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Word of the day
Aug. 6th, 2005 10:22 amToday's word is the classical Greek aporhaphanidosis, the practice of stuffing a radish up the arse of one caught in adultery.
Aug. 6th, 2005
Robin Cook is dead
Aug. 6th, 2005 03:28 pmI only met Robin Cook once and I'm sure the obituary writers will tell you all about Cook the politician but I think the little incident I'm about to relate says something about a man who was genuine and not full of his own importance as so many politicians are.
It must have been in 1977 or 78 and Robin had been doing a lunchtime talk to the Labour Club at Durham, of which I was then the Chairman. It finished around 2pm as these things are wont to and in those days there was almost nowhere one could get anything resembling lunch in Durham at that hour so we had recourse to the general unappetising cafeteria in Dunelm House. There was next to nothing left to eat but there was a single, solitary pie which I was more than happy to concede to my guest but he absolutely insisted on sharing it with me. I just can't see the Right Honourable Member for Sedgefield doing that.
It must have been in 1977 or 78 and Robin had been doing a lunchtime talk to the Labour Club at Durham, of which I was then the Chairman. It finished around 2pm as these things are wont to and in those days there was almost nowhere one could get anything resembling lunch in Durham at that hour so we had recourse to the general unappetising cafeteria in Dunelm House. There was next to nothing left to eat but there was a single, solitary pie which I was more than happy to concede to my guest but he absolutely insisted on sharing it with me. I just can't see the Right Honourable Member for Sedgefield doing that.
No More Tears Sister
Aug. 6th, 2005 03:44 pmTo my considerable annoyance , I missed No More Tears Sister when it played at Hot Docs but, fortunately for me, it was shown this afternoon as part of the South Asian festival that is on here this weekend.
For those who don't know, the film is a documentary about the life and death of Tamil academic and human rights activist, Rajani Thiranagama, who waged a very personal struggle against human rights abuses by all sides in the communal conflicts in Sri Lanks and was eventually assassinated for drawing attention to the reign of terror that the LTTE had imposed on the people it claimed to be liberating. It's mostly talking heads and most of the heads are Rajani's close relatives which makes it especially poignant. It's a moving film which had me thinking a lot.
I think the main stream of thought it stirred up in me is about what happens when an initially well intentioned political movement turns to violence. The imperatives of the armed struggle drive out the shading and nuances that are the lifeblood of political thought. What is left is a Manichean us;good vs them:evil dichotomy which not only serves to "justify" human rights abuses but which is incapable of admitting any kind of compromise or even dialectic, and thus cannot have a resolution short of the elimination of one side or the other. This is well illustrated by the role of the Indian Army "peacekeepers" who, though no doubt intended to be neutral, are (ironically) forced into a war with the LTTE. Parallels with other conflicts of the present or recent past are too obvious to need extensive drawing out.
For those who don't know, the film is a documentary about the life and death of Tamil academic and human rights activist, Rajani Thiranagama, who waged a very personal struggle against human rights abuses by all sides in the communal conflicts in Sri Lanks and was eventually assassinated for drawing attention to the reign of terror that the LTTE had imposed on the people it claimed to be liberating. It's mostly talking heads and most of the heads are Rajani's close relatives which makes it especially poignant. It's a moving film which had me thinking a lot.
I think the main stream of thought it stirred up in me is about what happens when an initially well intentioned political movement turns to violence. The imperatives of the armed struggle drive out the shading and nuances that are the lifeblood of political thought. What is left is a Manichean us;good vs them:evil dichotomy which not only serves to "justify" human rights abuses but which is incapable of admitting any kind of compromise or even dialectic, and thus cannot have a resolution short of the elimination of one side or the other. This is well illustrated by the role of the Indian Army "peacekeepers" who, though no doubt intended to be neutral, are (ironically) forced into a war with the LTTE. Parallels with other conflicts of the present or recent past are too obvious to need extensive drawing out.
