Democracy Now: two important interviews. Noam Chomsky and Stephen Kinzer.
I have become quite desillusioned about living in the US. There are things going on in terms of democracy and civil liberties that should concern people a whole lot, but they don't. People are leading in general comfortable lives, with the pop culture of tv making everyone feel that fame and fortune is still something to be attained. There are plenty of talking heads talking loud and clear and dismissively about 'those liberals' or those whatevers . And in the meantime, there is almost a sort of schizophrenic activity of what goes on, and what goes on in the background unnoticed by the masses.
But then, there are people who are critical. Critically trying to hold their own government and institutions accountable. Some quietly so, some loudly so. Then there are people who continue to promote what they believe their founding fathers as they call it here, intended. True democracy.
Here are two interviews from Democracy Now thatI think are worthwhile reading, or listening to;
First, Amy Goodman's interview with Noam Chomsky.
Secondly, AG's interview with Stephen Kinzer.
So who should not have nuclear arms?
But then, there are people who are critical. Critically trying to hold their own government and institutions accountable. Some quietly so, some loudly so. Then there are people who continue to promote what they believe their founding fathers as they call it here, intended. True democracy.
Here are two interviews from Democracy Now thatI think are worthwhile reading, or listening to;
First, Amy Goodman's interview with Noam Chomsky.
Secondly, AG's interview with Stephen Kinzer.
So who should not have nuclear arms?
posted by Ingrid at
9:25 PM
10 Comments:
i., there is a larger, more global concern with the diminishing of civil liberties. i am afriad, u are going to find more and more people with their heads in the sand. and dare u to be critical of issues in immigration policy, civil livberties, and or anything that strikes someone else of being critical of government, you are likely to find urself ridiculed and.or lambasted..
both of us being non-native born residents, and having lived elsewhere, we are likely to have a perspective basically shared by others like us, very few of the natives...
just check out the latest from a commenter on rP when i mention INS holding facilities, even though there really is a case going upto the supreme court about the lagality.constituionality of 2 cases of sri lankan nationals who were held 2 and 4 years on the misguided threat of them being tamil terrorists even though their paperwork for asylum had proof to the contrary.
thanks to people like u and mash and others, rationality may still prevail in the blogespeare..
=)
PS: u have to give me more of an idea of what u want ur icon to look like. mine i just found and uploaded off the interwebs. t.a's they worked on too prettify...
re. the RP commentary, I saw that. And yes, I had heard about those indefinite INS holding cells a few years ago. I did not quite understand what the 'counter-commentary' was about, it was not clear what it was 'counter-commenting' on. You are so right. Some of the 'natives' as you call it, are wide eyed and bushy tailed as it were about the goings on. Hence the democracy now and the people they talk to. It is unnerving to those who grow up with a certain national image to think not only otherwise, but totally counterclock wise if you will. I remember my highschool history teacher. He was quite openly critical of some of our nations' history. For example, the superior attitudes of those Dutch towards the East Indian natives (indonesians etc). Shipping slaves over to the Americas. Whatever atrocity happened in the past that the Dutch (even though they were technically not a country of the Netherlands yet) took part of, or certain elements, it never was smoothed over for sure. Here, as you mentioned on the RP comment section; people are very defensive and do not dare talk politics or be vocally critical. The only way people have the nerve to say something openly is by way of blog comments (ha!) or with those stupid stickers on their cars...yeah, very courageous indeed.
So are you originally Indian or Bangladeshi?
Ingrid
btw...just rectified not having stood up for you. I just backed you up on the RP site.
bleeblaableeblaablaa. There is a core of commenters who seem to feel they own the place. Ah well, let'm talk. I go there for RP and he is priceless.
Ingrid
oooooooohhh, clever girl, so explain to me why u think i am indian or bangladeshi? i may just not like pakistanis (yeah, u read mash, i know!!)..=), believe me, many people in asia an deurope dont like pakistanis.
i will tell u, my dad was posted in delhi when i was born, but i am not indian obviously (not that there is anythign wrong with indians ahrm ahrm). and i did live in bangladesh, again due to dads work, also other parts of south and south east asia... funnee enough, in jakarta actually... as a small child, i thought i was in heaven.. i still remember the carpet smooth soft dutch grass we had...
dag nabbit, now i got to thinking of nasi goreng and satay..!!!
i am so hungry...
=(
hmm, bami goreng and ajam smoor are my favourites actually.
Well, I'm curious now. If you were posted in those cities, was your dad a diplomat? That or a big corporate person/salesman...(and I mean that in the nicest way)
Now I think you could be 'anything' but apparently not American since you made that comment. Of course, with such a diverse background, I cannot imagine you 'being anything'. Even with the little traveling and living abroad that I have done, I kinda feel rootless, inspite of having been born and raised in the Netherlands. I have moved around too much in almost 10yrs that I still feel unconnected with no real friends. They take long time to cultivate and that's what I am doing right now..thank God for some open minded 'natives' here in Austin!
Ingrid
i have been with or without family moving around for the last 3 decades. i cannot say i feel disconnected, because dont think i really felt connected.. ever...
i do often feel disbodied, very often out.of.body.. sometimes just simply out... never bodied though...
=)
tomorrow will be good photography weather, inshallah... (to confuse matters even more)!
yes, confuse me more, aren't ya nice.
Well, have a good time with your camera tomorrow. I like taking pictures too and today I found some pictures I had on a film roll (developed a few years ago) of when I was in this little town near Dammam (KSA)that started with a T..don't remember. Anyhow, the old part was really neat, buildings built so close together that there was always shade and naturally, a windtunnel. Took some pics that even made it through the development process on Dharan's Aramco (cause you never know what they won't let you take with you).. anyway D..I am turning in. My toddlerina was restless last night and got me up several times. Plus, we're both fighting colds so ...nightie night and thx for coming by, I enjoy the rappartee (sp?)..
w'aleikum salam
Ingrid
about your original post "...become quite desillusioned about living in the US", been feeling that about 5 years now. believe me, not having grown up in the US, though i did goto american HS overseas and college.grad.school here, i am under no illusions of the land of the free and opportunity for all being that for everyone. i have been living in fairly large cities, so have never really experienced america outside of mass culture, i am sure i will be shocked, just one drive from fla to northeast was an eyeopener even after 12 years.
what beguiles me is that even amongst expats from all over the world living.working here, after a while , they seem to cycle thru a set of cultural.identy crisis stages (one of the reasons i stopped reading sepia). from the blogs, you can see that a few years here and there seem to give people great authority, whereas many expats here go the other way, becoming ultra patriotic.
i guess what i am trying to say, there are some of us, me and the dudette for instance, that we simply do not belong, or fit, some are roma by nature, some by inclination, some by choice. the hardship is in finding other unknown travelers along the way...
PS: does the wenchette speak the mother tongue? had a friend, french hubby turkish, who only spoke to her kids in french at home.
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