The shocking acts of looting may not be political, but they nevertheless say something about the beaten-down lives of the rioterser the buzz of mob mayhem from 1981'
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
London riots
As much of a cliche as it is, I can feel a real sense of pain from the 'nation', or rather, the myriad populations here in the UK. There is great bewilderment at the violence that has seemingly erupted from nowhere and the sheer inability of the state's forces to cope. People are asking why so many youths have suddenly decided to 'turn on their own communities', a phrase that has been used over and over, and how this has happened.
Some point to the structural marginalisation of disaffected youths, with little in terms of a future and job prospects, ignored and condemned by society, suspicious of the authorities who have always been suspicious of them, who have no voice, frustrations to vent and nothing to lose. They say that this violence was only a matter of time. Others call the violence plain hooliganism with immoral, opportunistic looters simply out to get goods for free. They say that these youths have had every opportunity to better themselves but have chosen not to out of pure laziness, and that socio-economic justifications for the violence are pure hogwash. Still others resort to the 'culture' argument, talking about the breakdown in values and the failure of parents to instill the correct values in their kids.
I think that there are structural factors underlying the violence. It is true that these youths feel as if they have been marginalised, and that they have no stake in this society. To a large extent their frustrations are justified. However, the fact that there are structural causes of the violence does not take away the moral responsibility of the perpetrators for what they have done. A cause is not a justification. That they chose to vent their frustrations in this way, that they chose to acquire a voice in this way, that they chose to drown that voice in the clamour of greed and selfishness and thoughtlessness, that they chose to hurt others who were largely innocent of any wrongdoing - these are choices that are not acceptable. Yes, they were dealt a bad hand, but this does not automatically exempt them from making the right choices, and I fully support dealing harshly with them, if the state's resources allow.
The presence of law and order in any state is always an illusion predicated on the acquiescence of its population. When even a significant minority refuses to respect law and order, the illusion breaks down and lawlessness is easily married with impunity - this is, after all, the principle behind civil disobedience. 'Rioting' is cathartic, and when a critical mass of people is reached, it is also strangely easy, especially in a state where the government is unwilling to turn its full capacity for violence on its own people. But sometimes there is no easy path that is also morally justifiable.
When all is said and done, something needs to change about the system. The 'rioting' is an immediate problem that needs to be solved; the 'rioting' is also a symptom of a larger problem. For too long we have looked down our noses at the youths roaming the streets in loud, rowdy gangs, dismissing them as stupid 'street trash' who will never amount to anything, and never looking at the reasons they are this way. We forget that they are also looking at us looking at them, and we forget that they feel our disdain and react in anger. We forget that they are human too. That the riots have called our attention to this does not absolve the rioters of responsibility, for to make that argument would be to once again deny the agency of these youths; it has merely reminded us that we are responsible too. We cannot stand apart from the riots and judge, for we were complicit as well.
Some point to the structural marginalisation of disaffected youths, with little in terms of a future and job prospects, ignored and condemned by society, suspicious of the authorities who have always been suspicious of them, who have no voice, frustrations to vent and nothing to lose. They say that this violence was only a matter of time. Others call the violence plain hooliganism with immoral, opportunistic looters simply out to get goods for free. They say that these youths have had every opportunity to better themselves but have chosen not to out of pure laziness, and that socio-economic justifications for the violence are pure hogwash. Still others resort to the 'culture' argument, talking about the breakdown in values and the failure of parents to instill the correct values in their kids.
I think that there are structural factors underlying the violence. It is true that these youths feel as if they have been marginalised, and that they have no stake in this society. To a large extent their frustrations are justified. However, the fact that there are structural causes of the violence does not take away the moral responsibility of the perpetrators for what they have done. A cause is not a justification. That they chose to vent their frustrations in this way, that they chose to acquire a voice in this way, that they chose to drown that voice in the clamour of greed and selfishness and thoughtlessness, that they chose to hurt others who were largely innocent of any wrongdoing - these are choices that are not acceptable. Yes, they were dealt a bad hand, but this does not automatically exempt them from making the right choices, and I fully support dealing harshly with them, if the state's resources allow.
The presence of law and order in any state is always an illusion predicated on the acquiescence of its population. When even a significant minority refuses to respect law and order, the illusion breaks down and lawlessness is easily married with impunity - this is, after all, the principle behind civil disobedience. 'Rioting' is cathartic, and when a critical mass of people is reached, it is also strangely easy, especially in a state where the government is unwilling to turn its full capacity for violence on its own people. But sometimes there is no easy path that is also morally justifiable.
When all is said and done, something needs to change about the system. The 'rioting' is an immediate problem that needs to be solved; the 'rioting' is also a symptom of a larger problem. For too long we have looked down our noses at the youths roaming the streets in loud, rowdy gangs, dismissing them as stupid 'street trash' who will never amount to anything, and never looking at the reasons they are this way. We forget that they are also looking at us looking at them, and we forget that they feel our disdain and react in anger. We forget that they are human too. That the riots have called our attention to this does not absolve the rioters of responsibility, for to make that argument would be to once again deny the agency of these youths; it has merely reminded us that we are responsible too. We cannot stand apart from the riots and judge, for we were complicit as well.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Phone hacking!
Phone hacking: Hunt worried Murdoch 'was not told'
There're quite a number of people who don't believe the Murdochs' 'ignorant & betrayed' defence. I don't know really, I think it's not as clear-cut as that. I thnk in a big organisation, responsibility & judgement becomes diffused almost. It's too easy to 'choose to know as little as possible', or see dubious practices as 'the way things are done', or to decide to 'let someone else think about it because I've got more urgent things on my plate'. All those little sins of negligence that culminate in a significant wrong. I'm not surprised that something like this could happen, and I think that while the specific crime might not be the same, malpractices, large or small, are probably present in any big organisation. When in a large enough group, the crime of many becomes the crime of none.
Jeremy Hunt has said News Corporation still has questions to answer about why Rupert Murdoch and other executives did not know about the extent of phone hacking at the News of the World.
There're quite a number of people who don't believe the Murdochs' 'ignorant & betrayed' defence. I don't know really, I think it's not as clear-cut as that. I thnk in a big organisation, responsibility & judgement becomes diffused almost. It's too easy to 'choose to know as little as possible', or see dubious practices as 'the way things are done', or to decide to 'let someone else think about it because I've got more urgent things on my plate'. All those little sins of negligence that culminate in a significant wrong. I'm not surprised that something like this could happen, and I think that while the specific crime might not be the same, malpractices, large or small, are probably present in any big organisation. When in a large enough group, the crime of many becomes the crime of none.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
New battleground
US plans to 'fight the net' revealed
A newly declassified document gives a fascinating glimpse into the US military's plans for "information operations" - from psychological operations, to attacks on hostile computer networks.
Woah this is some crazy shit. But it's hardly surprising that people in the security sector would see the Internet in this light.
Americans have been notoriously bad at soft power, something that's perhaps not entirely their fault, since people like to pick on the big boys. It's funny though, how they see soft power in such militarized terms. 'Fight the net'? What happened to 'promote cultural awareness and understanding'? It makes it seem like they see everyone else as a potential enemy instead of a potential friend. (or at least the article makes it seem so, and we know how much the BBC likes US foreign policy these days)
Of course now that the document's out in the open, that means more bad press for them. Nobody likes Big Brother propagandists. They should have stuck to the wimpy cultural exchanges.
I also have to say that I don't like the idea of propaganda and surveillance of the Internet being institutionalized and legitimized as part of a 'war'. (I know it happens all the time already.) Netizens unite! (haha)
A newly declassified document gives a fascinating glimpse into the US military's plans for "information operations" - from psychological operations, to attacks on hostile computer networks.
The operations described in the document include a surprising range of military activities: public affairs officers who brief journalists, psychological operations troops who try to manipulate the thoughts and beliefs of an enemy, computer network attack specialists who seek to destroy enemy networks.
...
It seems to see the internet as being equivalent to an enemy weapons
system."Strategy should be based on the premise that the Department [of Defense] will 'fight the net' as it would an enemy weapons system," it reads.
Woah this is some crazy shit. But it's hardly surprising that people in the security sector would see the Internet in this light.
Americans have been notoriously bad at soft power, something that's perhaps not entirely their fault, since people like to pick on the big boys. It's funny though, how they see soft power in such militarized terms. 'Fight the net'? What happened to 'promote cultural awareness and understanding'? It makes it seem like they see everyone else as a potential enemy instead of a potential friend. (or at least the article makes it seem so, and we know how much the BBC likes US foreign policy these days)
Of course now that the document's out in the open, that means more bad press for them. Nobody likes Big Brother propagandists. They should have stuck to the wimpy cultural exchanges.
I also have to say that I don't like the idea of propaganda and surveillance of the Internet being institutionalized and legitimized as part of a 'war'. (I know it happens all the time already.) Netizens unite! (haha)
Monday, January 22, 2007
News
Ancient Greek gods' new believers Followers of the 12 Greek Gods, who, according to mythology, ruled the Ancient World from Mount Olympus, have cast a thunderbolt at their Orthodox opponents.
This was inexplicably amusing to me. Well, not exactly inexplicably. Amusing largely because I've heard the example of 'pagan' worship used in polemics against Christianity so many times (you have 'faith' in your God, but these Greeks, guess what? they had 'faith' too!), it's sort of funny to know they're still around, alive and (kicking and stepping on people's toes).
BlogTV.sg
blogtv.sg is a programme where the blogosphere is transported onto the television screen. Different discussion topics each week are derived from the latest buzz in blogs - be it podcasts, video clips or pictures. Guest bloggers and experts from Singapore and around the world (it could be you!) come onto the show; have chats with our hosts through web cams and even 3G phones.
I should watch TV more often. There've already been 13 episodes on CNA (Channel News Asia, for those not in the know), and I've only just discovered (while surfing, not watching tv, of course).
As far as I can tell from the write-ups on each episode, they tend to focus on social (as opposed to political - again, the separation in Singaporean discourse between 'social' and 'political'. Sorry, I'm Singaporean after all.) issues, except for Ep.12: Big Boys Blogging, which just might cross the line into politics. Of course I wouldn't know how far they went, unless I bother downloading and watching the episode myself.
I find it really interesting though, that if you go to any of the BlogTV.sg pages, there's a column on 'Blogosphere News', much like the 'Business News' or 'Financial News' columns you see on other sites. The idea of a 'Singapore Blogosphere', I think, is gaining currency, and the reinforcement from the MSM will only transfer the idea to more non-bloggers.
Funny how I tend to see non-bloggers as the 'non-'/'different' now.
This was inexplicably amusing to me. Well, not exactly inexplicably. Amusing largely because I've heard the example of 'pagan' worship used in polemics against Christianity so many times (you have 'faith' in your God, but these Greeks, guess what? they had 'faith' too!), it's sort of funny to know they're still around, alive and (kicking and stepping on people's toes).
BlogTV.sg
blogtv.sg is a programme where the blogosphere is transported onto the television screen. Different discussion topics each week are derived from the latest buzz in blogs - be it podcasts, video clips or pictures. Guest bloggers and experts from Singapore and around the world (it could be you!) come onto the show; have chats with our hosts through web cams and even 3G phones.
I should watch TV more often. There've already been 13 episodes on CNA (Channel News Asia, for those not in the know), and I've only just discovered (while surfing, not watching tv, of course).
As far as I can tell from the write-ups on each episode, they tend to focus on social (as opposed to political - again, the separation in Singaporean discourse between 'social' and 'political'. Sorry, I'm Singaporean after all.) issues, except for Ep.12: Big Boys Blogging, which just might cross the line into politics. Of course I wouldn't know how far they went, unless I bother downloading and watching the episode myself.
I find it really interesting though, that if you go to any of the BlogTV.sg pages, there's a column on 'Blogosphere News', much like the 'Business News' or 'Financial News' columns you see on other sites. The idea of a 'Singapore Blogosphere', I think, is gaining currency, and the reinforcement from the MSM will only transfer the idea to more non-bloggers.
Funny how I tend to see non-bloggers as the 'non-'/'different' now.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Music and Mess
Music of the Hemispheres
“When we saw all this activity going on precisely in sync, in this order, we knew we had the smoking gun,” he said. “We’ve always known that music is good for improving your mood. But this showed precisely how it happens.”
Saying Yes to Mess
An anti-anticlutter movement is afoot, one that says yes to mess and urges you to embrace your disorder. Studies are piling up that show that messy desks are the vivid signatures of people with creative, limber minds (who reap higher salaries than those with neat “office landscapes”) and that messy closet owners are probably better parents and nicer and cooler than their tidier counterparts. It’s a movement that confirms what you have known, deep down, all along: really neat people are not avatars of the good life; they are humorless and inflexible prigs, and have way too much time on their hands.
I'd really like to believe this. Mainly because I've been working for months in my living room because there's no more space on my bedroom floor or table for me and my laptop.
“When we saw all this activity going on precisely in sync, in this order, we knew we had the smoking gun,” he said. “We’ve always known that music is good for improving your mood. But this showed precisely how it happens.”
Saying Yes to Mess
An anti-anticlutter movement is afoot, one that says yes to mess and urges you to embrace your disorder. Studies are piling up that show that messy desks are the vivid signatures of people with creative, limber minds (who reap higher salaries than those with neat “office landscapes”) and that messy closet owners are probably better parents and nicer and cooler than their tidier counterparts. It’s a movement that confirms what you have known, deep down, all along: really neat people are not avatars of the good life; they are humorless and inflexible prigs, and have way too much time on their hands.
I'd really like to believe this. Mainly because I've been working for months in my living room because there's no more space on my bedroom floor or table for me and my laptop.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
What do you think I'm doing on NYE?
Womb environment 'makes men gay'
A man's sexual orientation may be determined by conditions in the womb, according to a study.
Of course I haven't read the report, so don't ask me about methodological flaws etc.
The same story at Scientific American: Having Older Brothers Increases a Man's Odds of Being Gay
A man's sexual orientation may be determined by conditions in the womb, according to a study.
Of course I haven't read the report, so don't ask me about methodological flaws etc.
The same story at Scientific American: Having Older Brothers Increases a Man's Odds of Being Gay
Thursday, November 16, 2006
BBC again
Searching for 'our alien origins'
The late Sir Fred Hoyle and Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe have been the champions of "Panspermia", the idea that life on Earth originated on another planet.
Pakistan votes to amend rape laws
Pakistan's national assembly has voted to amend the country's strict Sharia laws on rape and adultery.
The late Sir Fred Hoyle and Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe have been the champions of "Panspermia", the idea that life on Earth originated on another planet.
Pakistan votes to amend rape laws
Pakistan's national assembly has voted to amend the country's strict Sharia laws on rape and adultery.
Monday, November 06, 2006
behind the news again
Hey I just realised Saddam has been sentenced to death!
(And you all wonder how I could survive political science for 4 years.)
But the whole episode just makes me a little sad.
I don't like the death sentence, not even in this case.
It's not going to solve anything, you know.
(And you all wonder how I could survive political science for 4 years.)
But the whole episode just makes me a little sad.
I don't like the death sentence, not even in this case.
It's not going to solve anything, you know.
Friday, October 20, 2006
'Tis a crazy world - BBC stories
Experts create invisibility cloak
A US-British team of scientists has successfully tested a cloak of invisibility in the laboratory.
Oslo gay animal show draws crowds
Curators say a Norwegian exhibition on homosexuality among animals has been well received, despite initial indications of strong opposition.
Thieves spend £15,000 on sweets
A gang who swindled £20,000 out of a Belfast pensioner's bank account spent his savings on luxury chocolates.
A US-British team of scientists has successfully tested a cloak of invisibility in the laboratory.
Oslo gay animal show draws crowds
Curators say a Norwegian exhibition on homosexuality among animals has been well received, despite initial indications of strong opposition.
But there has been strong interest in an aspect of animal behaviour the museum says is quite common.
It says homosexuality has been observed among 1,500 species, and that in 500 of those it is well documented.
Thieves spend £15,000 on sweets
A gang who swindled £20,000 out of a Belfast pensioner's bank account spent his savings on luxury chocolates.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Iraq
Washington Post's very sobering article on how the bonds of community have broken down in Iraq. Who still thinks the war wasn't a mistake?
Extract from article:
Extract from article:
On this day, Abu Mohammed, still angry, was thinking about revenge. He, too, believed the Egheidat had fired the mortar two days before. But now he had a more pressing goal. He said he and his comrades had identified three Sunnis, including one Egheidat, who they believed were involved in the killings of the four members of the Mahdi Army, including his nephew. Now, he said, he was planning to create a death squad to carry out the justice the tribal negotiations didn't bring.
Asked how he knew the three men were guilty, Abu Mohammed said witnesses told him that the men were inside one of the cars that rushed the checkpoint. "We only take blood for blood," he said.
Asked if the three men lived in Tobji, Abu Mohammed replied: "Yes, they are our neighbors. Now their houses are empty, and they have fled."
Monday, October 09, 2006
North Korea
This is what they call an 'oh shit' situation. Well, we'd been told the test was likely over the weekened, but this is still not a good way to start the week.
No matter what the constraints on the use of nukes may be, or how much I think the axis of evil discourse is crap, a nuclear North Korea is still extremely extremely scary. The spectre of nuclear war.
No matter what the constraints on the use of nukes may be, or how much I think the axis of evil discourse is crap, a nuclear North Korea is still extremely extremely scary. The spectre of nuclear war.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Guess who the BBC likes more, Bush or Clinton?
Iraq war fuels terror - US report
The Iraq conflict has become a "cause celebre" for Islamic militants worldwide, declassified parts of a US intelligence report say.
Yes, screw up our world, why don't you.
Clinton charms Albert Hall audience
In an appearance at London's Royal Albert Hall, former US President Bill Clinton charmed his audience in a wide-ranging talk.
The Iraq conflict has become a "cause celebre" for Islamic militants worldwide, declassified parts of a US intelligence report say.
Yes, screw up our world, why don't you.
Clinton charms Albert Hall audience
In an appearance at London's Royal Albert Hall, former US President Bill Clinton charmed his audience in a wide-ranging talk.
Testimony
Taken off BBC's In Pictures feature on Bulgaria's EU membership. For some reason this is sad.
Ivan Serafimov
Magazine editor, 62
"I am glad Bulgaria is becoming an EU member but that will not change anything in my life. It's too late for me.
I am disappointed by the political and economic transition during the last 16 years because everything was engineered from above.
No-one is telling the truth and no-one cares any more."
Singapore, take note.
Ivan Serafimov
Magazine editor, 62
"I am glad Bulgaria is becoming an EU member but that will not change anything in my life. It's too late for me.
I am disappointed by the political and economic transition during the last 16 years because everything was engineered from above.
No-one is telling the truth and no-one cares any more."
Singapore, take note.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Darling Musharraf
US 'threatened to bomb' Pakistan
The US threatened to bomb Pakistan "back to the stone age" unless it joined the fight against al-Qaeda, President Pervez Musharraf has said.
paraphraase of Musharraf's statement by justareed: "We're more democratic than the US!"
The US threatened to bomb Pakistan "back to the stone age" unless it joined the fight against al-Qaeda, President Pervez Musharraf has said.
paraphraase of Musharraf's statement by justareed: "We're more democratic than the US!"
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Woman's weapon
Colombian gangsters face sex ban
Wives and girlfriends of gang members in one of Colombia's most violent cities have called a sex ban in a bid to get their men to give up the gun.
Go gals!
Wives and girlfriends of gang members in one of Colombia's most violent cities have called a sex ban in a bid to get their men to give up the gun.
Go gals!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
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