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March 09, 2005
Ramble
Today, I am tired, just after two hours into the work day. In fact, tired will be a word I will like to use to describe the state of my body for the past few days. I am tempted to say that I am a victim of political wrangling. I will even be happy to admit that the principles I hold on to have brought me to the situation that I am at. Perhaps my stubborn character simply refuses to compromise on choosing boot-licking as a viable route to escape from political wrangling victimization. Instead, I have become a convenient target or a scapegoat.
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It is funny how, with the current pulse of affairs mostly centered on the decision whether we should become the Macau of South East Asia, the recent event involving a man and his family is adding fuel to the argument that one particular vice may create more unsavoury social situations than the public can stomach. We were greeted this morning with a big photo (taken from some video, I suspect) of the young girl, who arguably died way before her time. Coming soon after the tragic incident where another young life was lost as a result of a foolish act between two young people and how the media were giving gender-biased coverage to the possibly traumaticised young “undergrad” (What has this word got to do with the act? Is there a suggestion that educated people will never make foolish decisions when under considerable distress?), I hope I can be forgiven for thinking what this world is coming to.
On the news coverage last evening, the scene of how the relatives were obviously in emotional upheaval when identifying the bodies of their loved ones was featured. It may be an interesting sight to those who are concerned but I wonder at the relevance in showing it on prime time news on what it really is – private and personal moments when humans grieve for their suddenly-departed loved ones. It does not help that, in the foreground, there seems to be a little red strip which suggests that cameras from the prying media “eyes” were not welcome there.
In the sub-section of our national rag today, an almost depressing headline was featured on its front page and for its main story, we were treated to extended reports of a family feud and how people were washing their dirty linen in public. Both sides were (rightly) bitter about the whole affair and were (not rightly) taking potshots at each other while the media simply suck everything up and regurgitate it, hoping that the interest on the matter will push up sales of the paper (or even as an incentive for those thinking about whether they should pay subscription fees for the Internet version of the rag).
Where is the sense of human decency and respect? Will we be expecting to see an increase in the number of men, chased out of their homes by their disgruntled spouses, spending their night sleeping at bus stop shelters soon?
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So the largest country in Asia (since Russia is more politically European) is taking a step closer towards bringing all and sundry closer to yet another war on our largely “peace-hating” continent. I wonder if people on that “renegade” province are quaking in their boots as to news that any decision made by their elected leader towards “independence” will eventually mean that their largely carefree days will end and they may have to spend some long periods of time in bomb shelters. The island’s chief allies have appropriately stated that they are concerned but what is as clear as day is that in this day and age, money, or specifically “future money” talks. I guess those coffeeshop uncles will start taking bets on the year when the war will start. So far, anytime beyond 2006 (after the Olympics) is a good bet.
Meanwhile a leader of a separatist movement somewhere in the Caucasus was reported to have been assassinated by agents of a greater power. While reading through the tons of articles generated by this incident, the picture of a woman going to the polls (to choose between a moderate separatist leader and a pro-“greaterpower” candidate) while being watched by a soldier sitting on top of a “greaterpower” tank lingered in my mind. Though not as poignant as the famous picture of the man standing somewhere in Beijing while trying to stop a convoy of tanks many times his body weight and size, it was enough to achieve its effect on me.
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Posted by D W at March 9, 2005 05:44 PM