BALANCE of CULTURE

Burning Korans in Afghanistan

[Update 2/22: The violence continues to escalate.]

As American celebrated a long three-day weekend for Presidents' Day, the US developed quite a messy PR problem in Afghanistan: 2,000 angry local Afghani demonstrators have gathered en masse at the American base, hurling stones and chanting anti-foreigner phrases. And this is all happening because of an extremely shortsighted and utterly stupid mistake made by some of our American troops.

Apparently some US soldiers improperly disposed copies of the Koran (or "Quran") by burning them and then tossing them in the trash. Why they did this is still vague. The local workers who regularly take care of the garbage discovered the remains and reported the findings to outside contacts.

Why would American soldiers screw themselves like this?!

Burning the Koran is an unmistakeable crime in not only Afghanistan but around the Muslim world. This concept isn't so hard to understand. What is difficult to grasp here is why these soldiers would even think this would be a safe thing to do regardless of the reasons behind doing so. Burning an American flag is not something these soldiers would probably like, so why would they choose to burn a holy book while stationed in a nation based upon that text? And how does this reflect upon the entire American presence in the Middle East? Not very positively, that is for sure.

Understandably, General John Allen, head of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has quickly apologized: "When we learned of these actions, we immediately intervened and stopped them. The materials recovered will be properly handled by appropriate religious authorities. This was NOT intentional in any way."

Too bad the apology has done little to appease the local anger, which is shared among laborers to local Afghan Taliban to NATO's top general in Afghanistan. Surely our soldiers get some kind of cultural/educational training (advice at least?) before being stationed abroad, though whatever they do receive obviously isn't enough (and I've recently seen some footage of interactions between soldiers and local Afghans that would very clearly demonstrate this lacking). They can be against the Koran all they want, but burning a country's holy text within its borders is a weak and senseless act that only downgrades our already contentious and precarious occupation in the Middle East overall.

 

Photo: REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

China's Next President to Ink Hollywood Joint Venture

This week much of US political news has been focused on Xi Jinping's official state visit from China. Xi is China's current vice president and heir-apparent.

Xi met with President Obama in the Oval Office, where Xi was approached with a candid welcoming discussion on subjects like a balanced trade flow between the US and China as well as America's commitment to recognizing critical human rights issues.

But Xi isn't leaving for home after DC: he is schedule to visit Los Angeles on Friday to ink a new joint venture between two Chinese media groups and DreamWorks Animation (DWA).

This will be a huge deal for both sides: production studios will be built in Shanghai for China's cinema market, which is the fastest growing in the world: with a growth rate of three screens a day, China is set to be the world's largest cinema market within 10 years.

Hollywood media will be able to infiltrate the spendy and increasingly relevant Chinese film market with less restrictions, a sort of victory in its challenging adaptation to the dwindling global movie market in recent years. Meanwhile, China's role in international film culture will finally expand beyond its state-owned sensibility (though to what extent is still difficult to measure). At any rate, the soft power angles here are undeniable, and both Hollywood and China could use a little sprucing up in terms of global taste anyway.

Xi is expected to become China's president in 2013.

V-Day 2012

The concept of appreciating love is huge around the world today, but I've never been one to really view Valentine's Day as anything much more than a day where many people (mainly guys) stress out with intricate planning while corporate America makes tons of money.

I have family members who are a part of the moneymaking machine of these kinds of holidays so perhaps that's where my unaffectedness for Valentine's Day originates. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy hearing everything about what people do on this day, but I refuse to go to fancy restaurants or partake in elaborate plans around the city along with every other couple in town (just feels a bit corny to me, I can't help it!). Luckily, I'm not ever coerced into doing those things on this day…our Labradoodle and Yorkie, however, will definitely receive some extra goodies today!

The American way of recognizing your loved one(s) on February 14 isn't the only template, though -- check out this map on how and when Valentine's Day is celebrated in other countries around the globe, from Wales to South Korea.

 

The Big Island Says "Aloha" to Plastic Bags

Thanks to new Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi, the Big Island has joined Kauai and Maui in passing a bill that bans businesses from giving customers single-use plastic bags.

No doubt this will be good news for surfers and ocean lovers alike who deal with increasing amounts of floating debris around the islands' waters. The legislation takes effect in 2013.

Check out "Message in the Waves," a cool BBC documentary on the growing environmental challenges that Hawaiian people and wildlife face. Trailer below:

 

AP in Pyongyang, North Korea

After about one month since Kim Jong-il's death, the Associated Press (AP) has opened up a full news bureau in North Korea. Of course most people are wondering how any fair and balanced news reporting could be executed from within the DPRK's borders, but executive editor Kathleen Carroll assuredly noted from Pyongyang that the new office will adhere to the same standards and practices as all of the other AP bureaus.

AP, for the most part, represents a rigid Westernized approach to journalistic standards (at least compared to the likes of North Korean media). The new Pyongyang location will be an unprecedented direction for both the news organization as well as the North Korean government, which is known as one of the most mysterious and controlled systems in the world -- a big difference from South Korea, where AP has had a busy news bureau for decades now.

At this point I'm still skeptical. Chinese state media is currently busy "curating" public information (especially things that come from Western society) to their own citizens in a bid to maintain power and influence. What chance does AP have in outputting objective news items from within North Korea? I will be very impressed if this new bureau is able to do the job it claims.

Live Music as a Melting Pot

Music acts are touring the world more than ever, so it's always intriguing to hear how different audiences around the world react while watching live music performances. Glam rock band Scissor Sisters recently shared their experiences with different audiences and cultures throughout Asia:

On Hong Kong: "...people were just on the verge of being polite and subdued but having a great time. There’s no mistake people react differently culturally, and it doesn’t mean they’re enjoying it any less or more."

On Bali: "In Bali, I have to say it was half of a tourist crowd, so you get the classic, really drunk Westerner who has no social decorum at all next to the people who are traveling from within Indonesia who are just so thrilled that we’re even in their part of the word."

On Singapore: "This continent has been a little bit surprising to all of us. It’s almost, if not more of a melting pot than New York. I don’t get the sense that it’s oppressive."

Now I'd like to hear what Swedish death metal band Opeth thinks of the different audiences in China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Maldives after their Asia tour concludes! Wouldn't that be pretty interesting?

The revolution continues to be tweeted in front of our eyes

This NYT article is a reflective look at how ordinary citizens behind technology like Twitter shockingly served the world's "elite" an inevitable wake-up call this year.

I'm also relieved that the writer addresses Malcolm Gladwell's painfully ignorant "the revolution will not be tweeted" thesis…until he makes his comeback, Gladwell's intellectual credibility continues to bleed in the public eye. It's disappointing but shows that even the most eloquent writing style simply cannot protect a theory so unfortunately -- and confidently -- confined and parochial.

2011 was the defining year when many of the world's "elites" started to realize that the joke (of their elitism, that is) is probably on them, whether they like it or not. This doesn't mean any of them participate in social media or tech communications one bit, and it doesn't matter if they ever do. But they're quickly being left behind in the dust, which is probably where they belong anyhow.

North Korea is our "intelligence failure"

NYT:

Kim Jong-il, the enigmatic North Korean leader, died on a train at 8:30 a.m. Saturday in his country. Forty-eight hours later, officials in South Korea still did not know anything about it — to say nothing of Washington, where the State Department acknowledged “press reporting” of Mr. Kim’s death well after North Korean state media had already announced it.

Of course it's true what the New York Times asserts above -- Kim Jong-il's death was indeed an "extensive intelligence failure." But I'd take it even further...

It's not just about the man's death…the elusiveness and mystery of North Korea's context as a whole -- in 2011, smack in between a rapidly rising China and first-world South Korea/Japan -- is the true extent of the intelligence failure. It's not that easy for a country to maintain rogue status yet simultaneously scrape by with unpredictable yet sufficient negotiations with its cautious neighbors.

North Korea, not merely Kim Jong-il's death, is the real intelligence "failure."

 

China enters the Indian Ocean

Instead of opting for the Maldives, it looks like China's first naval base abroad will be set up in nearby Seychelles, a former British colony.

It's a win-win for both nations: Seychelles will benefit from having more support against its constant battles with local pirate attacks and China will have a stronghold deep in Indian Ocean territory that is near formidable India, but not so close to the mainland as the Maldives, which is what many experts thought would be China's first naval base in the region (another reason being that Chinese tourists -- no longer Western ones -- are now who maintain the Maldives' renowned tourism industry).

Interestingly, there is also a small indigenous Chinese population in the Seychelles , so the cultural connection is also an easier equation than that of predominantly Muslim Maldives.

With China increasingly present around Africa, South America, and now the Indian Ocean, their efforts of global influence are, at this point, undeniable. From a hard power standpoint, China is clearly doing the legwork to counter any soft power discrepancies as much as possible. This checkerboard strategy should be a fascinating case study even 10 years from now...

The Next Episode in Asian Pop Music

Google isn't alone in paying attention to what's going down in Asian pop culture these days -- just last night, rap icons Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg performed at the 2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards ("MAMA") in Singapore.

The "cornerstones" of West Coast hip hop performed their joint hit "The Next Episode," their first TV performance by the duo in 11 years! The audience was pretty much nuts over them, obviously!

Korean rapper Simon D excitedly tweeted the above photo with Snoop Dogg.

Watch the performance below, the two are definitely considered "old school" but they've still got it going on...

For what it's worth, during the red carpet interview Dr. Dre stated, "It's my first time in Singapore, but it won't be my last!" and when asked if he is listening to any Asian pop music, Snoop responded with K-pop/hip hop girl group "2NE1."

These regional and cultural crossovers are not only a sign of the times, but also an indication of the future. One thing's for sure: these guys are obviously more than welcome in Asia any time!