Ariel Sharon

---my former post: propaganda saves the world? is not finished
wait for the next one!

this is actually a mass email i sent to my friends

warning: the following material may contain offensive or incoherent material that represent writer's opinion. if anyone has any problem about my political view or anything and if you want to call me a bitch to my face...well, go ahead!

********honestly, i m going to write something quite offensive. if u don't know who's ariel sharon, just check it on internet!

hello everybody,

how's everyone doing? here in barcelona is a bit more chilly than before, but not as cold as i expect (much warmer than sicily actually!)

it's low season in the hostel and recently when i get bored i just ask some random ppl out to have a drink (no, there's nothing romantic) so, a couple days before i grab this israeli guy & we went to have a drink. i remember someone told me generally speaking israeli ppl are very opinonated--they usually have strong opinon about politics (becoz of their political situation. obviously), they 're either on this side or the other, very few ppl in between. & of coz i have very strong political opinion too (please, i was a political philosophy student) well, u can imagined what happened it's like mars crashing on earth. i kind of knew it would end bad even at the start, but, anyway.

so, this israeli guy, Yair, we were just talking about random stuff in life, blah blah blah while looking for a nice bar. he's 25 but haven't done university so i asked him what he was doing before---in the military service. i nearly forget military service is compulsary in israel.

me: where were u at the military service?
Yair: at the front line
me:... (stop walking) u didn't kill anyone did u?
Yair: no i didn't, believe me
me: u didn't shot any 10 years old palestinian kid in the head? or, beat up someone?
Yair: no, there was nothing when i was in military
of coz if he admit beating up some palestinian guy at check point i'd leave him & go home immediately. but on the other hand no one would admit that even if he did it. surely it will turn away all his newly met friends. so, god knows what happened.

we found a bar. we were just talking about music, travelling...fun fun fun. of coz after a while i kind of knew his political view is on one side & mine on the other (yes, i knew disaster was waiting to happen) we just keep saying-no, we're not going to talk about politics, just stick to salsa or indian beaches. but, like, everying eventually suck into a tornado, we cannot avoid the unavoidable.

ok, i know it was me who lit the bomb at last (i didn't mean it!)

me: how to say hello in hebrew?
Yair: shalon
me: shalon?? that just sounds like ariel sharon!
Yair: (very suprise) u know who's ariel sharon?
me: of coz, he's very famous, or notorious. he's a bastard. he killed many ppl isn't it? (it's very natural for me to say that! i didn't even think! but for mr. Yair it was like a knife stabbing right through his head of coz)
Yair: (he was in shock) i didn't expect u to know that much
--then i just keep talking what i knew for a bit, not that much actually. i admit i m far from a middle-east politics expert.
Yair: (after 2 minutes he finally awake from his shock & exploded) how can u say that??!! for me ariel sharon is one of the most important people in history!
me: ...okok, i know we're going to kill each other
Yair: no, sweety, i m not going to kill you, u doensn't worth me killing.

so, basically he thought i m some kind of rubbish or cockroaches that worth even less than someone he'd kill (!!! ok, that's the first time in my life that someone told me that!) i didn't bother to argue with him coz i know it would be pointless. but of coz at that moment i was pretty pissed myself. please, if he can think about me that way i can just say the exact same thing about him too. & ariel sharon killed a lot of people, it's something so undeniable that even the crapy tv news in hk would mentioned that: he allegedly (coz he never got convicted) commited war crime back in the 70's & 80's & like many powerful ppl he got away from trial. now he's in a vegetable state lying in hospital probably will never wake up. & mr. yair, who claimed he travel all around the world (6 months in japan, 3 months in india ...blah blah blah) & i m the first person he met that think ariel sharon is a bastard??? i m sure there're many ppl much more radical than me. if he never met anyone like that it's either: 1. all the ppl he met are totally indifferent (or ignorant) 2. his conversation with the ppl he met stays in superficial level & never about anything deeper.

---there're more to come: that at the end mr. yair accused me of being a racist & comparing me to nazi killing jewish ppl (ok, this is getting really ridiculous, i hope didn't really mean that coz it's REALLY naive) oh please u're talking to a hong kong people, do u know how many south east asians were killed by the japanese during the 2nd world war? u think jewish ppl is the only victim on earth? plus, your people were slaughtered before doesn't give u the right to slaughter other people now! (now, thinking about everything it really smells like propaganda: i remember chinese history books potraiting 'evil' japanese invaded china & we chinese are the poor victum blah blah blah--& then spread some anti-foreigners messages. i can imagine jewish history book can do exactly the same: oh we are the victum, we're so innocent & what we're doing now is just for self-defence)

i was talking to my friend later & she thinks it's better not to talk about politics (just to avoid above situation!). but i think it's actually better to talk about it, to get offended then to keep our mouth shut & mr. Yair is in his own world that ariel sharon is a hero & i m in my own world that ariel sharon is a bastard. If things go on like this probably we're going to ACTUALLY kill each other one day, which will be worse. we live in the same world & at the end everyone's doing what he thinks is right. it's better to talk about it & be offended now than stay in silence pretending everying's fine (which is not!!!)

after i calm down i was actually thinking mr. yair (or anyone like him) can actually tell me why they think ariel sharon is a hero. they must have their reason & i would like to know how can they explain the fact that he killed many ppl. but probably my. Yair can't have a calm conversation about this topic (ever). the world keeps turning & ppl are dying everyday & i do know there're things one can't change alone, or things that not gonna change in a short time,but

despite everything i still belive in peace, & living with dignity

cheers, Rita

rainy carnival in barcelona-- propaganda save the world?

well well well, i haven't renew my blog for a year, now it finally comes back to life!!

i`ve been away from hong kong for a year. ( of coz my heart is awys there...ok i admit i m quite lazy in keeping up with the news) for now i live in barcelona, saving up some money to continue my trip. as i m not really a 'normal' person, when everyone stay at home i go clubbing & when everyone go out i decide to go to an internet cafe & recover my democracy blog.

today is carnival but it's raining non-stop. who wants to go out anyway?


1. political communication
---i want to introduce 1 of my best friend here in barcelona- Maribel (from bolivia), we work together & she graduated political communication--what the hell is that?? we in hong kong we don't have a major like that in any university (hopefully!!!!) she explained to me briefly it's about how to communicate with the public (which i didn't really got it)

after some time i met a (boy)friend of my flatmate who used to teach political communication partime in santiago, chile.
me: so what is political communication?
Frank: basically it's about how to win an election
me: ??? it totally sounds like propaganda to me!!!

as u can guess i m VERY sceptical about politicians. having a univerity degree about how to win an election campaign (....lies, lies, & more lies?).....is not really my cup of tea

2. work?
1 night i had a big argument with an isreali guy about politics. after that maribel told me she thinks it's better not to talk about politics coz there can't be a conclusion & people just offend each other. i know this is partly true---i'll post that story later. me & maribel almost never talked about politics before but .....what it has to come has to come--

we were having a drink with an irish guy who lives in london, & i forgot how we start the topic...oh yes, we saw a cute blonde homeless guy wondering on the street asking people for money. then we were kidding that we can bring him home & bath him.

the guy: in london there's a lot of homeless people
me: really?
the guy: yeah, more than barcelona
me: yeah, i heard in london is quite easy to squat?
the guy: not anymore
me: ? i heard that there're a lot of abandoned building, & many charities giving food.
maribel: (totally disaproved, shaking her head) squating is against my religion
me & the guy: ??
maribel: you MUST pay
(now i m the one who shake my head & disaproved)
the guy: what about people who can't pay?
maribel: you MUST pay for the place you stay, & you MUST work for that
the guy: what 'bout ppl who can't work? ppl who're mentally disabled...etc
maribel: there must be SOMETHING, even if it is small thing that you can do. if you can't work at all, you're rubbish & you must die
(now i started to feel scared...)
me: u sounds like magaret thatcher!!
maribel: no i m not!

2. future president
we went into a bar, the conversation continued of coz--
me: is there a prime minister in bolivia?
maribel: no, the head of government is the president
me: what position u want to be? which department u want?
(she didn't answer straght away, after a moment she admit she wants to be the president, then she was explaining the situation in bolivia)
the guy: there is a lot of corruption in bolivia, right?
maribel: yes, there is A LOT of corruption. people just sell the national resources (like, oil) overseas very cheaply. those people are corrupted, they are beasts & they must die for that(me: .....) we need a strong government. the people in country side are very ignorant. the government need to be very strong, through propaganda, radio & everything, (.....oh my god, brainwash!!!) clear the corruption & change the people
me (getting even MORE scared) & the guy: what about freedon of speech??? & democracy?
maribel: i don't believe in democracy. there are many people who are so ignorant they cannot comment about the lives of others
me: you totally sound like the communists!!!! (it's true, the chinese communists would say exactly the same thing)
the guy: love & peace

then maribel & the guy started an argument about ireland vs england, we were drinking so the stuff we said is not really coherent:

maribel: what are u speaking? u speak english becoz english ppl were strong & they took over you
the guy: no it's not true! english ppl didn't take over ireland! we stopped them!
maribel: but u are speaking english. the english were strong. the strong has the right to take over the weak
the guy (start bullshiting): we are not weak! now i m living in london, i feel london is mine
maribel: just like united states is the strongest nation of the world, and it controls all latin america
me: no it's not the strongest, it's going down (asia is rising, USA can go to hell)
maribel: yes it is

.....obviously this kind of conversation can never has a conclusion (no agreement is possible, probably worse than WTO meeting)