These pieces are appearing in these days after the riot started in Rakhine. If these appeared since last 10 months, I’m sure Sai Latt will include them in his article.
First time I’ve heard of that alleged Aung San metaphor. What is common knowledge however relates to discipline and self reliance warning the people that the alternative would be a whore of a country (hpar naingan) in one of his more famous speeches.
The Burmese language as you know does not want in robustness or ribaldry where necessary and will rise up to the challenge , some examples of which you may have seen in a recent thread on elephant metaphors. But do we practise phallic worship? Some travel writer seemed to think so when his imagination ran off a tangent when he saw the gate signs in gold and vermilion on teak pillars with ‘phallic tops’ in front of the old city wall in Mandalay. Some imagination.
The logistics of war requires good all weather routes for troops and supplies besides landing fields for aircraft. Remember the story in U Nu’s time when the US offered to build a six-lane Rangoon-Mandalay highway, the Chinese offered to plant trees in the central reservation apparently spoiling the deal? We also still have one of the world’s last remaining narrow gauge railroad networks. It’s a national disgrace.
But where’s the political will to allocate funds for such public works? Where did all the revenues from the offshore gas go? It’s not so much ‘resource curse’ as daylight robbery that continues to blight the country and impoverish the nation.
Infrastructure is definitely important for not only for trade and commerce but for holding the union together, not by troops, but by people travelling and interacting between the Irrawaddy basin (Burmese heartlands) and the hills (ethnic homelands).
Who cares if Westerners shun the roads and choose to fly? Except the tourist board.
No one mentioned something about “political views” here- so why do you bring that up? And, indeed, I made my own conclusion about the hypocritical stance of the author: While he depicts bargirls, “big men”, and expats, he generates a logical causality which might not be the reality but only in the eyes of the author since he is part of all that. This is a valid technique of artists, but it is also valid to ask for the artists opinion.
By the way, isn’t it striking that the negative valuations of the rather critical comments on the artwork all appear in patterns? Shamed be he who thinks evil of it, but please be so nice and respect the opinions of the others as well.
thanks
See the map of the Arakan, Burmese land in that plan?
Mughalistan (or Mughalstan) is the name of an independent homeland proposed for the Muslims of India. This Mughal-Muslim state in the Indian subcontinent will include all of North India and Eastern India, and will be formed by merging Pakistan and Bangladesh through a large corridor of land running across the Indo-Gangetic plain, the heartland of India. This Mughalistan corridor will comprise Muslim-majority areas of Northern India and eastern India that will be partitioned for the second time in history.
You mix principles with logic, a craving for prosperity with a charitable spirit, and a love for fashion with a gypsy’s eye! Needless to say, this can confuse acquaintances, and even you sometimes get lost in the fast-changing tide. This is particularly dominant in your younger years; later in life you begin to get control of your variable nature….
You have an open mind but a guarded heart. Intellectually it’s easy to reach you, but appealing to your emotions is risky at best, a turn-off at worst. People should present concepts and proposals to you in a forthright, well-reasoned manner if they want to be taken seriously….
My sentiments exactly. I have believed for some time now that the usually somnolescent Thai people will awaken from their dream and notice that things aren’t right.
Civil war is pretty much inevitable; to paraphrase what has been famously noted “Making a democracy out of an autocracy peacefully requires a dog to willingly give up a bone.”
Not going to happen. It will require upheaval and considerable bloodshed, same as it always has done. Shame on Thaksin for not arranging to put Abhisit and Suthep in prison, and shoot the coup makers and murderers of Thai people.
Also referring to the increasingly bizarre Vichai N #11:
“The latest in year 2006 to oust Thaksin Shinawatra was rated ‘popular’, very popular with democracy-loving Bangkokians showering garlans to the tanks.”
Kidding – right? Having a laugh are you? The democracy-loving coup-supporters? oxymorons with your tea anyone? Royalist stooges to a man (and woman), coming out right on cue.
I don’t know if Vichai N is high or drunk, or just a little bit dim.
Somehow the Indian races -this IS a racial remark, Indians of all religion and geographic abode- seem to be fascinated by FIRE. Funeral pyre, the chilling practice of “Sati”, the harrowing invention of “necklacings” successfully exported to the South Africa, and prolific use of it in personal attacks and riots. The Burmese-Chinese riots seems to have less fire involved.
This long and cringing note is to say that with the onset of rain and storm, even the most virulent agitators cannot possible burn houses and in rain and mud even the mostSeasoned and prolific face to face killers, the Burmese army, cannot kill much.
So whatever is written anyhow here by anyone, the ” west Burma” violence as delicate people delicately calls it is not going on much anymore. That and sheer exhaustion. People may now regret having burned down houses. There definately is not much food and there is an outbreak of diarrhoea.
Aung Zaw’s touchy, scary scene of these hateful Buddhists in Rangoon killing off all the Muslims or the “kalars” as every body points out these hateful Burmese calls these would-be victims in derogatory manner has now passed the much anticipated Friday Prayer test so that journalists around the world may have to wait for another time for juicy gore and Buddhist Burmese bashing.
See, all out Burmese-Muslim riot is not going to help anyone and even the virulent Rohingya Inc. would not want it. Neither would the military which after all has a long and successful experience of staging and shepherding these man-made crises.
The question of virulent hate speech. All Burmese experts and aid people took delight in repeatedly reproducing them with sound effect. Sadly none of these experts read Burmese although the “moderate” ones posted here do not require any language skill at all.
In Burmese web sphere, these horrid hate business been going open for so long this one is not really standing out. And yes, you can find the palpable Burmese chauvinistic and racist attitude increasing for the last ten or so years. Only Difference being the people can now write in English and communicate as well. Even the Pagan pagoda guides would now explain the disgraceful rape and pillage of that advanced civilization Thaton as if the Burmese rescuing the poor Mon public from harsh administration and how well the King Manuha was being looked after- as a slave!
All authoritarian regime go for easy incitement of nationalism. Khin Nyunt cannot be blamed for trying and indeed succeeding. His successors have the route cut up. So this xenophobic, chauvinistic talk and bravado are integral scene of many a lavish gatherings of the top brass and their supporters- the commercial colleagues – for decades.
And they WERE universally despised. For that and for other evil deeds.
Now, let’s see. Since the unfortunate and sad success of the military to turn Aung San Suu Kyi to exclusively sing for their praise which she does non- stop from the 18th of August 2011 and still enthusiastically going on, there is a deluge of recognition, praise, visits, support and pampering by the very same international community.
On one fell swoop, all the evil deeds of the military including this horrid chauvinistic, racist attitude and acts become acceptable or even honorable as the perpetrators are honoured by the international communities whose prime ministers and ministers fall over each other trying to squeeze the hands of Thein Sein, the military’s bald front man. People simply take along the ride.
They see the military killing the Kachin worse than ever. They hear no condemnation. They see more troops put in Kachin Land as well a Karen Land which is now supposedly ” peaceful”. And they see the Norwegians digging oil in the gulf while doing the softly, softly conductor job for the military to bring in the displaced with no guarantee of peace or demilitarization.
For the record Sean Turnell’s recent article on economics ( not on politics) is the only one written by the myriad of “Burmese Experts” which suggests cutting down the size of the military which is the real reason Burmese are poor financially rather than this “sanction” business which was good as a principle before and now gone.
In short, the military is The most chauvinistic in Burma. Those pariah are now the rock stars enjoying the sucking up if not adulation by the drooling international communities. People who ape them will now continue to do so. So, yes, there are more trouble to come.
And, yes, it will be like the genie. It will get out of control and spread around the region and the world at large.
That is well expected after sound support of the evil doers who are stepping up their evil ways rather than amending it as the international communities like to lie.
So don’t get discouraged by lack of step up in the current killing spree. More is in stock. And soon.
Simply keep pampering the military signaling their chauvinistic and racist acts are OK.
I wouldn’t really care if there is a coup now. If Yingluck is not interested to do something about the crippled democracy that is Thailand right now, then she has not done what the Red Shirts expected her to do anyway. If she is going to go along with the elites and ignore the Reds, then I don’t really care whether she is or is not in office, because she is just using the dead bodies to win the election, only to ignore their wishes after she is in p0wer. That is deplorable. And if she gets couped, no Red Shirt would care about that.
@Tarrin wrote:
“It would be so funny if Mark Zuckerberg got arrest here in Thailand for a comment made my a user that defaming the King on facebook (there are plenty of that in FB now anyway), I’m waiting for that day.”
Oh, those anti-Monarchy pages on FB are extremely amusing! Some of the pictures made me laugh like mad.
I also recall one page which focuses exclusively on publicising nude pictures of certain Royals (in fact, I got my complete album of Royal nude pictures from that page lol). But I forgot the name of that page. I heard these pages are being banned on a daily basis. Yet shutting down and banning the page has little effect with these Cyber warriors. They would get a new email address, sign up with FB again, and resume their tireless quest to publicise the nude pictures again. Some of the anti-monarchy posters claimed they had already been banned 50 times. That is quite something.
BTW, I don’t think Zuckerberg will ever be arrested in Thailand. Thai authorities would not dare to do that although FB is the hot spot for anti-Monarchy Thais to publicise information which Thai authorities are trying hard to hide. Zuckerberg made too much money for USA, and the USA will not allow citizens who make that much money for their government to be arrested. If Thai authorities dare to arrest Zuckerberg, the US may even turn themselves against the Thai elites. I am sure the Thai elites wouldn’t want that.
> “If New Mandala was placed on a separate subdomain it should be possible to kill that without interfering with the rest.”
Separate logs can be kept for entries too. But there are advantages and disadvantages to going down the separation route. An argument could be made that records cannot be divulged because the logs are mixed up with everything else on asiapacific.anu.edu.au – such tactics have been used before (most often by governments if recollection serves). From where we stand Simon, I don’t think we can speculate on which option might be the best.
Simon: The plugin doesn’t seem to have any option for keeping ip addresses for a limited time, was last updated in 2009, and is registered as being compatible with WordPress up to version 2.8.6 where NM is on version 3.2. New Manadala already has at least one vulnerable plugin – it doesn’t need any more – or it totally goes against what you’re trying to achieve doesn’t it?
Best advice is don’t post sensitive stuff from a connection that you use often or only a few people use. Then the ip addresses will hold no value. Don’t be so focused on one aspect – the issue is not done and dusted if you reckon you’ve obfuscated your ip address.
There are some brave fellas (I mean that with the ultimate respect) on here who will continue to test the limits but for the rest of us … just think think and think again about what you post. A good piece of advice might be: don’t post anything that you don’t feel comfortable printing out and carrying around in your back pocket.
[Posting again – I keep forgetting that NM doesn’t like comments posted thru TOR.]
A “moderate voice advocating peace and tolerance” is what I heard from my one Facebook friend too (active in open source programming community), who has Muslim-Buddhist parents, who she pointed out, have always found ways to bridge their differences.
In Yangon had so many friends of mixed ethnicity (Karen, Burmese, Shan, Chin…) but one occasionally encounters some pretty strident racist undertones. I’ll never forget the tirade of one older Karen doctor and UN volunteer (over a beer next to Mahabandula park, feelings of guilt here since I always sensed beer was considered a very sinful activity by the Burmese Buddhists I knew) who claimed that Aung-San used the metaphor of “breaking the hymen of a virgin” in his public speeches and this was ipso facto evidence that he was no good and going further claiming that such “immoral” metaphoric language was common in the Burmese language that this meant that all Burmese were no good. I just point it out as a curiosity and this is perhaps the wrong time to be studying racist beliefs (or maybe it is the right time if you want to end them). Just hope the Arakan border region does not become another Southern Thailand.
What is especially hilarious in this new just-filed complaint from the Ministry of Culture is that the actual flag Lady Gaga used was not a Thailand flag but the flag of another country and the Minister of Culture apparently cannot recognize a Thailand flag.
Your discussion of language and political violence is interesting, but I think the photograph you show is almost even more interesting.
Can you describe the history of the photography you display? I assume it is a Tuol Sleng S-21 photograph. What do the scribbles say? Who do you think might have marked it up? Why?
For a fascinating, harrowing discussion of photographic images and understandings of political violence, I recommend this book. It’s difficult reading, but, as the author would argue, also important.
– Keith
—
“The Cruel Radiance: Photography and Political Violence”
by Suzie Linfield
In The Cruel Radiance, Susie Linfield challenges the idea that photographs of political violence exploit their subjects and pander to the voyeuristic tendencies of their viewers. Instead she argues passionately that looking at such images–and learning to see the people in them–is an ethically and politically necessary act that connects us to our modern history of violence and probes the human capacity for cruelty.
Grappling with critics from Walter Benjamin and Bertolt Brecht to Susan Sontag and the postmoderns–and analyzing photographs from such events as the Holocaust, China’s Cultural Revolution, and recent terrorist acts–Linfield explores the complex connection between photojournalism and the rise of human rights ideals. In the book’s concluding section, she examines the indispensable work of Robert Capa, James Nachtwey, and Gilles Peress and asks how photography should respond to the increasingly nihilistic trajectory of modern warfare.
A bracing and unsettling book, The Cruel Radiance convincingly demonstrates that if we hope to alleviate political violence, we must first truly understand it–and to do that, we must begin to look.
Bangkok, June 15, 2012 (AFP) – First she made a joke about buying a fake rolex. Now Thailand’s culture ministry has filed a complaint to police against Lady Gaga for misuse of the Thai flag during her show last month.
The ministry said the part of Lady Gaga’s performance when she wore a traditional headdress and sat on a motorcycle in a skimpy outfit with a Thai flag trailing behind was “inappropriate and hurt Thai people’s sentiment”.
“We are not asking police to prosecute her but it’s our normal procedure to file complaints to concerned agencies when we receive them,” a senior ministry official, who declined to be named, said by telephone.
The ministry noted that the Thai national flag consisted of three colours — red for the nation, blue for the revered monarchy and white for religion.
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Voices of moderation on Burmese Facebook
These pieces are appearing in these days after the riot started in Rakhine. If these appeared since last 10 months, I’m sure Sai Latt will include them in his article.
Voices of moderation on Burmese Facebook
Amen to that, Jon.
First time I’ve heard of that alleged Aung San metaphor. What is common knowledge however relates to discipline and self reliance warning the people that the alternative would be a whore of a country (hpar naingan) in one of his more famous speeches.
The Burmese language as you know does not want in robustness or ribaldry where necessary and will rise up to the challenge , some examples of which you may have seen in a recent thread on elephant metaphors. But do we practise phallic worship? Some travel writer seemed to think so when his imagination ran off a tangent when he saw the gate signs in gold and vermilion on teak pillars with ‘phallic tops’ in front of the old city wall in Mandalay. Some imagination.
Racing for answers in divided Myanmar
plan B,
The logistics of war requires good all weather routes for troops and supplies besides landing fields for aircraft. Remember the story in U Nu’s time when the US offered to build a six-lane Rangoon-Mandalay highway, the Chinese offered to plant trees in the central reservation apparently spoiling the deal? We also still have one of the world’s last remaining narrow gauge railroad networks. It’s a national disgrace.
But where’s the political will to allocate funds for such public works? Where did all the revenues from the offshore gas go? It’s not so much ‘resource curse’ as daylight robbery that continues to blight the country and impoverish the nation.
Infrastructure is definitely important for not only for trade and commerce but for holding the union together, not by troops, but by people travelling and interacting between the Irrawaddy basin (Burmese heartlands) and the hills (ethnic homelands).
Who cares if Westerners shun the roads and choose to fly? Except the tourist board.
Noir nights in Phnom Penh
Guy:
No one mentioned something about “political views” here- so why do you bring that up? And, indeed, I made my own conclusion about the hypocritical stance of the author: While he depicts bargirls, “big men”, and expats, he generates a logical causality which might not be the reality but only in the eyes of the author since he is part of all that. This is a valid technique of artists, but it is also valid to ask for the artists opinion.
By the way, isn’t it striking that the negative valuations of the rather critical comments on the artwork all appear in patterns? Shamed be he who thinks evil of it, but please be so nice and respect the opinions of the others as well.
thanks
Intolerance, Islam and the Internet in Burma
See the map of the Arakan, Burmese land in that plan?
Mughalistan (or Mughalstan) is the name of an independent homeland proposed for the Muslims of India. This Mughal-Muslim state in the Indian subcontinent will include all of North India and Eastern India, and will be formed by merging Pakistan and Bangladesh through a large corridor of land running across the Indo-Gangetic plain, the heartland of India. This Mughalistan corridor will comprise Muslim-majority areas of Northern India and eastern India that will be partitioned for the second time in history.
So invaders are planning since 1948.
http://mughalistan.wordpress.com/
New Mandala turns six
I wish you many more. You might be interested in this, if NM was a person (http://www.netplaces.com/birthday-personology/june/june-16.htm), especially as astrology is so very important for many:
June 16 by Marian Singer (edited for length)
You mix principles with logic, a craving for prosperity with a charitable spirit, and a love for fashion with a gypsy’s eye! Needless to say, this can confuse acquaintances, and even you sometimes get lost in the fast-changing tide. This is particularly dominant in your younger years; later in life you begin to get control of your variable nature….
You have an open mind but a guarded heart. Intellectually it’s easy to reach you, but appealing to your emotions is risky at best, a turn-off at worst. People should present concepts and proposals to you in a forthright, well-reasoned manner if they want to be taken seriously….
Gift idea: a briefcase.
Coup talk in Thailand 2012
@CT #22
My sentiments exactly. I have believed for some time now that the usually somnolescent Thai people will awaken from their dream and notice that things aren’t right.
Civil war is pretty much inevitable; to paraphrase what has been famously noted “Making a democracy out of an autocracy peacefully requires a dog to willingly give up a bone.”
Not going to happen. It will require upheaval and considerable bloodshed, same as it always has done. Shame on Thaksin for not arranging to put Abhisit and Suthep in prison, and shoot the coup makers and murderers of Thai people.
Also referring to the increasingly bizarre Vichai N #11:
“The latest in year 2006 to oust Thaksin Shinawatra was rated ‘popular’, very popular with democracy-loving Bangkokians showering garlans to the tanks.”
Kidding – right? Having a laugh are you? The democracy-loving coup-supporters? oxymorons with your tea anyone? Royalist stooges to a man (and woman), coming out right on cue.
I don’t know if Vichai N is high or drunk, or just a little bit dim.
Intolerance, Islam and the Internet in Burma
Somehow the Indian races -this IS a racial remark, Indians of all religion and geographic abode- seem to be fascinated by FIRE. Funeral pyre, the chilling practice of “Sati”, the harrowing invention of “necklacings” successfully exported to the South Africa, and prolific use of it in personal attacks and riots. The Burmese-Chinese riots seems to have less fire involved.
This long and cringing note is to say that with the onset of rain and storm, even the most virulent agitators cannot possible burn houses and in rain and mud even the mostSeasoned and prolific face to face killers, the Burmese army, cannot kill much.
So whatever is written anyhow here by anyone, the ” west Burma” violence as delicate people delicately calls it is not going on much anymore. That and sheer exhaustion. People may now regret having burned down houses. There definately is not much food and there is an outbreak of diarrhoea.
Aung Zaw’s touchy, scary scene of these hateful Buddhists in Rangoon killing off all the Muslims or the “kalars” as every body points out these hateful Burmese calls these would-be victims in derogatory manner has now passed the much anticipated Friday Prayer test so that journalists around the world may have to wait for another time for juicy gore and Buddhist Burmese bashing.
See, all out Burmese-Muslim riot is not going to help anyone and even the virulent Rohingya Inc. would not want it. Neither would the military which after all has a long and successful experience of staging and shepherding these man-made crises.
The question of virulent hate speech. All Burmese experts and aid people took delight in repeatedly reproducing them with sound effect. Sadly none of these experts read Burmese although the “moderate” ones posted here do not require any language skill at all.
In Burmese web sphere, these horrid hate business been going open for so long this one is not really standing out. And yes, you can find the palpable Burmese chauvinistic and racist attitude increasing for the last ten or so years. Only Difference being the people can now write in English and communicate as well. Even the Pagan pagoda guides would now explain the disgraceful rape and pillage of that advanced civilization Thaton as if the Burmese rescuing the poor Mon public from harsh administration and how well the King Manuha was being looked after- as a slave!
All authoritarian regime go for easy incitement of nationalism. Khin Nyunt cannot be blamed for trying and indeed succeeding. His successors have the route cut up. So this xenophobic, chauvinistic talk and bravado are integral scene of many a lavish gatherings of the top brass and their supporters- the commercial colleagues – for decades.
And they WERE universally despised. For that and for other evil deeds.
Now, let’s see. Since the unfortunate and sad success of the military to turn Aung San Suu Kyi to exclusively sing for their praise which she does non- stop from the 18th of August 2011 and still enthusiastically going on, there is a deluge of recognition, praise, visits, support and pampering by the very same international community.
On one fell swoop, all the evil deeds of the military including this horrid chauvinistic, racist attitude and acts become acceptable or even honorable as the perpetrators are honoured by the international communities whose prime ministers and ministers fall over each other trying to squeeze the hands of Thein Sein, the military’s bald front man. People simply take along the ride.
They see the military killing the Kachin worse than ever. They hear no condemnation. They see more troops put in Kachin Land as well a Karen Land which is now supposedly ” peaceful”. And they see the Norwegians digging oil in the gulf while doing the softly, softly conductor job for the military to bring in the displaced with no guarantee of peace or demilitarization.
For the record Sean Turnell’s recent article on economics ( not on politics) is the only one written by the myriad of “Burmese Experts” which suggests cutting down the size of the military which is the real reason Burmese are poor financially rather than this “sanction” business which was good as a principle before and now gone.
In short, the military is The most chauvinistic in Burma. Those pariah are now the rock stars enjoying the sucking up if not adulation by the drooling international communities. People who ape them will now continue to do so. So, yes, there are more trouble to come.
And, yes, it will be like the genie. It will get out of control and spread around the region and the world at large.
That is well expected after sound support of the evil doers who are stepping up their evil ways rather than amending it as the international communities like to lie.
So don’t get discouraged by lack of step up in the current killing spree. More is in stock. And soon.
Simply keep pampering the military signaling their chauvinistic and racist acts are OK.
Coup talk in Thailand 2012
I wouldn’t really care if there is a coup now. If Yingluck is not interested to do something about the crippled democracy that is Thailand right now, then she has not done what the Red Shirts expected her to do anyway. If she is going to go along with the elites and ignore the Reds, then I don’t really care whether she is or is not in office, because she is just using the dead bodies to win the election, only to ignore their wishes after she is in p0wer. That is deplorable. And if she gets couped, no Red Shirt would care about that.
Comments, comments, comments
@Tarrin wrote:
“It would be so funny if Mark Zuckerberg got arrest here in Thailand for a comment made my a user that defaming the King on facebook (there are plenty of that in FB now anyway), I’m waiting for that day.”
Oh, those anti-Monarchy pages on FB are extremely amusing! Some of the pictures made me laugh like mad.
I also recall one page which focuses exclusively on publicising nude pictures of certain Royals (in fact, I got my complete album of Royal nude pictures from that page lol). But I forgot the name of that page. I heard these pages are being banned on a daily basis. Yet shutting down and banning the page has little effect with these Cyber warriors. They would get a new email address, sign up with FB again, and resume their tireless quest to publicise the nude pictures again. Some of the anti-monarchy posters claimed they had already been banned 50 times. That is quite something.
BTW, I don’t think Zuckerberg will ever be arrested in Thailand. Thai authorities would not dare to do that although FB is the hot spot for anti-Monarchy Thais to publicise information which Thai authorities are trying hard to hide. Zuckerberg made too much money for USA, and the USA will not allow citizens who make that much money for their government to be arrested. If Thai authorities dare to arrest Zuckerberg, the US may even turn themselves against the Thai elites. I am sure the Thai elites wouldn’t want that.
Coup talk in Thailand 2012
two countries, two courts, two coups
Comments, comments, comments
And …
> “If New Mandala was placed on a separate subdomain it should be possible to kill that without interfering with the rest.”
Separate logs can be kept for entries too. But there are advantages and disadvantages to going down the separation route. An argument could be made that records cannot be divulged because the logs are mixed up with everything else on asiapacific.anu.edu.au – such tactics have been used before (most often by governments if recollection serves). From where we stand Simon, I don’t think we can speculate on which option might be the best.
Comments, comments, comments
Simon: The plugin doesn’t seem to have any option for keeping ip addresses for a limited time, was last updated in 2009, and is registered as being compatible with WordPress up to version 2.8.6 where NM is on version 3.2. New Manadala already has at least one vulnerable plugin – it doesn’t need any more – or it totally goes against what you’re trying to achieve doesn’t it?
Best advice is don’t post sensitive stuff from a connection that you use often or only a few people use. Then the ip addresses will hold no value. Don’t be so focused on one aspect – the issue is not done and dusted if you reckon you’ve obfuscated your ip address.
There are some brave fellas (I mean that with the ultimate respect) on here who will continue to test the limits but for the rest of us … just think think and think again about what you post. A good piece of advice might be: don’t post anything that you don’t feel comfortable printing out and carrying around in your back pocket.
[Posting again – I keep forgetting that NM doesn’t like comments posted thru TOR.]
New Mandala turns six
Sukkha..and Happy Birthday to New Mandala.
Voices of moderation on Burmese Facebook
A “moderate voice advocating peace and tolerance” is what I heard from my one Facebook friend too (active in open source programming community), who has Muslim-Buddhist parents, who she pointed out, have always found ways to bridge their differences.
In Yangon had so many friends of mixed ethnicity (Karen, Burmese, Shan, Chin…) but one occasionally encounters some pretty strident racist undertones. I’ll never forget the tirade of one older Karen doctor and UN volunteer (over a beer next to Mahabandula park, feelings of guilt here since I always sensed beer was considered a very sinful activity by the Burmese Buddhists I knew) who claimed that Aung-San used the metaphor of “breaking the hymen of a virgin” in his public speeches and this was ipso facto evidence that he was no good and going further claiming that such “immoral” metaphoric language was common in the Burmese language that this meant that all Burmese were no good. I just point it out as a curiosity and this is perhaps the wrong time to be studying racist beliefs (or maybe it is the right time if you want to end them). Just hope the Arakan border region does not become another Southern Thailand.
Lady Gaga in Bangkok
What is especially hilarious in this new just-filed complaint from the Ministry of Culture is that the actual flag Lady Gaga used was not a Thailand flag but the flag of another country and the Minister of Culture apparently cannot recognize a Thailand flag.
Voices of moderation on Burmese Facebook
Quality NM entry!
Coup talk in Thailand 2012
You must take Wasana Nanuam with a grain of salt. As her last name implies, it is the farm that will suffer the most.
How the Khmer Rouge dehumanised their “enemies”
Dear Fionn Travers-Smith:
Your discussion of language and political violence is interesting, but I think the photograph you show is almost even more interesting.
Can you describe the history of the photography you display? I assume it is a Tuol Sleng S-21 photograph. What do the scribbles say? Who do you think might have marked it up? Why?
For a fascinating, harrowing discussion of photographic images and understandings of political violence, I recommend this book. It’s difficult reading, but, as the author would argue, also important.
– Keith
—
“The Cruel Radiance: Photography and Political Violence”
by Suzie Linfield
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo5929941.html
In The Cruel Radiance, Susie Linfield challenges the idea that photographs of political violence exploit their subjects and pander to the voyeuristic tendencies of their viewers. Instead she argues passionately that looking at such images–and learning to see the people in them–is an ethically and politically necessary act that connects us to our modern history of violence and probes the human capacity for cruelty.
Grappling with critics from Walter Benjamin and Bertolt Brecht to Susan Sontag and the postmoderns–and analyzing photographs from such events as the Holocaust, China’s Cultural Revolution, and recent terrorist acts–Linfield explores the complex connection between photojournalism and the rise of human rights ideals. In the book’s concluding section, she examines the indispensable work of Robert Capa, James Nachtwey, and Gilles Peress and asks how photography should respond to the increasingly nihilistic trajectory of modern warfare.
A bracing and unsettling book, The Cruel Radiance convincingly demonstrates that if we hope to alleviate political violence, we must first truly understand it–and to do that, we must begin to look.
============================================
Lady Gaga in Bangkok
No end to Gaga yet:
Lady Gaga in hot water over Bangkok concert
2012-06-15 15:27
Bangkok, June 15, 2012 (AFP) – First she made a joke about buying a fake rolex. Now Thailand’s culture ministry has filed a complaint to police against Lady Gaga for misuse of the Thai flag during her show last month.
The ministry said the part of Lady Gaga’s performance when she wore a traditional headdress and sat on a motorcycle in a skimpy outfit with a Thai flag trailing behind was “inappropriate and hurt Thai people’s sentiment”.
“We are not asking police to prosecute her but it’s our normal procedure to file complaints to concerned agencies when we receive them,” a senior ministry official, who declined to be named, said by telephone.
The ministry noted that the Thai national flag consisted of three colours — red for the nation, blue for the revered monarchy and white for religion.
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