The thrill of driving for every teenager is an overwhelming feeling. It is one of the first instances in one's life, that a teen can actually feel the responsibility and even the freedom of a free world. And we tend to cherish these early thrills.But it is this very affinity to gaining responsibility that dies out very soon, only to be replaced by more risky and careless decision making. It is very very easy for one to lose their reasoning abilities in the height of the moment, only to be overcome by their emotions and consequently committing acts which, otherwise, they wouldnt even think of doing. Crossing the speed limit and not obeying traffic rules is very common for every teenager but few realize the consequences of their actions. Teenage reflexes are not sharp enough to react whilst in a speeding vehicle. Such behavior may lead to fatal injuries, accidents and even death all at the cost of a few minutes pleasure.
The past week made me realize how driving, in spite of being fun is indeed quite dangerous. This weekend I went for a drive with a few of my friends. None of us were of legal age or even possessed a license. This was not the first time; we go for drives pretty often. Driving past the speed limit was a thrilling experience. But at a turning I banged the car into the divider. Luckily everyone escaped without a scratch but the impact of this minor accident will probably stay on my mind forever. The damage could have been a lot more. A human being may lose their life because of reckless driving. They may be injured to a great extent or scarred for eternity.
This was probably one of the most fatal experiences that I have been through. Yesterday an accident took place on the Bandra – Worli sea link. The driver was experienced and still lost control of the vehicle. This mistake cost two innocent people their lives. Seeing a person’s life taken away because of disobeying traffic rules made me realize how important it is to keep one's cool and not get carried away by situations. I remember the graphic which we once saw in our TOK class, with two caricatures - Emotion and Reason in a car. The graphic stressed the importance of Reason being in the drivers seat instead of emotion to prevent disastrous consequences. This graphic, incidentally applies quite literally to this scenario! On a personal front, driving is fun. The instant of applying the clutch, changing the gear and then shooting on the gas pedal results in the booming of my adrenaline levels. I know its not legal and i know it can lead to serious consequences. But i have, whenever i touch the wheel, always and always tried to make it a priority to respect everyone around me. I know that one moment of madness could result in a lifetime of grief or probably no lifetime at all. And when viewing it in retrospective, I cannot over stress the importance of safe driving -for everyone.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Movie Review
Kung Fu Panda
Directors - Mark Osborne, John Stevenson
Writers - Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berge
Kung Fu Panda is a beautifully depicted animation movie about a plump panda, Po, and his extremely innocent journey towards becoming the savior of the valley of peace. The movie is based on the Chinese tradition of martial arts or kung fu. Po, a devoted lover to the art of kung fu, is an obese son of a noodle restaurant owner, whose only dream is to see his son take over the family business. Although Po is alienated from his family tradition, he is helpless due to his rather comical dietary habits. What we witness next is a highly enthralling adventure of Po, who is shockingly chosen as the legendary Dragon Warrior by the original inventor of Kung Fu, master Oogway. But it’s the effect on the people and their emotions that really makes this movie.
The characters are portrayed not with the aim of bringing them as close to reality as possible, rather, they are just cartoons, some with 3D effects, some just hand drawn. The very essence of this film lies in its underlying sweetness, possibly targeted towards a young audience, but it’s highly successful in generating an appeal even amongst a broader segment of adults. There’s a general perception among people that animated movies are for children. But the success of this movie clearly breaks this stereotypical notion. The expressions of the characters are awe-inspiring and perfectly compliment the storyline. The subtle comedy in the film is relishing and the viewer inadvertently enjoys the seemingly childlike comical sequences. During the first viewing itself the film captures our emotions, especially the enchanting characters present throughout the film. The sight of a panda with a belly bouncing around the place to learn kung fu epitomizes the innocence and the charm of Kung Fu Panda. The exaggerations of the action sequences add to the comedy of the film. The screenplay of part of the anime, where Po, undergoes extensive training from his master, Shifu, is particularly exciting as Master Shifu discovers the secret of training his flabby Panda in Kung Fu, to defeat his mighty nemesis, Tai Lung. The pace of the movie is fast throughout and the sense of urgency is balanced so as to not dampen the comic nature of Kung Fu Panda. The movie ends with what is perhaps the best scene in the entire film, with Po and his master, Shifu, both lying on their backs, relaxing in the peace they always chased. The portrayal of the Panda especially is done in an extremely adorable manner, and the audience is swept away by the cute, chubby Panda who performs Kung Fu. The dialogues, slightly exaggerated though in a hilarious manner, perfectly compliment Po’s tale of becoming the Dragon Warrior. The movie revolves around the mythical and historical notions of kungfu and dragons in the ancient Chinese civilizations.
I particularly liked the usual exaggeration in the dialogues and the action sequences. This exaggeration is deliberate and is also a crucial part of the screenplay. A vital part of animation films is the voice imparted to the characters. Since the visual and the audio parts are done separately, it is essential to regain the balance and the complimentary nature of both these aspects. Kung Fu Panda is much more than a story of the underdog. It is vibrant and different from the mainstream American animation movies. This difference is brought about right from the first scene, with its oriental settings and characters with curvy moustaches. The animation is outstanding throughout, with the Panda’s fur so tempting; you want to run your fingers through it. The textured stone steps, walls with Chinese backgrounds, trees laden with juicy peaches all add to the stimulating experience. The colorful details add to the evocativeness of this film. The fight sequences are brilliantly edited with the omnipresent touch of kung fu. But this film is far from being a live-action film; it’s the panda with his flippant attitude that is the main attraction of the film. Kung Fu Panda is a movie not just for children. It’s a movie that will fascinate everyone. It is a movie, which is capable of bringing a smile to our faces.
Directors - Mark Osborne, John Stevenson
Writers - Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berge
Kung Fu Panda is a beautifully depicted animation movie about a plump panda, Po, and his extremely innocent journey towards becoming the savior of the valley of peace. The movie is based on the Chinese tradition of martial arts or kung fu. Po, a devoted lover to the art of kung fu, is an obese son of a noodle restaurant owner, whose only dream is to see his son take over the family business. Although Po is alienated from his family tradition, he is helpless due to his rather comical dietary habits. What we witness next is a highly enthralling adventure of Po, who is shockingly chosen as the legendary Dragon Warrior by the original inventor of Kung Fu, master Oogway. But it’s the effect on the people and their emotions that really makes this movie.
The characters are portrayed not with the aim of bringing them as close to reality as possible, rather, they are just cartoons, some with 3D effects, some just hand drawn. The very essence of this film lies in its underlying sweetness, possibly targeted towards a young audience, but it’s highly successful in generating an appeal even amongst a broader segment of adults. There’s a general perception among people that animated movies are for children. But the success of this movie clearly breaks this stereotypical notion. The expressions of the characters are awe-inspiring and perfectly compliment the storyline. The subtle comedy in the film is relishing and the viewer inadvertently enjoys the seemingly childlike comical sequences. During the first viewing itself the film captures our emotions, especially the enchanting characters present throughout the film. The sight of a panda with a belly bouncing around the place to learn kung fu epitomizes the innocence and the charm of Kung Fu Panda. The exaggerations of the action sequences add to the comedy of the film. The screenplay of part of the anime, where Po, undergoes extensive training from his master, Shifu, is particularly exciting as Master Shifu discovers the secret of training his flabby Panda in Kung Fu, to defeat his mighty nemesis, Tai Lung. The pace of the movie is fast throughout and the sense of urgency is balanced so as to not dampen the comic nature of Kung Fu Panda. The movie ends with what is perhaps the best scene in the entire film, with Po and his master, Shifu, both lying on their backs, relaxing in the peace they always chased. The portrayal of the Panda especially is done in an extremely adorable manner, and the audience is swept away by the cute, chubby Panda who performs Kung Fu. The dialogues, slightly exaggerated though in a hilarious manner, perfectly compliment Po’s tale of becoming the Dragon Warrior. The movie revolves around the mythical and historical notions of kungfu and dragons in the ancient Chinese civilizations.
I particularly liked the usual exaggeration in the dialogues and the action sequences. This exaggeration is deliberate and is also a crucial part of the screenplay. A vital part of animation films is the voice imparted to the characters. Since the visual and the audio parts are done separately, it is essential to regain the balance and the complimentary nature of both these aspects. Kung Fu Panda is much more than a story of the underdog. It is vibrant and different from the mainstream American animation movies. This difference is brought about right from the first scene, with its oriental settings and characters with curvy moustaches. The animation is outstanding throughout, with the Panda’s fur so tempting; you want to run your fingers through it. The textured stone steps, walls with Chinese backgrounds, trees laden with juicy peaches all add to the stimulating experience. The colorful details add to the evocativeness of this film. The fight sequences are brilliantly edited with the omnipresent touch of kung fu. But this film is far from being a live-action film; it’s the panda with his flippant attitude that is the main attraction of the film. Kung Fu Panda is a movie not just for children. It’s a movie that will fascinate everyone. It is a movie, which is capable of bringing a smile to our faces.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Jinnah Article
The author, Tarun Vijay, is highly biased right from the onset of the article against Jinnah. Whether this bias is justified or not is debatable, but a knower, after reading the article cannot dispute the fact that there is a heavy bias against both, Jinnah as an individual and Jinnah as an institution. This can be justified by looking at the introductory passages in the article where the author tries to co-relate two different events in history (Jinnah’s speech and the Calcutta Massacre) simply on basis of their chronological order. But he does not give the knower adequate evidence about the causality of the Calcutta massacre to substantially validate his claims. For instance, Jinnah’s presidential speech at the Muslim League convention on July 19, 1946, may have been in an entirely different context than what appears in the article thus breaking the link between his speech and the subsequent massacres that followed.
The author, by citing another eminent personality, even questions the suitability of Jinnah as a leader of a pan-Islamic state, putting forth the argument that he himself had western tastes and Anglican preferences and was the complete opposite of an ‘ideal’ Islamic leader. However this claim too, it can be argued, arises more from an internal and personal hatred, than actual doubts over the leader’s distinct background. It would be near-sightedness to simply characterize a leader simply and only on the basis of their background and personal lives, as is done in the article.
The author, on a more macrocosmic level, is a very pro-hindu activist. This is evident as he tries to justify and uphold the RSS’s hindutva ideology. There are also cultural references in the article, made by allusions to Gita. The allusions to Gita, in my opinion are present in the article to validate the Hindutva cause and also to appeal to the more religious readers on basis of their emotional attachments to religion.
The direct comparison between Jinnah, the father of Pakistan and Nehru, India’s first president, too, shows shades of bias thus weakening the argument against Jinnah. A major fallacy in the comparison is that while Nehru is looked as a leader whose duty was to protect Indian interests, Jinnah is not looked upon in the same light with respect to Pakistan, instead, he is treated as an Indian leader who betrayed and ‘vivisected’ India, when in reality he was pursuing the birth of his own country.
It is difficult to establish the main purpose or knowledge issue of the article as various arguments are raised throughout the length of the article, initiating from Jinnah’s role in the Calcutta massacre to his personal background and eventually to the RSS’s hindutva ideology. However when put in context with the background timing of the article, one can make immediate sense by understanding the authors frustrations with the Jinnah issue continuously marring his beloved BJP through controversies created first by L.K.Advani and then by Jaswanth Singh. The apparent purpose of the article would only be to reignite the now calming fire against Jinnah as an individual amongst the leaders and workers of the BJP and the general public as a whole.
The author, by citing another eminent personality, even questions the suitability of Jinnah as a leader of a pan-Islamic state, putting forth the argument that he himself had western tastes and Anglican preferences and was the complete opposite of an ‘ideal’ Islamic leader. However this claim too, it can be argued, arises more from an internal and personal hatred, than actual doubts over the leader’s distinct background. It would be near-sightedness to simply characterize a leader simply and only on the basis of their background and personal lives, as is done in the article.
The author, on a more macrocosmic level, is a very pro-hindu activist. This is evident as he tries to justify and uphold the RSS’s hindutva ideology. There are also cultural references in the article, made by allusions to Gita. The allusions to Gita, in my opinion are present in the article to validate the Hindutva cause and also to appeal to the more religious readers on basis of their emotional attachments to religion.
The direct comparison between Jinnah, the father of Pakistan and Nehru, India’s first president, too, shows shades of bias thus weakening the argument against Jinnah. A major fallacy in the comparison is that while Nehru is looked as a leader whose duty was to protect Indian interests, Jinnah is not looked upon in the same light with respect to Pakistan, instead, he is treated as an Indian leader who betrayed and ‘vivisected’ India, when in reality he was pursuing the birth of his own country.
It is difficult to establish the main purpose or knowledge issue of the article as various arguments are raised throughout the length of the article, initiating from Jinnah’s role in the Calcutta massacre to his personal background and eventually to the RSS’s hindutva ideology. However when put in context with the background timing of the article, one can make immediate sense by understanding the authors frustrations with the Jinnah issue continuously marring his beloved BJP through controversies created first by L.K.Advani and then by Jaswanth Singh. The apparent purpose of the article would only be to reignite the now calming fire against Jinnah as an individual amongst the leaders and workers of the BJP and the general public as a whole.
Jinnah Article
The author, Tarun Vijay, is highly biased right from the onset of the article against Jinnah. Whether this bias is justified or not is debatable, but a knower, after reading the article cannot dispute the fact that there is a heavy bias against both, Jinnah as an individual and Jinnah as an institution. This can be justified by looking at the introductory passages in the article where the author tries to co-relate two different events in history (Jinnah’s speech and the Calcutta Massacre) simply on basis of their chronological order. But he does not give the knower adequate evidence about the causality of the Calcutta massacre to substantially validate his claims. For instance, Jinnah’s presidential speech at the Muslim League convention on July 19, 1946, may have been in an entirely different context than what appears in the article thus breaking the link between his speech and the subsequent massacres that followed.
The author, by citing another eminent personality, even questions the suitability of Jinnah as a leader of a pan-Islamic state, putting forth the argument that he himself had western tastes and Anglican preferences and was the complete opposite of an ‘ideal’ Islamic leader. However this claim too, it can be argued, arises more from an internal and personal hatred, than actual doubts over the leader’s distinct background. It would be near-sightedness to simply characterize a leader simply and only on the basis of their background and personal lives, as is done in the article.
The author, on a more macrocosmic level, is a very pro-hindu activist. This is evident as he tries to justify and uphold the RSS’s hindutva ideology. There are also cultural references in the article, made by allusions to Gita. The allusions to Gita, in my opinion are present in the article to validate the Hindutva cause and also to appeal to the more religious readers on basis of their emotional attachments to religion.
The direct comparison between Jinnah, the father of Pakistan and Nehru, India’s first president, too, shows shades of bias thus weakening the argument against Jinnah. A major fallacy in the comparison is that while Nehru is looked as a leader whose duty was to protect Indian interests, Jinnah is not looked upon in the same light with respect to Pakistan, instead, he is treated as an Indian leader who betrayed and ‘vivisected’ India, when in reality he was pursuing the birth of his own country.
It is difficult to establish the main purpose or knowledge issue of the article as various arguments are raised throughout the length of the article, initiating from Jinnah’s role in the Calcutta massacre to his personal background and eventually to the RSS’s hindutva ideology. However when put in context with the background timing of the article, one can make immediate sense by understanding the authors frustrations with the Jinnah issue continuously marring his beloved BJP through controversies created first by L.K.Advani and then by Jaswanth Singh. The apparent purpose of the article would only be to reignite the now calming fire against Jinnah as an individual amongst the leaders and workers of the BJP and the general public as a whole.
The author, by citing another eminent personality, even questions the suitability of Jinnah as a leader of a pan-Islamic state, putting forth the argument that he himself had western tastes and Anglican preferences and was the complete opposite of an ‘ideal’ Islamic leader. However this claim too, it can be argued, arises more from an internal and personal hatred, than actual doubts over the leader’s distinct background. It would be near-sightedness to simply characterize a leader simply and only on the basis of their background and personal lives, as is done in the article.
The author, on a more macrocosmic level, is a very pro-hindu activist. This is evident as he tries to justify and uphold the RSS’s hindutva ideology. There are also cultural references in the article, made by allusions to Gita. The allusions to Gita, in my opinion are present in the article to validate the Hindutva cause and also to appeal to the more religious readers on basis of their emotional attachments to religion.
The direct comparison between Jinnah, the father of Pakistan and Nehru, India’s first president, too, shows shades of bias thus weakening the argument against Jinnah. A major fallacy in the comparison is that while Nehru is looked as a leader whose duty was to protect Indian interests, Jinnah is not looked upon in the same light with respect to Pakistan, instead, he is treated as an Indian leader who betrayed and ‘vivisected’ India, when in reality he was pursuing the birth of his own country.
It is difficult to establish the main purpose or knowledge issue of the article as various arguments are raised throughout the length of the article, initiating from Jinnah’s role in the Calcutta massacre to his personal background and eventually to the RSS’s hindutva ideology. However when put in context with the background timing of the article, one can make immediate sense by understanding the authors frustrations with the Jinnah issue continuously marring his beloved BJP through controversies created first by L.K.Advani and then by Jaswanth Singh. The apparent purpose of the article would only be to reignite the now calming fire against Jinnah as an individual amongst the leaders and workers of the BJP and the general public as a whole.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Iran Nuclear ISsuw
RISHAB MEHTA
The article is based upon the diplomatic scenario surrounding the concerns of the P5 countries (UK, USA, China, Russia, France) about Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme. For a period of nearly two decades, the western nations have been suspicious of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. It is important to note that all these P5 countries are declared nuclear countries. Obviously its hypocritical of them to state that Iran does not have a right to nuclear technology since they themselves refuse to discard their nuclear weapons. They perceive Iran to be misusing its nuclear technology to make nuclear weapons while the Iranians object that they are only using nuclear technology for useful civilian purposes. While considering from a neutral point of view, it is hard to reason that nuclear weapons in the hands of Iranians are unsafe while weapons anywhere else in the world, including south Asia, are in safe and secure hands. Especially when you look at the proliferation records in history, Pakistan, for instance, has proliferated nuclear technology to both Iran and North Korea, however, there have been no sanctions or embargos or even diplomatic pressure on Pakistan like the ones Iran is facing. This could be due to the bias and support of the United States Of America towards Pakistan for its help in battling terror.
The article narrows down its focus to the resumption of dialogue between Iran and the P5 countries. Iran, while does not hold any objections for the holding of these talks, remain uncommitted about the issue of nuclear weapons enrichment coming up during the discussions. When one does look form the western perspective, it is not hard to align unanimously with that stream of thought. Iran is situated in a perpetually volatile environment in the Middle East, with the threat of a full-blown war against Israel always on the horizon. Thus in such instances, the procurement of a nuclear weapon by Iran or any other Middle Eastern countries for that matter, may totally change the balance of power scenario in the Middle East, leading to unnecessary complications and could even cause a nuclear war. This would not only be disastrous for the Middle East, but the entire planet’s environment would be on the threshold of extinction. It is thus in the interest of every nation to stop Iran from procuring nuclear weapons. Given the above terms, the world countries shouldn’t have a problem with Iran using nuclear technology for civilian purposes (energy). But that very fact is the core issue, as since iran does not allow IAEA inspectors to inspect Iranian nuclear sites for weapons, the suspicions will never cease to exist. Iran must hence allow the talks to be construvtive for world peace.
The article is based upon the diplomatic scenario surrounding the concerns of the P5 countries (UK, USA, China, Russia, France) about Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme. For a period of nearly two decades, the western nations have been suspicious of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. It is important to note that all these P5 countries are declared nuclear countries. Obviously its hypocritical of them to state that Iran does not have a right to nuclear technology since they themselves refuse to discard their nuclear weapons. They perceive Iran to be misusing its nuclear technology to make nuclear weapons while the Iranians object that they are only using nuclear technology for useful civilian purposes. While considering from a neutral point of view, it is hard to reason that nuclear weapons in the hands of Iranians are unsafe while weapons anywhere else in the world, including south Asia, are in safe and secure hands. Especially when you look at the proliferation records in history, Pakistan, for instance, has proliferated nuclear technology to both Iran and North Korea, however, there have been no sanctions or embargos or even diplomatic pressure on Pakistan like the ones Iran is facing. This could be due to the bias and support of the United States Of America towards Pakistan for its help in battling terror.
The article narrows down its focus to the resumption of dialogue between Iran and the P5 countries. Iran, while does not hold any objections for the holding of these talks, remain uncommitted about the issue of nuclear weapons enrichment coming up during the discussions. When one does look form the western perspective, it is not hard to align unanimously with that stream of thought. Iran is situated in a perpetually volatile environment in the Middle East, with the threat of a full-blown war against Israel always on the horizon. Thus in such instances, the procurement of a nuclear weapon by Iran or any other Middle Eastern countries for that matter, may totally change the balance of power scenario in the Middle East, leading to unnecessary complications and could even cause a nuclear war. This would not only be disastrous for the Middle East, but the entire planet’s environment would be on the threshold of extinction. It is thus in the interest of every nation to stop Iran from procuring nuclear weapons. Given the above terms, the world countries shouldn’t have a problem with Iran using nuclear technology for civilian purposes (energy). But that very fact is the core issue, as since iran does not allow IAEA inspectors to inspect Iranian nuclear sites for weapons, the suspicions will never cease to exist. Iran must hence allow the talks to be construvtive for world peace.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
“What is history but a fable agreed upon”
Theory Of Knowledge
“What is history but a fable agreed upon”
Did Hitler really kill himself? Was Gandhi really the most important piece in the jigsaw of India’s independence struggle? Are Nostradamus's prophecies really proven to be accurate in our history? Did the USA in reality have no idea about the Pearl Harbor attacks?
The precise answer to all these questions will in all likelihood always remain elusive to mankind. This is because there is no way foolproof method through which we can determine what really happened in our past. Maybe all the incidents that we do study in our textbooks are true. But we cannot be naïve enough to believe everything we study through these so-called “history” textbooks blindly. History is just like the passing of stories through the generations, either orally or in written accounts. But while it was passed from one generation to the next, it is inevitable that parts of these ‘stories’ may have been modified to suit the concerned parties. And since we have no other alternative than to believe these stories about crucial incidents in the past, we accept them as our history. Through out my school years, I always had reservations about the accuracy of all the incidents we studied in history. The authoritative tone adopted by these books only fueled my reservations. I just wondered that how could somebody recollect and retell tales of the past with such authority and command without any mention of evidences that would prove the same. For instance, “history” tells us that Gandhi tried hard to maintain the unity of India, is there any evidence to prove the same. But even he could have the desire to split the country into two (not necessarily a bad desire!) but just dint show the same and rather worked on it through a series of backroom dealings. These thoughts are ofcourse mere speculation with no concrete evidence, but we can see just how easy it is to manipulate what really happened in the past. Anyone with the authority and power can modify history to suit his/her propaganda and personal interests. A classic example of these ‘propaganda wars’ is the treatment of the issues of communism and capitalism in the history textbooks of the east and the west in the mid 1950s. While, the textbooks in Russia spoke of capitalism as the system for the rich, who had caused slavery and the massive differences in the standards of living between the rich and the poor in the west, it never mentioned anything about the evils of communism – Economic stagnation and government oppressions. Thus as a result the students grew up knowing only how Russia evaded the economic depression of 1929 through its communist structure but did not know anything about the large scale corruption and consumer slavery prevalent in Russia. The American textbooks too were biased to a similar extent. But in midst of all this, the world as a whole was deprived of the real truth. This case is true for almost every incident in history as textbook publishers’ main aim is profits and hence would not risk the government’s censure by going against the prevalent norm of the recollection of historical events. I hence agree completely with Bonaparte’s statement that history is merely a fable agreed upon
“What is history but a fable agreed upon”
Did Hitler really kill himself? Was Gandhi really the most important piece in the jigsaw of India’s independence struggle? Are Nostradamus's prophecies really proven to be accurate in our history? Did the USA in reality have no idea about the Pearl Harbor attacks?
The precise answer to all these questions will in all likelihood always remain elusive to mankind. This is because there is no way foolproof method through which we can determine what really happened in our past. Maybe all the incidents that we do study in our textbooks are true. But we cannot be naïve enough to believe everything we study through these so-called “history” textbooks blindly. History is just like the passing of stories through the generations, either orally or in written accounts. But while it was passed from one generation to the next, it is inevitable that parts of these ‘stories’ may have been modified to suit the concerned parties. And since we have no other alternative than to believe these stories about crucial incidents in the past, we accept them as our history. Through out my school years, I always had reservations about the accuracy of all the incidents we studied in history. The authoritative tone adopted by these books only fueled my reservations. I just wondered that how could somebody recollect and retell tales of the past with such authority and command without any mention of evidences that would prove the same. For instance, “history” tells us that Gandhi tried hard to maintain the unity of India, is there any evidence to prove the same. But even he could have the desire to split the country into two (not necessarily a bad desire!) but just dint show the same and rather worked on it through a series of backroom dealings. These thoughts are ofcourse mere speculation with no concrete evidence, but we can see just how easy it is to manipulate what really happened in the past. Anyone with the authority and power can modify history to suit his/her propaganda and personal interests. A classic example of these ‘propaganda wars’ is the treatment of the issues of communism and capitalism in the history textbooks of the east and the west in the mid 1950s. While, the textbooks in Russia spoke of capitalism as the system for the rich, who had caused slavery and the massive differences in the standards of living between the rich and the poor in the west, it never mentioned anything about the evils of communism – Economic stagnation and government oppressions. Thus as a result the students grew up knowing only how Russia evaded the economic depression of 1929 through its communist structure but did not know anything about the large scale corruption and consumer slavery prevalent in Russia. The American textbooks too were biased to a similar extent. But in midst of all this, the world as a whole was deprived of the real truth. This case is true for almost every incident in history as textbook publishers’ main aim is profits and hence would not risk the government’s censure by going against the prevalent norm of the recollection of historical events. I hence agree completely with Bonaparte’s statement that history is merely a fable agreed upon
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
KOW SOURCES: REPORT TO DETAIL ALLEGED ABUSE INSIDE CIA SECRET PRISONS
SOURCES: REPORT TO DETAIL ALLEGED ABUSE INSIDE CIA SECRET PRISONS
The article comments about the unethical interrogation techniques of the CIA officials with respect to Al Qaeda prisoners. After the September 11 attacks, the treatment meted out to terrorist suspects has been made drastically stringent and in some cases inhuman. While there is no mention of the unethical nature of illegal interrogation techniques, a knower can perceive from the tone of the article that the author is reprimanding the CIA for using such severe methods to extract the truth from terrorist suspects. The neutral tone is compromised to convey the content of the article.
The author of the article cites an unnamed source that has access to a classified report of the probe on CIA interrogations. The author seems to share his source’s perception that the CIA officers are indeed guilty of using illegal interrogation techniques on terrorist suspects in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. That is the primary knowledge issue of the article. The knower (reader) can perceive that emotions are running high in the mindset of the author as he sympathizes with the prisoners. The article isn’t completely objective or neutral enough to help the reader to come to a knowledgeable and logical conclusion. For instance there is no concrete perspective in the article of the CIA officials with only a inconclusive remark by a spokesperson finding its way in the article. Without the CIA point of view about the interrogations, we cannot comment upon the ethical nature of such events. While the article primarily deals with the report about prosecuting CIA officials guilty of using such illegal interrogation techniques, we must concentrate on the macrocosmic issue of justifying the ethical nature of these interrogation practices. Though the article does not clearly mention the ethics issue, it is very clearly prevalent in the argument due to the language used. Can we really reason out using inhuman means to extract the truth from terrorist suspects? This could after all help in saving thousands of innocent lives by preventing such future incidents. But is inhuman treatment of terrorists the real answer. There are two points to reason before coming to a logical conclusion. Firstly, we must not forget that these prisoners are “suspected terrorists” and are not yet convicted of their crimes. One does not need to go back to far in history to validate the above statement. Mohammad Hafeez, the Indian doctor too was suspected of being a terrorist for a period of 4 months by the entire planet, only to be late proved innocent. They may just be ordinary innocent people. One can just imagine the state of one individual who may be a victim of circumstances and still be forced to undergo such severe interrogation practices. Secondly, even if these prisoners are confirmed terrorists, their jobs are most likely already done and we know enough about the Al Qaeda modus operandi to say that it is highly unlikely that they would play a major part in any future terrorist attacks. So what use would it be to hand out such treatment to them when we know that there is not much to gain?
If the knowledge claim of the article is indeed true, I think it is deeply regrettable that officials would stoop to such lows to interrogate prisoners. One must not forget and neglect the scientific advancements like the nuero polygraphic test among others, which could provide legal and ethical alternatives to using a gun and drill against helpless prisoners. I agree to the counter argument stressing on the importance of the information such prisoners potentially hold, but the officials and the government as such need to form legislations to prevent such future incidents. Officials to must know where to draw the line while interrogating such prisoners.
The article comments about the unethical interrogation techniques of the CIA officials with respect to Al Qaeda prisoners. After the September 11 attacks, the treatment meted out to terrorist suspects has been made drastically stringent and in some cases inhuman. While there is no mention of the unethical nature of illegal interrogation techniques, a knower can perceive from the tone of the article that the author is reprimanding the CIA for using such severe methods to extract the truth from terrorist suspects. The neutral tone is compromised to convey the content of the article.
The author of the article cites an unnamed source that has access to a classified report of the probe on CIA interrogations. The author seems to share his source’s perception that the CIA officers are indeed guilty of using illegal interrogation techniques on terrorist suspects in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. That is the primary knowledge issue of the article. The knower (reader) can perceive that emotions are running high in the mindset of the author as he sympathizes with the prisoners. The article isn’t completely objective or neutral enough to help the reader to come to a knowledgeable and logical conclusion. For instance there is no concrete perspective in the article of the CIA officials with only a inconclusive remark by a spokesperson finding its way in the article. Without the CIA point of view about the interrogations, we cannot comment upon the ethical nature of such events. While the article primarily deals with the report about prosecuting CIA officials guilty of using such illegal interrogation techniques, we must concentrate on the macrocosmic issue of justifying the ethical nature of these interrogation practices. Though the article does not clearly mention the ethics issue, it is very clearly prevalent in the argument due to the language used. Can we really reason out using inhuman means to extract the truth from terrorist suspects? This could after all help in saving thousands of innocent lives by preventing such future incidents. But is inhuman treatment of terrorists the real answer. There are two points to reason before coming to a logical conclusion. Firstly, we must not forget that these prisoners are “suspected terrorists” and are not yet convicted of their crimes. One does not need to go back to far in history to validate the above statement. Mohammad Hafeez, the Indian doctor too was suspected of being a terrorist for a period of 4 months by the entire planet, only to be late proved innocent. They may just be ordinary innocent people. One can just imagine the state of one individual who may be a victim of circumstances and still be forced to undergo such severe interrogation practices. Secondly, even if these prisoners are confirmed terrorists, their jobs are most likely already done and we know enough about the Al Qaeda modus operandi to say that it is highly unlikely that they would play a major part in any future terrorist attacks. So what use would it be to hand out such treatment to them when we know that there is not much to gain?
If the knowledge claim of the article is indeed true, I think it is deeply regrettable that officials would stoop to such lows to interrogate prisoners. One must not forget and neglect the scientific advancements like the nuero polygraphic test among others, which could provide legal and ethical alternatives to using a gun and drill against helpless prisoners. I agree to the counter argument stressing on the importance of the information such prisoners potentially hold, but the officials and the government as such need to form legislations to prevent such future incidents. Officials to must know where to draw the line while interrogating such prisoners.
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