on [writing]

A couple of headlines that caught my eye today (from the Daily Star):

"Thousands of Pakistanis demand public hanging of Musharraf"

"Israelis call for attacker's home to be razed"

Since when has being so bloodthirsty and vengeful become so normal? Can't really imagine what satisfaction someone would gain, or what a country would accomplish, by destroying another home or publicly hanging a President who doesn't have much power left anyways. I find a huge contradiction in Lebanon. While there is a general anti-Israel and anti-Syrian (it's worse to be Syrian than it is to be Israeli) attitude in the country because of all the oppression Lebanon has endured at the hands of the two powers, the state and the people here are quick to oppress others. Although the massacres of Palestinians in Lebanon happened during the civil war, now Palestinian refugees are completely ignored. They cannot get jobs, they have no rights, they are not talked about, essentially they do not exist. Meanwhile, Africans and Philippine men and women take up jobs here as janitors, maids, nannies, and other menial jobs. They get low pay, and are not well respected, and in some cases they have their passports taken away, are beaten, and worse... I also hear that during the 2006 war, while many Lebanese families fled into the mountains, they locked their maids inside the apartments. This is not new, but hearing about a people who oppress others complain about being victims of force is almost laughable.

I'm not quite sure what "peace" gains either with headlines like these:
"Israeli Military starts to exhume bodies of Lebanese fighters"


When I was young, I was told there were some things I could not talk about. When I lived in Coalinga, I knew there were taboo subjects that should not be discussed at school. This is what had excited me about journalism, and probably what I like about writing: the prospect of finally saying anything you want. I know there are restrictions in many countries when it comes to journalism, like there are in the U.S. as well. But this summer I have been disappointed in: Al J's refusal to talk about homosexuality, something that can't and should not be ignored for long; Iran's new attempt to try to pass a law that would give death penalty to bloggers if they are seen as a threat; Lebanon's refusal to talk to any Israeli citizen because they are in a state of war. These are not surprising, obviously, but they do mean that alot of problems that these countries and the region wants to overcome will not go away anytime soon. Being here has confirmed that there is a big gap between politics and people, and what makes the news doesn't necessarily reflect what's happening on the ground. Which is why I find the fact that Lebanese newspapers will not talk to any Israeli citizen to get better perceptions of their sides of the story a bit absurd. At this rate, the two countries will always be in a state of war. This makes me a bit disheartened about the idealism I have put in journalism. But it has also encouraged me to start writing more (blogs, poetry, fiction, articles, etc.)

In the meantime, however, if you want to see what not talking gains, read the headlines.

city strollin'

Everyone should walk around a city by themselves at least once. It doesn't seem exhausting when you're strolling without having to reach a certain destination by a certain time. And nothing can beat walking to the memorials in DC on a late Sunday afternoon. It's one of the few parts of the east coast that reminds me of the calmness of California.


From a different day: a gorgeous sunset on one side and a looming thunderstorm on the other. Next time it's going to be a sunrise.

Inspired

A few women who inspired me this week, and thanks to whom I may be narrowing down my focus:

Forough Farrokhzad: an Iranian poet living in the early part of the 20th century; feminist; thinker; independent.

Fariba: a friend of a friend; Iranian human rights activist; protester; mother; incredibly sweet.

Lara Logan: CBS Chief Foreign Correspondent; extremely passionate; feisty; actually cares about ethics in journalism.

Power in numbers

02/16/96 - 05:11 PM ET - Click reload often for latest version

Washington's great gatherings

The number of people at the largest gatherings in the nation's capital, according to the National Park Service:

Event                             Date              Crowd
Vietnam War moratorium rally      Nov. 15, 1969     600,000
Iran hostage welcome              Jan. 27, 1981     500,000
Vietnam War 'Out Now' rally       April 24, 1971    500,000
Million Man March                 Oct. 16, 1995     400,000
March on Washington for Gay       April 25, 1993    300,000
and Lesbian Rights                              
20th anniversary of Civil         Aug. 28, 1983     300,000
Rights March on Washington                      
Solidarity Day                    Sept. 10, 1981    250,000
Civil Rights March on Washington  Aug. 28, 1963     250,000

Source: National Park Service; USA TODAY research by Cindy Hall

Flying high

It is the time of year of commencement speeches – and despite their attempts to be original, they end with the same point: the power of youth is unimaginable. Speechmakers seem to give advice freely and enthusiastically. Excel in math and science to become superb engineers in order to surpass competitive countries. Keep troops out of battle, and do not enter another world war. Save the world from poverty. In short, do not make the same mistakes your predecessors have made.

Youth has a lot of faith in itself. Perhaps it is not as visible in the United States, where graduating classes have become accustomed to finding their own niche and generally agreeing that the distance from point A to point B does not necessarily have to be the shortest, and that they will eventually save the world, but in their own way. Yet, youth as a collective force, as something with the power to change the course of a country’s history is not just an idea posed during a ceremony, but a reality outside the U.S. It is a necessity, even.

An op-ed in today’s The Daily Star, written by a student at AUB, argued for students as the solution to Lebanon’s problems. After almost two decades of political stalemate and little change in the country, it is not surprising to place hope in a young generation that will not abide by the same rules, same games. We all know this is not a new idea. Youth movements have played crucial parts in at the very least establishing dissident voices in places like Pakistan, Iran, India, and Egypt. These expressions of dissent are not limited to rallies, protests and sit-ins. They have been realized through a “revolution of ideas” – blogs, radio, television, and surprisingly music. Laal, a band from Pakistan, for example, recently released a music video written by a poet speaking sarcastically of the country. Perhaps it wouldn’t be effective without the added pictures of Bhutto’s recent death and the chaos that followed. Similarly, Dam expresses the destitute and the hurt inflicted upon people by political institutions in Israel and Palestine. Again, what makes the video powerful are the pictures – regardless of whether they represent Israel or Palestine, they are effective in saying: this has got to stop.

The message is not new either, but essentially what the op-ed rests upon is collective memory and the hope placed in time to enable youth to forget this memory. In the case of Lebanon, it is essential for younger generations to find a political agreement that breaks away from a confessional system based upon religious identities people may no longer recognize. The differences between Sunnis, Shias, Maronites, the Druzes, and the Greeks only make sense for so long. The younger generation can move beyond these differences of which they have no collective memory. In that sense, it becomes easier to find political reconciliation that is not based on emotions. Well, that is the hope.

But then there is the issue of collective memory in another part of the world – Pakistan and India. Ironically, perhaps the memory that the older generations had should be passed along to the younger generations – that of having known a time when the two were friends, were one nation even. We may be entering a time in which the present and future generations will not be able to recall the costs of partition, or the social and political complexities surrounding it. Technically the younger generation does not have a literal memory of partition, but with the continuing Kashmir conflict, they are constantly reminded of everything that came after, not what had come before. But despite this, at least there are movements within both countries to improve their nation, however it stands now.

All right, so what has changed if the youth still go and protest oppressive regimes or bullying governments? The 1970s already gave us memories of listening to the Beatles, protesting in communist rallies, being pummeled by a rowdy crowd…have we been able to offer anything different?

So here, let’s bring in another factor – expats. It is difficult to avoid the progressive movements among youth in the United States, concerned with Pakistan, India, Israel, and Palestine. Their work has been crucial in many instances; for example when students tried to mobilize against and raise awareness about the BJP in India using Hindu Student Councils in the U.S. to raise funds for specific (problematic) endeavors…And yet, it is interesting to think about what type of collective memory the young generations of different diasporas hold outside of their home countries. At times, their views seem more hostile than of the youth residing in the countries in question:

I would never bring a Pakistani home.

Indian culture is better than Pakistani culture.

India is a right-wing Hindu state. It is not a democracy.

Progressive movements in the U.S. for causes elsewhere have become increasingly popular, as they should. But it might be possible that the reality they perceive is slightly different than what those in the country see. So really, who is right: The young generation fighting for national ideals caught up in the spirit of causes, or the young generation fighting for more jobs, more food, and less chaos? Both are important in their own right.

sometimes you don't have to read past headlines

"Revenge of the Nerdette" - Newsweek
"China Scolds Western Media" - Businessweek
"Syrian Anthem Played for Lebanese" - BBC
"Hen living at McDonald's finally captured" - CNN

epiphany

I realized this weekend that I come to conclusions too often…and have a habit of voicing them.