| Username |
Post |
| NK |
Posted
on 26-Nov-01 12:30 PM
What is an "established" writer's role? Does it have to be different than an average Joe's role? Let's say Average Joe just writes for fun. And an Established writer writes and everybody reads - ok in simple words - he makes money from his writing. In this case (the established scenario) does he always have to weigh his words and say something that is not true to his heart or say something he believes in?
I am comparing Kunda Dixit's so called highly personal opinion and Susan Sontag's little write up in the New Yorker. I don't remember the deatails much but in short she had an objection to the word "cowardice Act" in George Bush's speech after the Sept. 11th attack. Basically what she was saying was Call them anything but they were not coward. it takes guts to take the plane and plunge into the high rise or pentagon... New Yorker claims they got hundreds of letters denouncing Ms. sontag. Just in case if you don't know who she is: she is one of the elite New York's intellecutal circle (if not in the world) who has written quite a few books all critcaly acclaimed.
I understand in a situation like war people act/think differently and expect certain things from intellecutals, politician, even from their own selves. Yes, that wjould be terrible thing if Indian Army comes into Nepal just by looking at their track record (I mean Indian netas). But just because kunda said our army may not be equipped to fight these terrorise, he should not be villified.
Again, What do we want from an Established Writers? A Rallying Cry? A Just Report? A thought? A Moral Booster op ed? What exactly? Let's talk about this for now.
|
| NK |
Posted
on 26-Nov-01 12:32 PM
sorry, somehow i hit the send button i finished writing 'On Biswo's Kunda.'
|
| Biswo |
Posted
on 26-Nov-01 12:58 PM
Who is villifying him, NK? The first thing is if he has right to say what is definitely
an unpalatable statement to most of Nepalese, I have right to decry his
statement.
This man has a long record of reactionary trait. The first reaction he makes to
royal palace massacre is to support 'Dipendra is guilty theory' rather than asking
for investigation. The first reaction these people have for Indian investment in
that Himalayan Times is to support that. Now, in the same paper (Times Of India)
which always supports Indian establishment policy and which rarely has any pro-
Nepal reports, he goes on to say that our army is probably not well equipped to
fight against the internal terrorists.
See, I am sad that our freedom is being suspended due to this emergency. But it
is moment to assert ourselves, and line up behind Sher Bdr government. India
always tried to take advantage of our instability. Rana rulers tried to buy peace
with the treaty of 1950, then Mahendra tried to buy peace with the treaty of 1965
and we probably know that India also wanted to have such treaty in 1988 with
Panchayat which Birendra refused. In this moment, what we need is national unity,
not the specter of loss and foreign intervention (remember that Kunda is talking
about Indian intervention as if it is normal thing! These people try to make people
inured to such scenario by floating such idea as feeler first.). Kunda is nobody, I
don't care what the hell he thinks about himself, but he is a low grade journalist
whose article are probably not published in any other journal except his own in his
whole life time.My respect in Himal is mostly for Kanak and Binod. But that is
deteriorating fast. The Dixits are nothing but a bunch of royal eunuchs since
long. They pretend to be smart, but they present wrong facts.(Did you read about
his cover story in Himal about how much developed we are already?)
NK, let me repeat my words again, traitors don't come with billboard in their heads.
We need to be aware of everybody who wants to be traitor, who are likely to
betray Nepal in the moment she needs them most, and we need to be vigilant all
the time to safeguard our fundamental rights. Freedom of speech is not only for
those who wants to kill Nepali people , or betray Nepali sovereignty.
|
| NK |
Posted
on 26-Nov-01 01:41 PM
ho is villifying him, NK? The first thing is if he has right to say what is definitely
an unpalatable statement to most of Nepalese, I have right to decry his
statement.
This man has a long record of reactionary trait. The first reaction he makes to
royal palace massacre is to support 'Dipendra is guilty theory' rather than asking
for investigation. The first reaction these people have for Indian investment in
that Himalayan Times is to support that. Now, in the same paper (Times Of India)
which always supports Indian establishment policy and which rarely has any pro-
Nepal reports, he goes on to say that our army is probably not well equipped to
fight against the internal terrorists.
See, I am sad that our freedom is being suspended due to this emergency. But it
is moment to assert ourselves, and line up behind Sher Bdr government. India
always tried to take advantage of our instability. Rana rulers tried to buy peace
with the treaty of 1950, then Mahendra tried to buy peace with the treaty of 1965
and we probably know that India also wanted to have such treaty in 1988 with
Panchayat which Birendra refused. In this moment, what we need is national unity,
not the specter of loss and foreign intervention (remember that Kunda is talking
about Indian intervention as if it is normal thing! These people try to make people
inured to such scenario by floating such idea as feeler first.). Kunda is nobody, I
don't care what the hell he thinks about himself, but he is a low grade journalist
whose article are probably not published in any other journal except his own in his
whole life time.My respect in Himal is mostly for Kanak and Binod. But that is
deteriorating fast. The Dixits are nothing but a bunch of royal eunuchs since
long. They pretend to be smart, but they present wrong facts.(Did you read about
his cover story in Himal about how much developed we are already?)
NK, let me repeat my words again, traitors don't come with billboard in their heads.
We need to be aware of everybody who wants to be traitor, who are likely to
betray Nepal in the moment she needs them most, and we need to be vigilant all
the time to safeguard our fundamental rights. Freedom of speech is not only for
those who wants to kill Nepali people , or betray Nepali sovereignty.
Dear Biswo,
My posting was not necessarily directed to you personally but to everybody who has anything to say about issues. since you chose to write back, I am addressing you.
I do understand he has the right to say (speak his mind?) what he says and you have the right to agree or disagree in this case, vehemently disagree.
No, i have not read his article on himal about our state of development. did he say we are the "first world" now or have we gone down even more, say 4he world?
I also agree they are royalist or loyalist however you wanna put it.
I also agree we need to be yek jut to eradicat the mao problem. (i don't know how, though at this moment. nobody had made me an offer to *think* bout this proble)
Now, the central question of previous posting:
Do writers have to watch their word and not say any inflammatory (in this case the imminent, in his eyes, arrival of indian army) remarks or they can still say what they think is going to happen? From your posting, it sounds to me, that you want journalists to supspend their gut (maybe even foolish) feeling but say the RIGHT things. Feel the Nepali pulse and walk( say) gingerly.
Please correct me if i got this wrong
|
| NK |
Posted
on 26-Nov-01 01:43 PM
Sorry about the previous error
Dear Biswo,
My posting was not necessarily directed to you personally but to everybody who has anything to say about issues. since you chose to write back, I am addressing you.
I do understand he has the right to say (speak his mind?) what he says and you have the right to agree or disagree in this case, vehemently disagree.
No, i have not read his article on himal about our state of development. did he say we are the "first world" now or have we gone down even more, say 4he world?
I also agree they are royalist or loyalist however you wanna put it.
I also agree we need to be yek jut to eradicat the mao problem. (i don't know how, though at this moment. nobody had made me an offer to *think* bout this proble)
Now, the central question of previous posting:
Do writers have to watch their word and not say any inflammatory (in this case the imminent, in his eyes, arrival of indian army) remarks or they can still say what they think is going to happen? From your posting, it sounds to me, that you want journalists to supspend their gut (maybe even foolish) feeling but say the RIGHT things. Feel the Nepali pulse and walk( say) gingerly.
Please correct me if i got this wrong
|
| Biswo |
Posted
on 26-Nov-01 02:47 PM
Dear NK:
The answer is: in the state of emergency and national crisis, the journalists
shouldn't say something that hurts one's patriotic sentiment. You are either with
your fellow countrymen, or not. [To repeat Dubya, our dear leader cum nincompoop]
Suppose, 'I' attacks the nation of 'N'. If a journalist keeps on writing 'I' has already
decimated armies of N, doesn't that undermine the morale of N's army? In the
name of freedom, we can't allow people to be Joseph Goebbels and write or say
all the wrong things designed to benefit a party.
It is time we line up behind our army. However, in our war, we will decide who will
win war. Btw, autocrats should know that it is easy to come to power, but it is a lot
more difficult to stay in power.
|
| NK |
Posted
on 27-Nov-01 09:49 AM
>The answer is: in the state of emergency and national crisis, the journalists
shouldn't say something that hurts one's patriotic sentiment. You are either with
your fellow countrymen, or not. <
hmmm... you sound more and more like Geroge Bush. patriotic sentiment? what is that? Do you see the people waving american flags in their big suvs and yelling at foreigners to back whereever they come from'? I think you believe in something, you have to stick with it. Withhelding truth is equal to giving false statement. It may not appear so technically but in reality it is.
|
