BALANCE of CULTURE

UN Exhibit: History as News

A very interesting exhibit just opened at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland: History as News. This unique exhibit shares +100 historic front pages of newspapers worldwide published from 1898-2012. It's located at the Palais des Nations until March 1. Definitely a must-see if you're in Geneva this month!

al Jazeera's New Role in Global News

One of the meatier developments in the media over the holidays was the announcement of news network al Jazeera purchasing Al Gore's Current TV in order to enter mainstream American households. While plenty has been discussed on how ironic the $500 million sale is, most commentary thus far has centered around the spectacle of the transaction (Gore is estimated to gross approximately $70 million).

While the financials are definitely eye-opening to how this sort of business can muscle itself around despite the inherently divergent politics of the involved parties, hardly anybody is pointing out how al Jazeera may not be the straightforward news network it purports itself to be besides CFR's Elliot Abrams. 

In his blog post, Abrams brings up a simple test: Is al-Jazeera capable of candid reporting on Qatari affairs? Unfortunately, the answer ends up as  no--a questionable conclusion since the network is well known as property of the oil-rich Qatari royal family.

Despite this, al Jazeera is still one of my favorite news outlets. I often find it to be a rich resource for events outside the radar of, say, the ubiquitous New York Times. But unlike the UK's BBC, Germany's Deutsche Welle, FRANCE 24, or Voice of America, al Jazeera's direct funding connection to the government of Qatar (via Sheik Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani) is not overtly disclosed in its fine print. So the question is, will people care if al Jazeera doesn't objectively report on Qatari events while on their television sets?

With Time Warner dropping Current shortly after the sale, we'll have to wait and see how the rest of this story continues.

A Question for Tonight's Presidential Debate

UPDATE 10/4/12: Presidential debate fact-check list; Jim Lehrer's job as moderator a disappointment

Finally! Tonight is the first presidential debate (as well as the Obamas' wedding anniversary) and although these things tend to be high-level memorized presentations for the most part, I can't help but be super excited for this one.

I don't think I have ever witnessed such an extreme case of divergent values in two candidates, even compared to 2008. Sure there are eerie similarities such as Romney's team picking Paul Ryan as running mate, which gives me a confused case of Sarah Palin-deja vu. But tonight we'll all be focused on the two main men: Obama, who is trying to maintain his lead (and not give the GOP any more fodder to misuse), and Romney, who must know how much this debate will mean for the last stretch of his so-far tepid and uninformative campaign. 

One of my favorite photos ever--Senator Barack Obama before the first presidential debate on September 26, 2008

Our economy and foreign policy aside, it would be simply amazing if tonight's moderator Jim Lehrer dared to ask one of the most important questions regarding our domestic politics today: Shouldn't we scrap the filibuster and restore majority rule? It's clearly an "ideal" debate question since it's a bipartisan problem that truly does affect the lives of citizens.

Or is our political discourse simply too diluted and hollow at this point to incorporate such a pertinent question?

Shoe-Lace Tying OK, But Not Income Inequality?

Let me start off by simply stating: #FIRSTWORLDPROBLEMS. Moving on...

TED's refusal to distribute a talk by multimillionaire VC tycoon Nick Hanauer has the internet scoffing, causing reason to point out how the conference has officially jumped the shark. With so many questionable talks that are eagerly hosted by the now ubiquitous project, people are confused, to say the least. Especially Hanauer himself, who received a standing ovation at the end of his talk, which is on how America's middle class--not the wealthy--are the ones who actually create our jobs:

"We've had it backward for the last 30 years," says multimillionaire Seattle venture capitalist Nick Hanauer. "Rich businesspeople like me don't create jobs. Rather they are a consequence of an ecosystemic feedback loop animated by middle-class consumers, and when they thrive, businesses grow and hire, and owners profit. That's why taxing the rich to pay for investments that benefit all is a great deal for both the middle class and the rich." 

Besides the talk being "too partisan," (not sure how this is so partisan, unless you're coming from an ultra partisan perspective), Hanauer's lack of original research is stated as a reason why his talk doesn't hold up to TED standards.

I'd like to know since when are all TED talks based upon research? Go through the talks yourself and you'll find tons of speeches that have very little research involved. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but experience and ideas aren't technically "research." I'm not saying some of the talks aren't entertaining or useful, but with so many people online now, terms like "research," "innovation," and "think tank" have become so benign and misused that the real meanings are completely lost on even those who use these terms the most. So is anybody really surprised about this turn of events?

Also, does this have anything to do with that new free "TED" offshoot coming up?

Foreigners in North Korea for Kim Jong-Un's First Speech

North Korea's Kim Jong-Un gave a brief public speech yesterday during the country's celebrations for his grandfather's centennial. Some analysts were surprised at this decision, considering his father Kim Jong-il was known to have given only one public "speech" during his 17-year rule, which was a mere sentence.

Sure, Kim Jong-Un could've simply stayed quiet during the ceremonies. But taking a look at some of the audience at the celebration, you'll notice a lot of foreigners in the mix--someone even brought their little daughter! North Korea has allowed a lot of reporters into their country recently, and they want their message heard, at least a lot more than in the past.

The new leader expressed the strength of the country's military and how the era in which the world bullies them with nuclear threats is effectively "over." Footage below:

 

Online Culture, Sexualization, & Linguistic Imperialism

A recent discussion on internet searches and language points out some unusual circumstances when it comes to what we expect when searching the words "European," "African," "American," and "Asian."

While the first three key words deliver Google images mainly comprised of maps, flags, animals, or other typical cultural signifiers, things change when one searches for "Asian," as you can clearly see below.

European:

African:

American:

Asian:

This discussion has some people upset over what they deem is a racially-sexualized condition both online as well as in the English-speaking consciousness. Though the "findings" (I use this term loosely as this is hardly a formal research project) may allude to how people view Asians, especially women, as sexual objects, we should also remember that Google isn't the only search engine for the entire world.

Some more comparisons with Naver, South Korea's popular search engine, offer image results that are much less sexy (due to the country's relative conservative sensibility). But the key difference here is the language usage, which requires this conversation to be much more nuanced. For instance, the Korean language has separate words for American "things" v. American "people," making these findings much more useful towards analyzing how Westerners use search engines as well as what they expect as search results.

Which brings me to this debate on if and how the English language is becoming (or already has become) a tool for linguistic imperialism.

Interview with Mali coup leader Amadou Sanogo

The next time anyone around here in Los Angeles (or pretty much anywhere in the US, for that matter) thinks they're "gangsta," I should just direct them to this interview by Martin Vogl with 39-year old Captain Amadou Sanogo, leader of the Mali coup who just ousted Amadou Toumani Toure. 

Interview with junta leader in Mali Cpt Sanogo by martinvogl

Coups are not foreign to Mali; the most recent ones happened in 1968 and 1991. The African Union, with support from neighboring countries, has temporarily suspended Mali's membership.

 

Unimpressed with the Gatekeepers' Amnesia

Yesterday it seemed the entire Western world was glorifying a NYT op-ed by Greg Smith, a Goldman Sachs executive who basically outs the firm as "toxic and destructive" in his piece that was published on his last day of work. I thought the text was more of an accountability-free manifesto by a gatekeeper with amnesia who has miraculously transformed into an enlightened whistleblower.

In Smith's op-ed, titled "Why I Am Leaving Goldman Sachs," he somehow fails to fully admit and explain his own inherent involvement and collusion in his history with GS, instead just giving what most 99-percenters want to hear right now: a former 1-percenter abandoning all sense of the category in a self-righteous, "I-now-see-the-light"-manner.

I know I'm not alone in noticing how so many former 1-percenters (as well as former "wannabe" 1-percenters) are all of a sudden embracing the 99-percent bandwagon, clearly because it's the "cooler" concept to adopt right now. And though Smith is one of the highest higher-ups who are joining the masses he once loved to screw, these former cronies are also creeping out from much lesser positions of prestige. Yet one thing they all share in common the past decade is their gatekeeper mentality of getting ahead at the expense of their own teams.

Of course it's ultimately a positive thing when people start realizing the failures of their past materialistic and desperately-greedy ways, but the lack of personal accountability in most of these gatekeepers-at-heart only continues their disgusting, spineless behavior -- quite a reveal of their convenient amnesia.

Good for Smith and his personal revelations, no matter how many clients he ethically and financially failed. But as one writer puts it: "If you're going to be a whistle-blower, you need to acknowledge upfront your complicity in any malfeasance, be it legal or ethical. Smith's op-ed doesn't come close to doing this."

 

More Voices Rise in Maldives Conversation

Maldives is a country that has been on my radar since my first visit to the atoll nation several years ago. I've been closely watching the developments in Male since February 7, when President Nasheed was ousted from power by what he calls a "military coup."

The surge of women protest groups has been one of the most interesting and inspiring occurrences the past month. In this Muslim nation, these women have banded together to voice their discontent with the coup, even being dealt with unnecessary force by local police (the police brutality against protesters in Male has been constantly brought up by human rights activists).

One of the most surprising details to surface this week was the unlikely position of current President Waheed Hassan's brother, Naushad Waheed, who lives in the UK. Apparently Naushad is "so upset over developments that he has taken to the streets of London to distribute antigovernment leaflets."

Of his brother, Naushad states that "He believes that he is serving his country as the leader of a legitimate government, but I do not agree with him. The new government I believe is guilty of committing human rights abuses against the opposition."

During the last few years, it seemed that the Maldives as a nation was ready to pursue a path to progress. It became a democracy, flourished with foreign investments and high tourism growth, and was pushing for global climate change education. (Some of its low-lying islands are already submerged due to climate change.) With the unfortunate chaos that consumed the capital earlier this year, it's up to the traditionally unpolitical local women's groups and people close to those in power (like Naushad in London) to strive for the continued efforts of the past few years.

With all of this KONY talk buzzing online, it's disappointing that the developments in the Maldives -- which some account as the precursor to the Arab Spring -- has made relatively little headway in global communications.

Hopefully the new documentary film The Island President will put more of this small yet geopolitically-important country in our international conversation.

Gay Rights Are Human Rights

Today the UN Human Rights Council held the very first hearing to "discuss discrimination and violence against LGBT people."

It was the first time a UN Secretary-General spoke out specifically upon issues of sexual orientation. Ban-ki Moon, the UN's first Korean Secretary General, is 67 years old and begins his message by stating:

"I understand, like many of my generation, I did not grow up talking about these issues. But I learned to speak out because lives are at stake...A historic shift is under way — more states see the gravity of the problem….We must tackle the violence, decriminalize consensual same-sex relationships, end discrimination and educate the public."

It isn't everyday you hear this sort of message, even in 2012. Violence against the LGBT community is still on the rise here in the US, but occurs frequently in extreme Islamic countries as well. Case in point: in anticipation of today's meeting, a leaked document signed by the 56 Islamic states in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) confirmed their opposition to the panel and their blatant disregard for such basic human liberties.

I should point out that in order for some of these nations (like Turkey, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Nigeria) to fully join the "civilized" world, the acceptance of "gay rights" is, for the most part, an obvious requisite. Even though the debates of sexual orientation are alive and well in many western countries, the fact remains that in the first world, LGBT people have the same rights as any other straight, Bible-thumping Anglo-Saxons. This is a precise and deliberate difference -- cultural or otherwise -- between countries like the US and countries like Afghanistan.

Although such basic rights obviously set us apart from much of the world, we do need to evaluate the way our discourse is organized in terms of these issues. The rights of the LGBT community should not be compartmentalized as "gay rights," the same way females'  positions in society should not be marginalized as "women's rights." These are all basic human rights. Even though these issues may appear contentious now, we shouldn't forget simple things like how controversial the concept of women and African Americans voting was decades ago -- and how ludicrous and archaic those opposing such laws appear to us today in hindsight.