Saturday, January 17, 2004
Democracy
This article by Juan Cole raised for me, the question of how democratic are we democrats willing to be?
If we say that we believe in democracy, then we should respect the decision of a country to choose an Islamic theocracy. But do we? My thinking on this goes along the line of saying that many of the women would not have voted as they truly wished but rather as they were told by their husbands and fathers. Similarly, I would question whether people are able to think independantly of the clerics who are telling them how to vote.
Looking at this from a distance it doesn't look a lot like democracy, does it. I see a similar situation here in Australia. For instance, I suspect that if there was a referendum on the death penalty now, the people would vote in favour of bringing it back. To me, this is horrifying. I would fight vigourously against the return of the death penalty and would not respect or cooperate with its implementation if approved. What does that do for my alleged democratic principles?
What do you think?
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This article by Juan Cole raised for me, the question of how democratic are we democrats willing to be?
If we say that we believe in democracy, then we should respect the decision of a country to choose an Islamic theocracy. But do we? My thinking on this goes along the line of saying that many of the women would not have voted as they truly wished but rather as they were told by their husbands and fathers. Similarly, I would question whether people are able to think independantly of the clerics who are telling them how to vote.
Looking at this from a distance it doesn't look a lot like democracy, does it. I see a similar situation here in Australia. For instance, I suspect that if there was a referendum on the death penalty now, the people would vote in favour of bringing it back. To me, this is horrifying. I would fight vigourously against the return of the death penalty and would not respect or cooperate with its implementation if approved. What does that do for my alleged democratic principles?
What do you think?
Saturday, January 03, 2004
A real security plan for 2004
I read this today, which seems to be a well thought out list of priorities for US Security for 2004. It seems strange to me that the US, and to a lesser extent, Australia put so much energy into security but do such a bad job. The situation in Israel is a classic case in point.
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I read this today, which seems to be a well thought out list of priorities for US Security for 2004. It seems strange to me that the US, and to a lesser extent, Australia put so much energy into security but do such a bad job. The situation in Israel is a classic case in point.
Friday, January 02, 2004
World Idol
I got hooked on Australian Idol through my kids. I cheered Guy on, and was sad for Paulini when she 'bowed out' and I was glad for Guy when he won. I found it fascinating watching World Idol and seeing that so many of the idols were not particularly "marketing ideal". Particularly as I listened to the negative comments of the judges.
What struck me was that even though the marketing gurus have a particular view of what people want, many of the countries seem to have chosen 'ugly' people.
I think the format they use allows people to get to know the contestants. This is really the reason why these reality shows are so popular I think. Because people find it so difficult to connect with others, but desperately want to, they watch shows that allow them to feel a connection. In the same way, they thrive on gossip because knowing intimate things about famous people (even if untrue) makes them feel the same connection.
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I got hooked on Australian Idol through my kids. I cheered Guy on, and was sad for Paulini when she 'bowed out' and I was glad for Guy when he won. I found it fascinating watching World Idol and seeing that so many of the idols were not particularly "marketing ideal". Particularly as I listened to the negative comments of the judges.
What struck me was that even though the marketing gurus have a particular view of what people want, many of the countries seem to have chosen 'ugly' people.
I think the format they use allows people to get to know the contestants. This is really the reason why these reality shows are so popular I think. Because people find it so difficult to connect with others, but desperately want to, they watch shows that allow them to feel a connection. In the same way, they thrive on gossip because knowing intimate things about famous people (even if untrue) makes them feel the same connection.
