Whither Lebanese Media?
Thursday, March 1, 2007
No offense or anything, but Joseph Semaha is dead, fine, condolences, etc., but can we now get on with our lives? What is it with this obsession? The man died of natural causes for goodness's sake.
Where is the media? What is it doing? Al-Akhbar is still wallowing in self-pity over the passing away of Semaha, Annahar is busy praising the Lebanese people's achievements to the skies. I think Lebanon has the most per capita mass murderers elected to parliament than any other country. So there. Something to be proud of. The Daily Star is busy analyzing the Shi'a mindset or something. Al-Mustaqbal is... sorry I don't read al-Mustaqbal but perhaps one of my readers could elaborate on that (better if not).
I wonder, will the media cover the continuous automatic machine gun fire that I have been hearing for the past 2 hours? Oh and please, it is not a wedding celebration or some moron shooting birds with a hunting rifle, it is machine gun fire for goodness's sake. Machine gun fire.
Whither Lebanese media? Better yet, whither Lebanese "army"?
Um, we apologize for the interruption we now go back to
posted by Angry Anarchist @ 3/01/2007 09:35:00 PM,
7 Comments:
-
At March 5, 2007 at 1:34 AM,
bech said...
-
I have to say that I don't agree with the utility of this post.
I don't really understand what you're trying to say. -
At March 5, 2007 at 9:55 AM,
Angry Anarchist said...
-
Utility of the post?
Um uh, what?
And I did not understand the utility of your past 2 comments.
If you don't like my posts, you are free not to comment on them?
Maybe re-read what I wrote to discover the "utility" of the post?
Or maybe you're too busy mourning Joseph Semaha to do that.
Ah well, I guess we learn something knew every day. Posts had 'utility'.
Sorry to burst your bubble dude but I am not 'utilitarian'. -
At March 5, 2007 at 9:56 AM,
Angry Anarchist said...
-
correction: something new* I meant to say.
-
At March 5, 2007 at 1:52 PM,
bech said...
-
This comment has been removed by the author.
-
At March 5, 2007 at 4:25 PM,
adiamondinsunlight said...
-
There was gunfire in my neighborhood on Friday - not sustained, as you say for yours, but shots off and one for fifteen minutes or so. It was too early (5 pm? 6?) for a wedding and in any case ... gunfire and fireworks do not sound sooo much alike.
I'm not sure whether this is good or bad, but I have come to think of Beirut as a city whose aural presence at times includes unidentified gunfire. -
At March 5, 2007 at 8:38 PM,
bech said...
-
hey i tried to answer but again my comment got lost...
just to say that you misunderstood my point, and got heated up!
Forget the word utility. Don't assign different context to words used in another context. all i'm saying is that I don't see what's wrong with mourning maybe one of the most interesting and prolific journalist in the Middle East. I'm not idolizing him, but some people like to share experiences about him. and this is not hampering the more serious work of reporting about the stuff that should be said. I mean things are still the same before and after his death. except that some people are paying a tribute to him.
now on the question that posts have utility well in a certain sense yes. if you're here to intellectually masturbate (sorry couldn't find another word) about clueless things then i'm sure you will have less interested people in what you have to say (I'm not saying you're doing so, I'm just contextualizing).
Actually that's why you have a comment section. so that people can say what they think about your post. there is a dialectical process that creates one form of 'utility'.
My message was meant to be more instructive then bashing. because i like what you write and i think it is important to be said. it is in a way, well, 'useful'. no need to put taboo on words. -
At March 5, 2007 at 9:13 PM,
Angry Anarchist said...
-
Bech, I was not heated up. In case you have not noticed, I am very outspoken in all my replies, especially so with those who criticize me or challenge my remarks/writings (of course this does not mean I do not concede certain points). Nothing personal. ;)
The point of the post, my dear friend, was not a criticism of people mourning or remembering Joseph Semaha. It is the hysteria surrounding the man's death. I understand that this is the way most people's minds work. But mine doesn't work that way. I don't care if Chomsky or the most amazing scholar or person or or die, but I do not make it seem like there is nothing worth living for anymore. Death, especially death of natural causes, is part of life. Mourn those who are killed by the violence of the police, the authoritarian regimes (i.e. states), etc., THOSE are things one HAS GOT to be hysterical about. But please do not give me (not you personally) the crap about "remembering" Joseph Semaha, this is way beyond that, this is bordering on the insane, the hysterical, it has become even clownish. Let those who will take offense with this remark of mine be offended! I do not care! The killing of 1200 people just this past summer did not elicit such hysteria on a mass level as this one man's death did! The point is, my dear Bech, that life should be valued for what it is, not for the authority (on anything, be it analysis, or actual practice of authority, such as president, prime minister, etc. etc.) of the individual in question! In other words, Joseph Semaha should not be mourned any more than I would be mourned when I die of natural causes, even if I happen to be a homeless person. Get the point?
I do not mind comments or criticisms, but I guess I should've put up a warning that you criticize me at your own discretion. ;) :P
This blog is for posting my thoughts, remarks, photos, etc. on various things. Not all my posts can or will be 'intellectual' or analytical in nature. Indeed most of it will not be. I do not blog for a living, although I wish life were that fun.
Really, I have too little time on my hand to specifically write elaborate posts on things. I try to manage with whatever little I can. I try to stimulate my readers into discussing certain excerpts although I wish I had the time to write up a post on the exerpts myself, but I prefer, due to the lack of time, to participate in ensuing discussions rather than write up posts that no one might even comment on. This does not mean I do not think or analyze things in my mind. I just don't have the time to write things - ON TOP of my coursework and a zillion other things!!! - about other issues that I am not already reading about in the course of my studies. In fact I see myself as permanently resigning from blogging due to the fact that I will be working full time on my PhD and taking up a teacher's AND research assistantsip.
I hope you get the point.
But in any case I shall put up the comment warning at the top of the blog soon. ;)
