite may refer to both Arabs and Jews.)

Israel Lebanon Hezbollah War Middle East zionism

When War becomes a Virtue

2006-07-20T21:46:00.000+08:00

The following is a post from 'LittleIsrael'.

" Just thought to contribute something.
Here is a humble button I've made

Support the idea? Feel free to use and comment. "

Whilst LittleIsrael's intentions are obviously noble and laudable, the problem with 'No War' is that it usually implies, 'Live with the Status Quo'.

Peace is never a virtue if it allows Injustice to proceed with impunity.

A less abbreviated perspective may be found at The Heretic

Israel Terrorism News Lebanon War peace Bush Hezbollah gandhi

Bush Justifies 911

2006-07-20T10:24:00.000+08:00

above:
Bush offering a supportive 'sit & swivel' sign to the Lebanese in their hour of need.

"In my judgment, the best way to stop the violence is to understand why the violence occurred in the first place," Mr. Bush said. "And that's because Hezbollah has been launching rocket attacks out of Lebanon into Israel and because Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers."

Cbs news

According..

.. to the man elected by a majority of the electorate that voted in the last elections held in the Juvenile State of America – George W. Bush - the focus ought not to be on the Lebanese that have been killed by the Israeli Offensive Force, mka ‘Israeli Defense Force’ but on how Hezbollah started it all.

In other words, holding the entire Lebanese people responsible, and expecting them to be amenable to conscription as ‘collateral damage’ in the face of Israeli retaliatory attacks for those launched against the most remote outpost/watchtower of western civilisation, aka ‘Israel’, by Lebanon-based Hezbollah is to be condoned.

In the application of the aforementioned American ‘Logic’...

If the Lebanese are to be held responsible for the acts of a militia they are not as responsible for putting into power as the Americans are for putting the men behind the imperial machine that has for decades caused death and destruction amongst, and amongst others, the transnational nation of Muslims, then, ought we not to wonder why Transnational Militant action on 911 was not accorded greater condonation then the action of the Israelis?

aside : Why is it ‘abduction’ when Hezbollah captures Israeli Soldiers but the ‘taking of prisoners of war’ when it is the inverse? Is war only declarable by UN-recognised 'nation-states'? Is it only armies spewing forth from such a 'nation-state' conceptually enabled to take 'prisoners of war'? And is it only such armies that can be absolved of the sin of 'Terrorism' even when their acts/results are no different, or even far more heinous, from their nationless nemesis?

Israel Terrorism Bush Politics News Lebanon Hezbollah Middle East

Why BOTH the Scots and Chinese may have Invented Golf

2006-07-17T19:44:00.000+08:00

"FOR centuries, the Scots have claimed it as one of their great inventions, a Royal and Ancient game born on the windy links.

But now Scotland's reputation as the cradle of golf is under threat from an unlikely challenger - China.

According to a leading Chinese academic, golf was being played by Chinese nobles as early as the tenth century - 500 years before a club was swung at St Andrews."

Scotsman
UK YahooNews

The Chinese claim, on the basis of the pictorial evidence presented in their classical paintings, that they invented Golf first (in 945 a.d.) in opposition to the Scots’ claim.

To claim that the Chinese or Scots invented Golf ‘first’ is to mistakenly judge history on the basis of the present reality of a Globalised village. This latter fact retrospectively and erroneously presents various peoples in the past as participants in a race competing with each other, as they are now, and whose relative and subsequent achievements may therefore be seen as a victory of one over the other.

However, where peoples live in relative isolation, to state that one reached the ‘finishing point’ ‘first’ is nonsense as they were not in competition with each other in the first place. In other words, this means that they were not sharing the same cultural time and space and were thus, analogously, not on the same racetrack. Unless all participants are occupants of a globalised village, or it can be proven that the inventions of one culture were transmitted to those of another, the claim that one invented something 'first' is an illogical assertion.

Bereft of these shared circumstances, one’s claim over another in having invented this or that would therefore make as much sense as, for instance, if multi-tentacled aliens from another solar system claimed that they invented golf first since they were engaged in this ‘sport’ a million years prior to the Scots or Chinese. Back in the days of yore, the Chinese were similarly ‘alienic’ to the Scots and vice versa. This, as a result, invalidates such a competitive comparison.

We must keep in mind that societies start at various starting points in various arenas. Hence, to competitively compare one with another with regards to inventions must first take into account their similarity in socio-cultural-economic circumstances or/and the extent to which they are aware of each other – as this latter can influence their respective cultural trajectories. If not, this is akin to giving credit to one who finishes a particular race along a particular path first without taking into consideration their various starting points or their not taking part in that particular race in the first place.

On another note,

the above does not mean that it would not be interesting to note which peoples invented what ‘first’ to facilitate the study of the socio-economic factors that contributed to the development of those propensities that in turn led to the invention of one thing or another.

Additionally,

Whilst the Scots may believe that Golf is one of their ‘Great Inventions’, this detracts us from appreciating the fact that the ‘greatness’ of inventions is not determined by their utility per se but their value in relation to the current condition of how humans perceive themselves. In a more intellectual or spiritual climate, Golf may be relegated to the position of a trivial or therapeutic pastime and the Scots, as a result, may have produced indeed produced something great.

golf Sports News Current Affairs scots scottish Scotland china chinese inventions history culture sociology

The World Cup: Did the Italians Win the World Cup?

2006-07-12T12:25:00.000+08:00

If the Italians deem it reasonable that they, as a self-professed ‘nation’, have the ensuing right to claim vicarious credit for the success of just a dozen or so men in immodest pantaloons in their ability to kick a ball into a net more times than another dozen or so men from ‘another’ nation, then they ought not to simultaneously shy away from claiming discredit for the acts of far more wo/men who occupy their prisons, amongst others. If they, amongst the other cretinous supporters of football teams, think that the laudatory efforts made by a few are a credit unto them, then similar logic would apply when those amongst them indulge in that which makes them blush.

Or is ‘civilian innocence’ only reserved for those of the latter instance and not the former. Perhaps the Italians, amongst others, ought to claim ‘civilian innocence’ and distance themselves from the victory of the allegedly ‘Italian’ soccer team as they similarly do for the acts of their government and those interned in their prisons.

Additionally,

as ‘race’ is a phenomenon that only makes sense when nations live and breed in relative isolation, the ability of the ‘Italian’ team in the allegedly ‘World’ Cup, may only prove that the genetic and cultural miscegenation that took place over thousands of years is not without its benefits. In which case, the World Cup is indeed ‘Worldly’ and credit ought to be given to the descendants of the Huns, Goths, Vandals, Saxons, amongst a host of other immediate and intermediate groups, who have interbred with the ‘Italians’ and whom may have contributed in a multitude and myriad of ways that eventually led to the victory of the ‘Italians’ in the aforementioned cup.

As this is not the case, the ‘World’ Cup seems to be yet another instance arising from the illogicality that fuels the nonsensical phenomenon of ‘Intellectual Property’. Our being well practised in one instance makes us more amenable to its other manifestations. (i.e. our falling for the World Cup makes us more accepting of Intellectual Property and vice versa.)

This, I dare say, is nothing short of Intellectual Impropriety.

world cup nationalism capitalism Patriotism Culture italy intellectual property ip sociology politics

The World Cup and Islam

2006-07-10T20:53:00.000+08:00

“As Muslims, we often forget to take pride in who we are. Islam doesn’t need anyone’s permission or anyone’s approval. Let’s take the example of this World Cup to remind ourselves that Muslims don’t need to get drunk or to be violent or to swear or to hate other people in order to have fun. Let us not forget, al-hamdu lillah, that Islam provides us with everything we need to be fulfilled as people. Why don’t we, when watching the World Cup with our non-Muslim friends, throw in the occasional in sha’ Allah into the conversation or exclaim al-hamdu lillah when we see a great goal being scored. You never know, but a goal by David Beckham might be just the excuse a friend needs to ask us what this al-hamdu lillah that we are always using means. For Muslims, all things lead us to Allah. In sha’ Allah, even the World Cup can bring us closer to Him!”

excerpt : The World Cup: If Allah Wills It to Be So

The 'World Cup', amongst others, observed within the Capitalist/Nationalist context, breeds, maintains, organises and harnesses inter-national animosity and the conceptual and perspectival divisions necessary to further ground the Fragment-and-Rule policy by the Bourgeois Elite into the psyche of the human collective.

Incidentally, that is antithetical to the principle of Universal Personhood espoused by the Islaamic vision - unless we cast aside support for any particular team and just appreciate a well scored goal in itself whilst ensuring that said appreciation is independent of whom scored it. If the truth be told, a phenomenon like the World Cup is anything but fun if one’s supports ‘Humanity’, as opposed to, say, ‘England’ or ‘Brazil’ – at least for the majority of the howling masses.

Attempted-Muslims (there are no ‘Muslims’ per se, only those who attempt it) ought to ask themselves how a step away from each other, as illustrated by the mutual (national) antagonism that adrenalises and lies at the heart of the World Cup, brings us a step closer to God. Unless, it is a Hadean God that we’re talking about.

Personally, I believe in Collaboration, NOT Competition.

The World Cup: If the Diminutive Psyche of the Numerical Majority of Humanity Wills it, So It Will (unfortunately) Be

world cup islam nationalism capitalism Patriotism Culture

Operation Anti-Censorship : China

2006-07-10T20:24:00.000+08:00

above : Censoring the Censorious

The following link will take you to a page where, upon entering your email address for the activation of a free subscription and reception of updates, you will be able to download a version of Anonymizer specifically constructed to circumvent the Chinese Imperium's efforts to restrict free internet navigation.

The site, and the relevant software, is accessible from within and without China. However, the software will only work for users whose IP address is located within the Imperial Republic of China.

Anonymizer has verified with myself that if and when this site is blocked, it will supply subscribers with a new download location. The following address will therefore be updated as and when Anonymizer relocates the download site.

ANTI-CENSORSHIP CHINA

Spread the word!

china censorship Politics Current Affairs News Democracy Free Speech bloggers Blogging Blogs Internet software Web chinese human rights

Happy In Dependence America!

2006-07-05T20:45:00.000+08:00

above:
'The Bourgeois Conspiracy', innocuously promoted as, 'The Declaration Committee'.

On the 4th of July, Americans celebrate 'Independence Day' which commemorates the day when Americans declared Independence from the once 'Great' Britain as illustrated, amongst other beguiling devices, via the grandiose sounding 'Declaration of Independence' adopted formally by the continental congress in Philadelphia in 1776.

However, what these 'Americans' have failed to realise is that whilst they might have gained 'Independence' from Great Britain, what occurred, in reality, was that their subjugation under the British Bourgeoisie was traded for a local one. In other words, property changed hands rather than the exploitative relations that underlie it being done away with.

Thus, it would be more true to say that the Americans are actually celebrating their Independence from, and because, of an elite being spatially distinctive and not because of the rejection of the Elite per se.

On another note, I'm still waiting for that glorious day when native 'Americans' will be able to celebrate a similar event. Till then, this allegedly anti-colonial celebration is anything but. Methinks tis' time the Juveniles-across-the-Straits considered the objective quality and meaning of 'Independence' before assigning its objective value to conceptual oblivion on the basis of its most fallible and arrogant subjectivity. It's too often that a verifiable historical fact - that of 'Independence' from Great Britain - is taken to be completely definitive of a term that has far broader implications.

The same applies to 'formerly' colonised nations.

4th of july Independence day america Democracy Politics News Current Affairs usa socialism communism capitalism sociology juvenile state of america jsa

The Roots of Extremism

2006-07-04T22:14:00.000+08:00

Muslims 'must root out extremism'

"The government cannot alone root out extremism in Muslim communities and defeat the terrorism it creates, Prime Minister Tony Blair has said."

bbc

"Muslims must root out Extremism!!!"

Thus Spake Tony Blair et al.

"Muslims must root out Extremism!!!"

Thus Spake Osama bin Laden et al.

Whilst History, along with the production of words and definitional monopoly with regards to its meaning, is placed within the manipulative purview of its victors, we forget that the definitional inaccuracies that inevitably accompany the victors' self-serving perspective gives rise to its nemesis. If we look at it another way, 'terrorism' and 'extremism' are observable efforts to purify the meaning of words to the point that they are indeed representative of reality. It is when their meaning is thus purified, that 'Extremism' might cease to chastise global society for its linguistic and definitional arrogance.

Perhaps it is the refusal to acknowledge this that truly defines the meaning of the word, 'Extremism'.

For in-depth discussions on the phenomenon of 'Terrorism' and 'Extremism', refer to The Heretic - 'Terrorism' section

terrorism News current affairs Politics war on terror extremism Terror Al Qaeda Iraq Iraq Bush blair uk usa osama zarqawi

To Give or Not To Give In.....to 'Terrorism'

2006-07-04T11:36:00.000+08:00

Al-Qaeda 'increased threat to UK'

"It will become harder to tackle the terror threat, says the MPs
The threat to the UK from al-Qaeda is likely to have increased and the Iraq war has provided a boost to extremist groups, a committee of MPs has found.

The terror network posed "an extremely serious and brutal threat" to the UK, the latest Foreign Affairs Committee report into the "war on terror" found."

bbc

To Give or Not To Give In To (the idea of) Terrorism

We must never be seen to give in to Terrorist Groups! See! We have given them the name of 'Terrorists'. Because this term in itself serves as a valid reason why we ought to never give in to them, any action that we engage in that gives rise to and fuels 'Terrorism' must continuously be engaged in lest we be seen to have given in to Terrorism!

Beautiful perspectival sleight of hand isn't it.

How else can the Capitalist Class further their interests.

To all (oxymoronic) 'National Humanitarians' :

Please spare a thought for the aforementioned class whilst you are engaged in paying your traditional tokenistic placardistic opposition to this war. On second thoughts, placardistic opposition posited as a defence of human rights is evidence of the masses being most considerate in the face of the interests of the exploiting class. Most unfortunate that such 'compassionate consideration' serves as the basis upon which death and destruction is visited upon others. [ref. The True Price of a Placard]

Well, as the Juveniles across the straits of the Atlantic are inclined to put it - in efforts to relieve themselves of the cognitive strain that accompanies efforts at more constructive thought - "you can't win em' all" right?

written this year, the 911 year of the Colonial Era.

[as dated from 1095 Anno Domini Nostri iesu Christi when the First Crusades took place. The perspective underlying the Crusades has continued though its forms have evolved.]

For in-depth discussions on the phenomenon of 'Terrorism', refer to The Heretic - 'Terrorism' section

England UK News Politics Current Affairs iraq Terrorism Middle East Iran War on Terror Bush blair colonialism crusades usa juvenile state of america jsa

Orwell's 'Brotherhood' Revisited

2006-06-27T12:16:00.000+08:00

US Confirms Heathrow Hijack Report

"An official US report has confirmed al-Qaeda planned to hijack flights from Heathrow and fly planes into the airport and a Canary Wharf skyscraper.

Reports of such a plot had surfaced in the media before but have not previously been confirmed.

It is believed the plot was disrupted by security services, although arrests are not thought to have been made.

The report lists nine attempts by al-Qaeda - aside from 11 September - to attack aviation targets worldwide."

BBC

"..... uncontrollable exclamations of rage were breaking out from half the people in the room. ... the terrifying power of the Eurasian army behind it, were too much to be borne: besides, the sight or even the thought of Goldstein produced fear and anger automatically... But what was strange was that although Goldstein was hated and despised by everybody, although every day and a thousand times a day, on platforms, on the telescreen, in newspapers, in books, his theories were refuted, smashed, ridiculed, held up to the general gaze for the pitiful rubbish that they were in spite of all this, his influence never seemed to grow less. Always there were fresh dupes waiting to be seduced by him. A day never passed when spies and saboteurs acting under his directions were not unmasked by the Thought Police. He was the commander of a vast shadowy army, an underground network of conspirators dedicated to the overthrow of the State. The Brotherhood, its name was supposed to be."
~ 1984, George Orwell (ch. 1) - A must-read for anyone asserting their access to the rights associated with Citizenship.

Read Chapters 1 and 2 at the Propounder

Yes. It may be true. The 'Terrorists', or in Orwellian terms, 'The Brotherhood', may have been planning the aforementioned amongst other unmentionables. But the masses being forcibly focused on these evils detracts them from the evils that gave birth to them.

Yes. We're talking 'Cause-and-Effect' here. 'Cause-and-Effect', a phrase whose common and unfettered use is despised by all Big Brothers as it does little to perpetuate the self-serving myth that their own actions are always an Effect of an evil Cause that finds its origins in locales other than the hallowed grounds of our National Homeland.

So let's not go on about what 'Goldstein' and his vicious 'Eurasian army' are up to. Let's instead consider how our past, present and future actions have, and are, going to ensure that this war for the Globalisation of the American/Juvenile version of 'Freedom' is going to fuel the ventures, concocted or otherwise, of the 'shadowy' army of the 'Brotherhood' whilst grounding and perpetuating the global hegemony of the Capitalist Class and the diminution of the Human Race.

And whilst you're at it, consider how the World Cup maintains that level of mutual national animosity required to ensure that the idea of 'Self-Defence' is always associated with the National Self as opposed to the Human Self. The National/Capitalist version of the Brotherhood will always and logically give rise to an opposing and 'shadowy' version of itself as a result of the former seeing little reason why it may not do unto others that which it would not countenance having done unto themselves. Thus, the Nation-state creates its own Transnational nemesis, and the Citizen, her/is 'Terrorist'.

london heathrow terrorism bush blair uk news politics usa current affairs 1984 orwell world cup al qaeda nationalism osama sociology

The Sicknificance of the 6th of the 6th of the 6th

2006-06-06T14:25:00.000+08:00

So today is the 6th of June(6th month) of the year 2006. In other words, 666. Not surprisingly, to the American (mis)led mind(lessness), it is nothing short of 'Awesome!'. "It's the day of the beast man!" Since this day exists, so must the beast, or so the 'logic' goes.

However, what predictably escapes such a cretinous perspective is that whatever thrill that might be experienced upon knowing that it is the 6th of the 6th month of the year 06 comes not from this being a special day of sorts in itself, but from the year-long sense of self-insignificance arising from the masses being embedded within a (capitalist) system that thrives on it and which, consequently, makes just about every day as insignificant as the self. Thus, to appreciate the 'significance' of this day is nothing more than a futile attempt at self-significance acquired when we are convinced of our 'significance' by our being actors on a stage of such significance - albeit just for a day. i.e. 'Today is special, so i'm vicariously imbued with significance too!'

Additionally, the 'significance' of this day attains the alleged significance only if the western calendar is utilised to plot the longitude and latitudes of our sense of time. I wonder if John (in 'reveletions') had the western calendar in mind when he had the relevant visions. Or perhaps the socio-economic basis of western civilisation - which is set within the western sense of time - serves as the stage upon which the Great Beast may reign. In which case, John's vision may be prophetic of the context within which the Beast will emerge.

On another note, having a day such as this allocated for evil only serves to distract the increasingly imbecilic masses from the reality of the Hadean stage upon which they ply their respective traits on a daily basis.

When we think IT is specifically 'there', we will fail to recognise the possibility that IT is everywhere.

AMEN

666 Satan Religion capitalism psychology sociology Christianity Bible west colonialism Culture Society jsa juvenile state of america

Apologies..

2006-05-31T22:36:00.000+08:00

...to all visitors who might have visited this site in this past month and a half. The 'apology' is extended not for not posting anything - as i do not think that this site has a monopoly on truth; not because i'm under the impression that this site might be perceived to have such a monopoly; or be perceived to have a well-deserved seat in the relevant sophistical oligarchy; or because i believe that this site might not have been afforded little more than a casual click by the bored mind - but for wasting that modicum of 'click' effort taken to see if this site had any diretribal morsel to afford the disgruntled/bored mind.

The absence was due to my moving my place of residence, in addition to suffering from the 'burnout' experienced time and again by some whose immediate cultural locality does much in reinforcing the notion that the 'power of one' is not inequatable with the 'power of none'.

The above also applies to The Heretic

current affairs News Politics Culture Society uk usa Asia

Remember the JEWISH Holocaust Please

2006-04-25T21:42:00.000+08:00

Remember the Jewish Holocaust by all means. But we ought not to allow the criteria by which it is identified as such to monopolise and appropriate the term, ‘Holocaust’.

The Holocaust is a phenomenon that is independent of people’s perception of what constitutes a group and the particular and blatant means via which it is effected. Neither is a Holocaust dependent on the immediate intentions of the perpetrators or if it is a 'by/waste product' of perspectives and aspirations that do not have extermination as its motivating force.

In this sense, the Holocaust is an ongoing phenomenon that is frequently deprived of the requisite mass indignation simply because it is not able to fit into the current and narrow definition of it.

For ongoing Holocausts, amongst others, try the Proletarian and Muslim Holocausts.

holocaust Jews Israel Middle East News genocide muslims Islam proletarians capitalism Socialism terrorism Current Affairs sociology Culture

Chinese Erection in Tibet

2006-04-17T20:55:00.000+08:00

"The Chinese authorities say they are putting up a huge statue of Chairman Mao Zedong in Tibet.

The 35-ton memorial is being built to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the former leader's death.

It is being erected in Gonggar County, near the Tibetan capital Lhasa, China's state-run news agency Xinhua said.

The statue will rise 7m from a 5m pedestal strengthened to withstand earthquakes. Mao Zedong ordered the Chinese takeover of Tibet in 1950."

bbc

And these are the people who are given a seat in the UN security council? This is the nation that is amongst those calling for Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions?

China, and practitioners of Sinicism (aka, Chinese culture), are rarely known for humanitarianism or eco-consciousness. This overly vaunted culture is little more than an effort to regularise and institutionalise the Freudian ID amongst the people for the sake of the Imperium - "for if we turn the people against each other, we can benefit in perpetuity", say the 2000 year Imperium. Many of the 'quaint' and 'exotic' aspects of Chinese culture play very insidious functions in directing human devolution. That is why China/Chinese is/are able to run roughshod over just about anything or anyone as and when it pleases as the finger on the trigger is deprived of the restraining force of popular conscience. Thus, Tibet. And perhaps Taiwan in the future.

On another note,

the powers-that-are-allowed-to-be have demonstrated that the surest way of justifying their claims over other lands is to aggress, oppress, import 'their own', amongst other strategies, and over time, claim that it is 'in respect of the democratic principle' that 'the people' decide if they ought to secede. The English have done just that in Ireland just as the Chinese are sure to do in the future in the case of Tibet.

The only way to protect the people against this is via the Principle of Reversion - where attempts to abuse the 'democratic' principle by the aggressors in the name of 'the people' is shunned and the region reverts to the political state it was in prior to external aggression. This is the only protection any people can have against the continued enaction of the aforementioned formula. All dissenters can be provided with the requisite transport to be relocated in the motherland should they choose such a unionist stance - at the expense of the said motherland of course.

china chinese chinese culture mao Asia Taiwan tibet ireland Northern Ireland Irish Politics News Current Affairs democracy sinicism sociology Culture Society philosophy political philosophy

China – on what Vatican and can’t

2006-04-16T20:37:00.000+08:00

China Official Says No Timetable on Vatican Ties

"The Vatican must sever the so-called 'diplomatic relations' with Taiwan and recognize the Chinese government as the sole legitimate government of China and not interfere in our internal affairs in the name of religion."

WashingtonPost

It ought not to be the business of the Vatican to ‘recognise’ governments but the peoples who languish under them lest a greater evil is validated by such recognition.

As for the ‘Chinese’…

The Chinese Imperium ought to appreciate that Taiwan has an equal right to demand that the Taiwanese government be recognised as ‘the sole legitimate government of China’ as the civil war was never concluded and they are both ‘Chinese’. Who is currently privileged with ‘first access’ to defecate from the heights of that monument to mass docility and elite virility – mistakenly known as ‘The Great Wall’ – or to utilise the urns in the Forbidden City as a public convenience ought not to determine who has first right to the Imperial Throne.

The Chinese, adept at social oppression and regimenting thought for more than 2000 years – which accounts for the generally apathetic, viciously opportunistic and intellectually docile practitioner of chinese culture – also ought to apply their advice to the Vatican to themselves and seriously consider not interfering in spiritual affairs in the name of politics.

Moussaoui Albright

2006-04-14T15:39:00.000+08:00

Moussaoui stands by 9/11 attacks

“Al-Qaeda plotter Zacarias Moussaoui says he has "no regret, no remorse" for the attacks on 11 September 2001 in the US that killed nearly 3,000 people.”

bbc

Madeline Albright stands by child attacks

“Lesley Stahl on U.S. sanctions against Iraq: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: “I think this is a very hard choice, but the price--we think the price is worth it.”
Fair.org

*

‘Foreign policy’, sadly, is not the sole preserve of the (american) Local. On the basis of reason - in consideration of the rationale behind direct and indirect complicity and the legitimacy currently accorded to pursuing one’s interests via violence - America’s act is far more heinous compared to Moussaoui as it was effected with the full knowledge of its impact on the child population of Iraq. Moussaoui et al’s acts, however, were directed at the adult population who may be directly responsible – via the vote…and one must keep in mind that the shooter is not exonerated by delegating responsibility to the finger on the trigger - for giving license to the American Regime.

If the ‘death penalty’ is being considered in the case of Moussaoui, then the Americans ought to consider why Moussaoui et al ought not to have considered it in the case of the Americans. Whilst I am completely against the death penalty, if the Juveniles ‘cross the straits (of the atlantic) think that the blinding and extraction of an eye and a tooth has to be paid for with an eye and a tooth, then the Americans are still owing the (trans)Nation of Islam more than a bushel full of eyes and teeth and 9/11 may be seen as a paltry sum paid via an installment plan that is, unfortunately this time, not drawn up by the Americans themselves.

Moussaoui, in the final analysis, is just a non-american paraphrase of an american phrase that offends the notion that it is 'terrorism' if it happens to us and 'foreign policy' if it happens to others.

Postscript:
The BBC stated sometime last year on their televised news programme that it was not 3 million children who had died as alleged by some quarters “but just 875, 000”. Perhaps the Americans too ought to keep in mind that it was ‘just 3000’ people who died when their towers took an unceremonious tumble and therefore consider not making an undue fuss and carry on with their daily chores.

The above isn’t a personal opinion, just the application of the ‘logic’ the Americans deem fit for (partial and self-serving) application. The ‘greatest nation on earth’? One wonders what factors were taken into consideration in the equation preceding this presumption. Intelligence, it seems, does not appear to be one of them.

Inquisitor, for The Heretic

dated: 14th April 911 C.E.
('Colonial Era', as dated from the start of the first Crusades)

moussaoui Terrorism Middle East News Politics Current Affairs iraq War on Terror Bush usa iran jsa juvenile state of america

London's Scowling

2006-04-06T20:24:00.000+08:00

Punk-Rockers or Mad Mullahs?

“AIR TERROR ALERT OVER CLASH HIT

AN ASIAN salesman was hauled off a plane as a suspected terrorist because he was listening to The Clash song London Calling.

Harraj Mann, 24, was quizzed for three hours by Special Branch after his taxi driver overheard the lyrics, which include the lines "war is declared and battle come down".”

Mirror

London Calling, good song that. ‘London’s Burning’ isn’t too bad either (both available for aural perusal in the ‘From Here to Eternity’[live] or ‘Clash on Broadway’[non-live, 3 cds] albums). Though, I wouldn’t say that either or just about any pop song is deeply insightful. It takes a particular kind of system to promote that level of mass docility necessary to create a demand for pop music that is simultaneously able to mistake its ambiguous directives for precise ones. Following pointers on how one might rage against the machine eventually and inevitably leads to the dead-end that sees one joining the ranks of mainstream apathy since this latter is far more eloquently articulated in a myriad and multitude of ways – the ‘realities’ of the system comes not from its naturalness but from its being relatively better articulated than the rantings of its opposers. One can say that pop music, even of the disaffected variant, plays a significant role in maintaining the status quo they pretend or attempt to contend with.

As for The Clash - perhaps P2P sharers of their music, the relevant record company and retailers ought to be hauled up as well for ‘inciting ‘terrorism’, or perhaps, such music ought to be exchanged only amongst ‘white folk’ as it seems that it is not what one does but who does what that matters. So to all Muslims out there who don’t look like ‘white folk’ – which basically makes all non-whites potentially ‘Muslim’ – stick to Britney if you know what’s good for you. Well, at least that seems to be the implication.

clash london uk news current affairs war on terror terrorism muslims

Pre-empting Self-Defence

2006-03-19T23:09:00.000+08:00

President Bush defended pre-emptive strikes saying,

“if necessary, under long-standing principles of self defence, we do not rule out the use of force before attacks occur - even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy’s attack.” … “When the consequences of an attack with weapons of mass destruction are potentially so devastating, we cannot afford to stand idly by as grave dangers materialise.”

Guardian : America still ready to strike first

The problem with Bush’s grandiose-sounding ‘long-standing principles of self-defence’ is that their application under illogical conditions necessarily leads to the commission of the kind of offensive (re)action that in turn requires the mobilisation of coalitions of one sort or another.

By ‘illogical conditions’, I mean, the application of self-defence in a way that does not include all parts of the self – the rest of non-American humanity – that, if left out of the Self, will necessarily be open to being treated in ways that national selves will not countenance internally without resorting to effective methods of self-defence. This allows some parts of the human self to do unto its thus created ‘other’ constituent parts that which they will not allow done unto them, without, I reiterate, the employment and deployment of effective defence. (effective defence requires effectively applied empathy.) This, therefore, sets the stage for cross-national offence which in turn invites reciprocal offence. This is where the human immune system goes to war with itself with possibly implosive consequences.

It is only when the principles of self-defence is applied logically, that is, that all of Humanity is afforded equal protection from offence, that the principles of self-defence will go on to being representative of the entire Human Self, and thus, become worthy of defence itself.

Till then, if one was to think about it, America is rarely capable of a ‘first strike’ as the evil which this pre-emptive ‘first strike’ is supposed to defend itself from is usually a consequence of a prior offensive move by them, or as a natural corollary of a global national-capitalist system. That would make their ‘first strike’, in reality, a second one in response to a consequence of its first.

The best way to pre-empt the need for pre-emptive action is to rid ourselves of the illogical conditions that serve as the foundations for offence. The only way to do this is to substitute the ‘national’ self for a ‘Human’ one. That is, not to do unto others before they can do unto us, but to do for others that which we do for ourselves, so that they will have little reason to give us reason to do unto them before they can do unto us. The application of self-defence globally, not nationally, is one of the best pre-emptive measures humanity can take against its worse propensities.

‘National humanitarians’, take note. You are part of the problem, not the solution.

It’s easier to suggest a solution than to not be a part of the problem
- the Heretic -

The Sinicism behind Technorati's Top 5

2006-03-14T21:20:00.000+08:00

The following is an excerpt from a well-aimed sliver of advice to those behind ‘Tammy’, and now, ‘Bukit Batok Video’
WordGo

“Dear NUS- and NYP-students...,

Please get back to work, la! It's incredible that you still hang on to this Tammy NYP thing. When I woke up this morning and switched on my laptop, I saw that you were desperately searching for a "Bukit Batok" video, so I wrote some short lines. And what can I say, within hours my counter hit unknown heights. But not because of the search term "bukit batok", but because I wrote the magic five letter word "tammy". So I took a look at the logs and nearly all IPs were located in Singapore. Ain't that funny? You got this wonderful weather, it's nearly four in the afternoon and you're sitting in your freezing cold labs searching for a video of which you know it's not even there anymore?”

Makes one wonder what these 'students' are students of.

Obviously, their earlier cultural experience has served as a solid basis upon which less admirable ventures may be launched. For the sake of sociological accuracy, it's, if i'm not mistaken, Singaporeans of Sinical persuasion (or, Victims/Practitioners of Chinese Culture) we are talking about. They, like the proverbial flutterbug to the flame, are attracted to anything trivial, which, to their juvenile minds is anything but. Not being 'racist' here, just observant of the traits emerging from those socialised into and emerging from different cultural experiences.

The aforementioned seem to be a self-centred lot that are trained to focus on and satisfy their most base instincts by the historical, well-practiced and resolute ‘failure’ of caregivers to divert their attentions to anything but that which requires abject self-centredness to satisfy. Thus, as they ‘mature’ to ‘adulthood’, they become completely oblivious to anything of greater social value that relies on empathy to attract one's attention. Just imagine a child who is trained to think of its own interests, associate with her/is 'own kind' and never to challenge authority of any sort. It is the Freudian ID at its best given licence to ply its traits in perpetuity.

In brief, this ailment is, amongst others, a natural corollary of a culture that frowns on and turns away from novelty from infancy through to its alleged maturity, (which psychologist, Piaget, had deemed to be essential in developing one’s mind beyond its juvenile state) - thus serving as a basis for bigotry of all sorts whilst stifling perspectival vibrance and creativity - and popular political involvement - that compromises the development of inquisitive impulses necessary to stimulate interest in anything but the asinine (whilst amplifying the antagonistic alienation that is endemic within the Capitalist experience). Thus, ‘Dawn Yang’, ‘Daphne Teo’, ‘Zoukout’(rave event), ‘Tammy video’, and now, ‘Bukit Batok Video’.

As culture is basically a ‘way of seeing’ and ‘experiencing things’, our respect for culture ought to be guided by a view to bring about the kind of ‘way of seeing things’ that is most conducive to humanity’s humanitarian progress – which requires intellectual vibrance and acuity. In other words, our respect for culture ought to be the sort that respects the potential of culture in the abstract sense in bringing out either our worst or best. Thus, vigilence and impartial critical introspection is the best way such respect may be expressed.

bukit batok video bukit batok tammy video chinese culture chinese history culture sociology psychology piaget developmental psychology cognitive development sinicism

Die Milosevic, Die!

2006-03-12T14:58:00.000+08:00

Milosevic is NOT dead.

Because the BBC, amongst others, won't let him. Not the past couple of days anyway. The worse thing about a 'tragedy' such as this is that we are assailed with report after report of a ‘celebrity's’ death that are distinguished mainly by their being delivered by different persons, be they 'experts', 'analysts', reporters, close friends, pets and so on - let's also not forget bloggers who basically reiterate these reports as if they are the main source of mainstream information - or done from 'onsite' as if this adds to the authenticity or real-time value to the event.

It is rare that new information about an event is given after the first few minutes of reporting, and all that generally follows emerges from a refusal to accept that a celebrated/vilified person does not, in view of the information required to report things objectively and non-repetitively, deserve more than a few minutes of airtime. It indicates the underlying attitude towards that which has acquired prominence or 'celebrity-status'. In order to justify the past prominence, the individual or nation in question has to be paid an inordinate amount of airtime in order to validate the prominence already accorded to it. Inversely, the lack of time accorded to other events such as the host of calamities that are visited on other people only goes to show that they lack the prior prominence required to allay these evils in the first place.

So whilst the world ‘grieves’ the passage of Milosevic from this ridiculous version of life, I’m still waiting for him to die.

milosevic news blogs bloggers current affairs

Damn Your Democracy! - the true price of a placard

2006-03-08T19:40:00.000+08:00

We cannot tolerate children dying for a glass of water

"The rich world must act to prevent dirty water and poor sanitation now killing more than a million children a year…"

Guardian

So this ‘collateral damage’, amongst a host of others, is the true price of the ubiquitous and ominous Placard as opposed to more effective methods of Self-defence.

What's chilling is that this ‘collateral damage’ does not refer solely to the deaths that ensue due to the capitalists channelling funds into more profitable ventures. It also refers to the price the national humanitarians, aka social activists/humanitarians/NGOs, are willing to pay vicariously in respect of the rights of fellow-citizens to do as they please so long as it is not unto one amongst their national number.

Both the Bourgeois Elite (economic – capitalists, and cultural – actors, singers) and these nation-based, and thus oxymoronic, ‘humanitarians’ – or Placardists – thus become two symbiotic parts of the selfsame problem. This is where national humanitarianism moves from being a humanitarian movement to a self-indulgent act - like those on the pew who continually rely on God to do for them that which S/he had already given them the power to do for themselves.

To all National Humanitarians, I ask, would you utilise similar implements if it was your child being deprived due to another’s greed? Or perhaps you are just afraid that more effective intervention might throw the capitalist eco-system off-balance?

It is not Pluralism and Democracy that ought to determine the implements one utilises to forward one’s views but the cost of not doing it via more effective means. In this case, a million children a year…

Alright, enough of that depressing stuff. Back to the Oscars!

The Root of All Evil finds its Incubatory Refuge
amongst All that is Perceived to be Good.
- the Heretic -

news current affairs oscars society politics activism nationalism capitalism placardists socialism sociology philosophy demonstration protest democracy pluralism civil rights

Bugger the Oscars, I'm British!

2006-03-08T12:23:00.000+08:00

UK Triumph as Wallace Wins Oscar
(the aforementioned page and title had, prior to the publishing of this and related article, been changed to 'Crash lands shock Oscar Triumph'.)

UK Stars Shine at Academy Awards

It’s a sad day when British film producers are reflexively motivated to break into cartwheels after being given a pat on the posterior by their American counterparts in Hollywood. It’s even sadder when the BBC unwittingly betrays its adulation of the juveniles across the straits by utilising the all-encompassing word, ‘UK’, in the aforementioned title where a more accurate, ‘British Film Producer/s’, would do. By utilising the word, ‘UK’, the BBC seem to be of the view that this specifically-directed ‘credit’ is of ‘national’ value or worthy of being seen as such. This indicates the degree to which America is still, and unfortunately, held in high local regard despite local jibes at them.

American films are truly of ‘Entertainment’ value. They require the inductee to just sit back and imbibe. Proactive interaction with the story, as encouraged by the produce of other cultures – i.e. by encouraging counter-arguments in the viewer; encouraging the activation of analytical processes in the individual through the presentation of philosophical or koan-ic perspectives; presenting detailed analytical dialogue that encourages the viewer to consider the intricacies of situations; encouraging empathy by a non-biased, historic and longitudinal presentation of both/all sides in a tale as opposed to the simplification of reality via a, ‘Spiderman vs. the Green Goblin’(US vs. 'terrorists') perspective; are conspicuously absent – at least to less retarded/american/ised minds. That’s American-style (also applicable to Chinese productions) ‘Entertainment’ for you – an ‘entertainment’ that requires and reinforces a superficial and self-centred mind prior to its being able to be mistaken for ‘entertainment’.

When one considers the quality of mainstream British production in comparison to that of the Americans, the Oscars to the British becomes like a bone to the Master – not something s/he ought to take, but something s/he is appropriately placed to give – at least to the Americans. Basically, if you're recognised to be of quality by the Americans, then there's something that you're doing that is not right. And what's worse is if you take such approbation as a reinforcement of the 'right' standards to abide by in artistic production.

I have always viewed the Oscars and Academy awards, after I passed my adolescent stage, as awards given by simple minds to simple minds. Quite a good formula for global perspectival domination isn’t it? The Americans produce rubbish, award this rubbish with much pomp and ceremony, and then intravenously transmit this through the well-laid tentacular conduits of its hegemonic level media throughout the psychologically infirm globe, thus ensuring its transfiguration beyond what might otherwise be recognised to be of little more than faecal in quality.

Related article : Nay! That's Entertainment?!

oscars films movies awards news bbc uk america culture society hollywood juvenile america sociology psychology

Blair bin Prayin' - a tale of 2 Jihads

2006-03-04T21:17:00.000+08:00

click for wallpaper

Blair 'prayed to God' over Iraq

“Prime Minister Tony Blair has told how he prayed to God when deciding whether or not to send UK troops to Iraq.

Mr Blair answered "yes" when asked on ITV1 chat show Parkinson - to be screened on Saturday - if he had sought holy intervention on the issue.”

bbc

And let’s not forget what St. Bush the Lyinheart reportedly said,

“One of the delegates, Nabil Shaath, who was Palestinian foreign minister at the time, said: "President Bush said to all of us: 'I am driven with a mission from God'. God would tell me, 'George go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan'. And I did. And then God would tell me 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq'. And I did."

Mr Bush went on: "And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, 'Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East'. And, by God, I'm gonna do it.”

Guardian

aside: Reminds me of the story about the ‘Sons of Thunder’ – James & John [luke ch.9.verse 55]. The ‘rebuke’ these two biblical firebrands received from Jesus upon suggesting that they ‘bid fire come down from heaven and consume’ those who had refused to receive Jesus, leads one to wonder at what ‘God’ the above ‘sons’ (bush & blair) – of ‘thunder’ or otherwise – might be referring to.

(The best way to contradict an oxymoronic ‘American “Hallelujah!-And-an-Aaaamen-to-just-about-any-star-spangled-testament” Christian’ is to call Christ to the witness stand. It's obvious that the protestant 'elect-damned' dichotomy and rationale still holds sway over the worldview of these adolescents across the straits.).

A Tale of Two Jihads

Methinks a Jihadist is a Jihadist by any other name or phrase so long as it refers to one motivated by ‘holy intervention’ - be it God, State or Self.
(Religion. All is Religion. They are distinguished only by method, but all require faith and a belief in that which is yet to be proven or known in its entirety but will never be - be it the Self or God.)

However, what might argue for the sanctity of a ‘holy’ war is the degree to which it is a response to a preceding and unholy contravention of the rights of others. In other words, the ‘holiness’ of the war is argued for by its being self-defensive rather than an uninstigated offensive.

The question we ought to ask is how the nature of the tenets of various faiths serves as the basis for the inevitability of offence – i.e. Nationalism (exacerbated by Capitalism – the Unholy Duality – in more ways than one.) leading to national relative apathy in the face of the plight of nations(be they ‘Proletarian’ or ‘Muslim’) unbound by, and due to their nonconforming to, the western idea of the nation-state, and, nationalist-style familialarity that substitutes effective defence for placards when ‘others’ are trespassed against – even when the trespassers are those put into power by them. (my, my, the mind boggles at such insensible duality.)

When the aforementioned is considered, the proper response to 9/11 ought to have thus been,

“Forgive us Father our preceding trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us in return.

Ameen ”

postscript: the war may have begun on 9/11, but it took exactly 911 years from the start of the first crusades (1095) for the remaining half of the 2 ‘sons of thunder’ to acknowledge the role of faith in what might very well be the final of the crusades. However, it is not the Cross that emblazons the armour of the forces of the west this time. There is no need for such intricately woven excuses anymore. This age reveals the truth behind them all. And the west is finally called to account for an age-old evil that was previously hidden behind the Cross.

blair bush osama terrorism terrorist war on terror politics america usa jsa uk parkinson news god crusades islam christianity iraq middle east

How Tammy Thumbed-Up Technorati

2006-03-01T10:38:00.000+08:00

Why is it that when practitioners/victims of chinese culture – from ‘singapore’ if I’m not mistaken - corner Technorati, it's always about something asinine?

There was, in the not too distant past, ‘Daphne Teo’, ‘Dawn Yang’, ‘Zoukout’(about some rave event I believe), and now, ‘Tammy’, ‘Nyp’, ‘Tammy Nyp’ and ‘Tammy download’. Not too bright these bloggers harkening from what appears to be the nether regions of the human intellect. It’s not their preoccupation-made-public via Technorati that is of concern, but rather, why they seem to have failed to make their preoccupation with more important things just as public.

(aside: Culture has to do with much of what people do or/and fail to do – thus, the above allusion. In our efforts to effect the progressive evolution of humanity, no culture ought to be ‘respected’, only dissected and examined for its social/intellectual/humanitarian value.
Chinese culture, based on might rather than right; regimentation and tradition as opposed to reason; uniformity and conformity as opposed to vibrant and popular creativity; similarity as opposed to novelty; overall repression as opposed to unbridled passion, other than for bland tasting food - thus is naturally able to boast historical continuity, and as a result, enable its tyrants to enjoy political longevity. That is why, amongst other factors, we are today presented with the asininity witnessed above. Hong Kong, however, is quite the exception - albeit to a degree. The political influence of the British, prior to it being thrust back into the pouch of (s)mother china would definitely have had something to do with it.)

There was a time when the main sources of information on the net were official organisations from various political/industrial/cultural/information sectors. This had both advantages and disadvantages. One, the quality of ideas and writing style comprised the criteria utilised to select articles for publishing. The disadvantage was that this criteria was oftentimes culturally biased and those who expressed themselves in ways, albeit of equal or even more insightful content, were excluded by the imposition of literary and perspectival standards defined by those of contemporary western/ised origin. Despite this, very little of the produce emerging from this milieu could be described as ‘asinine’ or ‘juvenile’, and, at least, humanity could be maintained, via such exposure, at some post-Homeric level.(ref. 'The Simpsons')

However, with the advent of ‘blogs’, the criteria to qualify one for prominence on as public a podium extended little beyond the intellectual capacity required to produce gems of mind-boggling profundity such as, ‘Doh!’, ‘Duh’ ‘coool!’, and not forgetting, ‘so so like so whatever dudette!’. In pre-blog days, the logic went, ‘if I am good, I can get published’, thus, logically speaking, ‘if I can get published, then I am good.’ With the advent of ‘blogs’, the latter is that which serves to validate and nurse the cretin behind the keyboard. All that is left is for the ‘hits’ to come in and it gets ‘best blog’ and ‘blogstar’ awards, and thus, over time, the perspectival approach characterising these sites increasingly serve as a standard worthy of emulation to the young and the impressionable.

Sometimes I think there ought to be an IQ test imposed before one is allowed to start a blog - lest the pressures to conform are effected by cretinous elements, such as those preoccupied with the aforementioned ‘issue’, rather than their more thoughtful nemesis. If not, methinks, the intellectual development of Les Impressionables of today and thereafter will be subjected to tutelage under the Tyranny of Gross Stupidity effected by a numerically superior mass accompanied with shiny, shiny lights and colours – led, of course, by the Juvenile State of America and the adults it maintains as juveniles throughout the world. Yes, yes, i believe in the Freedom of Expression, so while we're at it, let's grant the right to vote to those who have reached the age where an upturned centre-finger is deemed to be as potent an argument as any verbose analyses of an academic shall we?

What’s worse than a child is a child in the guise of an adult – for it is s/he who is in effect granted carte blanche in defining the boundaries within which ‘normal’ communication and thought is defined, and, which eventually goes on to serve as the sine qua non of perspectival standards.

postscript : I would like to extend my heartfelt sympathies to this girl Tammy for what I assume is unwanted publicity and prominence for what I believe she'd rather be discreet about.

tammy nyp tammy video nyp nyp tammy china america hong kong singapore chinese chinese culture media sociology psychology web blogs society life blogidiocy

Holo-What?

2006-02-23T23:29:00.000+08:00

Since more than 60 European papers saw that it was their duty to uphold the sanctity of the Freedom of Speech by republishing the 'Muhammad Cartoons', perhaps we should now further bolster The Cause by joining the pre-contrite Irving in denying that the Jewish Holocaust occurred. Mind you, we don't have to believe that it didn't happen, we just have to state that it didn’t – just as the 60 or so European newspapers did in their efforts to stand up for 'free speech' - so that we can, in the words of Reporters Without Borders, in the aftermath of the publishing of the Muhammad Cartoons, illustrate, 'an essential accomplishment of democracy'. So not to worry, no doubt the supporters of ‘free speech’ will defend us ‘to the death’ even if they disagree with what we say.

So Altogether Now…

related articles from the BBC

Holocaust Denier Irving is Jailed
The Fight Against Holocaust Revisionism

postscript,

Sad isn’t it, when we do nothing about irresponsible speech because it hides behind the vestments of the freedom of speech. It’s easy to take an all or nothing approach to free speech since the alternative to either requires far more thought than that required to spout some popular maxim or construct a placard. I often wondered why the advent of science was not construed as an affront to the Freedom of Thought but attempts to impose sanctions against irresponsible speech, as we do with thought in schools and universities, is met with far more consternation.

As for both episodes – the Muhammad cartoons and the Irving case – it’s interesting how we scramble to respect the memory of the dead but do our utmost to disrespect the living. Its funny how we are against ‘Holocaust Revisionism’ as illustrated by Irving’s past position and publications but applaud ‘Islamic Revisionism’ as illustrated by the European publication of the Muhammad cartoons. If we gave this a minute more of thought we would realise that the stereotypification that is taking place with regards to the Muslims and as witnessed in the cartoons is not dissimilar to that which took place prior to and forwarded as a justification for the extermination of the Jews.

irving holocaust denial Holocaust Jews Israel News Democracy cartoons muhammad cartoons Free Speech censorship sociology

Les Bum Extraordinaires

2006-02-13T23:29:00.000+08:00

“Fossett flies to non-stop record
Adventurer Steve Fossett has broken the record for the longest non-stop flight in aviation history, landing in dramatic fashion after power failure.”
Saturday, 11 February 2006, 19:15 GMT

bbc

Perhaps, "Wealth enables flight to non-stop record", would be a more apt heading.
Of course, the BBC is too busy 'putting news first' to report that morsel of objective truth.

Steve Fosset is yet another one of those social parasites, who, having thrived to the tune of millions on the consequently bent-backs of others, and who believes that ‘working for a living’ is best left to those who make a living that is far below the value of the work invested for it, attempts to fill in the wide gap in his workday by flying around the world - Not unlike Sandra Bollocks, Bono, Gates, Geldoff and Co.s’ efforts to buy themselves divinity status amongst an increasingly moronic mass by channelling a miniscule, but much publicised, portion of their ill-gotten gains towards charities (charities wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the conditions, of which they are an integral part, that necessitates charity), or engaging in feats worthy of the attentions of the media, and thus, adulation of the masses.

In Truth, this verminal sector of society does not ‘work for a living’ as their work-activity does not coincide with the living accrued per hour of work. It may take a couple of minutes to produce a ridiculously worded ‘hit single’; a couple of months of pretending to be heroes and lovers ‘on set’; an hour or so to bark out a few orders at a board meeting before going on a record-breaking trip around the world; some months spent writing a tale about a boy and a magic stick; before the ‘living’ starts pouring in and goes on and on and on…..long, long after the work has stopped. Where the ‘workday’ of the privileged ends, that of the herd of humanity starts, as it is the latter which works for the living of the privileged by continuously paying for that which the former has long stopped producing but keeps getting paid for. Whilst the ‘bum’ on the street has to at least stretch out her/is hand in the course of working for a living, her/is star studded and exploitative counterpart in a seaside villa in France does so whilst sipping sangria.

Now whom, pray tell, do you think is the ‘bum’ here?

fosset news current affairs capitalism culture society bbc stars

Chinese New Year : Man 2 Beast

2006-02-02T22:18:00.000+08:00

click for wallpaper

The year is only going to be truly prosperous when the Practitioners of Chinese Culture stop believing in dogs, rats and chickens to help them achieve that which requires human-power, collaboration and empathy to effect. The Practitioners of Chinese Culture forget that dogs, rats and chickens don't vote.

related article @ The Heretic - CNY:Celebrating Mass D/evolution

chinese china chinese new year cny chinese culture year of the dog politics psychology philosophy culture society life sociology news sinicism

Celebrities : Good Causes and Bad Sources

2006-01-28T18:11:00.000+08:00

[sharon stone indicating the concordat between
the economic and cultural bourgeoisie
in their ongoing efforts to, well, screw you.
The forefinger was a late addition.]

“Should celebrities decide what's a good cause?
Lucky the charity that has the patronage of a global superstar.
Media attention is guaranteed, donors' wallets open and all is well. Or is it?”

Bbc

And thus, humanity thrusts itself into the midst of the Euthyphro Dilemma –

“Are morally good acts willed by God because they are morally good, or are they morally good because they are willed by God?”

When applying the above idea to modern religion – secularism, nationalism, capitalism and celebrity-worship – humanity, yet to learn just about anything significant from its past that can truly justify its claim to ‘modernity’, places its interests at the feet of all too fallible ‘Gods’, aka ‘Celebrities’, who determine what is right by their being perceived to be the right ones to determine right. These celebrities are in turn determined by the mindless masses to be the right ones to determine right because of their prominence rather than their having any qualifiable clue as to what is right in the first place. In this sense, we would be better off worshiping the Gods of old as they at least stood for the idea of Absolute Good even if humanity was largely left to determine its multitude and myriad of clauses. But the good thing about that was that the idea of the Absolute Idea of Good was still a valid realm for inquisitive wanderings. In our allegedly ‘modern’ period, it seems that the increasingly insensible herd of humanity – headed by the Juvenile State of America - has decided to forgo the displeasure of thought - a corollary of the division of labour rendering the masses incapable of systemic thought - and just await the decrees of ‘celebrities’.

As for me, I’d rather rely on a contemplative period on the pew in front of a representation of the idea of Absolute Good for directives than on those who profit at the expense of those they purport to care about.

To all celebrities out there, you ought to remind those who celebrate you that they are celebrating but a microscopic portion of the totality of human potential of which they are the bearers, and you, an extremely subtle manifestation of a miniscule portion of it. To profit from it is to detract the masses from their own greatness. And in this, you are a significant part of the hurdle that stands in the way of the maximal development of human potential.

Bird Flue

2006-01-17T19:50:00.000+08:00

[orig.image modified by this site]

What’s left unsaid…

“Donors asked for bird flu funding

Talks are underway at a key conference aiming to raise more than $1bn (£566m) to halt the spread of bird flu...”

bbc

...Since Humanity has 'progressed' to that point of its developmental precipice where it is unable to stop its forward motion till it is paid enough to take a momentary step back.

news current affairs bird flu china h5n1 capitalism money socialism society life culture sociology philosophy politics

Non-Portable Mp3 Players Please

2006-01-11T23:02:00.000+08:00

From the existence of the Ipods, it is obvious that the technology exists to create non-portable home versions of these downsized, and thus, overpriced, mp3 players. When is the industry thinking of providing these or is it just a case of not wanting to give the consumer more because The Corporation can get more by giving less, as witnessed with the latest players that basically cost more per gigabyte than its ‘bulkier’ ancestors.

When are they coming up with non-portable mp3 players for the home that can receive the full load of our respective collections direct from our PCs? Not anytime soon by the looks of it. Why give the consumer more when The Corporation can get more by giving them less. After all, if you think about it, a non-portable home mp3 player can have a full sized 3.5 inch hard drive, of say, 250 gigabytes, to get around any, ‘the smaller it is, the more you’re gonna pay’ problem as witnessed in the religious frenzy we witnessed with the downsized progeny of the first and second generation Ipod (so much for the myth of the ‘secular’ state).

I would be able to store, amongst others, video clips, wave files and jpegs, and my 100 or so gig mp3 collection, all in one larger, and as a consequence, phenomenally cheaper, albeit deportabalised, mp3 player housing a PC (3.5inch) or laptop-sized (2.5inch) hard drive with an Ipod-like interface. Should I want more space, I would be able to upgrade the drives as larger ones become available. The life-span of my portable mp3 player, should I get one, would then be increased as it would not subject this relatively fragile piece of technology to continuous play both at home or without.

However, doing so might divide the Ipod market between those who just want to have an mp3 player at home whilst using their time to and from their daily routines to indulge in what is fast-becoming an archaic pastime – reflection – and those who have been socialised into appreciating the normality of reacting to rather than reflecting upon phenomena – which generally refers to a large sector of the below 35s (victims of the society we had conceived and condoned via ineffectual placards and pleas). Once divided this way, Ipod and co. would not be able to sell as many downsized and overpriced portable mp3 players, nor have the opportunity to convert any reflection-inclined individuals into all round 'reactors' as they might very well become should an Ipod bought for home use is simultaneously portable.

They’ll probably come up with it some day, but it seems like they are intent on milking the consumer mass till they find a way to profit as much whilst, for once, actually giving the consumer a real and objective array of choices – though ‘choice’ in the true sense of the word is impossible within a capitalist system which particularises development via the pressures inflicted through the laws of demand and supply, the reduction of the human being into a consuming creature, and the relegation of the non-‘chosen’ classes to languish in the ghettos of their system-imposed underdevelopment.

Sigh.

The success of the Ipods show, amongst others, one thing – people don’t make choices but choose from amongst the choices they are presented with. In other words, they think within the material and conceptual boundaries of the status quo.

We live under the tyranny of the idiocy of the consumer mess and their ill-thought-through 'Right to Choose'. Tis time we added the word 'Intelligently', as a necessary suffix to the aforementioned right, in order to validate it as a right. Failing which, as the nano-ites (derivative of ‘nano brains’, or those who are not able to process the bigger picture when thinking about things.) out there have done admirably, the relatively superior minds amongst us are subjected to an array of ‘choices’ which are particularly appealing to the juvenile amongst and within us.

Related Articles:
Nano 4 Nano
Vipod: Tuning Out the Herd

tech ipod sony apple mac mp3 audio society life culture sociology psychology capitalism socialism nano consumer technology

Diretribe 2006

2006-01-07T22:12:00.000+08:00

Diretribes 2006

Pinoshame Goes Unanswered

The Communist Manifestoon

The (Red) Manifesto - the unvetted version

Pope Converting to Christianity?

Let's Indeed do the 'RED' Thing!

The (RED) Manifesto - Bourgeois Socialism at its Worst

On 'Misinterpreting' the Holy Father

Here Thak, There Thak, Everywhere Thak Thak

Pope Refuses to Apologise

Why the Baneful Blogger was passed over for Clueless Clooney

Remembering 9/11 Right

Steve Irwin : Victim of Terror

Child Beauty Queens?

The Essence of Humanitarianism

London March : why the grass is always bloodier on the other side

Gibson vs God

Why are Arabia and Muslims Not a Part of this World?

On the Real '3rd' Party behind the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Why the Zionist Anti-War Movement is Oxymoronic

When War Becomes a Virtue

Bush Justifies 911

Why BOTH the Scots and Chinese may have Invented Golf

The World Cup : Did the Italians Win the World Cup?

The World Cup : The World Cup & Islam

Operation Anti-Censorship : China

Happy In Dependence America!

The Roots of Extremism

To Give or Not to Give in.....to 'Terrorism'

Orwell's 'Brotherhood' Revisited

The Sicknificance of the 6th of the 6th of the 6th

Apologies

Remember the Jewish Holocaust Please

Chinese Erection in Tibet

China : on what Vatican and Can't

Moussaoui Albright

London's Scowling

Pre-empting Self-Defence

The Sinicism behind Technorati's Top 5 - chinese culture

Die, Milosevic, Die!

Damn Your Democracy - the true price of a placard

Bugger the Oscars, I'm British!

Blair Bin Prayin' - a tale of 2 Jihads

How Tammy Thumbed-Up Technorati

Holo-what?

Les Bum Extraordinaires - fosset's flight

Chinese New Year : Man to Beast

Celebrities : Good Causes and Bad Sources

Bird Flue

Non-Portable Mp3 Players Please

'Happy New Year' ver. 365

2005-12-31T21:37:00.000+08:00

The ‘New Year’ starts not at the stroke of midnight on the 31st of December,

…but at the realisation that that which is unresolved may see significant attempts at resolution when resolutions are made in the face of the unresolved rather than in the hope that a ‘New Year’ will deliver absolution from unrealised resolutions of an allegedly ‘previous’ year.

In other words, our appreciation of time ought not to be dependent on a particular time and date but on what has to be done despite a particular time and date. That should be the sole motivating factor for cognition and action.

My ‘New Year’ starts when I awake every morning and resolve yet again to accomplish that which I had failed the day before.

So, as it will be throughout every day of the coming year,

...a Happy New Year to All.

2006 hny new year psychology sociology philosophy

Christmas for ALL II

2005-12-28T11:52:00.000+08:00

Phu:
“I can't imagine anybody wanting to 'secularize' Diwali, or Ramadhan. Maybe if people want a secular festival it would be better to have something similar to Thanksgiving.”

My point, simply, is that a truly secular attitude does not require that religious festivals and ideas be kept out of the public eye but that the public eye is directed to appreciate all of them.

Puritanical Secularism imposes itself in the selfsame way as the puritanical strains of traditional religion in keeping the sensibilities of its perspectival rivals away from the public senses.
Aside: we have to distinguish between traditional religion and ‘modern’ (secular) religion as both are religions distinguishable by feature but not form.
In doing thus, Secularism seeks to become a religion in itself. France, amongst others, is a case in point - as witnessed in its revolutionary days during the brief tenure of Robespierre, and in recent years with, amongst others, the banning of the hijab in what, in effect, becomes Indoctrinational Centres (aka, schools) rivaling Islamic Madrasahs. What secularists, agnostics, atheists and etc-ists. forget is that there is no such thing as non-religion. Everything is religion. Displacing one God for another, one ritual for another, one worldview for another or one source of inspiration for another only serves to replace one religion with another.

The problem with a festival like ‘Thanksgiving’ is that much of the evils that had ensued after the historical thanks was given, i.e. the extermination of the Aboriginals of America, the institution of the Capitalist system, the imperialistic agenda and consequences of American action and inaction, etc, is somewhat validated by the celebration. In other words, Thanksgiving detracts our attention from the facts that might make the ‘beating of breasts and gnashing of teeth’ whilst ‘in sackcloth and ashes’ more appropriate. It comes across as an activity that celebrates what one has whilst ignoring the fact that it has come and still comes with great cost to others. Till conditions are instituted that does not facilitate, celebrate or give thanks for such evils, Thanksgiving is one ritual I’d refrain from. If I have no cause to give thanks for all having what I have, then persisting in giving thanks for having what many do not turns providence/God/self into an idol worthy of ejecting from our cultural milieu. Such an idol gives only where its follower is willing to forgo the interests of minorities and the disempowered.

With secular religiosity, we do not strip traditional faiths of their respective perspectives or fuse them into a singular festival like 'thanksgiving'. We keep and appreciate them as they are and in their potentials of directing our attentions to aspects of the human experience which other faiths do not. I myself observe, amongst others, Christmas - celebrating the birth of Christ and the idea of love as embodied in his communistic 13th Commandment – “Love thy neighbour as thyself”; Diwali (n.indian)/Deepavali (s.indian) (trns. Festival of Lights), which celebrates the victory of Good over Evil, or Light over Darkness; Vesak day – Buddhism; and Eid - the culmination of a period of fasting, reflection and critical introspection. The varying emphases of these different parts of the puzzle of the human experience introduce and help us to appreciate aspects of the human person which our western xxx-perience deprives us of from birth.

With that said, I wish to All, a very

Merry CHRISTmas,

and have a good holiday while you're at it.

Yours In faith and faithlessness,

Inquisitor

Time & Again - the ascent of the Cultural Bourgeoisie

2005-12-21T21:40:00.000+08:00

orig.image modified by this site
wallpaper : Time & Again
wallpaper : Live Bait

Gates and Bono praised by Time

"The world's richest man Bill Gates, his wife, Melinda, and rock star Bono have been named "Persons of the Year" by America's Time magazine…

"For being shrewd about doing good, for rewiring politics and re-engineering justice, for making mercy smarter and hope strategic and then daring the rest of us to follow, Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono are Time's Persons of the Year," Time said in its latest special issue, which will hit newsstands on Monday.

It praised the US couple for building the world's largest charity - the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - and for "giving more money away faster than anyone ever has" in 2005.

Time said Bono's efforts in fighting global poverty have had an equally impressive impact.
"Bono charmed and bullied and morally blackmailed the leaders of the world's richest countries into forgiving $40bn in debt owed by the poorest," the magazine said."

bbc

It seems that a humanitarian, amongst others, is defined time and again by the prominence given to her/is work by the media rather than the prominence it deserves when compared to those who are more suitably and pertinently endowed.

Just as one of the hallmarks of America’s general juvenile idiocy is indicated by their being unable to appreciate any idea unless it is accompanied with a pretty/prominent face – despite this ‘celebrity’s’ relative inexpertise in the said field -, this retarded perception has finally overcome the Humanitarian field with the fruits of the decades of work and efforts of professional humanitarians, who have given up and given much for The Cause, to the point of having relatively little themselves, being appropriated, yet again, and in the time-honoured fashion of Capitalism, by the Economic and Cultural Bourgeoisie.

"To hell with Truth!", "To hell with the opinion of the experts!", exclaim the idiot masses. "We ain't listenin' till it is endorsed by a pretty face or a prominent one!"

These 'adults' might as well just state that they will not be moved till a Teletubby or a Mickey Mouse says so, and still make as much sense as when they require a bunch of 'stars' to churn out lyrics that, while, oversimplifying the fight against injustice and inequality, is as insightful as the observations of an adolescent still in the early days of puberty and which requires just as much intellectual skills as can be possessed by the average acne-ed juvenile, before they can be motivated to contend with the powers of the day. The logic is simple. If you aren't intelligent enough to be moved by sense alone, and require a rat in a hat to lip-synch an out of sight expert, then you are not in possession of the sensibilities required to contend successfully with the ecclesiastics of the day.

It seems to matter little that these allegedly ‘charitable’ persons profit immensely from a system that produces and thrives on the extent of decrepitude and social injustice which in turn requires charity to alleviate. Consequently, ‘charity’ itself becomes a valuable commodity which one may trade for, amongst a host of other social and psychological benefits, one’s picture on the cover of Time. Charity has become the ‘modern’ form of indulgences that were once sold by the Church and via which one attempted to find favour with Heaven. Now, Charity becomes a commodified ‘indulgence’ utilised by the Economic and Cultural Bourgeois to find favour with Les Gullibles, aka, civil society, and detract their attention from the fact that they are giving bountifully from a bag with the word ‘swag’ imprinted on it, or, urging the masses to dig into whatever disposable resources they are left with after the Economic and Cultural Bourgeoisie had appropriated a substantial portion of it.

What we have here, Gentlemen and Ladies, is the final stage of the legitimisation of the core principle of Capitalism – the validity of social inequality and the inequitable distribution of wealth, power and life chances – via the divinification of ‘celebrities’ and their elevation to the pantheon of the Gods of our Times (whosoever believes in the myth that the state is not another variant of a church is an utter fool. The separation of the Church and State is nothing but an effort by the latter to usurp the position of the former.). When we began to look at what these ‘good people’ do, without an inquiry into the legitimacy of their possession of those resources required to do good, we are in the final stages of legitimising the system itself.

The idiot masses of our times already accorded their stamp of approval with ‘Live 8’ rallying around the Aristocrats of our times calling for the Emperor to do more for the people.

“The aristocracy, in order to rally the people to them, waved the proletarian alms-bag in front for a banner. But the people, so often as it joined them, saw on their hindquarters the old feudal coats of arms…”
Marx, Manifesto of the Communist Party

These unthinking and gyrating masses forget that both are of the First Estate. Les Gullibles forget that it is this First Estate that necessarily gives rise to those conditions they purport to address.

“All Hail the First Estate!” These fools cry. “All Hail Bob, Bono and Bill!” “Where would the other Estates be without them?!” They cry admiringly as they raise these persons to the status of representative of Humanity and Humanitarianism.

Damn Fools. Someone ought to remind them that there would not be ‘other Estates’ if it wasn’t for the self-serving machinations of the First.

Aside: It’s like the Workers asking Management to negotiate with the Boss. How much do they think they can possibly get?

celebrities bono u2 stars microsoft bill gates time entertainment culture time magazine msm news current affairs life society sociology capitalism socialism bourgeois bourgeoisie communism marx karl marx live 8

Professional Advice

2005-12-17T21:35:00.000+08:00

I am really surprised that the 'minds' behind Gmail left out the obvious and absolutely essential option allowing users to add email addresses to 'TO', 'CC' and 'BCC' via a separate pop-up window at one go. (perhaps they ought to study the products of competitors)

At present, the user has to remember all the contacts she has, in order to activate the auto-complete feature for filling in email addresses in the relevant fields, and, she has to do this one by one in the relevant fields. If she does not want to avail herself of either of these 'options', then she will have to select all the addresses she wants in the 'contacts' page, press ‘compose’ - which will include them all in the TO field, and then cut and paste these addresses into the CC and BCC fields should she want them there.

I would recommend that the Gmail staff forget the cute features if it comes at the price of overlooking the obvious and indispensable ones – not unlike Hollywood films compromising intelligent content due to their being overly focused on appealing to the juvenile portions of the human persona that is most appealed to by effects.

Personally, I’m not very much affected as I have a small 'contact' list. However, when I exercise some, increasingly 'old fashioned', empathy, I realise that those with a contact list of, say, more than 10, will find themselves missing their 'hotmail' and 'yahoo' accounts. This is not a suggestion that Gmail add an additional feature but an essential one. I'm not a software programmer, but I dare say that I’m in possession of one valuable skill which Gmail’s programmers seem to lack – as evidenced by this ‘oversight’ - and which enabled me to detect this deficiency - empathy-based Common Sense. When one sees others as 'customers', one 'services' them, not according to their needs - which requires that they be seen as 'human beings' - but in an attempt to simultaneously outdo competition and appeal to the 'consumerist' in people - which is appealed to by being directed to the 'wow' factor rather than a more intelligent consideration of features. Thus, as far as subconsciously-led selective exposure goes, the mind of 'service'-provider will inevitably not take into consideration the needs of the human being and focus more on the juvenile inclinations of the Consumer. Thus, Gmail's 'oversight'.

Or perhaps,

...this is just one of the myriad and multitude of examples that indicate that General Idiocy is a logical corollary of the Division and Specialisation of Labour.

aside: terms such as 'professional' and 'specialised' serves to detract the masses from their general idiocy as they are validated in specific tasks.

Value is added to the activity of a professional not solely by her/is skill in her/is chosen field but the value she places in seemingly unrelated ones. Every job experience imposes a ceiling on how that learnt within that milieu can provide solutions to problems faced within it. The Z axis comes about, in an otherwise X,Y experience, not from skills or perspectives acquired within this environment, but inclinations pursued with even more enthusiasm without. In other words, specialisation in a particular field, excepting thoroughly mechanical ones, requires specialisation in another or/and working knowledge of others.

So to all software programmers and 'professionals', I would advise, pick up a musical instrument, a dance form of another culture, and, oh, try brushing your teeth with the other hand once in a while.

All behavioural instances are simultaneously a practise in generic perspectival ones.

technology email gmail tech culture sociology psychology division of labour division of labor life society software web it

Cronulla, with a Twist

2005-12-14T21:53:00.000+08:00

original image modified by this site.
wallpaper : Cronulla XXXTRA

"I think yesterday was fuelled by the always explosive combination of a large number of people at the weekend and a large amount of alcohol.”
– the individual elected by a majority of Australians at the polls to be the PM of Australia, aka, John Howard.

The following is an email I received from a friend who had spent some time in the UK prior to visiting Australia.

Edward:

“I was in the UK for 5 years as a student, and yet, the amount of racism I encountered in Australia in a week was far more than what I encountered in the UK for 5 years. To put a number to these instances, Australia 5, UK 0. I was surprised that almost all the chambermaids were aboriginal whilst everyone above this rung of the occupational ladder were whites. Seemed like an old black & white movie where all blacks were cast in their ‘appropriate’ roles. They were also, generally, to be seen in out of the way urban pockets sitting in groups, badly dressed and looking generally impoverished. None of the whites that I spoke to had an intelligent view regarding the aboriginals. They basically blamed them for their plight. I suppose these whites had just forgotten to ask themselves why the whites were not in a similar position. These people probably think that their ownership of the economy is a genetic thing.”

An excerpt from my response to Edward:

The people in the UK are rather proactive in countering racism regardless of their own ethnic lineage or those of 'other' ethnic groups being the victims. This, however, is not the case in Australia, amongst other Asian states. At least not to the extent as witnessed in the UK. The plight of the Aboriginals and the racist policies of the Government are obvious cases in point. Instances of similar magnitude are, in contrast, not the case in the UK. As I had once said to a dissenter, there is much evil in England, but this is rarely, if ever, countenanced by the media and the public regardless of their ‘ethnic’ or group identities.

There is also a tendency to attribute the Cronulla riots to alcohol. What Howard and his minions have conveniently ignored is that alcohol reduces inhibitions but does not dictate what was inhibited prior to one imbibing the said anti-repressant. What Howard and Co. might also have unwittingly insinuated, and thus revealed the contents of their own subconsciousness in a Freudian slip-like manner, is that when ‘whites’ get rough, it’s due to alcohol, whilst violent behaviour by ‘others’ is due to some deficiency in culture or character. When he goes on to profess his faith in the decency and magnanimity of the Australian people and that racism thus could not have served as a basis for the riots, whilst simultaneously stating that it was a 'law and order' problem, the culturally disparate 'causes', as mentioned above, are again reinforced.

Additionally, one has to wonder why the attacks on the ‘innocent’ lifeguards were seen as ‘unprovoked’ rather than a reaction to the conditions that white-with-a-touch-of-pink Australians had been subjecting ‘others’ to since the 1800s to the present, and which were even institutionally spearheaded till the 1970s.

Australia's Stolen Generation:

Wiki
Aus Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission

Since Australia’s colonial-style discrimination was rampant till as recent as the 1970s, one cannot expect them to have emerged from the cesspool of bigotry in such a short span of time without some relic of their ‘past’ clinging on to their cultural persona. Every social fact has a culture supporting it, or failing to oppose it, in the form of the most innocuous of practices, language, perceptions of seemingly unrelated phenomena and so on. These are that which supply the elements which comprise the conduits via which the fallacies of the past are carried into the present, and which makes ‘new’ victims of those now deemed as 'non-aboriginals'.

Australia needs to do more to counter its racist tendencies. Not doing as much as possible to alleviate the burden of the Aboriginals - imposed by the whites - serves to reinforce the Australian culture of social apathy and discriminatory tendencies, which, I dare say, contributed far more to the recent riots in Cronulla than that required to fail breathalyser tests.

Cronulla, amongst a series of others, stand as an indictment of the Australian people as a whole in what it has done, and what it has failed to do, and which has added that bit of citric twist to an otherwise rather harmless drink.

"Racism exists in all countries. Australia is no worse than any other."

road to surfdom

What we ought to ask is if Australia is indeed worse than some countries, and the cultural and institutional factors that contribute to this difference, instead of assuming that Australia is 'no worse than any other'. Doing so has the effect of making the local state of affairs more acceptable as one is quite unlikely to engage in much critical introspection when one is amongst what is self-servingly perceived to be multitude of ‘similar’ others.

The movement towards progressive change (‘change’ does not denote progress) is slowed down or halted when we compare ourselves with those who are worse off, or where our social conditions are not perceived to be all that bad simply because similar conditions are assumed elsewhere. Aside: misery overwhelmed with similar company ceases to be misery but a natural or acceptable state of being.

These are the perspectives and language of those who deem existing conditions quite-acceptable-though-detestable and thus relegate all movements for change in these areas to the periphery of social movements, which, in turn, only serves to slow down change in the affected areas.

It is only when we compare ourselves to the best, or deem global trends and standards to be poor indicators of 'what ought to be', as opposed to, 'what is acceptable' due to its pervasiveness, that we can start to truly move forward the Human Project.

news cronulla australia aboriginals equality racism discrimination society life culture psychology sociology

Christmas for ALL

2005-12-09T23:18:00.000+08:00

"The Campaign for a Real Christmas

Most people can't escape Christmas in the office - but we can help each other to bear it. So today at Guardian Unlimited we are proud to announce the launch of our Campaign for a Real Office Christmas (Croc). We want to celebrate the office Christmas in all its tawdry glory, and we need your help."

GuardianBlog

How about a Campaign for a Real Christmas that attempts to subtract all its commercial glory and gets us back to its true meaning as illustrated by the story of Jesus Christ.

Seems like the allegedly non-religious 'secular' experience requires that all meaning be stripped from traditional celebrations that basically leaves the celebration of secularist events as the only meaning we are left to contend with within what, in consequence, becomes Religious Secularity.

Secularism does not have to mean ‘political correctness’ in not attributing religious meaning to traditionally religious festivals whilst sharing a similar ‘faith experience’ only in ‘secular’ ones. This sort of ‘political correctness’ is not observed, in the final analysis, with the sensitivities of others, but with the sensitivities of secularism in mind.

What we need is Secular Religiosity, where people of all faiths celebrate the different meanings espoused by various faiths despite their own religious inclinations. Such an approach can only serve to incorporate a multi-faceted prism in place of the singularly faceted vision which currently blights our senses from appreciating reality in all its full and objective glory.

We ought not to make sense of reality through the prism of our particular faiths – ‘secular’ or otherwise – but to make the multi-faceted prism of all faiths that with which we look. In turning against each other via religious secularism, we turn against the disparately located beauty within ourselves. What we ought to do is to turn towards each and validate the whole via the recognition, appreciation and celebration of its different parts.

*

Don’t be fooled by the Balanda ways.

Take from the Balanda that which is Good, while being careful not to allow them to monopolise the determination of the formula by which Good is discerned. You can take from his hand, but embrace not his whole. Their formula for discerning Good is by denying its existence. Ours is by acknowledging our fallibility which empowers us to deny or assert its existence by no means other than a persistent search for it.

AUM

news christmas religion christianity islam catholicism hinduism buddhism secularism faith god globalisation globalization west hegemony guardian culture society life sociology politics philosophy

Look WHO's Talking

2005-12-05T20:32:00.000+08:00

WHO extinguishes smokers' job prospects

“As if it wasn’t hard enough being a smoker - what with the yellow teeth, bad skin, decrepit lungs and prospect of an early death - it now appears that puffers’ career chances might be set to plunge, writes Hélène Mulholland. The World Health Organisation lent the anti-smoking movement added impetus this week when it became the largest international employer to ban the hiring of smokers in an effort to promote its public health campaign against tobacco use.”

Guardian Newsblog

The WHO hopes to send a clear signal that smoking is hazardous to health by not employing smokers. These measures are, in the abstract, sanctions against those who engage in activities that compromises health.

Therefore,

In line with this approach, the WHO ought to also consider not employing those who support economic systems that creates classes amongst whom there is a greater mortality rate; those who support national policies that pose a danger to the health of others; and, of course, seek to disengage itself from an organisation - the UN - that facilitates the intercourse of nations that harbour corporations and governments who profit from the above.

capitalism socialism anarchism communism politics who un news smoking discrimination cigarettes health sociology

Bisexuality, compromising Bipartisan Integrity

2005-12-02T21:41:00.000+08:00

“There is very little hostility to bisexuality in women, unlike the situation with men. Homosexuality threatens people because it asks a question of them, doesn’t allow them to sleepwalk into default heterosexuality.”

Manicnotes

I suppose bisexuality might induce more animosity amongst 'men' than homosexuality.

Homosexuality can be counterpositionally compartmentalised from heterosexuality and thus provide a distinguishable target at which the homophobe might cast the proverbial stone. Such contradistinction allows the traditional male to maintain the integrity of the sexual component of his identity much of the traditional male’s persona is based on the preferential orientation of his divining stick.

Bisexuals, unlike their orientationally-challenged counterparts, however, relocate the target of the homophobe to include the traditional male since bisexual men are not disinclined towards that which attracts the average heterosexual men. The ‘bisexual’ immediately suggests to the heterosexual that the former’s homosexual component may not be as alien to the heterosexual’s personality as the committed homosexual had led him. To the homosexual, the hetero can say, “We’re different”. The luxury of sexual contradistinction is however not afforded to him in the case of the bisexual. Where he could once stand outside the home of a ‘nancy-boy’ and jeer, now, our traditional male develops a sudden fear of opening his own closet. Thus, the bisexual’s distinction as ‘being different’ from ‘normal’ men is compromised and the traditional man finds his self-identity being increasingly threatened from within the phallic circle as he is forced to share his machismo, at least half the time, with his more adventurous counterpart.

Related article : Time to Get Gay

sex bisexuality homosexuality heterosexuality culture society life sociology psychology civil rights discrimination gender gay straight

The Juvenile State of America I

2005-12-01T20:52:00.000+08:00

image from DeathtoAllExtremists

Troops ought never to be supported as an entity apart from the government but as an extension of the government’s will. The government, in turn, ought never to be supported as an entity apart from the people but only when it is truly an extension of the people’s will. We ought to keep in mind that if the people can be relied upon to support the bullet, the finger behind the trigger needs little more than a self-serving whim as motivation to proceed with conscientious impunity. All that any government has to do when it embarks upon a course of little popular appeal is to pray for a quick first casualty on their side before the short-sighted and (our)nation-centered empathy can be relied upon to call for a general ‘support our troops’ campaign. Of course, when one is dealing with an intellectually juvenile nation such as that of the United States, this can backfire.

Thus, at the outset, the most flimsiest of reasons were sufficient to conduct a grandiose ‘war on terror’ with ‘shock and awe’ tactics at the ready because they were flabbergasted that they, the Beacon of Civilisation, the Chosen people, the Epitome of Civilisation, and not forgetting, the etc and so on in the phone booth with the red cape and thong, had been administered a right royal flogging with its pantaloons down whilst reading the funnies in the local john, and with far less ceremony than that which might have been afforded an errant swabbie on a colonial black ship dispatched to ‘open up’ Japan for ‘trade’.

As expected of any adolescent worthy of his whiskers-sprout-lately, the first punch is that which he feels in return. That is the point at which all injury takes place. That is the Big Bang from which History begins. That is all that is needed for a ‘war on terror’. That is all that is required to call on every American to join the posse and ‘kick ass’.

When one bases one's decisions on emotional reactions in the face of salient events, as opposed to underlying causes and systematic reasoning, we'll find that all these people require are similar appeals to the senses for them to revert their decisions. Therefore, the increasing loss of lives in the course of the war, economic troubles and so on, are relatively and predictably more salient to their zen-ses than the reasons why they went in the first place. This is especially so if the initial 'reasons' were also based mainly on sentiments invoked by the immediacy (in time and locality) and graphic quality of catastrophes.

When one looks at this all too American a comedy, we’ll find them rushing to seek vengeance against those who had killed some amongst them in the morning, and by evensong, we see them scurrying back because some amongst them had been killed whilst attempting the said vengeance. This is expected of the kind of mind(lessness) that is appealed to, not by systematic reasoning and objective analysis, but by some chimerical self-perception grounded in ‘Justice League’ and ‘He-man and the Masters of the Universe’.

We must remember that the Americans are not now in possession of any new fact or detail that was not widely available for their perusal prior to the war. For the anti-war movement in America to pick up its momentum the way that it did can only mean that the reasons upon which America rolled up its sleeves and growled insensibly at the outset was based on nothing more than an overload or misdirection of collective testosterone. The British, on the other hand, were largely opposed at the outset as they are now. And the reasons for their opposition are not based on a worsening economy or more soldiers dying in Iraq. It was based on an intelligent analysis of the multitude of historical and sociological facts pertaining to the matter and nothing besides. Unlike appetites, convictions based on reason, as opposed to sentiment, rarely change with the passage of time. When we consider this point, it would not be entirely untrue to say that the Americans went barging into the Middle-East, not to avenge their country being made to adopt, ‘The Position’, but because their economy wasn’t doing too badly and none of their soldiers had yet died in the country they had yet to invade.

And, it takes just such a state of intellectual (under)development to actually provide a berth for movements, seemingly composed of ‘adults’, calling for the populace to ‘support our troops’. These people, unsurprisingly, fail to realise that all that this will achieve is that it gives carte blanche to all ruling authorities that are, and have yet to be, to do as they will even if every single adolescent in the Juvenile State of America opposes it because their accompanying global myopia will ensure that they will be ‘shocked and awed’ by the disasters-come-lately in the form of casualties to immediately feel it incumbent upon themselves to do their dooty and “support them troops” in a way that would make “granpappy proud of his young uns’”. The fact that such a signal to the Oligarchs of America will ensure more wars and more American casualties falls outside of their field of vision. All that is relevant seems to be immediacy and nothing besides.

Thus, the Juvenile State of America.

terrorism terror terrorist Al Qaeda Iraq extremist extremism war on terror UK politics Current Affairs news culture sociology Philosophy History humanities iraq Middle East War jihad patriotism capitalism post 9/11 post 911 islam jsa juvenile state of america blair bush

The Bart Blogs of Blogsphere

2005-11-30T15:23:00.000+08:00

The following is an excerpt of a blogpost extolling the ‘achievements’ of - for the sake of sociological accuracy, 'Chinese' - 'Singaporean bloggers' in 'making their mark' with the 'Dawn Yang' and 'Daphne Teo' topics on the Technorati search ratings. This site’s perspective follows.

“Singapore Bloggers Make Their Mark

“She's beautiful, talented and has done more, singlehandedly, to catapult Singapore to the top of the blogspophere, than any other blogger! Wendy Cheng (XiaXue) is in a class all by herself!

Say, WHY DO the female bloggers, like XiaXue, Dawn Yang and Daphne Teo attract all the traffic? Maybe some of you should vote for KENNY! Scroll down a bit farther and you'll find a button, some info and a link to the 2005 Asian Blog Awards. My friend here with me says she thinks CRP should get an honorable mention because I've blogged so much about Singaporean and Malaysian bloggers. Truth is, when I look at my life in general, there have been and continue to be may Asian ties and influences, so for me it's natural... "we're all one, we're all the same person," as Jimmy Cliff once sang...”

crp (a most apt acronym, some might say)

Inquisitor:

‘Blog Awards’?

These are nothing more than indicators of what has been deemed worthy of attention and emulation by particularistically developed and generally malnourished minds. The question this begs is what aspect of the human persona and what type of perspectives these ‘Blog Awards’ promote; how it compromises the development of other and more socially meaningful aspects of the human potential within/without blogsphere; and how it serves as a social pressure to conform to the ‘standards’ set by these awards on new and existing denizens of blogsphere.

The ‘information superhighway’ seems to be serving as a conduit of the type of conductivity that speeds up the assimilation process at speeds never before encountered.

"we're all one, we're all the same person,"

God, I hope not.

If 'we' indicates the type of mindlessness that thinks a 'great blog' is that which is little more than an expose of various parts of the female anatomy; one that has the relevant ‘bangs & whistles’ that are designed to attract a mind that has progressed as far as a rattle’s-throw away from a recently slept-in cot; or that which posits ill-thought through perspectives that supply simple answers to intellectually and perspectivally-challenged minds that just serves to reinforce and perpetuate the adolescent condition; then I dare say that the general potentials of the 'we' are seriously at risk of being retarded by the antics of the american-bred adolescent sector of blogsphere.

Yes, the question we ought to ask, indeed, is, 'what sort of mark' these people are making and the kind of annoying and irremediable stain it leaves on the tapestry of human propensities that serves to blight the senses of the impressionable from imagining more of themselves than they are led to believe possible by these ‘high ratings’. It’s sad that these people seem to make their mark in areas that thrive on the most adolescent and base of human potentials and perspectives.

Better Mind the Bullocks

2005-11-29T20:37:00.000+08:00

image from : ffl.vrindavan.com

Indian, 67, claims record for highest hot air balloon flight

“When I broke the record … I screamed quite loudly,” he said. “This goes to show to the world that we are not bullock cart drivers.”

bbc

What this goes to show to the world is that Vijaypat is not a ‘bullock cart driver’.

Perhaps the increasing altitude helped to meld the multitude of bullocks, carts and drivers with the ‘Indian’ landscape, thus supplying Vijaypat with the requisite feature-free canvas upon which he couldn’t help projecting his own condition as the rest of Indian reality became relatively less salient.

Secondly,

I dare say that driving a bullock cart makes more sense than going as high as possible,

1. for no other reason than going as high as previously attempted.

2. So that it would take a longer time to come down

3. for no other reason than going as high as previously attempted so that it would take a longer time to come down than previously experienced.

The bullock cart driver, however, undertakes her/is journey with purposes that makes it more than an ego trip.

In fact, we can say, with reason, that the appropriation of a substantial portion of the fruits of the labour of the ‘bullock cart driver’ funded Vijay’s altitudinal adventures. We can thus say that the bullock did indeed play a central role in taking Vijay where few other’s could afford to go. This selfsame mutuality, however, cannot be credited to our Indian-in-Flight.

When one considers this point, it would make the daily trudge of your average ‘bullock cart driver’ about 69, 852 feet more sensible, meaningful and worthy of pride than the extra-terrestrial antics of an allegedly ‘Indian’ Vijaypat and Co.

Perhaps if the bullock cart driver was given that which was owed him, in cash and credit, we would think it most apt to say,

“We are not just hot air balloon fliers!”

The Indian Monkey

2005-11-27T17:00:00.000+08:00

Indian sets balloon flight record

"Indian Vijaypat Singhania has claimed a new world record for the highest flight in a hot air balloon, after a voyage lasting several hours."

bbc

In truth, Dr Vijaypat Singhania did not break the world record for the highest altitude reached in a balloon. Rather, it was the amount of money that was required to fund such a trip that did it. This is especially so since no exceptional talent or intelligence is required for one to aspire to do what he did and which is not unavailable to most of humanity. One could even venture to say that Vijaypat purchased the record. Perhaps the next record that ought to be set is the extent to which one might be able to scale those heights at the lowest possible cost, which, might just in time bring such vinyl-breaking antics within the financial reach of a substantial number of the inhabitants of this planet.

Secondly, calling him 'Dr' is as relevant as calling him, 'Ostentatiously moustached Vijaypat Singhania' as the former has as much to do with his achievement as the latter – unless either the title or the whiskers gives him whatever psychological boost necessary to fill the balloon with that extra bit of hot air necessary to break records, in which case, it is a personal thing and either ‘advantages’ would be irrelevant in the public address of the ‘distinguished’ gentleman. 'Dr' gives one the false impression that he is generally qualified intellectually where it might be more true to say that he is specifically enabled as would be afforded one who is well-versed in a particular subject.

Thirdly, there is nothing 'Indian' about what he did that may not simultaneously be 'American' or 'African'. In fact, there is little of the historical idea of the 'Indian' in this venture when one takes on board the fact that the historical Indian was more of one who sought achievements that challenged the legitimacy of all that was accepted to be true and natural in profound areas. This gentleman's exploits is little more than a progression from a schoolyard retort, 'I can do better than you' in the more superficial of arenas. The historical Indian would pay more attention in doing ‘better than another’ in profound areas and not see record-breaking as an end in itself.

Finally,

‘To go where no wo/man has gone before’, detracts popular attention from the fact that the records people attempt to set are in specific realms that have been validated by particular cultures as being worth exploring as opposed to the myriad and multitude of spaces that are as a consequence ignored and left untraversed. The Indian mind, historically, associated such journeys with an exploration of the human mind and soul whereas the western mind associates such journeys with physical spaces. Incidentally, this serves as a perfect complement to the national/capitalist paradigm that seeks and thrives on an objective truth in the material world whilst taking the self-aggrandising potential of the human persona as a given. The historical Indian mind, - that is on the verge of extinction in the present and ought to be added to the list of ‘critically endangered species’ - however, sought to fuse the need to understand the world with a preceding need to understand the individual and collective self whilst refusing to take its basest potentials as its most definitive. It realised that to do so would lead to a particularistic understanding and appreciation of the material world which would, consequentially, only serve to instigate a particularistic development of the human potential – such as that which the world is experiencing now.

Thus, when we consider this historical fact, the ‘Indian’ of today is little more than an individual who has been grazed by nothing more than the shadow of physical contiguity shared with the spaces once traversed by the historical and uniquely Indian Indian. The meaning of a ‘native’ is more than that derived from occupying a land. Rather, a native is of a space that celebrates the best, most significant and profound aspects of her/is culture that is of universal and timeless value. Where this is absent, the native becomes little more than one who physically dwells within a space whilst being a true perspectival native of another, and in this age, an increasingly juvenile culture. S/he then becomes nothing more than a curator of a museum of a historical past that has little roots in the present. In this sense, the macaques in India have more claims to being of a continuous Indian lineage than its allegedly advanced and two-legged counterparts.

The value of integration lies not in itself but in integrating with that which enriches the knowledge of the self and facilitates equitable harmony with all other selves.

AUM

india indian south asia asia uk britain asian news capitalism socialism history philosophy culture sociology society life hinduism aum

Officious Secrets Act

2005-11-26T22:39:00.000+08:00

As I had said in an earlier article, the Legal law is defensible only when the Moral law is enforceable.

The Official Secrets Act, when we apply the above principle, ceases to simultaneously serve as a buffer against sanctions that might otherwise be applicable as it would in any case where a criminal act against humanity has been committed.

If we fail to apply the above principle, the Official Secrets Act becomes little more than a locally applicable variant of 'Diplomatic Immunity' that serves as a guarantee against transparency and, consequentially, accountability. This enables transgressions against humanity to go unchecked whilst its popularly elected perpetrators are held subject to as much accountability as its diplomatic counterpart.

Enforcing the precedence of the Moral law over the Legal one is the only check against any officious and illegitimate Secret Act faciliated by the Official Secrets Act.

Boris Yells, “Sin!”

2005-11-26T19:24:00.000+08:00

The following is an appeal initiated by Blairwatch, a most noteworthy site, for solidarity against the attempted cover-up by the Blair-Bush alliance with regards to the bombing of Al-Jazeera's offices by the U.S.

'Diretribe', and affiliated sites, supports this worthy cause and is most certainly by the side of Blairwatch on this front.

Blairwatch's emails followed by this site's response follows,

“
After Blair's threat to jail any editor who reports the Bomb Al-Jazeera memo, we thought there would be an outcry. Who would stand up for press freedom, or at least the freedom not to be bombed to buggery?

One man has come out fighting. Boris Johnson (mp):

Bush and Al-J

We're with you Boris. Here's the deal. If you get it (the memo in question), send it to us and we will also publish it. We will also risk jail.

Would any other bloggers like to join us in this pledge? Please let us know by comment or trackback or email if you're with us.

Are you prepared to stand with Boris?

Cheers,

quarsan & ringverse

Go to Blairwatch to support the cause.

”

Blairwatch,

I do not, 'stand with Boris', as I'm not the sort that rallies around celebrities.

It's too often that a singular produce of a 'celebrity' is utilised to validate the entire volume of her/is ideas. We must resist disseminating the juvenile/american notion that ideas are not worth their mettle till accompanied with a celebrity.

That, in my experience, is not The British Way.

I do, however, stand with the idea that Boris supports in this instance and has been given prominence via the media and yourself.

So yes, count me in please.

And thank you for promoting this initiative.

Inquisitor, for,

The Heretic
Diretribe

p.s.

“One man has come out fighting. Boris Johnson…”

Is my fight not significant till I’m an ‘MP’? We ought not to validate the value of a struggle via guest appearances by celebrities - though i'm sure that was not Blairwatch's intention.

uk britain america usa war bush blair al jazeera news current affairs war on terror terror terrorism antiwar europe iraq middle east

Legover Lager

2005-11-25T23:26:00.000+08:00

Binge-drinking women may lose right to claim rape

“Women who are raped while drunk face losing the chance to bring their attackers to justice after a legal ruling on the eve of new licensing laws.
A High Court judge yesterday threw out the case of a student who claimed that she was raped while drunk and unconscious on the basis that “drunken consent is still consent”.

TimesOnline
Guardian
Guardian NewsBlog

Perhaps they ought to have a 'Surgeon General's Warning' on each pint glass or bottle stating, ‘Intoxication is likely to Lead one to say Yes when one actually means No.’

What possible contraceptive precautions can we take against unlawful entry when ‘under the influence’?

One possibility is that either *fe/male be required, under law, to undergo breathalyser tests to verify the validity of their ‘consent’ by its being given ‘whilst in an insufficiently inebriated state’. This can then be recorded on a form with the relevant parties supplying a signature or a thumbprint to validate the said form. A third party, in the form of an official, must be made available in various localities – hotels, entry points to parks, beaches, stairwells, alleys - to verify this. If both or either party is found to be ‘over the limit’, then the official can go on to deny the application or risk being accused of abetting a ‘rape’.

If we choose not to institute the aforementioned system, then we are left with the option of exercising our own ‘free will’. To exercise such ‘free will’, we will then have to ensure that we do not put ourselves in a position that would affect our ability to exercise it sensibly – insofar as a breathalyser test can discern the uncompromised state of our sensibilities.

The moral of the story is this, ‘If you have to Drink, Don’t Ride’ lest ‘Reasonable Doubt’ be cast on allegations of ‘rape’ on the basis of the testimony of a hangover.

*we must keep in mind that we are living in an age where the above scenario can just as easily be replicated in same-sex situations. So whilst we might be for or against the ruling of the court, we ought to consider the extent to which our perspectival proclivities arises from a bias that appreciates 'rape' from the perspective of 'traditional' heterosexual relationships.

The question we thus ought to ask ourselves is, what our standpoint would be if the above situation was between one male and another or one female and another; why this standpoint may or may not be applied in a heterosexual case; and if, how, and why our view, after considering this, changes with regards to the court ruling.

uk britain news current affairs feminism gay bisexual heterosexual rape clubbing clubs culture life society binge drinking drinking sex

Don't Play it Again Sam

2005-11-23T21:16:00.000+08:00

Tycoon Targets Air Balloon Record

“An Indian industrialist and adventurer has set himself a new challenge - to establish a new hot air balloon altitude record.”

bbc

On the one hand, the above is yet another attempt to do that which is rarely or never done before, and, in an abstract sense, it serves as an example for humanity to keep trying and venturing out to where few have dared or contemplated.

However, the inequitable distribution of wealth within the capitalist economy will insure that most of humanity will be disabled from going where few have gone before. Thus, the progress of humanity will be subject to the whims and fancies of the few. This translates to humanity being held back a few thousand years because most are not able to afford to be enabled in ways that would in turn enable them to imagine further than their economy-imposed deficiencies. And in the few cases where they manage to circumvent at least some of these obstacles, the capitalist system then goes on to ensure that they don’t imagine beyond that which is profitable to a particular type of humanity that has been created in the course of capitalism’s particularistic development of human propensities.

The Guide to Success within the current milieu proffers 3 Golden Rules :

1. Don’t imagine till you’ve studied the profitability of the final product of your imagination.

2. Remember that the potentials of human imagination are determined by that deemed to be of value in terms of those few aspects of the human persona that has been valued by the system.

3. Let the records that are set guide you in determining those areas within which records ought to be broken and areas within which records ought not to be set.

The human imagination will never be realised in its maximal potential till the optimum conditions for imagination is stripped of those aspects that imposes a cost of failure for the product of imagination.

In the current milieu, the price of success for individuals is paid in terms of the failure that results when the collective is discouraged from exercising its imagination in areas untraversed by the successful.

Perhaps, we ought to consider a system that will enable us to change the record without cost.

india news current affairs current events culture life society capitalism politics psychology sociology philosophy socialism communism anarchism political philosophy

Muhammad vs. Muhammad

2005-11-22T20:46:00.000+08:00

Centre honours Muhammad Ali

“Boxing great Muhammad Ali took centre stage in his hometown to celebrate the opening of a six-storey centre, in tribute to his career and a legacy to his ideals of peace and tolerance.”
Al-Jazeera

Bush honours Ali with mock punch

“Boxing legend Muhammad Ali has been awarded America's highest civilian honour by President George Bush.”

bbc

The question we ought to ask is,

‘upon what historical legacy is Muhammad Ali’s career founded, and how does it contribute to the legacy left to us’, and not, ‘what legacy did he leave us despite his career’.

What the masses tend to forget is that the divinity accorded to a ‘celebrity’ does not make that which is celebrated divine.

What we have here is that which inspired the Euthyphro Dilemma – the idea of God’s Divinity - being revisited in the form of the modern variant of traditional divinities – the Celebrity. This dilemma is resolved quite simply when it comes to the modern idea of the Celebrity which basically posits the notion that all the celebrity favours is favourable because s/he is a celebrity.

It matters little to the maddening crowd that the celebrity is celebrated for nothing intrinsically favourable unlike many traditional Gods that stood for the idea of an Ultimate, albeit ambiguously defined, Good. It was virtue that largely determined a God’s identity and prominence, whereas now, it is prominence that largely determines the value of a Celebrity, and, in turn, the virtuousness of her/is virtue. The minimum requirement is that an individual not be cast in a bad light for her to qualify for a halo.

Personally, and in the case of Muhammad Ali, a profession that involves rendering one’s fellow persons unconscious is a poor advocate of the ideas of peace and tolerance. To extol the less financially profitable – though not unprofitable in public relations terms - pastimes of celebrities is to state that,

The little good done by a ‘celebrity’ is to be valued more because of the value accorded to them for doing much despite this ‘much’ being of little social good;

As opposed to,

Those who do much of much social good being valued less because of their not doing much that is of little social good.

Given this surreal state of affairs - complemented by an equally surreally written article - one thing we can be certain of is that if the prophet Muhammad, from whom Muhammad Ali takes his prefix, was around in these times, The Prophet wouldn’t last a single round in a popularity contest with The Greatest.

muhammad ali bush america usa culture society life god religion islam muhammad sports entertainment celebrities boxing

An Inspector Calls

2005-11-21T19:57:00.000+08:00

The sad thing about Pat Tillman and others killed by ‘friendly fire’ in the course of the Afghanistan/Iraq war,

(Aside :

…besides indicating yet another typically American attempt to garner mass support via a ‘celebrity’, also made it obvious that the average American is unable to appreciate information unless it is transfigured in the hallowed glow of a ‘star which in turn endows it with 'reason' and 'truth' - perhaps that is the true tragedy. This reached the proportions of a tragicomedy when it seemed to matter little that he was ‘killed by his own’. However, the tragic irony of ‘friendly fire’ in Afghanistan/Iraq…)

…is that the projectile that unceremoniously put an end to Tillman’s existence was triggered long before the said war in the course of American policy mismanagement and in/discriminate maltreatment of 'others', which, in turn, led to the events of 9/11.

Of course, if one was to look a bit further than this, we might discover, upon conducting the appropriate ballistic tests, that the projectile came from a musket that took aim about 500 years ago with the first blast of the colonial canon.

It was then that Pat Tillman’s fate was sealed and no body armour in the world could have saved him.

Signed,

An Inspector Calls

….yet again

pat tillman iraq afghanistan war terrorism usa america news antiwar politics bush dubya culture life society celebrity worship celebrity stars

Daft-ne

2005-11-21T19:52:00.000+08:00

The following was written during 'Dawn Yang's' days of undue fame at the Technorati 'top searches'. I've decided to publish it again in respect of 'Daphne Teo's' equally dubious 'popularity', as witnessed in the Technorati directory, in the offchance that those inclined towards such inanities, or were just curious enough to see what the fuss was about with 'Daphne Teo', might actually consider the following.

Some blogs are fussing over ‘Dawn Yang’ having managed to stay in the top 3 amongst the top searches in Technorati.

Some of these blogs originate from particular regions where a mundane phenomenon like ‘Dawn Yang’ is sadly of some use in comprising whatever sense constitutes their reason to wake up in the morning. Thus, ‘Dawn Yang’, having maintained a prominent position for some time in the Technorati ratings, serves as recognition of their global existence and validation of their significance due to their 'field of interest' having maintained a prominent position on the said ratings.

However, what they, amongst others, don’t seem to realise is that the term, ‘Dawn Yang’, unlike, for instance, ‘Paris Riots’, is not self-explanatory. Thus, when one considers the pervasiveness of the ‘Consumer Mentality’ that makes sense of life and determines value on the basis of the prominence of phenomena, it is to be expected that ‘Dawn Yang’ would draw many ‘clicks’ from those who want to be part of the ‘in crowd’, besides also drawing ‘clicks’ from the curious.

Another reason how inane issues like that of ‘Dawn Yang’ can attain such prominence is that it might have got higher up on the Technorati ratings at a time when America is offline. A country with a significantly lower population than the US, but which has high internet access compared to other countries in the same time zone will be able to take top ratings at a time when the rest of the world might be offline for a variety of time-based reasons. When the other time zones come online, they, either curious or consumerist, will falsely inflate the ‘popularity’ ratings of these topics - especially when they aren’t self-explanatory.

The true popularity of these topics are best seen in the speed at which new postings are made with regards to these issues. Both 'Dawn', and now, 'Daphne', have posting rates that keeps days-old posts on the first page of the relevant listings.

It is the combination of the above, amongst others, that might have served as the Yin that, in this case, validates Yang’s existence and significance.

dawn dawn yang technorati blogs blog blogger internet culture life society consumer daphne teo daphne

Statute of Liberty II

2005-11-19T18:34:00.000+08:00

“So you decry hard work, you decry talent, you decry innovation, you decry the existence of genius.

Any entity that ensures equidistance from finishing line can never be called liberty. Why? Because liberty means among other things the freedom to be better and the best, to compete in a free and fair manner.

But I guess you won't care about all that. You would rather have a slave society like Stalin’s Russia where everyone is forced to be equal under the threat of torture and the concentration camp.”

Indian Capitalist

Your idea of 'freedom' seems to be the freedom to exercise the ability to disable the masses from enjoying the same advantages that the privileged themselves deem as necessary to ensure the continuation of their privileged position in society.
Your idea of ‘freedom’ means the freedom to be born disadvantaged and having to negotiate through a malnourished culture of aspiration and motivation in the ghetto of social experience.
Your idea of 'freedom' refers to the freedom to take advantage of the thus disabled masses for self-aggrandisement.
Your idea of ‘freedom’ does not take into consideration the benefits of collaboration as opposed to competition.
Your idea of ‘freedom’ does not appreciate the fact that a hundred strong wo/men are capable of much more than ninety-nine malnourished persons being led by a strong 1.

I decry the conditions that deny the many from making something of their talents and which simultaneously compromise their genius as a result of their deprived childhood experiences, whilst the few thrive on the consequences of this prior denial.
I decry the conditions that require them to negotiate through the hard work of negotiating through the obstacles this class-based system places in their path prior to their being thus qualified to then finally proceed to negotiate through the specific difficulties which they will face whilst attempting to make something of their talent.

How, pray tell, is one to equally access Equality of Opportunity when one is denied Equality of Outset?

According to you, one has to work harder and acquire all the socio-psychological tools necessary to reach the end point. You however forget that these tools are generally available only to those who are, and as a consequence, placed closer to the finishing line.

You speak of a 'slave society'. What do you think results when we don't ensure equidistance from the finishing point?

Stalinist Russia, aka State Capitalist Russia, did not ensure equidistance from the finishing point; it just denied everyone's access to it. The variant that you support enables everybody's access to the said finishing point. However, this detracts the masses from appreciating the significance of the fact that the space after the finishing line can only contain a small number of them whilst its current occupants insure that not everyone has the requisite footwear to contend with the thistle-ridden gauntlet.

capitalism socialism anarchism communism politics political philosophy philosophy usa america left poverty society culture life civil rights discrimination liberty aclu sociology

Statute of Liberty

2005-11-18T21:14:00.000+08:00

At the foot of the Statue of Liberty, aka ‘Liberty Enlightening the World’, reads,

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

… for without them, we cannot hold the satisfaction of their ensuing needs hostage and become accomplished and affluent by relieving these tired, poor and huddled masses of the burden of the fruits of their labour as they till our fields and work our mills for fear of starvation.

What is liberty if it is exercised at the shot of the starter’s gun but not in ensuring equidistance from the finishing line? It results in liberty enlightening much of the world, not of its burdens, but of its fruits.

It’s time we consider the objective potentials of humanity and not the subjective ordering of society in our construction of a Statute of Liberty. That would see the maximal conditions being applied to all humanity in order to develop its potentials to its maximum. It is just such a statute that would enable us to extricate the human condition, that has so far languished in the shadow of Lady Liberty, and be directed by its light.

usa america capitalism socialism liberty culture life society poverty sociology psychology philsophy

islamofascisticsupercalifragilistic

2005-11-17T21:11:00.000+08:00

click for video

I had been inclined to state in previous articles that,

‘Islam is the language via which disaffection is articulated and not the cause of disaffection.’

I had also suggested that disaffection amongst Muslims has its basis, not in Islam, but in the self-preservation and self-determination instincts, along with its being reflexively activated for members of their idea of the nation despite not having a singular state to represent the entire Muslim collective.

However,

from another perspective, we can view Islam as the ‘cause’ of these conflicts when we consider it within the broader historical milieu.

Islam, unlike the religion of the nation-state, does not recognise border posts as delineatory pylons between ‘our family’ and ‘your family’. A Muslim is a Muslim, just as an American is an American wherever s/he goes and is accorded the relevant protection of the nation/state. The Muslim, however, does not have a state-bound nation and has little more than familial sentiment to appeal to. Ironically, what we have here is a ‘Muslim diaspora’ that has been brought about not because of the movement of Muslims from one state to another but because of the fragmentation of the globe into ‘states’ that separates an otherwise unitary nation within a global state and within which, in more 'modern' times, they would have existed as an 'interest group' within a pluralist system of other global paradigms.

It is in this sense that Islam does ‘cause’ conflicts because it has yet to buy into an ideology that divides humanity by contiguous national-space and which tries its utmost to ensure that it coincides with cultural space. However, the Muslim is a product of a cultural space despite, and prior to, the inauguration of national space as the ‘natural’ space within which one ought to feel more for one’s ‘fellow persons’.
That is why, for some ridiculous ‘islamofascisticsupercalifragilistic’ and ‘expialidocious’ reason, they cannot stop seeing a Muslim brother as a Muslim brother even after he crosses the border.

Such impudence! Tch.

So, yes, I suppose Islam does ‘cause’ ‘terrorism’ because of its damned globalist and catholicistic paradigm which inevitably conflicts with the nationalist/capitalist paradigm of the westernised/colonised mind.

The Muslim says, ‘Borders don’t mean anything, only familialarity’, whilst the Nationalist insists, ‘Familialarity only means something because of borders.’ In this sense, the Muslim realises that the true division within humanity is ideological and not physical whilst the Nationalist insists that the ideological be confined within the physical. If we follow in the line of the Islamic logic, humanity would be in danger of doing away with the nation-state and start appreciating others in terms of what they personally stand for rather than which side of the national fence they stand on.

And we can’t have that can we.

france paris europe paris riots riots islam muslim muslims islam terror terrorism radicalism extremism french patriotism nationalism sociology psychology history society life culture capitalism socialism news current affairs current events french revolution bastille islamofascism

Baiting el Zorro

2005-11-16T20:54:00.000+08:00

"Don't mess with me, sir, or you'll get stung," Chávez said, to which Fox responded by telling the Venezuelan ambassador in Mexico City to pack his bags and prepare to leave by midnight unless a presidential apology was forthcoming from Caracas.”
Guardian

“On Sunday, Mr. Chavez accused the Mexican leader of disrespecting him and warned: "Don't mess with me sir, because you'll come out pricked."
BBC

The information that is 'strangely' absent about this playground tiff is what, part-time Andy Griffith impersonator and Mexican President, Vicente Fox, said prior to Chavez's retort. This is suggested by the BBC report that saw Chavez accusing Fox of ‘disrespecting him’. Perhaps voting on the US side was ‘disrespect’ enough for Chavez, which, if true, might argue against claims that Chavez is respectful of the idea of democracy.

These 'reports' seem to focus solely on 'Chavez this' and 'Chavez that' which basically implies that all the wily one had to do was to play yes-puppy to the increasingly Juvenile State of America and sit there with its tail between its legs with nary a hurtful word whilst Chavez lambasted el Zorro with the above statements.

I'm not saying that the details about what Fox had to say would justify Chavez's response - not that Fox's vote for the US’ proposal was not justification enough. However, it would provide a well-rounded report that would allow the reader to make up whatever’s left of her/is own mind- in a world under the influence of an American led media - rather than try to influence it with such 'subtle' subtractions.

We ought to keep in mind that ‘journalists’ and ‘news’ centres purporting to ‘putting news first’ are themselves victims of the global paradigm of ‘what is and ain’t’ – as institutions subject to demand and supply and as individuals who are subject to its socio-psychological pressures in their daily lives - and may act ‘accordingly’ when confronted with information in selectively playing up what to them is the main, or sensational, point of any event.

Thus, the journalistic deficiency admirably illustrated in the Chavez-Fox Splat (Chávez, fox mentioned according to alphabetical order by the author.) might indicate an attempt, unconscious perhaps, to compromise the notion that Chavez's 'evils' has an external 'cause'(as in 'cause' vs. effect) and that he thinks up these tirades all by his lonesome whilst chewing on a habana and scratching his head through his beret under a faded Che poster back in his cubby hole in Venezuela. In other words, this might indicate yet another subconscious effort to deny all 'deviants' of the day a 'cause' thus locating their 'evils' in themselves and attributing it, a la justice league and penud budder and jelly sangwitches, to psychosis or cultural deficiencies.

news politics hugo chavez venezuela mexico media msm current affairs current left socialism society culture life bbc guardian Americas

Dawn Yang's Yin

2005-11-15T22:43:00.000+08:00

Some blogs are fussing over ‘Dawn Yang’ having managed to stay in the top 3 amongst the top searches in Technorati.

Some of these blogs originate from particular regions where a mundane phenomenon like ‘Dawn Yang’ is sadly of some use in comprising whatever sense constitutes their reason to wake up in the morning. Thus, ‘Dawn Yang’, having maintained a prominent position for some time in the Technorati ratings, serves as recognition of their global existence and validation of their significance due to their 'field of interest' having maintained a prominent position on the said ratings.

However, what they, amongst others, don’t seem to realise is that the term, ‘Dawn Yang’, unlike, for instance, ‘Paris Riots’, is not self-explanatory. Thus, when one considers the pervasiveness of the ‘Consumer Mentality’ that makes sense of life and determines value on the basis of the prominence of phenomena, it is to be expected that ‘Dawn Yang’ would draw many ‘clicks’ from those who want to be part of the ‘in crowd’, besides also drawing ‘clicks’ from the curious.

Another reason how inane issues like that of ‘Dawn Yang’ can attain such prominence is that it might have got higher up on the Technorati ratings at a time when America is offline. A country with a significantly lower population than the US, but has high internet access compared to other countries in the same time zone will be able to take top ratings at a time when the rest of the world might be offline for a variety of time-based reasons. When the other time zones come online, they, either curious or consumer, will falsely inflate the ‘popularity’ ratings of these topics especially when they aren’t self-explanatory.

It is the combination of the above, amongst others, that might have served as the Yin that, in this case, validates Yang’s existence and significance.

dawn dawn yang technorati blogs blog blogger internet culture life society consumer

The Tyranny of the Minority

2005-11-15T21:51:00.000+08:00

Mass Labour Rallies in Australia

“Tens of thousands of people have attended rallies in Australia to protest against the government's proposed changes to industrial laws.

The government has said that more flexibility in the workplace is one of the keys to prosperity.

More jobs would be created and the country's economy would continue to do well.
Many business leaders believe this is the right way forward. Many thousands of other Australians disagree.

The main opposition Labor party has predicted that these controversial reforms will bring down Australia's conservative government at the next election.

Senior ministers believe that protesters have been misguided about the impact the new laws will have. They are hoping the legislation will be passed by the end of the year.”

BBC

It has been said by some political philosophers in the past that the current edition of Democracy is a fallacy and that the people only exert any semblance of authority and sovereignty at the ballot box. However, it could also be said that the edifice of Democracy, or more accurately, Bourgeoiscracy, exists with the Minority as its corner-stone.

A vocal minority, even when relatively silent, is far more 'audible' than any cacophonous and placard-fanning majority. The significance of the majority is realised only once every four years or so when the mandate of the majority has to be sought by any party purporting to represent ‘the people’. This is, in reality, the only time the majority will be significant. At all other times, when the government does concur with its views and seemingly acts in accordance with their will, it is not in respect of this will, but because it coincides with its own. For when it is unable to avail itself of such convenient coincidence, the government can claim to be ‘duty-bound to respect the laws of Pluralism and Democracy’.

This is when the majority transforms into ‘an opinion’ indistinguishable from the 'opinion' of a minority. This is when a million dissenting voices become 1 and a single dissenting voice becomes a million in terms of its political significance. All the government of the day has to do is to point to the ‘wisdom’ of a single consenting voice amongst the masses to assert that the opinion of the majority is not of the majority but only an opinion – and a ‘misguided’ one at that. In other words, Electoral Pluralism will enable the majority to decide which party gets into office, whilst Post-Electoral Pluralism enables the minority to ensure that no party is kicked out of office.

Thus, the Tyranny of the Minority.

What ought to be done is that some check be instituted to ensure that democracy is a reality not relegated to a purely theoretical value in between elections. I would suggest that the Majority protect itself against the Tyranny of the Minority by way of enabling a minority of a particular number to automatically force a referendum whenever an issue causes as much consternation as it has in the above instance. Thus, no government may depend on the mandate of the minority in between elections that makes a mockery of the significance of the majority at the ballot box.

australia democracy elections labour socialism left politics news current affairs capitalism pluralism philosophy political current events

Legal Law vs Human Law

2005-11-15T11:12:00.000+08:00

"Mr Chirac also warned that parents must work hard to ensure a respect for the law among their children. "The justice system has been alerted," he added. "Everyone must know that the law cannot be broken with impunity."

bbc : Chirac in new pledge to end riots

Which basically means that parents must ensure that when their children grow up and become victims of racism and are unable to find jobs because of their names and their preference for a prayer mat rather than a pew, they ought to respect the law and do nothing but send a letter urging that the authorities do something to redress the situation in the selfsame way they had been this past couple of decades.

Chirac's counterparts, pre-abolition/french revolution/magna carta/political enfranchisement/etc, would undoubtedly have said the same thing. The 'rioters' are of the lineage of the successful 'rioters' of the past whilst Chirac is of the lineage of those who had opposed them.

Yes, everyone must know that 'the law cannot be broken with impunity', and the government ought to be taught that it cannot be nonchalant about the conditions that lead people to break the law with impunity. As long as the government is allowed to hide behind, 'the law cannot be broken with impunity', they will continue to neglect the conditions that cause people to break the law with conscientious impunity.

The Legal law means nothing without a prior enforcement and observation of the Human Law. It is this latter that determines the extent to which the former becomes a good in itself or a constitutional faciliation of the biases of the day.

The government has been afforded a valuable lesson by the recent uprising that sent a clear message that it cannot break the Human Law with impunity. The legitimacy of the Legal Law rests mainly on the objectivity and morality of the grounds upon which the Human Law is founded and the extent to which it is enforced. No Legal Law is defensible if this Human Law is not enforceable.

If you ask me what the Human Law is, I say it is that whose conspicuous absence serves as the conscientious foundation for the transgression of the Legal Law.

The Mean of the Ends and the Means

2005-11-14T20:59:00.000+08:00

“France now accepts the need for social justice. No petition, peaceful march or letter to an MP could have achieved this.” ~ gary younge

Guardian article : Riots are a class act

The problem with the ‘Ends’ and ‘Means’ debate arises from its not considering variables that are indivisble parts of the problem which either camp seeks to posit an answer for.
In our attempt to answer the question, ‘Do the Ends justify the Means?’, we generally consider,

1. The virtuosity of the ends

2. The illegality/immorality of the means

Such provocative counterpositional variables only serves to detract us from considering the third and crucial factor,

3. The availability of equally effective alternatives (and the absence of attempts/institutions that make ensure that it is unavailable.)

Our not supporting a particular means to solve a problem can only be supported if we have other equally effective means via which the same ends can be realised.

Those who choose to focus on the ‘illegality/immorality’ of the means tend to forget that the means via which many of their respective and respected systems were brought about was not by swamping the kings and queens of yore with poetical epistles and placards extended on the ends of hoes. The issue of the 'illegality/immorality' of means is a non sequitur in the face of a 'choice' of either 'living with it' or addressing it via means that requires one to continue living with it.

This is not to state that violence ought to be the preferred method for the disaffected kind. Rather, it is an indictment against the episcopacy overseeing the national/capitalist state for failing to provide alternative methods via which change might be effectively effected with as much haste in the face of objectively verifiable systemic deficiencies.

When we learn to value each individual life as much as 'our own' children, parents, friends, etc, that is when we will recognise, with much incredulity, the poverty of methods that basically tell us that more of our children, parents and friends will have to die because we have to address this problem via sensible and legal means.

The fact that we have to even forward arguments on the ‘social value’ of the Parisian ‘riots’, in terms of its being able to instigate change, speaks volumes of the extent to which the system, along with its consequences, are deemed by the herd of humanity to be natural, and that the attempt to address any evil is unnatural till we are forced to contend with its evil consequences. Thus, the virtuosity of the Parisian uprising comes not from a subjective opinion but from the formula posited by the state that implies that,

Means are not justified by the Ends but by the absence of Equally Effective Alternatives in effecting Virtuous Ends. It is in our attempt to resolve this equation that we will arrive at the Mean of the morality of an act.

We can therefore say that the Parisian uprising, amongst a host of others, is the most natural of human responses given the naturalness accorded to society’s natural lack of reaction to problems till faced with its natural consequences.

Diretribe article : Pavlov in Paris

france paris europe paris riots riots islam muslim muslims islam terror terrorism radicalism extremism french patriotism nationalism sociology psychology history society life culture capitalism socialism news current affairs current events french revolution bastille

Yasukuni Europe

2005-11-13T17:38:00.000+08:00

(Conceiving Hitler : A European Project)

Wouldn't Remembrance Day be a simultaneous celebration and validation of those who committed atrocities in the course of the relevant wars?

After all, isn't that the argument used to condemn Japanese observances at the Yasukuni Jinja? Whether the Japanese deify this individual or that is beside the point. What matters here is the implied inclusion of all those who had died in the course of the said war regardless of their conduct by such an all-encompassing observance. Doing it with a minutes silence or a bow does not change the nature of the activity. It is in this sense that Remembrance Day becomes little more than a translation of Yasukuni Jinja. For in both instances, what those who were sent to their deaths achieved was the divinification of the nation-state couched within a capitalist system, that has, to-date, been the cause of much deaths and the foundation of paradigms that serve as the basis for more evils whose causes we have attributed to psychosis of the individual or cultural variants.

As for the 'victors' of ww2,

if we were to take a couple of steps back from this historical scene to extend the width of our allegedly 'panoramic' appreciation of history, we'll realise that these 'victors' were less blatant examples of the Nazis.

Hitler’s Fascism was a counterpart of the Fascism of the western colonial project that sought to rally the world around a single idea that required mutual antagonism for fulfillment and the contraction of our idea of humanity within nation-states and personal aspirations. (and it is within this that we now 'express' our 'individuality'.) One sought to exclude others from the master race whilst the other sought to define the criteria for inclusion. The difference is almost indistinguishable as much in definition as it was in reality. However, the consequences were largely the same in effect and resulted in the decimation of populations throughout the globe. They may have diverged in features, but they were identical in form.

The colonial powers - and these allies were colonial powers in the course of ww2 - were subjugating, slaughtering and causing the deaths of far more in their exploits across all parts of the world on the basis of the superiority of their national/capitalist culture vs. the savage other. They did it in view of profit whilst Hitler did it despite not profiting from it – at least not in any degree close to that of the allies. One thing we can be sure. If it wasn't for the racist ideology that underlay and defined western perspectives that largely served as standards against which it was determined how the peoples of otro mundo were to be treated, Hitler wouldn't have the cultural circumstances to nurse him to that which he became in his imposition of a similar standard applied in a different milieu for different ends.

Thus,

ww2, in both Europe and Asia, was a cleanup operation of the mess that the west had spent a few hundred years creating. Our dichotomous understanding of these events as one between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ detracts us from appreciating the complicity of the forces of ‘good’ in its creation of the ‘evil’. Additionally, it enables the ‘descendants’ of the forces of ‘good’ to exonerate itself from its current complicity in the evils of our times by focusing mass attention on its more obvious legacy of being of the lineage of the ‘good’. In an abstract sense, it trains the masses into appreciating the validity of the idea that there can be ‘forces of good’ and ‘forces of evil’ as far as human society is concerned. It is in this that the masses unwittingly abjure their ability to check the greatest of evils when it is founded in that which is perceived to be the greatest of goods.

‘Remembrance Day’

is not unlike ‘Support our Troops’ in effect. Both detract us from considering the virtue of causative factors of the wars and the general historical circumstances within which it took place. At its heart are the support and validation of the divinity of the nation-state and a simultaneous validation of the legacy that resulted, and which we are currently encumbered with, as natural and legitimate. Remembrance Day, like Supporting our Troops, serves to excuse the Government from justifying its actions long enough till our sentimental myopia can be relied upon to focus on its effects rather than its causes.

What we ought to concern ourselves with is not those automatons that died at the behest of the state but the extent to which the ideology behind the respective states of those respective times made such deaths inevitable.

The Point behind the Pint

2005-11-12T19:51:00.000+08:00

Binge Drinking

“If we want to stop Britain’s problems with binge drinking and anti-social behaviour, should alcohol consumption be banned on trains, buses and planes?..... The Sunday Times reported that the idea of such a ban was put forward by the national director of the Home Office antisocial behaviour unit, Louise Casey.”

Guardian

Addressing binge drinking by contracting the localities within which it may be pursued detracts attention from the cultural and psychological locality from whence such propensities emerge.

Such restrictions, in general, regiment the masses and hinder critical introspection. This does little to encourage insights via incursions into the realm of our collective and individual subconscious. In an abstract sense, it deprives us of yet another reason why we should not look inward and, if this course of reflective inaction is pursued in other areas, thoughtlessness might soon become one of the hallmarks of our culture.

This particular situation, amongst others, provides us with yet another opportunity to practice the art of delving into the cultural subconscious, which serves as the foundation for many a social evil. We might live in hope that the contraction of localities where we might pursue undesirable pastimes would lead to a similar contraction of the cultural malaise that gives rise to them. But this is more like a ‘shot in the dark’ rather than a systematic approach to problems. Additionally, it might just lead to the unresolved issues underlying binge-drinking – that makes binge-drinking a symptom of a problem - to manifest itself in other and equally self-destructive forms.

We shouldn't give up this opportunity for critical introspection as it can only lead to a greater self-awareness, and consequently, enable us to exert a greater control over the cultural sinews that bind and bait, instead of opting for the simpler Sino method of defining right by regimentation.

uk united kingdom culture alcoholism drinking culture society life europe guardian current affairs psychology sociology

Beijing's Valuable Welcome

2005-11-12T18:49:00.000+08:00

Beijing unveils Olympic mascots

Beijing has unveiled its five official mascots for the 2008 Olympic Games.

The mascots are cartoon renditions of a panda, a carp, a Tibetan antelope, a swallow and the Olympic flame. They were introduced at a star-studded TV gala in the Chinese capital by top leaders of the communist party to mark the 1,000-day countdown to the Games.

The mascots were presented as Bei Bei, Jing Jing, Huan Huan, Ying Ying and Ni Ni - which, put together reads in Chinese "Beijing welcomes you!"

Beijing unveils Olympic Mascots
Lucky numbers for Chinese Olympics
About the Official Mascots

Now what can we make of the above?

"They reflect the cultural diversity of China as a multiethnic country," said Liu Qi, President of Beijing Organising Committee.

What can we make of ‘cultural diversity’ in a country where a single writing system and general rituals were systematically diffused top-down for more than 2000 years; where Buddhist monks had to be state-certified before practicing the art of independent thought and disengagement; where a particular cosmology of authority was disseminated throughout the population that trained them to view authority as a virtue in itself; where much learning and thought were pursued within official and centralised learning centres; where learning and thought had to take place within officially-circumscribed limits; where learning generally meant memorising and regurgitating the 'great' works of the past; where social significance was determined by one’s acceptance into this officially-endorsed space; where artistic expressions were largely undertaken to whet the consequentially stagnant appetites of the elite of China and not as an expression of one’s imagination unbound by the laws of command and supply; where there is very little artistic produce which validates the general population’s vibrant and independent interaction with society and life (compared to India); where intellectual anarchy was first and last seen in the Chou era more than 2000 years ago and never again; where philosophical wanderings were kept within limits instituted by the First Emperor of what consequently became the herd of China; where a ‘great wall’ had kept out both aggressors and cultural input; where the main symbols of China is little more than symbols of the desire of the elite to rule indefinitely whatever the cost as aesthetically referenced via the ‘great wall’ and the ‘forbidden city’……

"They represent the enthusiasm and aspirations of our people, Liu Qi added.

What then, given the above, can we make of the ‘enthusiasm and aspirations’ of a people reared under such elite-aggrandising conditions that required the herd to do unto each other that which was necessitated by a need to feed those who used their entirety as a footstool. With 2000 years of practice, the people would make Gods out of ‘lady luck’ and fodder out of each other. When the rule of might is deemed to be natural and legitimate, one rarely seeks to question authority but will attempt to circumvent the ensuing discomforts borne of the constant need to satisfy the ‘Son of Heaven’ by seeking to do unto their peers that which is done unto them. This leads to the validation of the worldview as held by the rulers. When this is thus raised to the level of virtue, it would not be deemed inappropriate to treat others in a likewise manner should one ever have the ‘good fortune’ to do so. All humanity becomes little more than a potential chip in a footstool in the making.

Thus, it is not surprising that there are 5 mascots instead of 1. It is, indeed, a most appropriate representation of what China has become after 2000 years of the aforementioned experience. Culturally diverse? Yes, indeed – between the ‘emperors’ and the ‘have-yet-to-be emperors’ who view wealth as the sole aim in life and all reality as a conduit via which this may be acquired. Representing the ‘enthusiasm and aspirations of the people’? Yes, indeed – enthusiasm and aspirations of the sort that is incapable of seeing nothing else but 5 times the profit where others see 1.

It matters not that a culture is rich in tradition.
What matters is what aspects of our humanity this richness impoverishes.

china beijing olympics asia culture history chinese chinese history psychology sociology news current affairs china 2008 money sinicism

Time to Get Gay

2005-11-11T19:59:00.000+08:00

50 Cent : Rap isn’t for Gays

"50 Cent insists there’s no place for gay men in rap because the genre is too aggressive for homosexuals."

yahoo news

If it is true that 'aggression' and 'homosexuality' are negatively correlated, than perhaps homosexuality might be the key to bringing about 'peace on earth'.

Or, perhaps, the inclusion of exhuberant men in the rap genre might gradually lead to the suggestion of other solutions to the problems highlighted by a number of current rappers who seek 'solutions' in line with the temperament of the genre.

On another note, the reason why men of the ecstatic variety might not be as aggressive as the sombre hetrosexual is that aggression is traditionally directed towards the aggressive sector of society - which is predominantly and traditionally male. Once they become fair game for 'luuurvin', the male sector loses its appeal as a relevant target for aggression. Once the target is compromised, aggression amongst the happier variety suffers abatement. In other words, where there isn’t a target, the propensity and desire to shoot disappears.

Perhaps, in our attempts to undermine the foundations for aggression, we might take a leaf out of the gay side of the orchard and inquire after the factors in 'modern' society that help in making it such a self-destructive 'target'.

culture rap 50 cent hiphop music entertainment news media pop gay civil rights equality discrimination psychology society life sociology celebrities philosophy

Pavlov in Paris

2005-11-10T19:28:00.000+08:00

“Two bloggers have been detained by authorities in France on suspicion of encouraging people to take part in the Paris riots….[and] have been placed under investigation, which is a step short of formal charges under French law, for "inciting harm to people and property over the internet".

Guardian

As I have said quite a bit on the topic of ‘incitement’, I’ll be brief here.

The two ‘bloggers’ have been encouraged by this and other governments across the globe who have been most consistent in sending a clear signal that they will never address grievances till the rioting begins by their subsequent attempts to address the basis upon which the rioting is founded.

As far as many governments are concerned, everything that needs to be done has been done because of the absence of militancy - despite there being verifiable and legitimate grievances - and not because everything that needs to be done has been done. In other words, the government’s idea of, ‘Enough’, is a function of the absence of militancy and not the absence of grievance. Additionally, the quicker pace at which anything redressive is done is determined not by compassion-driven ‘Urgency’ but by the inability to contend with ‘Insurgency’.

This is not a call to ‘terror’ but rather an indictment of the French government, amongst others, for encouraging it via the above associations which, in effect, puts Pavlov’s bell in the disaffected dog’s mouth.

The government has two choices. One, get rid of all dissent and make no ammendments to the status quo. If you do, it implies your tacit admission of causative complicity and your being amenable to militancy. Or, two, do your utmost to address any inconsistencies in your claim to represent the people in their entirety prior to its turning hostile. It is only then that you will be able to proceed with conscientious impunity as you put down insurgency that arises despite your having done everything that is humanly possible.

To err on the side of caution, the Presumption of Guilt has to be positively correlated with one’s power to prevent the basis upon which another’s Continuity of Innocence may be compromised.

Less brief, and at times repetitive, earlier statements on the topic :

Cliché sous Bois
Islamic Radicalism or Defensive Mechanism
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, and…
Inciting Incitement

france paris europe paris riots riots islam muslim muslims islam terror terrorism radicalism extremism french patriotism nationalism sociology psychology history society life culture capitalism socialism news current affairs current events french revolution bastille

Cliché sous Bois

2005-11-09T21:06:00.000+08:00

Villepin to Be Indicted Under Anti-Terror Laws

In response to the recent uprising in France, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, tacitly acknowledging that France has failed to live up to its egalitarian ideals, reached out to the heavily immigrant suburbs where the rioting began. He said France must make a priority of working against the discrimination that feeds the frustration of youths made to feel that they do not belong in France. …."The republic is at a moment of truth," he said. "What is being questioned is the effectiveness of our integration model."

Guardian

Tony Blair Q.C. (queer customer) : “And the above statement, my dear members of the jury, provides us with clear evidence of the guilt of the accused. It is illustrated by his explicit implication that the recent Acts of Terror in France has a cause. If this is not the case, the accused would not have considered measures aimed at undermining the basis upon which, he insinuates, it would be reasonable to expect such unrests in the future!”

Perhaps Villepin ought to be indicted for ‘promoting, glorifying or encouraging’ the recent, and future, 'riots' in France and the rest of Europe. The aforementioned measures and statement basically implies that it was the absence of these measures that had laid the foundations for the uprising. By doing so, Villepin posits the notion that the ‘rioters’ were behavioural corollaries of the attitudinal and logical deficiencies of the government and the system respectively. In other words, Villepin has indicted the French Government and the System it maintains for causing the recent ‘riots’.

Following in the line of this logic, Villepin ought to also consider pardoning all arrested in the course of the ‘riots’ on the basis of his afore-implied Governmental Negligence of the causative conditions or risk allegations of abetting the said events. If he fails to do this, it indicates that he is of the opinion that it is preferable and sensible to impose sanctions on the effects of governmental negligence whilst acknowledging that it was the militant nature of these effects that had finally caused the government to address its negligence. This also implies that their 'failure' to address them prior to the disturbances was due to the absence of these militant effects.

If we do not want to be placed in the ridiculous position where the proposition that we ought to thank ‘rioters’ for reminding us of social deficiencies that their prior militant absence had allowed us to consciously and conscientiously ignore, then we ought to do our utmost before and not after.

To do much after, is, on the one hand, an admission of prior and willful negligence, and on the other, a tacit acceptance that the relevant dire events might not have occurred was it not for the said negligence. Additionally, the perpetrators simultaneously take on the state-imposed paradoxical persona of ‘victims’ whilst victimising and we are thus ‘forced’ to take legal action against them for behaving in ways that they would probably have not had it not been for the conditions which we refused to address till their militancy.

It is such an approach by the Oligarchs of the Day that sends a clear message to the disaffected throughout the globe that neither pleadings nor placards would detract the Oligarchs from their virulent course till they ‘decide’ that the time is ripe for change when confronted with an unrelenting Cliché sous Bois.

This, logically, renders the Oligarchs of the Day the true ‘encouragers, promoters and glorifiers’ of ‘terror’, as they, firstly, do nothing about the conditions that give rise to violent militancy, and then, secondly, address grievances once it turns violent. Whilst these efforts are laudable enough, they simultaneously serve to encourage others to follow a similar and militant course of action. The more enlightened sector of the populace will, in the intermediate phase, risk imprisonment for suggesting causes for these evils till the Oligarchs have had enough and decide, like Villepin, to address these causes themselves. At which point, they would of course state that the 'Armalite' never worked and that the 'Ballot Box' was always the way to go. If we were to then ask where the Ballot Box was prior to the Armalite, we would most undoubtedly be answered with a, "What Ballot Box?" This is the vicious cycle that is set in motion on a daily basis that starts with that which ‘our’ elected ‘representatives’ are ignoring as you read these words.

We are thus left with two choices.

1. Do our utmost to ensure that the conditions that can scientifically be verified to give rise to ‘terror’ are eradicated, or,

2. we can profit as far as possible via our ignorance of these conditions. When faced with consequences, we can then engage in a vehement and protracted denial of our complicity, and, a la juvenilis americanus, as witnessed in the aftermath of America’s Cliché sous Bois on 9/11, inaugurate a ‘war on terror’ that demands that the present, along with our familial loyalties, serve as the starting point of all History. This will enable us to utilise this logic to proceed with the requisite conscientious impunity and literally 'kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out' – thus successfully demolishing the far from complete Democratic Project.

Downgrading Uprisings

2005-11-08T21:14:00.000+08:00

“Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin ruled out army intervention for the moment, but said an extra 1,500 police officers are to be deployed.”
bbc

A response to a situation, or lack of, is not always decided upon purely to counter the situation but with care being taken to destabilise any basis that might lead the masses to view the situation as anything more than what it is as defined by the current measures instituted against it.

This would be especially be so if there is a possibility that the masses might construe it to be other than what the Oligarchs intend that it should be understood as. For instance, in the global ‘war on terror’, we see the use of the military for two reasons. One, that there is a general lack of scepticism in the face of the word, ‘terrorist’, and two, once the masses have already accepted this term of sentiment as a valid descriptor of what it actually is, the use of the military against these terrorists does not compromise the latter’s identity as ‘terrorists’ as opposed to a ‘legitimate’ ‘Army’.

However, in the French instance, the intentional use of the police instead of the military in the face of the recent ‘riots’ has the effect of allaying tendencies to interpret the events as an ‘uprising’. A ‘riot’, as far as the all too common an understanding goes, is a ‘law and order’ problem that basically locates cause and effect within the thus diagnosed psychotic miscreant.

An ‘uprising’, on the other hand, suggests a systemic cause that demands critical intro/retrospective reflection in efforts to determine cause. Viewing disturbances such as these as ‘riots’ instead of ‘uprisings’ feeds upon the tendency founded upon the human propensity to blame other’s for all bad things whilst taking responsibility or claiming credit for good things. This protects one from any negative affect arising from one’s having to admit one’s irresponsibility and complicity in undesirable events. This is, of course, exacerbated by the national/capitalist system that thrives on ego/ethno/national – centricities. Hence, the first reaction is rarely one that goes, ‘Mea Culpa!’, but rather, ‘Mea Culpa?’

Thus, the French Oligarchs ‘failure’ to utilise more effective methods that are available in via the military, might very well indicate an underlying fear amongst the ruling and exploiting body that the global mass might increasingly recognise a resemblance between the events of recent times and their much vaunted ‘storming of the bastille’. It is just such a fear that oftentimes determines the ‘best’ and ‘most appropriate’ of measures. The ‘rioters’, meanwhile, ought to move on to other means to seek an address of their grievances at this stage.

Anyone for Tennis?

original artwork modified by the inclusion
of villepin & effects by A.D. for Diretribe

france paris europe paris riots riots islam muslim muslims islam terror terrorism radicalism extremism french patriotism nationalism sociology psychology history society life culture capitalism socialism news current affairs current events french revolution bastille

Islamic Radicalism or Defensive Mechanism?

2005-11-07T21:23:00.000+08:00

“Muslim ‘Rage Virus’ Spreading Beyond France”

There are quite a number of blogs - the above is one example - that are laying the blame for the most recent of the uprisings in France on Islamic radicalism.

Islamic Radicalism is essentially indistinguishable from National Radicalism. Of course, National Radicalism is not known as such. This is because National Radicalism springs from the ‘State’, which basically means, ‘That which is’ or ‘That which is allowed or recognised to be a legitimate First Cause. In other words, the State becomes that from which all actions and thoughts can emerge. Thus, National Radicalism becomes a seemingly high-sounding ‘Patriotism’ – at least to those who, like our juvenile cousins across the straits of the Atlantic like to say, ‘got with the program’.

Islamic Radicalism, however, is action and thought not coming from a State even if its community may be as numerous as any particular UN-endorsed state or even larger than the state that endorses the UN. Thus, without a ‘State’ – or ‘Body’ – its actions are understood in itself and stripped of Cause. It is like the traditional ‘God’ that creates itself. Of course, we have to cast aside any scientific notions we might have that would undermine our faith in the allegation that it creates itself, or risk sanctions which all scientifically or rationally inclined persons, from Copernicus onward to the present had to endure in the face of the ecclesiastical inclinations of the Powers of the Day.

‘Radicalism’ is basically ‘a reaction to’, though it is commonly perceived to be a phenomenon in itself because its consequences are more salient than its causes - at least to the observer or victim of radicalism. When we call Islamic Radicals, ‘radicals’, we generally do so not because of what they do, but because they don’t have a state from which what they do can be given another name.

Islamic Patriotism, like National Patriotism, OR, Islamic Radicalism, like National Radicalism, is a paradigm through which self-defence is articulated. Offence, however, is the grounds from whence emerges the propensity to engage in Defence. Before we use the ‘R’ word, and allege that Islamic, Hindu, Christian or Buddhist ‘Radicalism’ is behind acts of violence, we have to first inquire after the grounds upon which offence might be caused, lest we mistake the means via which defence is articulated for the cause. The burden of proof must be placed on the prosecution.

Unless, of course, one has good reason to believe that the self-defence mechanism has its origins in Islam.

france paris paris riots riots islam muslim muslims islam terror terrorism radicalism extremism french patriotism nationalism sociology psychology society life culture capitalism socialism news current affairs current events

Discussing the Hijab

2005-11-06T23:16:00.000+08:00

“I don't quite understand the complaint here. The hijab is an imposition on women. Some slaves, in the past, claimed they preferred to be a slave as they had no responsibility and were looked after by their master. This did not stop the act of slavery being wrong.

In the same way forcing women to wear clothing that hides them from the world is cruel and, regardless of protestations by those inflicted upon, is still wrong.

School uniform in secular and Christian countries, is school uniform. Why should France or, indeed, Britain change its rules to suit a religion (regardless of the religion)? There is no equivalence in the Islamic world, so should not the argument be taken there as worse offenders before it is brought here?

What do you think?”

The above was posted by Gavin Ayling in the comments section of the article, To the, Oh So Idiotic, French

It is not the imposition of hijabs on women that is the point here. That issue has to be taken up in the relevant arena. When we take it up in the classroom by prohibiting its usage within the school environment, the issue becomes confused with that of the Muslims’ right to freedom of expression.

We must also remember that the meaning behind particular symbols that may have been oppressive at one time, may take on new meanings with the passage of time. There are, amongst others, women who adorn their headscarves as a symbol of distinction or as an illustration of the idea of modesty rather than as an effort to excuse men from conscientiously taking issue with their lust. I, personally, appreciate the exposition given to such an idea in the face of the imposition of its antithesis in society. It leads me to contemplate alternatives to that which we are taking as norms and imposing via the media and a myriad of other means and methods, both consciously and unconsciously, on 'deviants' and unsuspecting toddlers. In this sense, we are no different from those who force women to wear hijabs or burqahs. Analogously, if it wasn’t for bipolar extremes, we would find it quite difficult to contemplate even the possibility of a centre. The hijab is just such a symbol that counterpositional posits the increasingly novel idea of modesty as a viable concept, whilst serving as a reminder that we can base the core of our identities on something other than ‘beauty’.

Uniform or otherwise, what ought to be excluded from the learning environment is that which directly conflicts with learning. The hijab obviously doesn't qualify, unless, of course, it is not tucked behind the ear or is not of a porous enough material to enable one’s aural abilities. Even the uniform is not a necessary part of the learning environment, unless its purpose to train us in a symbolic and abstract appreciation of the ‘virtue’ of regimentation. If anything, these rules do more in stifling individuality and independent thought through enforced assimilation to one standard of dress where it does not serve to illustrate any part of the curriculum.

One could no doubt say that these points could equally be applied to those wearing hijabs. However, that is an issue for them to contend with so long they are not simultaneously denied the fundamental right to be intellectually enabled to contend with it via the right to an education, freedom of expression, employment, political rights, etc. The idiotic French, however, have reversed this logic by stating that the right to an education has to be preceded by the removal of the hijab just because they say so on the basis of an extremely ill-argued perspective.

When we seek to equate our cultural standards of a ‘normal’ classroom environment with, or deem it a necessary feature of the learning process, the 'educator's' agenda is immediately and justifiably open to allegations of bias. This is especially so when one sector of society merely has to ‘put on’ (clothes or uniforms) whilst another has to ‘take off’ (hijab) before gaining admission into the classroom. And this is not undeserving of incredulity given that that which is being ‘taken off’ is one of the symbols of a belief system and comprises, in terms of that which the hijab alludes to, part of the basis of an ancient culture. This is a clear statement that this global paradigm of thought has no place in ‘modern’ society given that the school serves as the final socialisationary agent for those being inducted into ‘secular’ society. Such as approach is assimilationist and anti-integrationist and can only serve to fuel the already tense relations between these two paradigmatic schools.

I always thought that a desire to learn was criteria enough for admission rather than submission to anyone’s allegedly ‘secular’ norms.

france hijab headscarf islam muslim colonialism french discrimination muslims news current affairs europe uk culture history life society equality racism civil rights french revolution politics secularism religion psychology christianity assimilation education current events paris paris riots