Especially during moments such as these, when mum finally left me alone after forty minutes of attempted endearing conversation that left me sinfully vexed and impatient, I harbour a great fondness to English nineteenth century novels (umm still have doubts about Dickens though). They tell a tale in such an unhurried manner, and reveal a society that's so entirely stable, and so provide a complete, well-constructed haven for escape, like sitting back to watch a movie without having to go through the mental strain of understanding the plot (the nineteenth century author explains everything). Am currently reading "Barchester Tower" by Anthony Trollope. Bought the novel for no reasons other than that vaguely heard the name before and that it was only one-fifty SGD (one of those Penguin classics that go on sale now and then in NUS campus stores).
On the radio programme at 6.30pm everyday, the DJ lady, with her assistant DJ, discusses a question of social interest to the Singaporean masses (if you read my blog you know my opinion on questions of social interest to the Singaporean masses. I'm apologetic for my probably prejudiced point of view - I'm indeed shy and am not the kind who's out to confront - but it doesn't change the fact that Singapore stifles me with its being the same everywhere and yet having the cheek to condescend). On certain days, when (I think) they really really run out of topics, they talk about stuff such as "what's your opinion and experience on molestation, or outrage of the feminine modesty?" If the channel's just out to gossip that's fine with me. Then it shouldn't be in such a hurry to go ahead and call itself "The Number One Station in News and Information".
Today, the question is, "would you donate to the victims of the New Orleans hurricane, considering that USA is a big country and we are just a small one?" I think she's trying to say that USA is a wealthy country and we are in any sense considered somewhat a dependent state, so does it make sense to bypass their own government's rescue system and make some sort of effort that has the potential to look ridiculous. So the use of words "big" and "small" are imprecise and misleading. Russia and China are sure big, but donations during floods in China are taken for granted to be certainly "correct". I'm long sick and tired of the poor Chinese standards of Singaporean media. The DJ's being up to her usual tricks (and these tricks other DJs sure over-use as well. She's actually one of the better ones) of repeating and dragging out the pronunciation of these words to makeup for the extra meanings she can't express.
During some moments though, I'm not sure if she didn't make explicit explanations on purpose, for the benefit of the listeners, who are, as usual, "uncles" and "aunties" having no specific clue of nationalistic feelings arising from political and economic competitions. She did propose that New Orleans is not a wealthy city, and asked something to the extent of whether it's because of the not-too-sound political performance of Bush's governance that leads to horrifying total celebrations of any US tragedies (such as that on 911) by those who resent US control. But the conversations wound down to showing mercy, kindness and generosity regardless of national background of those who suffer, rationals that appeal to uncomplicated emotions and goodwill.
It's interesting how such a question is asked in the first place, without any assumption of it being proper. It's strange if you come to think that people donated to the tsunami relieve fund without hesitation. However, if I had not been US, I might just picture myself finding the question completely valid. But then again there's some difference in the tragedies incurred by nature and by the sickened minds of individuals who do not even regard highly their own life. The former is of a greater magnitude, belittling human effort to contrive and plan, and is therefore more tragic.
On the radio programme at 6.30pm everyday, the DJ lady, with her assistant DJ, discusses a question of social interest to the Singaporean masses (if you read my blog you know my opinion on questions of social interest to the Singaporean masses. I'm apologetic for my probably prejudiced point of view - I'm indeed shy and am not the kind who's out to confront - but it doesn't change the fact that Singapore stifles me with its being the same everywhere and yet having the cheek to condescend). On certain days, when (I think) they really really run out of topics, they talk about stuff such as "what's your opinion and experience on molestation, or outrage of the feminine modesty?" If the channel's just out to gossip that's fine with me. Then it shouldn't be in such a hurry to go ahead and call itself "The Number One Station in News and Information".
Today, the question is, "would you donate to the victims of the New Orleans hurricane, considering that USA is a big country and we are just a small one?" I think she's trying to say that USA is a wealthy country and we are in any sense considered somewhat a dependent state, so does it make sense to bypass their own government's rescue system and make some sort of effort that has the potential to look ridiculous. So the use of words "big" and "small" are imprecise and misleading. Russia and China are sure big, but donations during floods in China are taken for granted to be certainly "correct". I'm long sick and tired of the poor Chinese standards of Singaporean media. The DJ's being up to her usual tricks (and these tricks other DJs sure over-use as well. She's actually one of the better ones) of repeating and dragging out the pronunciation of these words to makeup for the extra meanings she can't express.
During some moments though, I'm not sure if she didn't make explicit explanations on purpose, for the benefit of the listeners, who are, as usual, "uncles" and "aunties" having no specific clue of nationalistic feelings arising from political and economic competitions. She did propose that New Orleans is not a wealthy city, and asked something to the extent of whether it's because of the not-too-sound political performance of Bush's governance that leads to horrifying total celebrations of any US tragedies (such as that on 911) by those who resent US control. But the conversations wound down to showing mercy, kindness and generosity regardless of national background of those who suffer, rationals that appeal to uncomplicated emotions and goodwill.
It's interesting how such a question is asked in the first place, without any assumption of it being proper. It's strange if you come to think that people donated to the tsunami relieve fund without hesitation. However, if I had not been US, I might just picture myself finding the question completely valid. But then again there's some difference in the tragedies incurred by nature and by the sickened minds of individuals who do not even regard highly their own life. The former is of a greater magnitude, belittling human effort to contrive and plan, and is therefore more tragic.
posted by Azzurra | 11:28 PM
1 Comments:
Politics are all over the radio on this. The right wing hates Nagin because he whined for help (Unlike Giulliani who was so heroic during the "contained to a small section of a city disaster that was 9/11" (although by contained, we mean it wasn't spread out over 3 states and a coastline, rather the edge of Manhattan, the Pentagon and nowheresville Western PA)). The Left wing hates Bush, because, well he's Bush and didn't react quick enough, in the right way, whatever. Then there's the side that says that more help would come if the people who were stuck weren't so overwhelmingly "black" while the rest of us just look on and wonder how people can live in a society without electricity, plumbing and fresh supplies of food, while all the while being contained in a super intensely heated ocean of E-Coli, Typhoid and Cholera. Yep, it's an interesting world the US is. Sometimes I wonder. I really do.
Be glad that you can escape to your Anthony Trollope novels (though I would convince you to read 19th century Russians or Americans instead, literature is still a good thing).
Have a good night.
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