Category: Society

Categories
Photography Pop culture Society

[185] Of reality TV

I don’t get it. What’s with reality TV show? What actually with the reality idiot box show that makes people watch it?

First it was Survivor back in the late 90s. I thought it was a good show but as time passes me, I became more and more similar to a libertarian and later felt that the idea of watching people’s life is disturbing. My idea of privacy finally matured after reading 1984 by George Orwell. Thus, I would shout without shame nor fear that this so-called reality show is for people of whom do not want nor deserve freedom of privacy.

Seeing people in their private life, or whatever these days that happens in the supposedly reality TV is certainly disgusting. It’s like a stalker stalking some stranger. Of course, in the TV program, the real people, fake just like the mannequin used in some cheap horror movie, know that they are or will be on national TV. I have nothing against these fake people, the ones that are being stalked. But the stalkers’ the TV audiences! Argh! I have too many things to say that I don’t even know where to start. Let me just list down reasons why I look down upon these reality idiot box show.

First, are they too stupid to ACTUALLY believe the lies prepared and baked by the entertainment media? No wonder some people actually believe whatever Fox TV is reporting! Yes, yes! Eat everything the media feed us. To resist is to piss in the wind – anyone who does ends up smelling they say! HAH! Resist I say. RESIST IDIOTS! Resist for your own sake.

Secondly, yes some of these reality TV fans might come up by saying “we all know that the thing is a gimmick. It’s just a TV program.” That still doesn’t change the fact that these fans are enjoying the notion of reality TV. What if I observe, scrutinize all the idiot box lovers over the net? How about letting me install a CCTV inside your house, your room or better yet, your bathroom for my pleasure? I could just say that I am enjoying a reality TV show. Certainly there is nothing wrong with it, isn’t?

There are a number of other reasons but I would say the two that I’ve mentioned are the biggest reasons. Due to these reasons, my blood will almost always boils whenever a person whom is having a conversation with me and ask, “who do you think will win? Roger or Carol?” I will most certainly ask “who are they?” (most likely “wtf r they?”) and a reply flies from the person throat “the Bachelor” or “Survivor” or some sort of other latest show. Then, the golden moment, “you should watch it, everybody is watching it. It’s the thing right now.”

ARGH!

It’s okay to watch the television in order to have some fun now and then but when you are addicted, when you are being conditioned to sit in front of the idiot box 24/7 or 10/7 or whatever the numbers will be, you are becoming an idiot yourself. An idiot who thinks that you are free to do whatever you wish. In reality, you are doing whatever the moguls wish.

The next time somebody is talking about reality idiot’s box show, I assert you to say, “I do not wish to become an idiot without a fight.”

Listen all reality idiot box show fans, you are not free. Your mind is trapped and is controlled by the entertainment moguls. They are making money at your expense. Don’t cave in. Don’t surrender and be a drone. Don’t surrender to the mogul and become an ass among the masses. The masses are asses.

Now, I sound like a troubled man. Sigh…

p/s – Yet another for the Mirror Project.

Categories
Pop culture Society

[174] Of Top of the Park

Top of the Park is just around the corner. It’s on the Friday the 13th. Wait a minute, OMG, it’s Friday the 13th!!!

On the other note, read this. It couldn’t be anymore truer. If Malaysia was up against Michigan in this category, Michigan would have pounded Malaysia to death.

Categories
Activism Politics & government Society

[154] Of the invasion of Iraq

The United States Of America and its allies have started bombarding Iraq. At the same time, the Ann Arbor populace are showing their discontent against the unjust war.

A few pro-peace movements organized a successful rally today. The students’ movements started the peace rally at the Diag at 1700 hours. A few students spoke in the name of peace. Later, the students marched along N. University St., E. Liberty, W. Liberty St. and Main St. before joining other war protesters in front of the Ann Arbor Federal Building. I joined the procession at about 1700 hours and left the rally at about 1900 hours.

Although it was raining, the event was a success. The anti-war march received a huge turnout and the peaceful Tree Town was transformed into a noisy city. A few chanted were shouted. Among them were “What do we want? Peace. When do we want it? Now”, “Who let the dog out? Bush, Bush, Bush, Bush, Bush!”, “Who is the bastard? Bush!”

Candle vigil was also carried out with thousand of people standing and singing in front of the Federal Building.



















For peace!

Categories
History & heritage Society

[142] Of mutazilite

To those who have online diary, the ones that write stupid stuff as if other people care, FUCKING SHUT IT DOWN. Thank you.

The Sun rose slowly over the horizon, transforming the dark sky into an adorable orange colored ceiling. It didn’t take long before the whole Ann Arbor started to enjoy the brightness of the Sun. Today, the snow melt and the birds sang. Spring is here.

One news, Jessica asked me out. It wasn’t a date or something but she did invite me to see an acappella show at the Mendelssohn Theater with her. (There were also 8 other people but I don’t think that is important. Hehehe.) Okay, let’s move on.

Logic is a tough platform to stand on, especially where religion is concerned. I am saying this because I am trained in logic (or least I’ve taken discrete mathematics) and now I am taking a course in Islamic studies. The class is not about the typical boring stuff that people was thought in school. It is about the introduction to Islam and its thoughts development. This week in class, the professor explained to us an age old problem – the problem between human free will and predestination.

Basically, the argument starts with Islam assertion in Qa’qa and Qa’da, a term that roughly in English describes that everything that happens is the will of God and human must accept whatever happens with an open heart. It is also about how human can change its destiny.

Here is the problem. If God is all-knowing, then He knows what will happen in the future to anybody. If God is all-merciful, then He won’t allow his servants to suffer. The third premise is everything is predetermined. If somebody is predestined to go to hell, then surely, if God is all-knowing, will know this and if God is all-merciful, will not make this happens but certainly to our understanding of Islam, somebody will go to hell.

Here is an analogy, the story of the three brothers.

“A long time ago, there were three brothers. The first brother was admitted to heaven since he was well-behaved during his life and set exemplary life for this younger brothers. The second brother died when he was an infant. This is because God knew that he was going to be a sinner through his life. So, out of mercy, God took his life early as to prevent him from committing acts that would bring him to hell. The third brother however was in hell. He felt cheated when he knew about his second brother and asked God why he was let to live his life while God knew that he was going to hell?”

This is where Qa’qa and Qa’da failed in the eyes of the Mutazilities, a group of Muslim that was influenced by Platonian thinking. Since the logic makes God looks bad, they abandoned the idea of predestination in favor of human free will.

They believed that God had given human the paths that can be taken and human will be free to choose which is good for them. After they had chosen the path, they will fully be responsible for their choice with the possibility of heaven or the burning hell. This way, the premies God is all-merciful will be held easily.

I don’t think want to explain this because it is suddenly becoming hard for me to write the idea in words but the main thing I want to say is that if I lived back during the ninth century, I would be a Mutazilitie. In fact, I believe all modern day liberal Muslims are Mutazilities in one way or another. I’ll continue on this if I managed to put it down in proper sentences.

Categories
Kitchen sink Society

[136] Of types of blog

Go to http://www.__mars.blogspot.com/#88596289 after reading this thing. And please, don’t link to it. A no means no.

The term blog is a short hand of the word web log. In a short time, the term became weblog and later as most people know became the blog phenomenon. The phenomenon quickly changed how personal websites are designed and maintained. Furthermore, to some extend it changes how the public receive and convey information to and fro the public. With this widespread influence of blog, several distinct groups of bloggers came into existence. In black and white, there are two distinct groups. One is the serious blog while the other type is personal blog.

Serious blog mainly consists of political motivated content. This type ranged from Libertarian ideology to the Green movement. Another branch of serious blog is the judgmental type. The content usually contains opinion on lots current events, whether the issues originated from the main stream media or from the blogosphere itself. Some of it are prejudiced to certain groups while few others simply analyze in a so-called “unbiased” view. On second thought, the two kinds might be the same thing.

The serious branch also contains blogs that review various subjects such as games and technology. Others are simply a collection of forwarded email, photos, haikus (or poems), fictional stories etc. posted in short but random intervals. Of all blogs, these blogs are the most unique (and weird).

The second kind is the personal blog. Personal blog is merely an extension of the idea of personal website. It contains at best random rambling, ranging from “what I did today” to “fuck the world”. Some of it are exceptionally good and typically crossed into the serious blogosphere. The others, usually with cliche title (e.g. “it’s all about me”) are simply personal diaries. The latter type has small scope and usually receives visit only from friends and families. It’s worth mentioning that most surfers hate these personal online diaries.

All in all, most readers, in my opinion, would find the former class to be more interesting with the exception of this and that than the latter version.