Sports and Show Business

Just like how Ronald Reagan said "politics is like show business", so is sport. Of course, sport has to be entertaining and thats the main part of the game. Football, however, has much more to just entertainment. Fans have a huge impact on football, who tend to get emotional when their supporting team loses out. But I just read about the sacking of Chris Hughton, who just recently managed Newcastle United. Hughton, who has proven to create impressive results against top teams like Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham, was sacked on Sunday. According to the Daily Mirror and Eurosport, Chris Hughton was sacked because he failed to bring a team that would produce "show business". After the 5-1 victory over Sunderland, he was "milking the crowd" or getting the crowds attention, but that was only once. The owner of the club, Mike Ashley, said he was disappointed with the performances and were "boring". Despite coming back up from the second division, Hughton's team have performed well enough to get a ranking in the mid table.

Is Julian Assange a Terrorist?

Much has been said in the past two years about the WikiLeaks, which is an non-profit media organization created by Julian Assange in 2006. These documents have been harmful to families and individuals across the world, threatening the lives of several. Today, some consider Assange as a terrorist. I was asked in my International Relations class not too long ago a similar question. Mrs. Shapira asked me, "Falak, do you think Assange is a terrorist, or a freedom fighter?" We were actually learning about what the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter is, and Assange just came up. We spoke about Assange with a guest speaker in the International Relations class. People are scared of him because he has caused trouble with many people. However, I won't agree. I think Assange is a freedom fighter, or a normal human being. So what if he leaked those documents? Yes, they revealed secrets. But we live in a democratic world, and I think the media should be exposed to the truth and what is really going on in the world. Lets take for example that attack by the US forces in Iraq. I saw it on an interview of Assange that was posted on Aadesh's blog and on Moodle. The video footage that was leaked showed US forces attacking from helicopters, not knowing who exactly the targets are. Thinking that they were terrorists or anti-Americans, the went for the blow. However, several international journalists and Iraqi boys were killed. Innocent people's lives were taken away. How can Assange be considered a terrorist for showing the truth? Don't you all agree that whatever action you take, you must be ready for its consequences? Assange is a true democrat, and I completely think that there should be no secret kept away from the media.

And take a look at this video. It talks about the reactions of the Iraqi public after the documents on the US attacks on innocent people were exposed.

Al Jazeera Reports on Iraqi Reaction

Is Politics Really Entertainment?

When Ronald Reagan was quoted, "Politics is just like show business" in the Postman's book Amusing Ourselves to Death, I was quite surprised. I won't completely disagree with what Postman said in that particular chapter, because it is partially true. It is true that politicians use TV commercials as part of their campaign methods, and it is true that they are considered as celebrities in some societies. But I don't think politics can be termed as "entertainment". Politics is still serious today. I mean you do see Obama and James Cameron taking trips every month to visit other countries and improve foreign relations. You do know about the important meetings between world leaders. You do have the UN as well, no? I remember watching the news in India where one of the celebrities, John Abraham, was being interviewed about the elections. Abraham was expressing his anger towards those who weren't voting, mainly the poor, because he said that "it is their leader who will be making their laws!". Quite disturbed he was.

But that's one example. Look at he past US history presidents. Postman says that people vote based on appearance. Sure, Obama, Bush, Clinton, Reagan, Carter, and Nixon were all slim and good looking men. But if you look back into history Mr. Postman, you'll see that this doesn't happen all the time. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was rather big and buff. He wasn't obese, but he was definitely bigger than all the presidents I just listed. He was arguably the best president the United States has ever had. Clearly, Postman didn't have all his facts right. Maybe it is because today's generation is easier to manipulate from all the commercials. Maybe Roosevelt was lucky (he wasn't). What my main argument here is that though Postman has a point, its not always like that.