Monday, July 20, 2009
Just a thought
On 26 October the IRA bombed a fast food restaurant in London's Oxford Street. This came just two weeks after another London bombing in the Victoria area. And yet on the 31 October Arsenal played Coventry as a full round of fixtures were played throughout the country.
Having lived through the years when the IRA tried to bomb the living crap out of my country, and this is just a list of the London tragedies, I have always been slightly amused when I am asked whether of not I am scared living in Jakarta.
I also find the media response embarrassing. Every disaster is now accompanied by the usual 'tweets' (I heard a loud explosion) as well as the usual 'largest muslim country in the world.' They also take great delight in informing the world about Indonesia's tragic history of terroism in recent years.
But strangely Thailand, which has suffered for many years from low level terroism (what is low level?) doesn't get anywhere like the same publicity. Is it because they don't target Westerners (dead white people attract more headlines?) or is it because it's far from bangkok and no journo can be bothered to get of their arse and cover it?
Bangkok's new airport gets shut down by protesters, surely that effects white tourists, yet the coverage of that is mildly amusing, mildly patronising. Oh, they're the yellow shirts. They're against a democratically elected government. he red shirts are in favour of that government, the one they elected. Oh and look how much fun they're having.
You would think in an age when we have access to so much more information than ever before we could be getting better media coverage of events. But we don't. Far from it. We get entrenched stereotypes which offer no understanding and no analysis.
Indonesia's recent history is tragic. But to listen and watch some news reports you would believe we were living in a war zone.
Having lived through the years when the IRA tried to bomb the living crap out of my country, and this is just a list of the London tragedies, I have always been slightly amused when I am asked whether of not I am scared living in Jakarta.
I also find the media response embarrassing. Every disaster is now accompanied by the usual 'tweets' (I heard a loud explosion) as well as the usual 'largest muslim country in the world.' They also take great delight in informing the world about Indonesia's tragic history of terroism in recent years.
But strangely Thailand, which has suffered for many years from low level terroism (what is low level?) doesn't get anywhere like the same publicity. Is it because they don't target Westerners (dead white people attract more headlines?) or is it because it's far from bangkok and no journo can be bothered to get of their arse and cover it?
Bangkok's new airport gets shut down by protesters, surely that effects white tourists, yet the coverage of that is mildly amusing, mildly patronising. Oh, they're the yellow shirts. They're against a democratically elected government. he red shirts are in favour of that government, the one they elected. Oh and look how much fun they're having.
You would think in an age when we have access to so much more information than ever before we could be getting better media coverage of events. But we don't. Far from it. We get entrenched stereotypes which offer no understanding and no analysis.
Indonesia's recent history is tragic. But to listen and watch some news reports you would believe we were living in a war zone.
# posted by Me @ 6:04 AM 
Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home
<< Home
