Wow, it's been a bumper month for hits. I've gotten hits from six of the seven continents, but I'm working on getting one from that pesky cold one in the south. If anyone in Antarctica is reading this blog, thanks, my badgering has worked.
COMMENT
Yesterday I received a comment from Q.N.I.T.Y about the Brett Goldin. Here it is:
"Does anyone really care about Brett Goldin apart from his friends in the media. Funny thing is that on the same weekend that him and his friend were hijacked...four black men were killed in Nyanga not far from where Goldin and Bloom were killed...I saw a small news report but there weren't any calls for a return to the death penalty for their killers. Makes you think doesn't it?"
Well dude, here's the thing. Brett was a really funny dude and somebody who'd managed to do quite well for himself in the extremely small and tough South African entertainment industry. The fact that he'd achieved some small degree of fame doesn't make his story any more important than the multitude of other atrocities committed in South Africa every day, it simply makes it more newsworthy. Newsworthiness is based almost entirely on how many newspapers the story will sell, or how many people will tune into the television news to see it. Remember that the people running your information outlets are in it for the money, not the greater good of mankind, and just so that we're clear on this issue: there's nothing wrong with that. Brett's story is getting more coverage than the guys in Nyanga because, hell, that's a routine event. It's really sad to say this but that kind of shit happens all the time, everyone is totally desensatised to it, while the execution style murder of two rich white guys doesn't happen every day.
Is it sad that four people having been beaten to death is not that surprising? Yes of course it is, but while our judicial system does nothing to stop this kind of violence it will continue to happen. One of the reasons people continue to commit violent crime is that there is simply no threat of consequence, ever hear of the Ring of Gyges. This goes beyond there not being a death penalty and speaks to various issues on law enforcement and the lack thereof, but lack of adequate punishment is one of the key factors. Personally I feel that all senseless acts of violence should be very strongly punished. And, if you read my blog, I really didn't advocate the death penalty at all, it's way too easy. Put them in high security prisons and force them to do hard labor, no work no food. The excuse often given for lack of any serious prison time is overcrowding, this is also the reason that every year hundreds of prisoners are released before they've served their full sentence. Put them in a fucking hole and make them mine highly radioactive substances, have you seen 'The Fortress'?
[ed note: the term "fucking hole" is ambiguous, in this case it means a hole in the mother fucking ground. Although once they get there I'm sure they'll experience loads of the other kind too]
But Q.N.I.T.Y, saying that Brett Goldin is somehow less important than all the others and that people should be less sympathetic simply because he's getting more news coverage than something which has become almost a routine event is ludicrous. What happened to Brett and his friend was horrible and I feel sick to my stomach that shit like this happens.
Basically it boils down to this: don't make assumptions about how people feel and, if you truly don't care about what happened to Brett and Richard I submit that the problem lies with you.
IN THE NEWS
Here is a smattering of stories I thought some people out there might find INTERESTING.
A farmer is stunned after a chicken apparently had a spontaneous sex change.
Be careful when planning your next cell phone upgrade, you may just have to get a TV license for it.
This old dude in Florida (is that tautology?) went door to door around his local area telling people he was from the local hospital and offering free breast exams. He got caught when he tried to up the ante and move to genital exams.
CONTEST UPDATE
For most of you this will be the last opportunity for you to enter the contest. Entries close when I get into work on monday at around 9am. See the sidebar for details.
MOVIE I WATCHED RECENTLY
The third and final movie I caught over the easter weekend was 'Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang', it was so cool. It's a really original take on the old private detective genre, not a lot of action, a little predictable but really fun to watch. Val Kilmer and Robber Downey Jr give really great performances, also there's a bit of eye candy in the form of Michelle Monaghan. It was really enjoyable and while not a "Must See" an entertaining diversion, and what more can you really ask for.
that's it, schpat out.
COMMENT
Yesterday I received a comment from Q.N.I.T.Y about the Brett Goldin. Here it is:
"Does anyone really care about Brett Goldin apart from his friends in the media. Funny thing is that on the same weekend that him and his friend were hijacked...four black men were killed in Nyanga not far from where Goldin and Bloom were killed...I saw a small news report but there weren't any calls for a return to the death penalty for their killers. Makes you think doesn't it?"
Well dude, here's the thing. Brett was a really funny dude and somebody who'd managed to do quite well for himself in the extremely small and tough South African entertainment industry. The fact that he'd achieved some small degree of fame doesn't make his story any more important than the multitude of other atrocities committed in South Africa every day, it simply makes it more newsworthy. Newsworthiness is based almost entirely on how many newspapers the story will sell, or how many people will tune into the television news to see it. Remember that the people running your information outlets are in it for the money, not the greater good of mankind, and just so that we're clear on this issue: there's nothing wrong with that. Brett's story is getting more coverage than the guys in Nyanga because, hell, that's a routine event. It's really sad to say this but that kind of shit happens all the time, everyone is totally desensatised to it, while the execution style murder of two rich white guys doesn't happen every day.
Is it sad that four people having been beaten to death is not that surprising? Yes of course it is, but while our judicial system does nothing to stop this kind of violence it will continue to happen. One of the reasons people continue to commit violent crime is that there is simply no threat of consequence, ever hear of the Ring of Gyges. This goes beyond there not being a death penalty and speaks to various issues on law enforcement and the lack thereof, but lack of adequate punishment is one of the key factors. Personally I feel that all senseless acts of violence should be very strongly punished. And, if you read my blog, I really didn't advocate the death penalty at all, it's way too easy. Put them in high security prisons and force them to do hard labor, no work no food. The excuse often given for lack of any serious prison time is overcrowding, this is also the reason that every year hundreds of prisoners are released before they've served their full sentence. Put them in a fucking hole and make them mine highly radioactive substances, have you seen 'The Fortress'?
[ed note: the term "fucking hole" is ambiguous, in this case it means a hole in the mother fucking ground. Although once they get there I'm sure they'll experience loads of the other kind too]
But Q.N.I.T.Y, saying that Brett Goldin is somehow less important than all the others and that people should be less sympathetic simply because he's getting more news coverage than something which has become almost a routine event is ludicrous. What happened to Brett and his friend was horrible and I feel sick to my stomach that shit like this happens.
Basically it boils down to this: don't make assumptions about how people feel and, if you truly don't care about what happened to Brett and Richard I submit that the problem lies with you.
IN THE NEWS
Here is a smattering of stories I thought some people out there might find INTERESTING.
A farmer is stunned after a chicken apparently had a spontaneous sex change.
Be careful when planning your next cell phone upgrade, you may just have to get a TV license for it.
This old dude in Florida (is that tautology?) went door to door around his local area telling people he was from the local hospital and offering free breast exams. He got caught when he tried to up the ante and move to genital exams.
CONTEST UPDATE
For most of you this will be the last opportunity for you to enter the contest. Entries close when I get into work on monday at around 9am. See the sidebar for details.
MOVIE I WATCHED RECENTLY
The third and final movie I caught over the easter weekend was 'Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang', it was so cool. It's a really original take on the old private detective genre, not a lot of action, a little predictable but really fun to watch. Val Kilmer and Robber Downey Jr give really great performances, also there's a bit of eye candy in the form of Michelle Monaghan. It was really enjoyable and while not a "Must See" an entertaining diversion, and what more can you really ask for.
that's it, schpat out.
2 comments:
Here is your Antarctica visitor so you have completed your around the world tour.
...Blur
Amundsen-Scott Station
South Pole, Antarctica
nope - your sidebar definitely states "30th april". tomorrow's the 24th, if i'm not completely mistaken. so there.
Post a Comment