24/7 News

In regards to “Live TV and Bloodless Death…,” I agree 24/7 news has distorted our sense of the conflict in the Middle East and other countries like in Africa.  Truly, it is about the ratings and how sensational a scoop can be reported. Thus, misinformation spreads like wildfire. For example, although it’s been a year since Osama Bin Laden’s death, there are still confusions surrounding how exactly he died because there either isn’t enough information, it’s been distorted, etc.

Furthermore, 24/7 news had made us numb to conflict because it is so frequent and lacks a sense of reality. You don’t see blood or actual dead bodies. If I could summarize the news broadcasts I’ve seen in the past year, you mostly see weaponry or bases where soldiers are stationed at. The fighting you do see is mostly of soldiers firing guns. If the broadcast agencies didn’t tell us where the fighting was happening, I wouldn’t be able to make out the difference. So, even I feel like very detached.

Also, I feel “worldwide” news isn’t really worldwide when it focuses on western interests in the whole wide world. The reading cites an example when the 5,000 Afghan civilians died in bomb raids during ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’ and 20,000 died as a result of indirect effects of the bombing. These numbers are shocking because you mostly only  hear about the number of soldiers who died fighting, which happens to be quite small in comparison to the number of civilians.

Finally, I definitely agree that 24/7 news fails to explain the economic and political context as to why there are conflicts in the Middle East. All these problems can be traced back to a century ago after the breakup of land under the Treaty of Versailles. And the problems just keep adding up. Every country has a past and because of it, they act a certain way. Furthermore, you have to understand that most Middle Eastern countries economic conditions. For example, there is not enough electricity in Pakistan for it to run 24/7. In fact, the light goes out 12 hours a day in cities and even more in villages.  Food prices have escalated so much and the government has been forced to shut down petroleum and gas pumps three days out of the week. Add war in to the mix and of course, the country is struggling. The problems are believed to stem from the America-backed Pakistani government, resulting in growing anti-American sentiment.

            In regards to “Conflict and Control…,” it was highly interesting to read about how reporters were going through the events of 9/11. But while it seemed like they were shocked at the attacks, it was very bizarre how it all became about getting the best coverage in the Middle East. It was like a game of how can get in to Afghanistan or Pakistan first, report live, and find the best spot to do it. Although the profession demands it, it just seems all about the ratings again. In addition, I found it interesting how Pakistan became the prime location to broadcast from. Because I saw the Marriot Hotel a month before it was bombed in September 2008.

Questions: 

- What do you think of Pakistan’s role in the Middle East? (militarily, media wise, etc)   

- Do you actually watch the news or read newspapers frequently or do you prefer to use social media websites to find out about current events?  

Around 9/11, the teaser for an anti-Islamic film, produced in the U.S.,  called “Innocence of Muslims” was released, dubbed in Arabic, sparking extreme outrage across the Middle East. The actors playing the film believed they were partaking in an adventure film set 2,000 years ago called “Desert Warrior.” However, the movie was actually a grotesque portrayal of Prophet Mohammad.

People wonder why Muslims are acting so violent, since religions get insulted all the time.  To explain the reasoning  through a blog post is difficult there is so much to be said. In a few sentences, you wouldn’t truly appreciate the reasoning unless you read more than just a single line from the Qu’ran. You would need to read the Hadiths or sayings of the Prophet, Shariah Law, and more scholarly books as well.

What I can say is that, all prophets are highly respected in Islam. We are not allowed to depict any prophet nor insult them. His life is an example for Muslims to live by. So of course, his insult would create uproar. However, killing the US Ambassador of Libya and other innocent individuals, I agree, is not the right way to go about it.

For more, read:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19608730

http://articles.cnn.com/2012-09-13/world/world_anti-islam-filmmaker_1_israeli-citizenship-adventure-film-islam

For a brief understanding of Islam here is a short book in online form that I also have at home:

http://www.islam-guide.com/

"The Self Absorbed Bully..." and "The Chinese Watching..." Response

In regards to “The Chinese Watching the War…,” I was very surprised to know the Chinese had not experienced war so closely on TV because of the tight control on the media by Chinese government. The Chinese media grew tremendously during the Iraqi invasion due to the support from the government and a growing TV viewer audience interested in the war. The Chinese position on the invasion is unique but similar in regards to our previous reading with Iran. It has become even more obvious to me that a country’s history plays a crucial role in the decisions its leaders make.  Just like the Iranians, the Chinese feared America’s imperialistic role in the world. However, for the sake of a growing export market in America, they agreed to remain somewhat “neutral” in the invasion effort.

However, I am extremely critical of the way the Chinese media made a spectacle of the war effort. Who had the best weaponry? What battle tactics were used? When and where would the US forces strike next? While the Hong Kong media was indifferent, the Chinese media played upon the war situation for their own benefit. Despite being “neutral,” they tried to gain as much as they could out of the war. It is insensitive to the lives people lost on September 11, to the Iraqi civilians, and to American soldiers. This kind of mockery is not acceptable.  

In regards to “The Self Absorbed Bully…,” I agree with President Lula that America was wrong in invading Iraq without the consensus of the United Nations. I often think America meddles in everyone’s business. America has power and it should not abuse it. Quoting from the movie Spiderman, “with great power comes great responsibility.” I agree Saddam is at fault for abusing his own power. However, America shouldn’t be emotional in making its decisions because obviously, America recently had suffered a great loss on September 11.

Furthermore, I believe that oil was a major reason why America invaded Iraq. Just like Brazilians, my family in Pakistan thinks the very same of America and are actually more aggressive in the belief that America is after the oil. That is why literally all of the Middle East is in shambles today. Whosoever controls the Middle East, controls all the oil riches in the world. In all honesty, I found that anti-Bush song pretty entertaining. Maybe Bush did sell the bomb to Iraq and then invaded it on account of weapons of mass destruction. The United States is always giving out money, weaponry, food, and supplies to other nations. Who knows? Also,  it is interesting how the writer noted George W. Bush was continuing what his father had set out to accomplish in the early 1990s.

In addition, Brazil’s concern over the end of the United Nations is logical. If one nation, particularly a powerful and influential one, decides not to abide by the rules, then more nations will start to abuse the United Nations.  Everyone is responsible for his or her own actions. I actually wonder if there were some actions taken against the United States for invading Iraq without UN approval. Or was there no punishment because America is so powerful? 

Brief Memoir

                On October 14, 2010, my senior class finished taking their SAT and were off to Disney World within the next hour. On the other hand, I ended up going to visit my grandma in Virginia. My family was uncomfortable with me going alone. Thus, the nine-hour drive was long enough for me to imagine how much fun all my classmates were having. I wanted to go to Disney too. I wanted so desperately to be independent. I didn’t want to surrounded by suitcases and junk food. Then, everything changed.  

                When we arrived to my grandmother’s house, my dad was hardly able to walk. He was slowly bringing out the suitcases from the car and my mom started to notice something just wasn’t right. My uncle, a rheumatologist, arrived from work within a few minutes anad asked my dad to lie down. My uncle did not show any signs that this was something serious. He encouraged my dad to get a check-up at the hospital. Despite all this, the rest of my family and I were under the belief that he was just physically exhausted from the drive. I went to bed with a heavy heart, but was comforted by the fact that my uncle said everything was all right.

                The next morning, I found out my dad had a heart attack. He began having symptoms hours before he started complaining about it. It was only after he had some fried fish at Long John Silvers that he began to assert his discomfort. Later that day, he was transferred to a hospital in Roanoke where he underwent triple bypass surgery. I didn’t see him for two days, because only my mom went with my dad in the ambulance. After we found out the surgery was a success, my uncle drove us to Roanoke where I saw my dad for the first time. That day, I cried the most. My dad looked ghostly and couldn’t recognize me. He couldn’t even say my name.  He was speaking just utter nonsense, going in and out of sleep.

With the two year anniversary of his heart attack coming up next month, it’s still very frightening. My dad has struggled so much to keep up a healthy diet and exercise. Moreover, I thank God so much every day that I didn’t go to Disney. I thank him that I was able to be there with my dad instead. I thank God I was able to reconnect with my dad even more than I ever had my entire life.