Disclaimer: this is a subjective opinion and not a political statement
On the third hand I thought about Eurocentrism. It creeps up on you slowly, the fact that you subconsciously watch the parade of global royals with no interest until suddenly there is a European royal and suddenly you are like, ‘who’s that? Doesn’t s/he look wonderful…move over Prince of Benong Beng! I want to see that European, which European country did they say s/he is from?!’ I didn’t catch myself doing this until I was surprised to see two choir boys, one clearly from Asian descent and the other from African descent. And then it suddenly hit me, I was at Heathrow airport a few years ago and definitely there are Brits of Indian, East Asian, African origin aplenty! You get my point.
On the fourth hand, and the last hand what impressed upon my mind a few days later is the question of Osama bin Laden. Of course, my African trees and sunlight don’t tell me much but I do wonder about what impact HUGE celebrations have on the psyches of human beings. Temporarily a royal wedding takes place and captures the imaginations of millions (or did they say billions); equally, a mission accomplished exercise takes place and hordes celebrate as was the case with the media report on Osama bin Laden (I stress ‘media report’ here because I haven’t read the official statements from the UN yet).
What does that say to me and my trees about the 21st century’s media platforms which allow us in hordes to be triggered by images of occurrences thousands of miles away? A camera angle, a script, good lighting, tv rights, a telly (from Fong Kong) and we are mass mobilized! How much of the nuances are we aware of? Do the post-modernist argue that anything goes? Well, then how much of what ‘goes’ are we taking responsibility for allowing…in our so-called 21st Century of ‘justice’?
…look up, look down, look up again…where am I? I’m in a mango tree! Mmm these delicious mangos in an African winter! Yum, yum, yum, Delicioso!
On the third hand I thought about Eurocentrism. It creeps up on you slowly, the fact that you subconsciously watch the parade of global royals with no interest until suddenly there is a European royal and suddenly you are like, ‘who’s that? Doesn’t s/he look wonderful…move over Prince of Benong Beng! I want to see that European, which European country did they say s/he is from?!’ I didn’t catch myself doing this until I was surprised to see two choir boys, one clearly from Asian descent and the other from African descent. And then it suddenly hit me, I was at Heathrow airport a few years ago and definitely there are Brits of Indian, East Asian, African origin aplenty! You get my point.
On the fourth hand, and the last hand what impressed upon my mind a few days later is the question of Osama bin Laden. Of course, my African trees and sunlight don’t tell me much but I do wonder about what impact HUGE celebrations have on the psyches of human beings. Temporarily a royal wedding takes place and captures the imaginations of millions (or did they say billions); equally, a mission accomplished exercise takes place and hordes celebrate as was the case with the media report on Osama bin Laden (I stress ‘media report’ here because I haven’t read the official statements from the UN yet).
What does that say to me and my trees about the 21st century’s media platforms which allow us in hordes to be triggered by images of occurrences thousands of miles away? A camera angle, a script, good lighting, tv rights, a telly (from Fong Kong) and we are mass mobilized! How much of the nuances are we aware of? Do the post-modernist argue that anything goes? Well, then how much of what ‘goes’ are we taking responsibility for allowing…in our so-called 21st Century of ‘justice’?
…look up, look down, look up again…where am I? I’m in a mango tree! Mmm these delicious mangos in an African winter! Yum, yum, yum, Delicioso!
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