TRADITION
IN A SUPER MODERN WORLD
I
would be in a hotel room, trying to catch up on NEWS, usually in English,
whether BBC or CNN International, rarely Al Jazeera, occasionally France 24,
and never a Singapore or Malaysia based News broadcast. Like their newspapers,
Straits Times and New Straits Times they are intended to make you ignorant when
it comes to International News.
I
would observe the faces and demeanours of the presenters and anchors of the
News and a great metaphor arose in my head. When we were growing up in various
ex-colonies of UK, we were instructed to speak or imitate BBC English, and in
Australia to try and avoid broad Australian accent. Years later, in USA, I was
told that they considered an untainted Midwestern accent a superior one!
So
these new presenters, with a slight brown hue to their skins, would be
speaking, not in the BBC World Service Accent, but an ornate, Interchangeable
CNN accent- in the CNN International Broadcasts, the American accents is not
stressed.
Looking
at the carefully sculpted conversations and poised false seriousness, I
realized that these women were projecting their personalities rather than the
news they were presenting.
For
Knowledge to be knowledge, it has to be communicated, what they were
communicating were themselves and not any knowledge. You can be as insipid as
before after watching a CNN broadcast.
I
was thinking of these things, waiting at SOYKA Restaurant in Miami, while
waiting for friends to arrive to share a meal before going to the Temple Israel
to begin the Jewish Day of Atonement.
This
is the third time we have done this, Soyka for dinner, then to the solemnity of
91-year-old Temple Israel!
Almost
a Tradition!
How
quickly time has become condensed, take with it the freedom of Space as well!
The concept of Free Time has left us all with no time at all.
365
days since our last meeting at Soyka, at the beginning of 5774, in a matter of
one year, I have been to Indonesia alone five times, Europe around 12 times,
shrinking of space and time as well.
Brussels
yesterday morning, tonight at Soyka-Ceviche, sesame coated Salmon, Pinot
Grigio.
While
we have neither time or space or the Freedom, we are open to the tantalizing
possibility of wide-open spaces and less travelled paths.
Even
China, not renowned for their Intellectual freedom, wants every one to have
access to High Speed Internet within five years.
Fisherman
in Kerala, returning in the early morning, labouring catching fish at night,
have already sold their take, through their cell phone to the waiting
intermediaries on the shore.
Time
and Distance will not separate us; we used to tell our adolescent sweethearts.
Romantic notions laced with possibilities!
But
now, if someone says to me, please come and visit me, whether in Ulaan Baator
or Mendoza, I would say, it is the wrong thing to say to me, because I might
just come. Post modernity clearly erases the lustre of imagination.
Apart
from Christiane Amanpour of CNN, Lynn Doucet of BBC and some other notable
exceptions in BBC World or CNN International, children of internationalized
parents (Immigrants to the USA or UK) who are imported or exported to become
anchors in other cultures, may not have a deep understanding of any of the
cultures they had transgressed through, that is how they come across on the
screen.
For
the past few months, there has been constant bombardment of news from Middle
East, first the Gaza War and then the ISIS dominance, and many of these
international faces (I don't mean Christiane Amanpour, Lynn Doucet, Hadari,
McGregor and others of their calibre)
In
a recent survey, majority of the Americans could not name the country that is
predominantly Shia in the Middle East; most young Americans couldn't name the
PM of Israel.
News
has become a personality cult (Riz Khan, Peter Bennett in the olden days)
rather than analysis or knowledge.
Two
more Super modern items could be added on this day.
At
Miami Beach, on this sacred day of Jewish Observance, when one is supposed to
confess ones failings and sins, the Rabbi had organized the congregants to text
their sins and then they are displayed prominently on a screen! Even the most
mystic, serene and innermost is invaded.
Secondly,
due to error in my calculation of dates, I will be breaking my fast on an
American Airlines flight from Miami to Dulles! May the wind spirits bless my
meal.
Remembering
Joel Glaser, Cecil Hellman, Cha Ko Ka, Ryan Perkins, Balfour Ross on this day
Thinking
of Ian and Vasu Berger
Time
and Distance keeps me CLOSER to Brussels, Belgium and La Habana, Cuba
Few
hours after writing the above, I was flabbergasted to read a review of a new
book by Sheila Winter
THE
NEWS SORORITY
About
Christiane Amanpour, Katie Kouric, Diane Sawyer. Somewhere in the book it is
mentioned, whether you are Christiane Amanpour or Kaite Kouric, you are there
for the looks and in USA, the viewers, perhaps people in the other parts of the
world, especially non-Muslim surprisingly, would like to hear their news from a
Man!
I
disagree. I am arguing the exact opposite.
Instead
of putting pretty faces with good demeanours, well fitted and well coiffured,
put on the screen intelligent women with good understanding of the
International Affairs. I have already mentioned a few
Amanpour
Hadari
Doucet
McGregor
Let
us get rid of Filipinas with false American accents and even falser sense of
seriousness in their faces, lithe East Indians who like their actors are uncannily
fair skinned, floating in their saris and the Chinese doll faces looking far
too serious to accompany the news they are presenting.
