Read this!

For example, is it not ridiculous that when a group of people ask for nothing more than what is already promised, they are branded trouble-makers and inciters of hatred. While at the same time, another group who distort the truth and want to change things in a way that is neither legally nor ethically correct, are not blamed at all.

And that is just the beginning of the joke. We then have dire warnings given out by a fierce looking ministerial fellow, threatening newspapers for reporting certain “sensitive” issues and for giving coverage to those who simply wish to uphold the law. And this is all done with a totally straight face, which I appreciate because the mark of a really great comedian is a delivery so deadpan and serious.

Attacking blogs for being irresponsible does not address the issue of why people read the stuff and perhaps even believe the stuff (although there has been no study conducted as to how many people really believe blogs anyway). Maybe, just maybe, one is looking at the wrong goat to scape.

Could it be that people read blogs because they are looking for something more than what could be provided for in the mainstream media? If our newspapers were not so fettered in the first place, there may well be less of a need to seek out alternative voices in the sometimes unsavoury underbelly of the World Wide Web because alternative voices and views can be printed and not downloaded.

The web, with its free flow of information, is a tremendous tool; and to attack it just because of a few idiots, idiots who we can ignore if we so choose, is akin to cutting off our nose to spite our face. It would make for a comedy of Pak Pandir-type proportions. (Dr Azmi Sharom is Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Universiti Malaya.)

Read the whole column from The Star.  I am copying just a gist of it.

13 thoughts on “Read this!

  1. There are two sides to a coin and many sides to a story. Maturity is the person who is willing to view all sides and then decide which the logical point of view is…which may not be the right one, but everyone is entitled to his/her own stand. That, I think, is better than stubbornly, blindly insisting on one’s own narrow-minded view of things!

  2. the link is dead it seems …

    but as i have always learned, take everything you read from Internet with a dash of salt …

    i think somehow, someway – most of us are mature enough to know whats wrong and whats right … we are not some kids who easily misguided and be drawn to the fire … but if you would notice kids these days are maturing way faster than what we used to know back then …

    internet is not to be blocked, scrutinised, censored, tempered, its should remain as is …

  3. earl-ku – Hmm? It is working. Glad that someone is taken a swipe back and printed on national papers.

    STP – You know? Today, there is a headline that screams ”Educate yourself to curb crime’. I was like, Heh, tell it to yourself (the person who said this) first lah!

  4. Its commentary of something we all know about without anything new, thoughtful or useful to throw on to the table.

  5. Keen – Yes, exactly but considering that the paper which publish this is the stronghold of the same group of people, it is a little leap.

  6. My brain drive me wild…

    During China cultural revolutions, any drawing/writing talking about falling maple leaf, sunset, torn red cloth,etc can be related to “downfall” of the “leader”. Those “insensitive” artist will be force labour and punished with “mental rehabitation”.

  7. I see dubious and misleading ads on newspapers. If, bloggers are to be held responsible for comments made by others on their blogs, I gotta say, these newspapers too gotta do background and credibility checks on their paying advertisers on what they ‘claimed’ on the paper. Fair hor?

  8. mama23beas – Really? Hey, I like his pony tail!

    helen – What? The ads are nothing like those pinocchio politikus. LOL.

    moo_t – Ouch, don’t even remind me ‘cos I have four sons and I want to see peace and nothing but peace for now and for the next 100 years.

  9. Aik…got pic. kah? Or you saw it in UM website? Was surprised too when I first met a father who “fought” against the change of the preschool management!
    Ok, I’d said too much!

  10. 5xmom : The prince and princess live happy ever after. 😉 But most people still like “The little prince”.

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