News
Contrary to popular(?) belief, I don't only read Stephenie Meyer's books, I also read the news. I haven't been watching local TV news for ages, though, because I can just scan them online in five minutes. Ok, this isn't really an effective way to keep up, I must say. More than once, I've had to put on my wide-grin-blank expression when clients bring up an obvious current event that I've never heard of. I can go on defending myself more on this, but this is not the point of this post.
So, scanning the news, I feel like blogging some thoughts:
1) I can't recall if we had this many movies or TV shows portraying Muslims as terr*rists prior to September 11. It's almost a popular culture. Or do I get this wrong? As September 11 was like nine years ago, I may have forgotten or never really given much care about the issue prior to the date. So each time you hear sh**ting or b*mbing news nowadays, you'll be kind of expecting that two days later an Arab or Muslim name will be linked to it. September 11 is a brand. You don't have to say the year, everyone knows which one.
Will I stop watching these movies and shows or start boycotting products then?
2) Can a parent refuse to cook for or feed their child for a week if their five-year-old child thinks they aren't a good cook?
A quick hypothetical situation...
Let's say you're a doctor (or, you know, a police officer), in public service, with a big heart and less pay, and probably with a lot more stress than your counterparts in the private sector have. A patient died on your operating table, you are being sued for negligence, the incident is widely discussed, and the public is pointing fingers at you.
Now, one of your weekly Doctor Bulletin writers, most probably a fellow doctor, comes forward and talks about the issue, saying something wise like, "You can't just simply point a finger at us. You don't know the stress that we doctors go through. What if all doctors in this country don't work for a week..."
Alright, I can ignore the first part. Sure, after what you've done -- saving thousands or hundreds of lives for so many years, sacrificing time and energy and more with little rewards -- people, especially that they don't even have all the facts, can't just be so quick to judge you over this one incident. After all, this is still being decided in court. Plus, the word negligence itself carries a different weight than doing something deliberately. But the part where you ask us to imagine what would happen if, let's say, one morning you wake up and decide that you don't want to work for a week... I actually don't know what to say to that.
So, scanning the news, I feel like blogging some thoughts:
1) I can't recall if we had this many movies or TV shows portraying Muslims as terr*rists prior to September 11. It's almost a popular culture. Or do I get this wrong? As September 11 was like nine years ago, I may have forgotten or never really given much care about the issue prior to the date. So each time you hear sh**ting or b*mbing news nowadays, you'll be kind of expecting that two days later an Arab or Muslim name will be linked to it. September 11 is a brand. You don't have to say the year, everyone knows which one.
Will I stop watching these movies and shows or start boycotting products then?
2) Can a parent refuse to cook for or feed their child for a week if their five-year-old child thinks they aren't a good cook?
A quick hypothetical situation...
Let's say you're a doctor (or, you know, a police officer), in public service, with a big heart and less pay, and probably with a lot more stress than your counterparts in the private sector have. A patient died on your operating table, you are being sued for negligence, the incident is widely discussed, and the public is pointing fingers at you.
Now, one of your weekly Doctor Bulletin writers, most probably a fellow doctor, comes forward and talks about the issue, saying something wise like, "You can't just simply point a finger at us. You don't know the stress that we doctors go through. What if all doctors in this country don't work for a week..."
Alright, I can ignore the first part. Sure, after what you've done -- saving thousands or hundreds of lives for so many years, sacrificing time and energy and more with little rewards -- people, especially that they don't even have all the facts, can't just be so quick to judge you over this one incident. After all, this is still being decided in court. Plus, the word negligence itself carries a different weight than doing something deliberately. But the part where you ask us to imagine what would happen if, let's say, one morning you wake up and decide that you don't want to work for a week... I actually don't know what to say to that.
Comments