Monday, April 18, 2005
The glorious imperial one party rule!
Why bother with separation of power - that old cumbersome no good for business system? Let all branches of government and all government agencies become expediting, rubber-stamping cheer leaders. We demand 100% approval rate for all nominees! How dare the Democrats stall 10 nominees that see ideologies as more important than law? We must in our democracy push for absolute majority rule, albeit the majority is statistically indeterminate.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
No sympathy for the victims unless they are ‘fair’?
Fair skinned that is. Do we use words like coercion, nationalism, “clean up your own house first” kind of statements to label Jewish people when they demanded recognition, apologies and commemorated their suffering during WWII? When they rightfully took to courts and asked for compensation from Euro/American companies, do we say that they have no right because Israel is building settlements on Palestinian land?
I suspect some of the comments on BBC are expressing more of a racial bias then legitimate criticism.
This is like a flashback to the 80s when North Americans painted Japan as this evil empire, when openly anti-Japanese sentiments were widespread because it was an economic threat at the time. Now we are seeing the same sentiments expressed against China. However, I think it goes far deeper then that; the West has always harbored suspicion and hostilities toward China. Aside from the rapid economic growth, there are many historic/cultural/political reasons that are more important in shaping this bias against China or anything Chinese. It will require a thorough and extensive discussion, which will have to be saved for another time.
For those criticizing none-western countries of not having freedom of speech, has anyone paused to think about the media biases, self-censorship and government propaganda in the West? Freedom of speech and freedom of information are most important and are only meaningful when facts are plainly presented and readily available for majority of people to have access. We should look into ourselves to try and figure out why we have such knee-jerk reaction whenever issues related to China comes forth. Is it really so hard to understand the pain and anguish that the Chinese, Korean and other neighboring counties of Japan felt?
Of course Asian countries are worried about Japan joining U.N. Security Council. Japanese officials are still paying annual visits to a shrine that hosts/celebrates war criminals! What would be our reaction if Gerhard Schroeder visits Hitler’s shrine every year and tells us he has only peace in mind?
Please go to this link and write a piece of your mind http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/4436425.stm
I suspect some of the comments on BBC are expressing more of a racial bias then legitimate criticism.
This is like a flashback to the 80s when North Americans painted Japan as this evil empire, when openly anti-Japanese sentiments were widespread because it was an economic threat at the time. Now we are seeing the same sentiments expressed against China. However, I think it goes far deeper then that; the West has always harbored suspicion and hostilities toward China. Aside from the rapid economic growth, there are many historic/cultural/political reasons that are more important in shaping this bias against China or anything Chinese. It will require a thorough and extensive discussion, which will have to be saved for another time.
For those criticizing none-western countries of not having freedom of speech, has anyone paused to think about the media biases, self-censorship and government propaganda in the West? Freedom of speech and freedom of information are most important and are only meaningful when facts are plainly presented and readily available for majority of people to have access. We should look into ourselves to try and figure out why we have such knee-jerk reaction whenever issues related to China comes forth. Is it really so hard to understand the pain and anguish that the Chinese, Korean and other neighboring counties of Japan felt?
Of course Asian countries are worried about Japan joining U.N. Security Council. Japanese officials are still paying annual visits to a shrine that hosts/celebrates war criminals! What would be our reaction if Gerhard Schroeder visits Hitler’s shrine every year and tells us he has only peace in mind?
Please go to this link and write a piece of your mind http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/4436425.stm
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
History and war crimes
I must admit that I was surprised by the number of Americans critical of the Chinese protests against the newly approved Japanese history ‘altering’ textbooks. They call China’s protests hypocrisy. Their logic seemed to be based on China’s 3 large skeletons - Tibet, Tiananmen and Falun Gong.
It is always interesting to see Americans talk about the hypocrisy of other nations, given that it has one of the most thorough genocide in history against the Natives, and is now an invader and occupier of two foreign nations. How do we square that?
To say China should not criticize Japan is like saying Israel should not condemn Germany, should it decide to alter history and down play its atrocity during WWII, because Israel is having a ‘territorial dispute’ with Palestine. What is naïve and childish is the inability to distinguish invasion, occupation, genocide, state sanctioned abuse and exploitation based on race and gender, from policy failures.
We should, in a separate conversation, talk about Tibet, Tiananmen and Falun Gong just as we should address Native American reservations, reparation to descendents of American slaves, inner city police brutalities, and brutal suppression of anti-war and anti-WTO protesters and oh, let’s not forget Waco.
What we should not do is to confuse issues. Japan should face the truth about its history of brutality against other Asian countries. Germany has done so after WWII so should Japan.
Many of our American friends support Japan’s bid on the U.N. Security Council. Has Japan shown that it deserves the U.N. Security Council seat by supporting every war the west has waged since WWII?
It is always interesting to see Americans talk about the hypocrisy of other nations, given that it has one of the most thorough genocide in history against the Natives, and is now an invader and occupier of two foreign nations. How do we square that?
To say China should not criticize Japan is like saying Israel should not condemn Germany, should it decide to alter history and down play its atrocity during WWII, because Israel is having a ‘territorial dispute’ with Palestine. What is naïve and childish is the inability to distinguish invasion, occupation, genocide, state sanctioned abuse and exploitation based on race and gender, from policy failures.
We should, in a separate conversation, talk about Tibet, Tiananmen and Falun Gong just as we should address Native American reservations, reparation to descendents of American slaves, inner city police brutalities, and brutal suppression of anti-war and anti-WTO protesters and oh, let’s not forget Waco.
What we should not do is to confuse issues. Japan should face the truth about its history of brutality against other Asian countries. Germany has done so after WWII so should Japan.
Many of our American friends support Japan’s bid on the U.N. Security Council. Has Japan shown that it deserves the U.N. Security Council seat by supporting every war the west has waged since WWII?
Sunday, March 27, 2005
A new begining
This is my first webblog so bear with me.
Every day I read the news and it gets me into an emotional tantrum; sometimes sorrow, sometimes anger, occasional laughter but quite often I find myself in utter disbelief.
Like today, there is the BBC article about South Asian Tsunami sufferers questioning their faith. In the article, it stated examples and figures of how there has been a lost of faith since Dec. 26, 04 – “(a mother) vowed never to set foot in (the church) again,” after her son’s death, and the reduction of 30% to 50% pilgrims visiting the Vailankanni church.
Somehow, I suspect, the need for ‘balance’ kicked in and the correspondent wrote, “Other survivors have reacted quite differently and have come to experience a much deeper sense of spirituality.” I found myself intrigued; how does one find profound sense of spirituality in Christianity amidst such devastation when India has a far deeper and more ancient web of spiritual practices?
I read on, "In the church courtyard it is hard to miss 'One Leg Thomas' as he calls himself, dispensing blessings to penitent pilgrims.” hmm… “Once a trader in the seafront flea-market, his souvenir shack was destroyed, and with it his livelihood… So now he offers to take on people's worries and burdens - a symbolic act involving prayer and the laying-on of hands - for which he expects a donation of between two and five rupees…”
Oh, that kind of “deeper sense of spirituality.”
At some level, all of the western world and increasingly the east subscribe to Christianity, whether or not one actually believes in it. It is in a more subliminal and profound sense that we value it much differently than other religion, mainly religions of non-Anglo nature.
It is usually the case that, if one finds doubt in Christianity, it is considered a relapse, be it temporary or permanent; if one finds doubt in other non-Anglo religion, one has somehow found enlightenment.
In some ways, it is hard for ‘westerners’ (cultural, not race based) to accept that perhaps there is really no deep spiritual base for Christianity in other parts of the world, such as India. We are reluctant or unwilling to face the fact that Christianity had, in its earlier stage, been imposed on to these people through force and, more recently, through coercion and a cultivated sense of supremacy. Yes, white supremacy imposed through force, exploitation and economic dominance.
When covering religion, it would be unwise to ignore the cultural, historical context and our own entrenched biases.
To read the article - Tsunami sufferers question faith
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4382689.stm
Every day I read the news and it gets me into an emotional tantrum; sometimes sorrow, sometimes anger, occasional laughter but quite often I find myself in utter disbelief.
Like today, there is the BBC article about South Asian Tsunami sufferers questioning their faith. In the article, it stated examples and figures of how there has been a lost of faith since Dec. 26, 04 – “(a mother) vowed never to set foot in (the church) again,” after her son’s death, and the reduction of 30% to 50% pilgrims visiting the Vailankanni church.
Somehow, I suspect, the need for ‘balance’ kicked in and the correspondent wrote, “Other survivors have reacted quite differently and have come to experience a much deeper sense of spirituality.” I found myself intrigued; how does one find profound sense of spirituality in Christianity amidst such devastation when India has a far deeper and more ancient web of spiritual practices?
I read on, "In the church courtyard it is hard to miss 'One Leg Thomas' as he calls himself, dispensing blessings to penitent pilgrims.” hmm… “Once a trader in the seafront flea-market, his souvenir shack was destroyed, and with it his livelihood… So now he offers to take on people's worries and burdens - a symbolic act involving prayer and the laying-on of hands - for which he expects a donation of between two and five rupees…”
Oh, that kind of “deeper sense of spirituality.”
At some level, all of the western world and increasingly the east subscribe to Christianity, whether or not one actually believes in it. It is in a more subliminal and profound sense that we value it much differently than other religion, mainly religions of non-Anglo nature.
It is usually the case that, if one finds doubt in Christianity, it is considered a relapse, be it temporary or permanent; if one finds doubt in other non-Anglo religion, one has somehow found enlightenment.
In some ways, it is hard for ‘westerners’ (cultural, not race based) to accept that perhaps there is really no deep spiritual base for Christianity in other parts of the world, such as India. We are reluctant or unwilling to face the fact that Christianity had, in its earlier stage, been imposed on to these people through force and, more recently, through coercion and a cultivated sense of supremacy. Yes, white supremacy imposed through force, exploitation and economic dominance.
When covering religion, it would be unwise to ignore the cultural, historical context and our own entrenched biases.
To read the article - Tsunami sufferers question faith
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4382689.stm
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