Inlägg
Det finns något som jag inte kan låta bli att förundras över... Det är artikelkommentarer. I mitt dagliga yrkesutövande stöter jag ofta på sådana som får mig att haja till. Det här inlägget, som handlar om just mina funderingar kring vissa som kommenterar, kommer att fokusera på huvudsakligen skriven journalistik, men läget är i stort detsamma inom radio och TV.
Jag kan inte låta bli att reagera över att det fortfarande tycks finnas folk som tror att artikeln de läser är en enmansproduktion. Att det finns folk som tror att journalister av idag är fria att skriva precis vad de vill, välja exakt vad de vill fokusera på i en text och hur mycket tid de har till att arbeta upp en artikel. De flesta journalister har inte den friheten över huvud taget. Det är en svår värld, journalistiken, fylld av överväganden, resonemang, tidsbrist och "måsten".
Jag förundras över att det fortfarande finns folk som är så blåögda att de inte inser att vad de ser när de öppnar tidningen är bara den färdiga produkten. De ser den färdiga texten med journalistens namn och tycks inte inse, eller inte vilja inse, att bakom varje text de läser finns det en mängd människor, diskussioner och tankar.
Journalisten är där, förstås, och intervjupersonerna.
Men där finns även redigerarna, vars jobb det är att se till så att texten är läsbar, inte bara rent stilistiskt utan många gånger även utförd i den form och på det sätt som behövs för tidningen. Deras namn skrivs aldrig ut och de är i stort väldigt anonyma, men de finns där och deras ingrepp i texterna kan ofta vara omfattande även om ingen som inte varit med under arbetets gång någonsin kan gissa sig till det. De ser bara den färdiga produktionen, trots allt, och har ingen aning om hur många versioner som skrivits, förkastats och förändrats. Redigerarna kan välja att helt ta bort delar av texten som inte fungerar, eller som bedöms vara för kontroversiella/ inte viktiga, och de kan även skriva om, ifall det bedöms nödvändigt.
Och där finns också nyhetschefen som oftast är den som bestämmer/godkänner vad journalisten ska fokusera på, som godkänner om det som skrivits är publicerbart/nyhetsvärt. Det är nyhetschefen som avgör hur snart texten måste vara inne (inte sällan samma dag, vilket ofta leder till att journalistens möjligheter för en nyanserad och väl underbyggd text minskar drastiskt och därför ofta innebär att man väljer den mindre kontroversiella vägen). Nyhetschefen värderar vad som är viktigt/passande att få ut och delegerar uppgifterna till journalisten.
Och sedan har vi, givetvis, den ansvarige utgivaren som, i slutänden, är den som godkänner om texten är ok eller inte. Och då pratar vi inte stilistiskt eller språkligt, utan innehållsmässigt. Det är den ansvarige utgivaren som till syvende och sist blir den som får ta smällen om något blir för kontroversiellt.
Nuförtiden finns även nästa dimension i betydligt högre grad och vikt än tidigare: finansiärerna. Hur gärna jag än skulle vilja att det var annorlunda så går det inte att komma undan: Även journalistiken är beroende av ekonomi.
Folk tycks dock inte inse att det inte är gratis att trycka en tidning eller producera ett inslag. Tekniken, pappret, trycksvärtan, distributionen, programmen som används. Allt kostar. Därtill kommer också lokalhyra, el, värme och vatten. En journalistisk produktion uppstår inte från tomma intet och, återigen oavsett hur gärna man skulle önska det, kan inte bara dyka upp i din morgontidning eller din radio eller i TV-rutan utan att en krona har spenderats.
I dagens läge är journalistiken inte sällan mer eller mindre beroende av medel som kommer från företagsinvesteringar eller staten, exakt samma som journalisterna är satta att granska. Idealiskt sett borde det inte spela någon roll i den större bilden, journalistikens roll borde inte få förändras. Men i verkligheten fungerar det inte så. Man kan vara idealistisk, man kan försöka att gå sin egen väg. Men i dagens värld är jag rädd att pengarna har fått en alltför stor plats och makt, även över dem som ska granska vårt samhälle. Det är ingen lätt balansgång, att göra sitt jobb, utföra sin journalistiska plikt och passion och samtidigt klara sig i denna värld.
Och sedan kommer folk, som tror att de vet allt om texten (trots att de, återigen, bara sett den färdiga versionen), och förfasar sig över osakliga journalister, över "köpta" eller "propagandapåverkade" journalister. Som uttalar sig som om de tror att de skulle ha gjort det bättre, som uttalar sig om vad som passar och vad som inte passar, som anklagar journalisterna för att blåögt eller ohederligt svälja företagens och politikernas sida av saken. Personer som tror sig känna journalisten och veta vad som pågått i dennes huvud under arbetet med texten.
Debatter är bra. Feedback är bra. Det hjälper journalistiken, och samhället, att utvecklas. Men samtidigt ska man vara medveten om att det är alldeles för lätt att tycka i efterhand, när texten redan är publicerad och "klar". Det är lätt att tycka när man själv inte har den minsta aning om vad som skedde på redaktionen, på journalistens block och dataskärm, via telefonlinjen eller i intervjusituationen under arbetets gång.
Det är helt ok att lämna artikelkommentarer, det är helt ok att vara kritisk. Men innan man sätter sig ner och börjar skriva och förfasa sig, ryta över "abrovinscher" och slänga ur sig anklagelser bör man ta ett djupt andetag och fråga sig:
"Vad vet jag egentligen om den här texten?"
fredag 6 juli 2012
torsdag 19 april 2012
Assorted updates
Well, it would seem I've sorely neglected spewing my sarcastic cynicism by way of this blog for quite some time. To my defense I was tricked into starting to blog and then real life decided I needed an intervention just for the hell of it.
So, what's new? Most everything, I would say. I have relocated some 540 km north of my previous home town, thus making a skip sideways and maybe slightly back to the place where I once grew up. The very place that began the shaping of the human I am today.
It all began when the news desk I've been working at for the last two summers contacted me and asked if I could fill in for one of their journalists here in Gällivare. Naturally I decided to take the plunge, three months more experience (as well as a steady salary during that time) is definitely nothing to scoff at. So, said and done. I packed the most necessary things into my little Golf and drove northbound. The first two months or so I stayed with a friend and her family since it's almost impossible to find vacant apartments in quick order (even if you, like me, had seven years of queuing for one). The cats and my horse had to make do without me, which they seem to have done perfectly well, aided by my wonderful friends and stable-mates.
Then I finally got an apartment. It's really cute, bigger than my previous one but with lower rent so I jumped at it. I have come to realize, though, that I've got way too little in the way of furniture. My living room still looks quite unbalanced at the moment, with way too many empty areas. But no matter, I'll fix it later. Thanks to the apartment I could finally fetch my cats and rent out the apartment in Umeå to a wonderful friend. The horse came up shortly after and is now quite happily installed at a brand new stable and spending his days having breakfast, lunch and dinner with a hot Spanish young thing. He seems quite happy though he's still doing his best to uphold his usual heteronormative behavior. Poor boy's got to be confused with all those gorgeous Spanish and Icelandic boys going gaga over him.
Anyway, back to my favorite subject, me. The three months of temporary work were up this Sunday (which I deeply lament since I had a heap of fun working at that news desk). Now I'm once again without a job, but only for two months. Then I'll hop onto two months of working for the rivaling news desk in this town. Something that is so exciting I can't even begin to describe it. It'll be fun to see things from that side of political colors.
Lastly I think it is more or less required of me to say something about my darling cars. The Toyota got a big red mark for the shock absorbers and is thus currently loitering on my friend's yard until I can afford buying new shock absorbers and convince someone, by way of my oh so considerable charm, that they would like nothing more than to tinker around with installing the damn things. I'll write an update on my success someday in the future.
The Golf is singing on its last verse, and quite a bit out of tune at that. The generator is making the most awful noises, like someone torturing a banshee ghost with a wooden spoon, at inopportune moments, usually when we're driving through a resident block late at night... I'm currently taking bets as to how long it will take before a) the generator flips me the bird definitely and the car won't start or b) an enraged mob decides to take matters in their own hands and reduce my little red bullet (or the Cow as it is fondly addressed as) to a pathetic pile of rusting red metal... To be updated if I get away unscathed.
So, that was probably all I had to write now. Now I'm going to return to staring fondly at my new ceiling lamp.
So, what's new? Most everything, I would say. I have relocated some 540 km north of my previous home town, thus making a skip sideways and maybe slightly back to the place where I once grew up. The very place that began the shaping of the human I am today.
It all began when the news desk I've been working at for the last two summers contacted me and asked if I could fill in for one of their journalists here in Gällivare. Naturally I decided to take the plunge, three months more experience (as well as a steady salary during that time) is definitely nothing to scoff at. So, said and done. I packed the most necessary things into my little Golf and drove northbound. The first two months or so I stayed with a friend and her family since it's almost impossible to find vacant apartments in quick order (even if you, like me, had seven years of queuing for one). The cats and my horse had to make do without me, which they seem to have done perfectly well, aided by my wonderful friends and stable-mates.
Then I finally got an apartment. It's really cute, bigger than my previous one but with lower rent so I jumped at it. I have come to realize, though, that I've got way too little in the way of furniture. My living room still looks quite unbalanced at the moment, with way too many empty areas. But no matter, I'll fix it later. Thanks to the apartment I could finally fetch my cats and rent out the apartment in Umeå to a wonderful friend. The horse came up shortly after and is now quite happily installed at a brand new stable and spending his days having breakfast, lunch and dinner with a hot Spanish young thing. He seems quite happy though he's still doing his best to uphold his usual heteronormative behavior. Poor boy's got to be confused with all those gorgeous Spanish and Icelandic boys going gaga over him.
Anyway, back to my favorite subject, me. The three months of temporary work were up this Sunday (which I deeply lament since I had a heap of fun working at that news desk). Now I'm once again without a job, but only for two months. Then I'll hop onto two months of working for the rivaling news desk in this town. Something that is so exciting I can't even begin to describe it. It'll be fun to see things from that side of political colors.
Lastly I think it is more or less required of me to say something about my darling cars. The Toyota got a big red mark for the shock absorbers and is thus currently loitering on my friend's yard until I can afford buying new shock absorbers and convince someone, by way of my oh so considerable charm, that they would like nothing more than to tinker around with installing the damn things. I'll write an update on my success someday in the future.
The Golf is singing on its last verse, and quite a bit out of tune at that. The generator is making the most awful noises, like someone torturing a banshee ghost with a wooden spoon, at inopportune moments, usually when we're driving through a resident block late at night... I'm currently taking bets as to how long it will take before a) the generator flips me the bird definitely and the car won't start or b) an enraged mob decides to take matters in their own hands and reduce my little red bullet (or the Cow as it is fondly addressed as) to a pathetic pile of rusting red metal... To be updated if I get away unscathed.
So, that was probably all I had to write now. Now I'm going to return to staring fondly at my new ceiling lamp.
torsdag 3 november 2011
Sad news
After spending about a week in the Swedish fall season, complete with rain and temperatures that cannot seem to remain stable, trying to dry the inside of the windshield from fog while driving I made a heavy but necessary decision this weekend. I have finally realized that my beloved Toyota has been begging for a retirement for quite some time and I have also realized I have no choice but to obey it. Needless to say, it wasn't an easy decision since I really do love it but with the prospect of even more visits to the workshop to fix the surly heat fan, as well as the realization my little red trooper probably wouldn't pass the yearly inspection due to four lousy shock absorbers, I took a deep breath and went car hunting.
In the end I found a cute little red VW Golf from 1987 (so it's the same age as my Toyota, as well as almost the same color, if only a bit fresher in that area). It's got an automatic gear box, which was quite interesting since I've only ever driven an automatic once before, and only for a short distance. However, once I relaxed I realized that automatic is indeed easier than manual. I no longer have to drive for miles before realizing I'd forgotten to put in a higher gear (consequently lowering the amount of fuel needed). I don't have to watch how I balance the clutch and the gas pedals in order to drive smoothly. And the Golf is quite a bit more perky than my Toyota. Not that I'm especially much of a speed nut, quite the opposite. but even I have to grin a bit when the little red bullet takes off, and yeah, it is fun to press the gas pedal :).
Now all I have to do is switch the tires between the two cars (one of the prerequisites for my "new" car was that it had to have the same dimension on the tires as the Toyota. Since those tires, both sets of them, are less than a year old and I really don't want to put money into buying yet another set of tires).
What's going to happen to the Toyota, then? I wish i could say that it would get a well-deserved retirement, spending the days in a warm garage, all cozy and sweet. However, I only have one parking space, and I'm afraid I need that one for my Golf. So the Toyota will most likely end up donating choice parts to whomever wishes to do the surgery and then move on to car heaven. I will miss it, of course. It's served me and my family fairly well for so many years it wasn't an easy decision. But one has to know when it's time to put an end to the misery. And this is it for my darling Toyota, I'm afraid.
So, that is the ending of the chapter called "The little red pebble - going strong since 1987" in the book "Cat and the cars". However, stay tuned for the next chapter, "Red Bullet and the automatic", in the tragically comical story that is "Cat and the cars" or "How Cat pissed off the car fairy in a previous life and is paying dearly for it now".
In the end I found a cute little red VW Golf from 1987 (so it's the same age as my Toyota, as well as almost the same color, if only a bit fresher in that area). It's got an automatic gear box, which was quite interesting since I've only ever driven an automatic once before, and only for a short distance. However, once I relaxed I realized that automatic is indeed easier than manual. I no longer have to drive for miles before realizing I'd forgotten to put in a higher gear (consequently lowering the amount of fuel needed). I don't have to watch how I balance the clutch and the gas pedals in order to drive smoothly. And the Golf is quite a bit more perky than my Toyota. Not that I'm especially much of a speed nut, quite the opposite. but even I have to grin a bit when the little red bullet takes off, and yeah, it is fun to press the gas pedal :).
Now all I have to do is switch the tires between the two cars (one of the prerequisites for my "new" car was that it had to have the same dimension on the tires as the Toyota. Since those tires, both sets of them, are less than a year old and I really don't want to put money into buying yet another set of tires).
What's going to happen to the Toyota, then? I wish i could say that it would get a well-deserved retirement, spending the days in a warm garage, all cozy and sweet. However, I only have one parking space, and I'm afraid I need that one for my Golf. So the Toyota will most likely end up donating choice parts to whomever wishes to do the surgery and then move on to car heaven. I will miss it, of course. It's served me and my family fairly well for so many years it wasn't an easy decision. But one has to know when it's time to put an end to the misery. And this is it for my darling Toyota, I'm afraid.
So, that is the ending of the chapter called "The little red pebble - going strong since 1987" in the book "Cat and the cars". However, stay tuned for the next chapter, "Red Bullet and the automatic", in the tragically comical story that is "Cat and the cars" or "How Cat pissed off the car fairy in a previous life and is paying dearly for it now".
söndag 19 juni 2011
Continuing my masterpiece
It's time for another chapter in the horror comedy/oddly amusing, in a twisted way, tragedy called "Cat and the cars".
The setting this time is the stables... to begin with.
Yesterday I was on my way home from the stables after a nice training session. I slid into my beloved Toyota and turned the ignition... And then turned it again. There wasn't even as much as a "click".
It was clinically dead, not even a single blip on the radar.
Taking a deep breath I climbed out and gingerly made my way over to where the husband of the stable owner was sitting. Feeling like the most airheaded bimbo (if you can be one while wearing baggy clothes covered with dust) I asked him if he knew anything about cars. Not too long after that the stable owner returned from her horseback ride and the two of them helped me electrocute the Toyota with the jumper cables (in an operation that looked a lot like the TV show "ER" would look... if it happened outside... in the shade of an old barn). I managed to get my ass home, thinking it was ok now since my darling car did indeed start even after I made a quick stop at the grocery store.
Now this is where the story takes a darker turn and the tension-building music starts to fade in...
Today I once more slid into the driver's seat, on my way to pick up my co-rider since we'd planned to take a nice horsebackride in the forest. And, wonders above wonders..., the car was dead again. Not a single dip or up on the EKG of cars (if you don't count the fact that the clock did indeed light up when I had the key in the ACC-mode. It went out once I turned to ignition, though...).
Exasperated and feeling much like my favourite pet dog had just bitten me I got out, texted my co-rider who, thankfully, came by with her car so we could get to the stables. The horsebackride was nice, though the horse I'd borrowed was quite different from my own so we had our discussions.
Back from the stables again my co-rider kindly parked her car next to mine and we attempted the jumper cable routine again. It seemed to work. My darling started up nicely and was allowed to mooch some power from her car for a while. Then, when we thought it'd done so enough, we disconnected the cables again. I'd barely removed the cable for the minus pole when the headlights of my darling started dimming off. And by the time we got to remove the plus pole... Well, it was a close call whether the car wanted to stop altogether or jump a few times before stopping.
Not wanting to find out what would happen if my Toyota turned bronco I turned it off and... lo and behold, didn't get it to work again afterwards. Apparently it can't seem to hold the charge.
So now I'm sitting here with a clinically dead car, a mere two weeks before I'm supposed to be apx 30 Swedish miles north for work. Tomorrow I'm heading to the store to buy a new battery and offer up some very sincere and heartfelt prayers to appease whatever short-tempered car-god whose sensibilities I've apparently managed to severely wound. Let's just hope I'll manage to connect the new battery correctly and that there aren't any other issues effing things up...
The setting this time is the stables... to begin with.
Yesterday I was on my way home from the stables after a nice training session. I slid into my beloved Toyota and turned the ignition... And then turned it again. There wasn't even as much as a "click".
It was clinically dead, not even a single blip on the radar.
Taking a deep breath I climbed out and gingerly made my way over to where the husband of the stable owner was sitting. Feeling like the most airheaded bimbo (if you can be one while wearing baggy clothes covered with dust) I asked him if he knew anything about cars. Not too long after that the stable owner returned from her horseback ride and the two of them helped me electrocute the Toyota with the jumper cables (in an operation that looked a lot like the TV show "ER" would look... if it happened outside... in the shade of an old barn). I managed to get my ass home, thinking it was ok now since my darling car did indeed start even after I made a quick stop at the grocery store.
Now this is where the story takes a darker turn and the tension-building music starts to fade in...
Today I once more slid into the driver's seat, on my way to pick up my co-rider since we'd planned to take a nice horsebackride in the forest. And, wonders above wonders..., the car was dead again. Not a single dip or up on the EKG of cars (if you don't count the fact that the clock did indeed light up when I had the key in the ACC-mode. It went out once I turned to ignition, though...).
Exasperated and feeling much like my favourite pet dog had just bitten me I got out, texted my co-rider who, thankfully, came by with her car so we could get to the stables. The horsebackride was nice, though the horse I'd borrowed was quite different from my own so we had our discussions.
Back from the stables again my co-rider kindly parked her car next to mine and we attempted the jumper cable routine again. It seemed to work. My darling started up nicely and was allowed to mooch some power from her car for a while. Then, when we thought it'd done so enough, we disconnected the cables again. I'd barely removed the cable for the minus pole when the headlights of my darling started dimming off. And by the time we got to remove the plus pole... Well, it was a close call whether the car wanted to stop altogether or jump a few times before stopping.
Not wanting to find out what would happen if my Toyota turned bronco I turned it off and... lo and behold, didn't get it to work again afterwards. Apparently it can't seem to hold the charge.
So now I'm sitting here with a clinically dead car, a mere two weeks before I'm supposed to be apx 30 Swedish miles north for work. Tomorrow I'm heading to the store to buy a new battery and offer up some very sincere and heartfelt prayers to appease whatever short-tempered car-god whose sensibilities I've apparently managed to severely wound. Let's just hope I'll manage to connect the new battery correctly and that there aren't any other issues effing things up...
fredag 17 juni 2011
About damn time
I heard on the news today that the UN has finally passed a resolution that states that it's a human right not to be persecuted for one's sexual orientation. A great decision in my opinion and about damn time it happened.
No one should ever have to hide part of who they are just because there are narrow-minded bigots infesting the world. There is a reason why one has something called "private" life. What does it concern anyone else what gender a person's chooses for his or her partner, after all? As long as it's consensual and both (or everyone, in cases of polygamous relationships) are of legal age I don't see why it should concern an outsider how the partners live their private lives.
The only thing bothering me is that it's taken so long for a resolution like this to come into effect. I shudder to think of all the people who have been persecuted, ridiculed, abused or even killed/executed because of their sexual orientation up to now. And, unfortunately, I am too cynical to believe it will end completely just because the UN has decided so. As long as there are narrow-minded idiots out there who are unable to stop sticking their nasty paws into other people's private business this world will continue to force people to hide who they are and what they like. I blame a lot of those narrow-minded views on sexuality and the likes on religion. I've never quite understood where religion applies to human relationships, really. It's a lot of rules that frankly don't seem to fit in anywhere other than in the narrowest and most bigoted world.
I want to see a more open-minded world where no one should have to be afraid to be who they are (provided they don't hurt others in doing so). Sadly, such a world will never exist. So I'll just hope that this UN resolution will at least help to give a few more people some peace of mind, and that the UN won't cave in at the pressure from countries built on outdated and bigoted views.
Go UN! Stand strong and do what you're supposed to be doing: Protect the rights of all human beings.
No one should ever have to hide part of who they are just because there are narrow-minded bigots infesting the world. There is a reason why one has something called "private" life. What does it concern anyone else what gender a person's chooses for his or her partner, after all? As long as it's consensual and both (or everyone, in cases of polygamous relationships) are of legal age I don't see why it should concern an outsider how the partners live their private lives.
The only thing bothering me is that it's taken so long for a resolution like this to come into effect. I shudder to think of all the people who have been persecuted, ridiculed, abused or even killed/executed because of their sexual orientation up to now. And, unfortunately, I am too cynical to believe it will end completely just because the UN has decided so. As long as there are narrow-minded idiots out there who are unable to stop sticking their nasty paws into other people's private business this world will continue to force people to hide who they are and what they like. I blame a lot of those narrow-minded views on sexuality and the likes on religion. I've never quite understood where religion applies to human relationships, really. It's a lot of rules that frankly don't seem to fit in anywhere other than in the narrowest and most bigoted world.
I want to see a more open-minded world where no one should have to be afraid to be who they are (provided they don't hurt others in doing so). Sadly, such a world will never exist. So I'll just hope that this UN resolution will at least help to give a few more people some peace of mind, and that the UN won't cave in at the pressure from countries built on outdated and bigoted views.
Go UN! Stand strong and do what you're supposed to be doing: Protect the rights of all human beings.
torsdag 5 maj 2011
Politics, public opinion and other loose musings
These last few days the media seems to be wallowing in the news about Usama bin Laden's death. Wherever I turn the headlines scream it out (granted, I've mostly turned in places where the evening newspapers reign). First it was the whole deal about him "finally" being dead after a ten year long hunt. And now that the first awe about that seems to have died down speculations about how he died, when he died and so on have taken over.
While I am sure some people can finally sleep well at night now that he is supposedly dead (I'm still faintly sceptic since it seems the only picture of him "dead" so far seems to have been a photoshopped fake from 2009) the thing that affects me the most is the absurdity of how big of a news item it has become.
Frankly, I feel distinctly ill at ease when I see this type of single-minded focus, this right out wallowing in someone's death. I don't know how bad he was, I don't defend what he did, I know what his group claims to have done, I've seen the footage about 9/11 more times than I can remember, but still, while the Western world (including those countries that really haven't ever been in danger of the al-Qaida) celebrates they seem to forget that bin Laden was a human just like everyone else. He probably had people who actually liked him and who will truly mourn him, if he didn't have people following him most likely he'd never have been able to do what he's done.
Let's turn the scenario around: A charismatic ("good") leader of the West world has been killed (for the sake of reference let's remember the murder of JFK). The world is flooded with pictures of the place where he died, complete with pools of blood and what-not, speculations and so on about how it was done. And it turns out that there are thousands of people somewhere else cheering loudly because of his death, bragging even. How would those who relied on that person feel? We would immediately become enraged and filled with anger towards those people, right? So really now, is it any surprise so many in the Muslim countries hate the West? After all, we're doing exactly what the scenario above described right now that bin Laden has been killed.
Anyway, that wasn't really the main thing for me though. I'm neither happy nor sad he's supposedly dead. I haven't been affected either way by his existence and frankly haven't been all that interested in following what went on (other than being surprised to find out they were still looking for him). What goes on in my mind is more the issue of popularity. I know that some might think I'm way off my rocker and that my musings aren't nearly well-grounded enough for me to have an opinion. And I also admit that they're probably right. It still doesn't stop me from musing.
Apparently president Obama's popularity hadn't been all that great. And according to some sources it's better now that Usama is dead. This worries me. I've actually followed the presidency of Obama with quite a bit of interest. From my point of view (which, granted, is coloured by Swedish values and what is reported in the media, on the web and the likes) he seems to have really gone into it with a wish to make the US a better place, to improve the health of the citizens, to open up more opportunities for a better life for the majority. His health reform, the way he seems to have imposed regulations for credit card companies' right to raise interests and so on should be the good things. It should definitely gain him a lot more popularity than most presidents since he genuinely seems to care for his people and wish a better life for them. And yet I've seen a lot more negative, hard criticism from his own people about his reforms than George W Bush (who really only seemed to be aiming for more war, more oil and taking over the world while not caring a whit about his people) seems to have gotten during his time in office. At most Bush was ridiculed.
What I'm wondering is what kind of politic do people want when they think better of a head of state because a terrorist has been killed rather than for the improvements to their own everyday lives created during that head of state's time of office? Why should one person's popularity be boosted by someone else's death? To me it feels quite... nasty, really.
As for mass-murders and acts of terrorism I, under the threat of being mislabelled a religious fanatic, will now mention one of the few quotes I know from the Bible:
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"
What country hasn't got something like that in their history? The US quite often seems to conveniently forget the whole issue of what was done to the native Americans when the settlers (the future Americans) came to the continent and during the years of settlement. Or for that matter, the slavery. All those years white Americans treated other humans worse than cattle, forcing them to work their bones to dust and all sorts of other unpalatable acts. Or how the UK took over large parts of Asia and treated the natives there as servants, lower beings. Or South Africa with the apartheid. Or Scandinavia's vikings (who did indeed deal with slaves as well, both native and those they had stolen from other countries during their raids). The list could go on forever. There's Darfur, there's Zimbabwe and so on. Really, wherever you look, if you dare to dig deep enough, acts of terrorism, mass-murder and other dark acts of mankind will be found.
Terrorism by the way... It's a really hazy thing. In these last ten years the term has come to, almost solely, be used when Islamic groups have committed crimes against the West world. However, the Muslim fanatics does not have monopoly on committing them and is definitely not synonymous to the term. In fact, according to the UN's opinion on what is considered terrorism:
"Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them."For reference of the exact place it was written
This text segment does not specifically point out that the act has to be committed by anti-government forces, religious fanatics or even non-citizens of the country affected. With a phrasing like that, governments, religious representants (The Catholic church and their threats of Hell, anyone?) and just about anyone else throughout history could very well have been labelled terrorists.
With that definition... Which country can, after looking back at what their own history holds, truly say they are qualified to throw the first stone?
(There are plenty more definitions of the term "terrorism", of course, but I won't list them all here. To those who really are interested Google is a great way to find stuff and Wikipedia has it's own merits).
With this I'm going to finish up for this post, I think. The gist of above text is probably just my own wish that people started to think for themselves, started to reflect on what's going on and learnt some self-reflection. And maybe a small wish that people realised that no matter who it is that died it is still a life lost, no matter what type of person it was that died.
Just because Hitler and Usama bin Laden is dead it doesn't mean the world is a better place. One or two persons' deaths can't make it so. Only the positive effort, energy and will-power of millions of people working together and helping each other, without fighting over money, resources or power, will bring about a true change for the better.
While I am sure some people can finally sleep well at night now that he is supposedly dead (I'm still faintly sceptic since it seems the only picture of him "dead" so far seems to have been a photoshopped fake from 2009) the thing that affects me the most is the absurdity of how big of a news item it has become.
Frankly, I feel distinctly ill at ease when I see this type of single-minded focus, this right out wallowing in someone's death. I don't know how bad he was, I don't defend what he did, I know what his group claims to have done, I've seen the footage about 9/11 more times than I can remember, but still, while the Western world (including those countries that really haven't ever been in danger of the al-Qaida) celebrates they seem to forget that bin Laden was a human just like everyone else. He probably had people who actually liked him and who will truly mourn him, if he didn't have people following him most likely he'd never have been able to do what he's done.
Let's turn the scenario around: A charismatic ("good") leader of the West world has been killed (for the sake of reference let's remember the murder of JFK). The world is flooded with pictures of the place where he died, complete with pools of blood and what-not, speculations and so on about how it was done. And it turns out that there are thousands of people somewhere else cheering loudly because of his death, bragging even. How would those who relied on that person feel? We would immediately become enraged and filled with anger towards those people, right? So really now, is it any surprise so many in the Muslim countries hate the West? After all, we're doing exactly what the scenario above described right now that bin Laden has been killed.
Anyway, that wasn't really the main thing for me though. I'm neither happy nor sad he's supposedly dead. I haven't been affected either way by his existence and frankly haven't been all that interested in following what went on (other than being surprised to find out they were still looking for him). What goes on in my mind is more the issue of popularity. I know that some might think I'm way off my rocker and that my musings aren't nearly well-grounded enough for me to have an opinion. And I also admit that they're probably right. It still doesn't stop me from musing.
Apparently president Obama's popularity hadn't been all that great. And according to some sources it's better now that Usama is dead. This worries me. I've actually followed the presidency of Obama with quite a bit of interest. From my point of view (which, granted, is coloured by Swedish values and what is reported in the media, on the web and the likes) he seems to have really gone into it with a wish to make the US a better place, to improve the health of the citizens, to open up more opportunities for a better life for the majority. His health reform, the way he seems to have imposed regulations for credit card companies' right to raise interests and so on should be the good things. It should definitely gain him a lot more popularity than most presidents since he genuinely seems to care for his people and wish a better life for them. And yet I've seen a lot more negative, hard criticism from his own people about his reforms than George W Bush (who really only seemed to be aiming for more war, more oil and taking over the world while not caring a whit about his people) seems to have gotten during his time in office. At most Bush was ridiculed.
What I'm wondering is what kind of politic do people want when they think better of a head of state because a terrorist has been killed rather than for the improvements to their own everyday lives created during that head of state's time of office? Why should one person's popularity be boosted by someone else's death? To me it feels quite... nasty, really.
As for mass-murders and acts of terrorism I, under the threat of being mislabelled a religious fanatic, will now mention one of the few quotes I know from the Bible:
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"
What country hasn't got something like that in their history? The US quite often seems to conveniently forget the whole issue of what was done to the native Americans when the settlers (the future Americans) came to the continent and during the years of settlement. Or for that matter, the slavery. All those years white Americans treated other humans worse than cattle, forcing them to work their bones to dust and all sorts of other unpalatable acts. Or how the UK took over large parts of Asia and treated the natives there as servants, lower beings. Or South Africa with the apartheid. Or Scandinavia's vikings (who did indeed deal with slaves as well, both native and those they had stolen from other countries during their raids). The list could go on forever. There's Darfur, there's Zimbabwe and so on. Really, wherever you look, if you dare to dig deep enough, acts of terrorism, mass-murder and other dark acts of mankind will be found.
Terrorism by the way... It's a really hazy thing. In these last ten years the term has come to, almost solely, be used when Islamic groups have committed crimes against the West world. However, the Muslim fanatics does not have monopoly on committing them and is definitely not synonymous to the term. In fact, according to the UN's opinion on what is considered terrorism:
"Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them."For reference of the exact place it was written
This text segment does not specifically point out that the act has to be committed by anti-government forces, religious fanatics or even non-citizens of the country affected. With a phrasing like that, governments, religious representants (The Catholic church and their threats of Hell, anyone?) and just about anyone else throughout history could very well have been labelled terrorists.
With that definition... Which country can, after looking back at what their own history holds, truly say they are qualified to throw the first stone?
(There are plenty more definitions of the term "terrorism", of course, but I won't list them all here. To those who really are interested Google is a great way to find stuff and Wikipedia has it's own merits).
With this I'm going to finish up for this post, I think. The gist of above text is probably just my own wish that people started to think for themselves, started to reflect on what's going on and learnt some self-reflection. And maybe a small wish that people realised that no matter who it is that died it is still a life lost, no matter what type of person it was that died.
Just because Hitler and Usama bin Laden is dead it doesn't mean the world is a better place. One or two persons' deaths can't make it so. Only the positive effort, energy and will-power of millions of people working together and helping each other, without fighting over money, resources or power, will bring about a true change for the better.
söndag 17 april 2011
On the subject of being busy and other musings
Let's start off by talking about my car. It has been an active topic of discussion within my circle of friends and family (well, mostly my mother and me) for the last few weeks.
Anyhow, since the heat fan decided to give up a few weeks back I have discovered that I can still get some warmth into the car by changing some of the settings for the fan. It won't blow out any hot air but opening the air vents fully, combined with some other things, while driving on the highway to the stables I've found that the warm air from the engine area is pushed into the car coupé, thus keeping the worst of the fog off the inside of the wind shield. It's not a long-term solution, of course, but it works for now.
On another, related note, however: I'm starting to give up on ever finding a workshop I can trust! During a previous visit to the work shop the mechanics told me that the heat fan was in a bad shape and would have to be replaced, which is why I bought a replacement for it now that it had, in fact, gone and died. So, thinking all was well and it would be fixed I took my beloved car to the workshop this week. Sometime during the afternoon that day the work shop called me...
Apparently they had tested both the heat fan itself and the fan module (and charging a ridiculously high price for doing it) and found that nothing was wrong with them! So there I'd bought the replacement, which wasn't free y'know, completely unnecessarily. They then went on to say that most likely there was a problem with the electrical wiring which resulted in the heat fan not getting any electricity.
However, as they said, they'd only planned for the time it would've taken to replace the heat fan. When they'd decided it wasn't necessary to replace it they then went on to fix some completely unrelated, marginally important things (which, granted, probably needed to be fixed anyway sooner or later) and in the end they "ran out of time, so they couldn't check the wiring".
In other words, not only did I, on recommendation from that same work shop, buy a completely unnecessary replacement for a working heat fan... I also left my car at the work shop for a full day and picked it up afterwards, without getting the actual problem fixed. And on top of that I had to reschedule for a date at which they could check the wiring.
Long story short... As it looks right now, if I continue using that work shop, my heat fan won't be fixed until sometime in early May, at the earliest, and I had to pay for them fixing things I'd never asked them to fix. Not to mention that they failed to notice that one of the light bulbs at the front of the car was broken and should've been replaced. I mean, since they were at it, fixing things unrelated to the actual problem, why the heck couldn't they then fix the lamp?
So, needless to say, I am quite disenchanted with car work shops. Once again. I thought I'd gotten over all that when I got rid of my previous car *deep sigh*.
The thing is, though, that I will still have to take my Toyota to the work shop. Not only because I have no choice, I need a working car since I can't get to the stable where I have my horse otherwise, but also because, despite the troubles, I still love my little red pebble. I feel happy when driving it, I feel content and, most importantly, I feel safe. It's old but it's comfortable, and cute, in a washed-out, quaint way. I fall more and more in love with it as time goes by.
As an example:
This time last year, when I still had my previous car, and when the snow was turning into deep, nasty slosh, 6 times out of 10 I barely got out of the parking lot at the stables without asking for help to push the car since I got caught in the slosh.
This year, with the Toyota, I haven't had to ask for help even once. Sure, I've still had to have a bit of speed when braving the slosh but I've gotten free and away on my own every single time. My Toyota also feels much steadier and safer when driving on icy winter roads, I don't have to worry about being blown off the road every time there's a slight gust of wind and it feels like I have a much better overview of the road. I also think that the full beams on my Toyota are much better than the ones on my previous set of wheels. All in all, to me the Toyota is a better car, which makes me more motivated to grit my teeth and endure the annoyances of work shops in order to fix it.
With my previous car I used to fantasise about the day I would get rich and could buy a new car. I would fix everything that needed to be fixed on the old car... and then push it off the quay into the river. With my Toyota on the other hand... even if I bought a new car I have a feeling I would still, if possible, want to keep my little red pebble around. I'd fix everything that needed to be fixed and then use it for weekend driving or just for some evenings of nostalgia. I love it that much. Besides, I've always dreamt of having a Toyota.
And now, on a completely unrelated matter:
Apart from car business I've been working as hard as I can to find a new job. It feels like I've sent out applications to just about every place there is (which probably is quite the overstatement) but either I hear nothing from them or I get rejection after rejection. I'm seriously starting to give up hope of ever finding work that suits my qualifications and education. I really don't want to work in sales and if I can help it I don't want to work in any stores either. I want a creative, engaging job where I get to write and create, delve into interesting topics, rack my brain for the best wording or the best visual and where every new task is different from the one before it.
Lately I have also been thinking, quite seriously, of starting my own business. I've already narrowed it down to a few names I would like to call it and I already know what I will be offering and to whom. I've also decided on what type of business it will be. Now the problem is to solidify those plans in a way that will ascertain a successful start, and to deal with the bureaucracy. So far I've borrowed a pile of books on the subject of starting one's own business, I've bookmarked a volley of websites and I've even applied to participate at an information and seminar day for those who are thinking of starting their own company. Well-informed is well-prepared in my book, after all. Hopefully I will be able to take the step into realising my company in the near future. Please, do wish me luck!
Anyhow, since the heat fan decided to give up a few weeks back I have discovered that I can still get some warmth into the car by changing some of the settings for the fan. It won't blow out any hot air but opening the air vents fully, combined with some other things, while driving on the highway to the stables I've found that the warm air from the engine area is pushed into the car coupé, thus keeping the worst of the fog off the inside of the wind shield. It's not a long-term solution, of course, but it works for now.
On another, related note, however: I'm starting to give up on ever finding a workshop I can trust! During a previous visit to the work shop the mechanics told me that the heat fan was in a bad shape and would have to be replaced, which is why I bought a replacement for it now that it had, in fact, gone and died. So, thinking all was well and it would be fixed I took my beloved car to the workshop this week. Sometime during the afternoon that day the work shop called me...
Apparently they had tested both the heat fan itself and the fan module (and charging a ridiculously high price for doing it) and found that nothing was wrong with them! So there I'd bought the replacement, which wasn't free y'know, completely unnecessarily. They then went on to say that most likely there was a problem with the electrical wiring which resulted in the heat fan not getting any electricity.
However, as they said, they'd only planned for the time it would've taken to replace the heat fan. When they'd decided it wasn't necessary to replace it they then went on to fix some completely unrelated, marginally important things (which, granted, probably needed to be fixed anyway sooner or later) and in the end they "ran out of time, so they couldn't check the wiring".
In other words, not only did I, on recommendation from that same work shop, buy a completely unnecessary replacement for a working heat fan... I also left my car at the work shop for a full day and picked it up afterwards, without getting the actual problem fixed. And on top of that I had to reschedule for a date at which they could check the wiring.
Long story short... As it looks right now, if I continue using that work shop, my heat fan won't be fixed until sometime in early May, at the earliest, and I had to pay for them fixing things I'd never asked them to fix. Not to mention that they failed to notice that one of the light bulbs at the front of the car was broken and should've been replaced. I mean, since they were at it, fixing things unrelated to the actual problem, why the heck couldn't they then fix the lamp?
So, needless to say, I am quite disenchanted with car work shops. Once again. I thought I'd gotten over all that when I got rid of my previous car *deep sigh*.
The thing is, though, that I will still have to take my Toyota to the work shop. Not only because I have no choice, I need a working car since I can't get to the stable where I have my horse otherwise, but also because, despite the troubles, I still love my little red pebble. I feel happy when driving it, I feel content and, most importantly, I feel safe. It's old but it's comfortable, and cute, in a washed-out, quaint way. I fall more and more in love with it as time goes by.
As an example:
This time last year, when I still had my previous car, and when the snow was turning into deep, nasty slosh, 6 times out of 10 I barely got out of the parking lot at the stables without asking for help to push the car since I got caught in the slosh.
This year, with the Toyota, I haven't had to ask for help even once. Sure, I've still had to have a bit of speed when braving the slosh but I've gotten free and away on my own every single time. My Toyota also feels much steadier and safer when driving on icy winter roads, I don't have to worry about being blown off the road every time there's a slight gust of wind and it feels like I have a much better overview of the road. I also think that the full beams on my Toyota are much better than the ones on my previous set of wheels. All in all, to me the Toyota is a better car, which makes me more motivated to grit my teeth and endure the annoyances of work shops in order to fix it.
With my previous car I used to fantasise about the day I would get rich and could buy a new car. I would fix everything that needed to be fixed on the old car... and then push it off the quay into the river. With my Toyota on the other hand... even if I bought a new car I have a feeling I would still, if possible, want to keep my little red pebble around. I'd fix everything that needed to be fixed and then use it for weekend driving or just for some evenings of nostalgia. I love it that much. Besides, I've always dreamt of having a Toyota.
And now, on a completely unrelated matter:
Apart from car business I've been working as hard as I can to find a new job. It feels like I've sent out applications to just about every place there is (which probably is quite the overstatement) but either I hear nothing from them or I get rejection after rejection. I'm seriously starting to give up hope of ever finding work that suits my qualifications and education. I really don't want to work in sales and if I can help it I don't want to work in any stores either. I want a creative, engaging job where I get to write and create, delve into interesting topics, rack my brain for the best wording or the best visual and where every new task is different from the one before it.
Lately I have also been thinking, quite seriously, of starting my own business. I've already narrowed it down to a few names I would like to call it and I already know what I will be offering and to whom. I've also decided on what type of business it will be. Now the problem is to solidify those plans in a way that will ascertain a successful start, and to deal with the bureaucracy. So far I've borrowed a pile of books on the subject of starting one's own business, I've bookmarked a volley of websites and I've even applied to participate at an information and seminar day for those who are thinking of starting their own company. Well-informed is well-prepared in my book, after all. Hopefully I will be able to take the step into realising my company in the near future. Please, do wish me luck!
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