Archive for
October 11th, 2008
Stories
India: Community Journalism with Video Volunteers
Video Volunteers is a non-profit organization of media producers from the villages and slums in India, creating content that is relevant to themselves and screening it inside the communities, reaching thousands of people a month with news and events that affect them and call them into action. Channel 19 is the online video channel where this media, created by and for the communities is showcased for the rest of the population.
In the latest video from Video Volunteers, there talk about the strike in Dharavi, the world's largest slum in Mumbai, India. The reason for this strike is that the government had promised an allotment of 400 square feet per family to build, but they went back on that and during the last meeting, they had discussed that it would only be 300 square feet per family. The following video, Black Day in Dharavi, has the complete story, shot and produced by the video volunteers:
Other videos by the VideoVolunteers of Channel 19 are insightful and inspiring: on Women Can Play Too!, the community journalists ask around their slum about what kids do to play. It turns out boys play, while girls have to do chores. So they ask a female cricket player about the importance of playing, as an inspiration for other girls to do the same. In Never too late to teach, a woman rag picker decides to change her future and decides to study to become a teacher and get certified.
Bahrain: The pleasures and perils of studying abroad
Although Bahrain has a number of universities, both government and private, many Bahrainis have the opportunity to go abroad to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies, often by means of scholarships. One of the first problems they face is that few people know where Bahrain is. In this post we hear about the experiences of three bloggers who have just gone abroad for higher studies, to Japan, Britain and the United States, and a fourth blogger who has been studying in India for some time.
Cradle of Humanity has just gone to study in Cleveland, Ohio, and she is feeling a little frustrated:
I sometimes dread it when people ask where I come from. Not more than 10% of people who hear “Bahrain” as answer have some sort of idea where that country might be, but that’s not my cause of annoyance. For those who know that Bahrain is indeed in the Persian Gulf, there is one thing that comes to mind – wealth. Some people might ask, but it’s those who assume who annoy me the most. For the past two months I made a lot of friends, mainly Indians given the demographics of the student body in my program. Despite the fact that most of these are actually Indian elites, owners of chains of businesses and are wealthy themselves – they love to point out that I must be wealthy. When at some occasions I said just that, it appeared that some have the notion that we’re unnecessarily wealthy, that is, it’s undeserved wealth; while theirs is hard worked for. Oh, and they use Bahrain and Dubai interchangeably.
- Public transport here is not very good, but getting a car is very expensive. I would’ve got one
- Used or new?
- Used, I’m only here for a short period of time.
- Get a new one it’s better
- It’ll be much more expensive
- But you come from Bahrain, you can buy a car!- You mean you’re not rich?
- Actually, no.
- Everyone in Dubai was rich.
- I don’t know about that, but not everyone in Bahrain is rich.
Yagoob, who has just arrived in Nagoya, has to deal with something even more basic - language:
To be honest, the culture shock has hit me very hard! Hardly anyone I’ve met so far had the slightest knowledge of the English language. I feel like a 21st century caveman, trying to communicate with the most primitive of ways, hand waving and speaking English in a very slow and loud way. […] My dorm room is quite Japanese, extremely tiny and everything is earthquake proof so it’s like living in an aluminium sardine can. Many of the things I have around the room seem to have instructions on it, but all in Japanese so I have no idea how they work so far! […] The subway is quite reminiscent to the London Tube except that it’s much cleaner and a person like me sticks out like a sore thumb (as if a tall fat sweaty hairy Arab wouldn’t stick out anywhere). […] The people of Nagoya seem to have never met a Bahraini before, at least that’s what the people at my dorm office say, although I am surprised that they know where it is (maybe because of the many hard fought battles on the football pitch over the last few years) and when I chatted with one of my Chinese neighbours, ‘Andy’, he said, “Aah, you are from West Asia!” I guess I am…especially when I’m in the Far East.
MuJtAbA AlMoAmEn studies in India, and tells us what he likes about being there:
تحدثت مراراً عن إيجابيات الاغتراب وسلبياته ، ولست في وارد إعادة تكرار ما كتبت ، لكنني اليوم أكتب بشكل مغاير ، فأريد الكتابة عن التأمل ، عن الهدوء ، وعن القدرة على الإطلاع ، وعن وقت الفراغ الذي أستطيع استثماره .
في البحرين ، بين أهلي وأصحابي ، لا أملك الكثير من الوقت لقراءة الصحف المحلية والعربية والعالمية ، ولا أملك الكثير من الوقت لقراءة الكتب أكانت سيرة ذاتية أم فكرية أم رواية … الخ .
هنا وفي الهند ، حالات التأمل كثيرة ، أشعر غالباً بصفاء ليس له مثيل على مستوى الذهن ، أستطيع التفكير كثيراً، أجد الحلول غالباً لأية مشاكل أو عراقيل تواجهني ، بل الأحلى من ذلك إنني أجد أكثر من طريقة للحل ، فلا أعتمد حلاً واحداً ، بل أستعرض الخيارات التي لدي ، وهذا إن دل على شيء فإنه يدل على حالة الصفاء العقلي والروحي الذي أعيشه .
In Bahrain, among family and friends, I don't have much time to read newspapers, whether local, Arab or international. I also don't have time to read books such as biographies, novels, or those on intellectual topics.
Here in India, there is a lot of time for reflection. I feel mentally calm and I can think a lot - I find solutions for any problems or obstacles I face and what is even sweeter is that I find more than one solution. I don't depend on one only, and weigh my options, and if this proves anything, it is a testimony to the mental and spiritual calmness I live in.
Bride Zone has just arrived in the UK to study, and she is missing home:
الأرض هي الأرض.. ذلك الكوكب الثالث في المجموعة الشمسية درسناه جميعاً وعلمنا تعريفه علمياً.. ولكن في الواقع أرضنا تلك ليست هي ذاتها عندما تنتقل من مكان إلى آخر.. تلك الأرض التي عشت بين ظهرانيها سنين حياتي كلها بحلوها ومرها.. تلك التي تحمل أهلي وأصحابي أغلى عندي من كل أراضي العالم.. على الرغم من جمال الأرض التي أعيش عليها الآن إلا أنها لا تساوي عندي ذرة من تراب أرضي الغالية..
هنا في بريطانيا الجو جميل.. رأيت فصل الخريف كما لم أره في حياتي قط.. كنا في المدرسة نتعلم أنه في فصل الخريف تتساقط أوراق الأشجار ولكنني لم أر لك بعيني في أرض الواقع سوى هنا.. وبينما نعاني من قلة الأمطار في بلدي فإن المطر هنا يتساقط بين الفينة والآخرى يجعلني أحس بالحياة.. الحياة التي تهبها تلك الأمطار للأرض لتغدو روضة غناء كما هي الآن..
هل أهذي أنا أم أهلوس؟لا أجد رابطاً بين ما كتبته في صفحاتي غير أنها كلمات تزاحمت في عقلي وترجمتها في مساحتي الصغيرة ونافذتي التي أطل بها على العالم.. عذراً أحبتي.. فليس هناك لدي أمر آخر لأتحدث عنه اليوم سوى شوقي وحنيني للأرض والوطن..
Here, in the UK, the weather is lovely. I have seen an autumn like nothing I have seen in my life before. At school we used to study that there was an autumn in which leaves fall from the trees but I have never seen that with my very own eyes except here. And while we suffer from the lack of rain in my country, it regularly rains here and makes me eager for life, a life that is rejuvenated by the rains, which make it the oasis it is now.
Am I hallucinating? I don't see any connection in what I have written on these pages except that they are words that have congested my mind and which I have translated in this small space and this window I look into the world from. Please forgive me my dear ones. There is nothing I want to talk about today except for my love and longing for my land and nation.
Latin America: More lore, ghosts, demons and frights
On this second installment on the Myths, Lore and Legends of Latin America, we will get to know the Venezuelan Animas and their unfinished business, the Sayona and the Whistler, and Ecuadorian myths such as the foundation myth of Guayas and Kil, Father Almeida, the Headless Priest, the gagones (something similar to familiars) and the Cantuña Cathedral myth. You can read Part 1 here.
Venezuela's myth and lore seem to be geared towards teaching people about the importance of keeping promises, whether they are marriage vows or vows made to the dead. On the first type of broken promises, The Sayona and the Silbón are similar. In the first case, the Sayona is a fright that appears to unfaithful men to scare them, and hopefully make sure they never again try to be unfaithful. The legend goes that she thought her husband was sleeping with her mother, and she murdered them both. Her mother with her last breath cursed her to wander forever, never at peace. Pensamiento Crítico [es] blog includes one of the “first hand accounts” of how the Sayona's appearances have turned stray men onto the straight path.
The other fright, the Whistler or Silbón, as told by Ricardo in the Ghosts and Apparitions of Venezuela blog [es], has to do with a man that according to some versions of the myth, thought his father had abused his wife, and decided to kill his father. His grandfather punished his grandson for this atrocious murder by tying him to a tree and whipping him, and then rubbing hot pepper on his woulds, and letting out the dog to chase after him. The Whistler, as his name indicates, makes a whistling noise when he gets close by, and the closer he is, the weaker the sound is. If you hear it really close by, it means that the Whistler is far far away. Another way of telling if the Whistler is close by is for a clacking noise that follows the Silbón everywhere, caused by the bones of his father that he carries in a bag on his back. It is said that if the Silbón stops at some one's house to count the bones in his bag, and no-one hears him, someone in the house will die the very next day.
The other myth related to broken promises has to do with the Pica-Pica ghost. Apparently a farmer had lost a mule on the field, and looking by a tree, found the unburied corpse of a soldier. He asked the soldier for help finding the mule in exchange for christian burial. The mule appeared, but the farmer didn't keep his side of the bargain, and later fell ill. He told his children about the broken promise, but even though they went and buried the soldier, their father still died. This is told by Kbulla on his blog.
From Ecuador, Steven, Álvaro, Andrés and Alexis write in Legends of Ecuador about the two versions of the Cantuña Indian Legend, the false one stating how he made a pact with the devil to finish building a cathedral on time, and later managed to avoid selling his soul by managing to keep one brick from being laid and “finishing” the building, and the “true” one that mentions that Cantuña was an native who was adopted by Spanish settlers, and when they were in financial distress, Cantuña promised that if some changes in the floor plan were made, he would solve their problems, and so it happened, there was always money to go around, much of it, and when the priests came asking where this fortune came from, Cantuña told them he had made a pact with the Devil to keep getting money: in truth, he had a gold smelting operation, where he would melt down gold bars and Inca figurines and turn them into coins.
Noche de Luna Llena by *L*u*z*a*
The Guayas and Quil (or Kil) Legend [es]states how the city of Guayaquil got its name: it says that prisoner Indian chief Guayas discovered that the Spanish wanted to take away his beautiful wife, Kil. He told them he would get them lots of riches if they left his wife alone and granted them freedom. He then took the Spanish up a mountain and asked them for a long strong stick to push up a rock. Once they gave him the spear, he pushed it through his wife's heart and then impaled himself, telling the Spaniards that he was taking two treasures, the river, full of his brother's blood, and his wife, to accompany him up to the land of the Sun.
Blogger Dunn [es] has something to say about this myth, and the statues that have been erected to its name. He states that the word Guayaquil comes from the Huancavilca language meaning “Our Big House” and it makes no sense to keep perpetuating a legend instead of making monuments for real heroes, like the Native Indian nation as a whole.
The Headless Priest and Padre Almeida have similar origins. According to Mama-puma's blog [es], the Headless priest appeared in the popular neighborhood of San Roque, and was in fact nothing other than a regular priest, who having to sneak to his lovers' houses in the neighborhood would lift his cassock over his head so that people would be scared and run away, and wouldn't recognize him.
On the other hand, Father Almeida is said to have been a monk who decided that a life of contemplation wasn't his cup of tea, and would sneak out of the monastery by climbing onto Christ on the cross behind the altar and sneak out through the clerestory windows. Whenever he would come back very drunk, he would hear and see Christ moving his lips and saying “Until when, Father Almeida?” And the monk would answer: until the next time. Finally, on one of his outings, he saw a funeral procession, and when he asked the monks surrounding the coffin who had died, they all answered “Father Almeida”. Seeing that it was actually skeletons who were carrying the coffin, he ran all the way home, and never sinned again.
The last myth, the Gagones, is a bit stranger than the previous ones. It is said that the Gagones are the form one's spirit takes if it is in sin. They come out at night and find their mates, and start frenzied lovemaking, caressing and twisting about each other, but their owners can't see them. Those who see the gagones may know the state of sin the soul's owners are in: if the gagones are stuck together like dogs it means that those who have them are in an adulterous relationship. The gagones appear to those who are sinning with a family member or relation, and if a gagon is caught and a cross is painted with soot on its forehead, then you can find the owner of the gagon because its forehead will also have a sooty cross on it. If you are pure of heart, then you can easily catch a gagon and keep it retained until daylight, and then let it loose and see where it runs to meet its owner. This was found on Yapa Digital's blog [es].
Armenia: Peace Corps Volunteer Blogs
While the number of blogs on or based in the South Caucasus is often put in the tens of thousands, the actual number of bloggers is significantly lower. Moreover, the vast majority based on the ground are usually situated in the capital cities of the three republics making up the region. Low Internet penetration standing at just 5.8 percent in Armenia, 12.7 percent in Azerbaijan, and 7.8 percent in Georgia as of 2007 makes the situation doubly worse.
It's not surprising, therefore, that most bloggers are part of a small and somewhat exclusive group of foreigners and locals working in the media or civil society and international organizations. Most are Yerevan-based and information from outside the capital is lacking as a result. However, in recent years the U.S. Peace Corps has allowed its volunteers to set up blogs to update friends and family back home.
That wasn't always the case, as the Unfocused Wanderer detailed on one of the first PCV blogs from Armenia in January 2006.
I apologize for not posting before, but the internet connection in Berd where I'm assigned to an NGO is very poor at its best. I've been somewhat concerned with the Peace Corps policy on posting information on the internet as well, but I've gotten over that lately. So, what I'm going to try and do is go chronologically from training until now until I can simply point my friends and family to this blog to keep everyone updated on what's going on here in Armenia.
Since then, PCV blogs have begun to offer a rare insight into life in the regions of the country. Mark in Armenia, for example, talks about the problem of giardia, “a nasty parasite that reproduces in our small intestine.”
[…] I have had a couple horrific days of stomach problem, but I haven’t been lucky enough to get giardia so far. One of my friends, a fellow A-16 (since we are the 16thgroup of volunteers to come to Armenia (‘A’), starting in 1992 till now, 16 years of volunteers helping Armenia), had giardia and he look deathly ill after having it for 2 days. His face was stark white and he looked like he was now only made up of 60% water, before he was a fairly big guy from Wisconsin. I think he is better now, but I’ve been told everyone gets giardia during their tour in Armenia.
Moore From The Source introduces its readers to “nightlife” in the country's second largest city of Gyumri.
[…] nightlife is not really something that I get on a regular basis. Really, unless I’m in Yerevan, there isn’t much of what we would call in the states a “nightlife”. But, that’s not to say that there aren’t exciting things that happen at night. So, I’ve decided to sketch out a few nocturnal events that have happened recently.
1. Wolves! In a daring effort to reclaim the land for nature’s original tenants, a pack of wolves deftly sneaked into the city of Gyumri under the cover of night’s darkness. The citizens of the city awoke to the terrified sounds of cattle being slaughtered and devoured by the hundreds. When morning dawned, a total of 300 head of cattle had had the likes of life removed from their bones, courtesy of countless encounters with the vengeful jaws of relentless wolves, who incidentally turned out to be fairly efficient at what they do. […] So that’s exciting.
The blogs also unintentionally introduce oversight and transparency into regional development projects as well as highlight some of the needs. A recent PCV who left Armenia this summer wrote about his project in Noyemberian late last year.
I haven’t mentioned much about the school and our handicap accessibility projects lately, as our work from the ramps is pretty much done. The biggest step, which the school director and I started discussing over a year ago, is renovating their bathroom and sewer system to make them accessible (and usable, really). Right now, students and teachers have to go to the bathroom outside, which is horrible in the winter and completely unsanitary, as there’s no place to wash up afterwards. And considering the whole facility is on a muddy slope, it redefines the word “inaccessible”.
Others, such as Staci in Armenia, simply detail daily life in the regions of the country.
It’s starting to get cold here and there is snow on the surrounding mountain tops. It won’t be long until it’s on the ground here. Everyone in the village keeps telling me how long and cold the winters are, when I tell them there’s snow where I live in the United States they seem to think I’ll survive here. The difference is the lack of central heating and heat in the buses and cars. The wind chill is also a factor here. On the bright side they make great quilts here that are filled with wool, not processed but actual clumps of sheep’s hair. They are really warm and even though the bedroom is cold sometimes, the blanket really keeps you warm. If nothing else I’ll just wrap myself in one of these all winter.
At times of political turmoil, however, it is often impossible to avoid commenting on the situation. During the recent post-election unrest in Armenia, for example, Kyle’s Journey in Armenia updated its readers back home.
With the country essentially on lock-down, Peace Corps has put us on high alert and is requiring us to stay at our sites until further notice. Outside of Yerevan (and Noyemberyan is no exception), things are functioning as normal, and we have not had any problems with civil unrest here or in our region at all. Schools and businesses are open, and we are going forward with life, albeit with a black cloud looming over the country. […]
[…] We will see in the next couple weeks, but until then life will remain tense and uncomfortable. It can only get a lot better, or a lot worse, from here. Hopefully this State of Emergency will do the former and at least keep people off the streets. It has, of course, disrupted some things in my life (for instance, my friend was supposed to come teach a class here this week, and my skiing trip was canceled) but I am safe and not worried about the situation getting worse here in Noyemberyan.
Interestingly, the blogger was later instructed by the Peace Corps to password protect the entry so that only those who requested access could read it. However, the password was revealed a few days later.
[…] Due to the delicate political situation in the country, and Peace Corps’ role as a non-politically affiliated organization, I was asked to password protect my last post about the situation in Yerevan, and any future posts about politics in the country. The password is, and always will be, my last name. […]
Blogs have also been used to discuss the activities and purpose of the Peace Corps in countries such as Armenia. An account of a rare visit from a local Armenian based in Yerevan to a PCV site in the north east of the country posted on my previous blog prompted much discussion and an opportunity for volunteers to counter any criticism leveled against them in the comments section of the post.
There are 80 of us all over Armenia. Americans who are not Armenian who speak decent Armenian and are here to simply help. I would like for people […] to come see the work that can be done. More importantly, the work we are doing is not about resources but about change. It is about throwing off the blanket of Soviet era thinking and being cheerleaders to help our communities improve themselves. […] Resources, although nice, are not required for change and improvement. Hard work, community and a vision for a brighter future is all that is needed to improve rural Armenia.
Come one, come all. Find a Peace Corps Volunteer in a rural area of Armenia and see the country as you would have never experienced it other wise regardless of your ethnic heritage.
And, as a sign that blogs are now being taken seriously by the Peace Corp itself, posts from many of these blogs are handily available from one source — A PCV Wiki at http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/journal/. There is also a list of past and present PCV blogs from Armenia at http://www.peacecorpsjournals.com/am.html.
Korea: The Death of an Actress and…
The death of Choi Jin Sil, who has been regarded as a ‘national actress,’ gave a big shock to Korean society. Her image has been like a self-righting toy, from her poverty in childhood to a renowned actress, and from the failure of marriage with a big scandal to the second heyday as a middle-aged actress in recent days. Her sudden suicide contradicted such a common image of hers and therefore her death was like a bolt out of the blue to the people. A series of copycat suicides after her death cover newspapers everyday.
She has recently been involved with a rumor that she was financially linked to loan sharks who might have led to the death of Ahn Jae-hwan, who is her longtime friend’s husband and actor. His dead body was found in a car and he is presumed to have killed himself due to big debt from loan sharks.
Her death is not only regarded as a human’s tragedy, but also seems to have other influences in society. While many people are sad for her death and applauding her, others are busy finding the main cause of her death. As soon as her death was announced, media was focusing on problems of sinister abuses on the Internet. Those Internet abuses seemed to lead her to the suicidal. Politicians of the ruling party, the Grand National Party, criticize the problems of the Internet and swiftly appealed to make the Choi Jin Sil Act to control netiznes’ opinions on the Internet. Several days passed, but her death is a still hot issue. What led her to the death? Netizens are passionately arguing what her death is really from and reacting to the government’s responses to her death.
These two posts below are from one of the most active Internet panels, “Cyber contempt should be enacted” vs “Cyber contempt will control freedom of expression.”
Here is an opinion for “Cyber contempt will control freedom of expression.”
어제 고인이 된 최진실 씨의 장례식이 있었다. 그녀의 자살로 시작된 하루는 그를 알고 있는 사람이라면 누구나 가슴 아파 했을 것이다. 성실과 근검절약의 이미지는 그를 사랑했던 많은 팬들 가슴에 아직도 남아 있어 충격이 더욱 컸다. 우선 이 자리를 빌어 고인의 명복을 빈다. 그를 죽음으로 몰았던 이유에 대해 방송이나 일부 신문들은 인터넷을 이용하는 네티즌이라고 한 목소리를 냈다. 그의 죽음의 원인이 일부 네티즌의 악의적인 댓글에 있었다고 해도 사이버 모욕죄는 정보화 시대로 나가는 길에 복병일 뿐만 아니라 민주주의의 근본인 표현의 자유를 억압할 수 있는 소지가 강해 동의할 수가 없다. 그녀의 죽음은 경찰의 수사를 통해 원인을 찾고 그 원인이 네티즌에 있다면 원인 제공한 네티즌에 대한 합당한 처벌을 하면 되는 것이다. 그런데 이런 사건을 계기로 한나라당에서 이번 정기 국회에 사이버 모욕죄를 상정하겠다는 것은 사건의 본질을 잘 못 짚었다는 생각이 든다. 인터넷 상에서 이루어지는 댓글은 어떤 법을 만들어 놓는다고 해결될 문제가 결코 아니라는 것이다. 일부 네티즌들이 실명제를 주장하고 이에 한나라당 홍준표 원내 대표가 고인이 된 최진실 씨의 이름을 따 법을 상정하겠다고 한다. 나경원 의원 역시 실명제 법을 강화하자는 근거를 되며 사이버 모욕죄를 만들겠다는 목소리를 내고 있다. 정확하게 말하면 우리나라 인터넷은 이미 실명제가 되고 있다는 것이다. 누군가 글을 올려 문제가 생기면 그를 잡아 처벌하는데 전혀 문제가 되지 않는다. 한 마디로 말한다면 이름을 걸고 쓰나 닉네임으로 쓰나 잡아서 처벌하는데 시간이 걸리지 않는다는 뜻이다.
그런데 한나라당이 굳이 이렇게 사이버 모욕죄를 만들겠다는 의도가 궁금해진다. 혹여 인터넷에 재갈을 물리겠다는 의도가 숨어있지 않나 의심이 들기까지 한다. 한나라당의 인터넷을 바라보는 그 동안의 태도를 볼 때 사이버 모욕죄라는 것이 인격 살인을 막겠다는 취지보다는 소통의 공간의 장이었던 인터넷과 네티즌의 입을 직접 통제하겠다는 생각이 드는 이유가 어디 나뿐일까. 세계 여러 나라 중 자신의 실명을 걸고 쓰는 나라는 중국으로 알고 있다. 중국의 네티즌들은 어떤 댓글을 달고 있을까. 자신의 이름을 걸고 글을 쓰니까 나경원 의원 말처럼 인터넷 악성 글이나 댓글들이 완전히 살아졌을까. 천만에 말씀이다. 많은 전문가들은 실명제를 한다고 해서 악성 댓글들이 사라지지 않는다고 말한다. 실명제를 하나 실명제를 하지 않으나 별반 차이가 없다는 소리이다. 다시 말해서 자율규제를 통해 서로 노력하는 길이 가장 빠르다는 것이다. 사이버 모욕죄가 대체 무엇인가. 듣기도 생소하고 말하기도 생소한 단어에 고인의 이름을 따 ‘최진실법’을 만들겠다고 한다. 과연 사이버 모욕죄가 만들어지면 우리 인터넷 세상이 법을 만들겠다는 사람들의 생각처럼 깨끗해 질까. 오히려 악용될 소지는 없는지 따져보아야 한다. 그 옛날 박정희 대통령 시절 막걸리법과 뭐가 다른지 궁금해진다.[…] 찬성하는 네티즌들도 이 법의 도입에 대해 냉정하게 다시 생각해 보아야 한다. 어찌 보면 너와 나의 발목에 족쇄를 채우는 꼴과 별반 다를 게 없다는 생각이 들기 때문이다. 요즘 인터넷에 올라오는 우리 댓글(답글) 문화나 글이 예전에 비해 얼마나 자정 기능이 좋아졌는지도 생각해 보자. 몇몇 연예인 악플러들을 제외하고 나름의 노력들을 하고 있다고 생각한다. 21세기 인터넷 문화를 지금보다 더 활성화 시키고 그 활성화를 통해 보다 나은 세상을 만드는데 가장 좋은 방법은 최진실법이라는 것을 만들어 처벌하는 것이 능사가 아니라 스스로 토론이나 댓글을 통해 상대방을 인정하는 자정능력을 키울 수 있는 방법을 찾는 길이다. 그것이 보다 나은 성숙한 민주주의로 가는 가장 빠른 길이다.
Let’s imagine that the Act will be executed. Will the Internet become as clean as the people for the law? We should consider that the law could be ill-used. What is the difference of this law from the Maggeol-li Law [kr] during the Park Jung Hee authority? I am wondering the intention of the GNP, trying so hard to make cyber contempt. I’m suspicious that their real intention is to control the Internet. How has the GNP looked at the Internet so far? Looking at their attitudes, the reason why they emphasize cyber contempt is not for stopping indirect murder by insults, but for controlling the Internet and netizens that have been major means of conversation. Am I the only one who thinks like this? I heard that the only country using real names in the Internet is China. What do those netizens write on the Internet? I wonder. Because they have to use their own names, are sinister opinions or their own opinions gone? It should be like that according to Na Kyoung Won’s theory. But I don’t think so. Many experts said that the real-name system in the Internet will not get rid of sinister opinions. Therefore, encouraging self-imposed control is the best and effective method. Those politicians say they will use unfamiliar and uncomfortable name, Choi Jin Sil Act.[…] Netizens who agree on this law should think about the influence. It is like placing leg irons on yours and mine. And we should know that netizens’ opinions on the Internet are getting better compared to the past. Except sinister opinions against a few entertainers, people are making efforts. In order to have the betterment of the 21st century Internet culture, rather than making the Choi Jin Sil Act, we should find a way to strengthen self-purification to recognize others through discussions and opinions. It is the faster way to make mature democratization.
Here is a counter opinion.
나의 개인적인 생각으로는 필요하다 생각을 한다. 인터넷상의 악플 내지 루머는 한사람을 죽음으로까지 내몰수 있는 폭력이다. 개인마다 차이는 있겠지만, 받으들이는 사람은 얼마나 큰 고통에 허덕일까? 당사자가 아닌 이상 그 고통을 짐작이나 할수 있을까?여기 아고라 게시판을 보면 정말 가관이다. 우리 아이들이 볼까 민망한 글들이 하루에도 수백개의 글이 올라온다. 말그대로 어떤 자신의 생각이나 논리는 전혀 찾아볼수 없는.. 말그대로 비방과 욕설들… 사이버상도 엄연한 사회라 생각을 한다. 오프라인에서도 그렇게 용감하게 할수있는지 의문스럽다. 처음보는 사람에게 반말은 기본이고, 입에 담기힘든 욕을 서슴치 않으니… 정말 안타깝다. 유명연예인의 죽음을 정치적으로 이용을 한다는등… 정말 한심스럽다. 그냥 모욕죄로도 처벌을 할수있는데,왜 굳이 사이버모욕죄를 만드느냐?? 모욕과 관련해서는 형법으로도 충분히 처벌을 할수 있다고 본인도 생각을 한다. 다만, 이와 관련된법을 더욱 세분화 시켜 처벌할수 있는 범위를 넓혔으면 하는 개인적인 바램이다. 올바른 인터넷문화를 만드는것도 기성세대가 할일이라고 생각을 한다. 사이버 모욕죄가 신설된다면, 적어도 지금과 같은 작태는 많이 줄어들것이다.
Very many netizens question whether government’s response is related to her death.
[…]최진실법은 정말 아니라고 봅니다.그것도 죽은 분의 이름을 멋대로 악용하여(사인의 원인은 정확하게 밝히지 않은 채,그저 악플로 죽었다는 식으로 여론몰이를 하고 있더라지요),그것도 고 최진실씨 사망을 활용해 사이버모욕죄를 추진하겠다는 식으로 고인을 팔아 정권의 통제를 강화하겠다는 ‘비열한 꼼수'밖에는 보이지 않습니다. 그리고 분명한 것은,현행법에 사이버 모욕에 관한 내용이 있는데도,그리고 ‘사이버 수사대','사이버 악플러 추적'이라는 규정이 있음에도 불구하고 이런 식으로 ‘정권의 입맛에 맞추는,그리고 정권이 악용할 가능성이 큰 법'을 만들자는 것은 법치주의 원칙에서 벗어난 일일텐데 말입니다. 그런데,정작 이러한 고인의 죽음을 ‘멋대로 매도'한 황색저널리즘에 대한 문제는 왜 언급을 안합니까?지금까지도 계속되고 있는 심지어 장례식장에도 기자들이 무례한 행동들을 했더랍니다).[…]그저 정치적으로 이번 기회를 ‘사이버 모욕죄 만들 명분으로 악용하자'라는 것보다는 ‘이런 언론의 몰상식 작태'부터 고쳐야 하는 것 아닙니까?
최진실법?그걸 제정하는 것보다는 지금 ‘언론에서 보여지는 무례한 행동'과 ‘보도•취재 윤리의 강화'가 중요할 겁니다.이번 사태만 보더라도 얼마나 이번에 언론이라는 곳이 연예인들의 일상에 대해서 갖가지 루머와 의혹들을 양산했던지,그리고 이러한 사례에도 불구하고 최진실씨의 죽음이 인터넷의 병폐인것 마냥 인터넷의 소통공간을 매도하는 행위로 ‘싸잡아 비난'하는 건지 적나라하게 알 수 있지 않나 싶습니다.특히나 그걸 ‘정치적으로 악용'하는 한나라당의 작태에서 말입니다. 개인적으로 한마디 하자면,국민을 ‘천민','사탄','배후','좌익'등으로 싸잡아 매도한 것은 모욕이 아닌가요?[…]
Choi Jin Si Act? We should think about ‘rude behaviors of media’ and ‘ethics of reports and interviews’, not focusing on making the law. Looking at this accident, we can see how media spreads all kinds of rumors and suspicions about entertainers’ daily lives and regardless of it they condemn her death as ill practices of the Internet. Especially, politicians of the GNP abuse it for their own political purposes. Isn’t what they call the people ‘the lowly,’ ‘evils,’ wire-pullers,’ and ‘left-wing’ an abuse?
Many netizens also argue that we should give more attention to depression, not to the Internet, and ask whether there were really many sinister opinions from the Internet about her rumor. How about major media that have the more powerful function to spread over the rumor?
[…]일단, 이번 법안의 내용을 들여다보면 이전까지 포털측에 전적으로 부여되었던 삭제의 권리를 개인에게두고 ,삭제명령이 내려졌을때 의무적으로 24 시간안에 삭제하도록 하고있으며,삭제에 관한 최종적인 결정권을 방통위가 행사 할 수 있도록하고있다. 포털측이 특정한 글이 공익성이 다분한 글이어서, 비판적 성격이 다분한 글이어서 삭제할 이유가 없다고 판단된다고 할지라도 삭제하라면 삭제해야만 한다는 얘기다.다시말해, 따지고 보면 엄연한 독립체인 포털측의 권한을 아예 송두리쩨 없애버린것이다. 공영방송마저 정권의 홍보역할을 해야한다고 말하는 이 무지막지한 정권이 엄연한 독자적 권리를 가진 인터넷마저 정권의 홍보역할을 해야한다는 무언의 압력이 아니고 무었인가. 또한, 싸이버 모욕죄의 경우는 피해자의 고소 없이도 수사에 착수, 처벌할 수 있도록 하겟다는데, 이 부분에 이르러서는 최진실 법이 얼마나 처절하게 악용되고 그로인한 피해자가 얼마나 속출할지 걱정되는 부분이기도 하다.[…] 게다가 과연 이 최진실법이 최진실의 죽음을 계기로, 그것도 이미 고인이되신 최진실씨의 이름을 따서 만들만큼 악플이 최진실씨의 죽음과 직접적인 관계가 있는지도 의문이다.따지고 보면 이번 사태의 근본적인 핵심은 사채설이기 때문이다.최진실씨가 왜 죽었는가.안재환씨의 죽음으로 인해 촉발된것이다. 안재환씨가 왜 죽었나. 바로 사채 때문이다.그렇다면 이제까지 심각한 사회문제로 남아있는 사채문제에대해 대대적으로 정비하고 대한민국 사회를 떠들썩하게만든, 안타까운 목숨 둘을 앗아간 사채업에 대해서 법으로 응징하고 정비해야할 일이지 왜 엉뚱하게 최진실법인가.그리고 이미 경찰의 수사와 의사의 검시결과로 밝혀졌듯,최진실의 자살원인이 예전부터 앓아왔던 우을증 이었으며 자살또한 충동적인 상황에서 벌어진것이라 결론이 내려진 마당에 무슨 엉뚱하게 최진실 법인가.악플은 분명 앞으로 더욱더 심각해질,수 많은 사회문제 들중의 하나임은 분명하다. […]한 고인의 처참한 죽음, 너무도 안타까운 한 아이의 엄마의 죽음을 두고,그것을 정권에 악용하기 위해서 최진실 법 운운하는 저들의 입을 보고 있노라면 참을 수 없는 분노가 치솟는것은 차라리 인지상정이라고 해야할까.
Egypt: We are All Laila
We are all Laila, echo Egyptian female bloggers in one voice. Who is Laila and why do Egyptian girls and women associate themselves with her? Read on to learn how Egyptian bloggers are working to break the gender barrier and make their voices heard.
The story starts in September, 2006, when a group of bloggers decided the time has come for them to speak up and share their own stories and experiences, as well of those of other women, with injustice.
The initiative was launched as follows:
بدأت فكرة “كلنا ليلى” بليلى/ واحدة منا تشكو و تبوح ل/ليلى أخرى ليزيد العدد لثلاثة فخمسة فأكثر من خمسين فتاة و سيدة، لنكتشف أنه على اختلاف خلفياتنا و أفكارنا و أولوياتنا كلنا في النهاية ليلى.
و ليلى هي بطلة رواية بعنوان ” الباب المفتوح” للروائية لطيفة الزيات وقد تحولت تلك الرواية إلى عمل سينمائي يحمل نفس الاسم - قامت ببطولته فاتن حمامة . ليلى هي نموذج للفتاة المصرية التي تتعرض لمواقف حياتية مختلفة في مجتمع يعلى من شأن الرجل ويقلل من شأن المرأة، ولا يهتم لأحلامها أو أفكارها أو ما تريد أن تصنع في حياتها.
ومع ذلك فقد استطاعت ليلى التي تعرضت منذ طفولتها لأشكال مختلفة من التمييز أن تحتفظ بفكرتها الأصيلة عن نفسها وتظل مؤمنة بدورها كإمراة لا تقل أهمية بأي حال من الأحوال عن الرجل سواء في البيت أو في العمل أو في الدراسة أو في العمل العام.
Since then, the campaign has continued annually with huge success - with female bloggers opening their hearts and pouring out their woes, and surprisingly getting support from men.
The following year, We are all Lailawrote:
The result was a different format of posts to mark the day, as well as including men in the conversation.
We are all Laila explains:
This year's We are all Laila day will be commemorated on Egyptian blogs on October 19. Stay tuned for coverage on the day.
Links for Sat, 2008-10
Bahraini blogger Evil Odd explains the credit crunch in simple terms: “There are three sheep in the farm. One carries inedible, infected meat. The other carries somewhat edible, but mostly tasteless meat. And the third carries what the rest of us know as good meat. The farmer realises that he cannot sell his sick sheep in the markets…and realises that if he sells packaged meat and uses a mixture of all three sheep in each package, that he will get most value out of his investment.”
Claudia Chez Abreu [es] writes about the upcoming Twitter.do meet-up. They still haven't decided on a date, but they are working on a spreadsheet to estimate number of participants who would show up and the best date for the event. The plan is to go bowling, so if you are a twitterer in Dominican Republic and would like to catch up on all the details, subscribe to the @dominicanos twitter feed, then go to Claudia's blog and sign up!
Arianna writes at the Dunlaps in San Salvador blog [en] about the process to get a driver's license in El Salvador at 15. In this humorous article in English she mentions the requisites and gives us a tip on what to do if a driver sees a dog on the left side of the street while driving (a question she failed on the written exam). She also mentions how it isn't a pleasure for her to drive in the crowded city but that nevertheless, for San Salvador, it is culturally important to know how to drive at an early age.
GV author Caroline blogs about her bike trip in Laos
The Daily Brunei Resources writes about a 1952 Brunei Darussalam Annual Report which mentioned an old railway line in Brunei.
A birthday gift for whatiate2day from Brunei: a cell phone birthday cake
Japanese programmer and blogger id:amachang introduces [ja] Chart Maniax [ja], a service they developed for charting when and through which services web pages have been bookmarked. Services included are Hatena Bookmarks [ja], Livedoor Clip [ja], Delicious and Buzzurl [ja]. As an example, have a look at the chart for id:amachang's entry [ja].
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