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The Interview, Hollywood and the politics of ridicule

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Is it ever okay to depict the assassination of living person? KCNA/Reuters

Is it ever okay to depict the assassination of living person? KCNA/Reuters

by Patricia Phalen, The Conversation

Sony’s decision to cancel the Christmas Day release of its film The Interview is drawing harsh criticism from Hollywood’s elite. George Clooney is asking everyone to stand up against the cancellation. Judd Apatow is defending comedy’s history of attacking people who are “bad to other people.” Rob Lowe, Steve Carell, Jimmy Kimmel and many, many more celebrities have added their voices to the mix.

The Interview, which features Randall Park in the role of North Korean leader Kim Jung Un, follows an absurd (and supposedly comical) assassination plot that ends with Mr. Kim’s violent death (evidently, his head explodes). The filmmakers might argue this is “all in good fun,” but the people ridiculed in the film are clearly not amused.

The North Korea-linked cyber-terrorists who hacked into Sony’s computer network last month threatened violence against theaters that screened the film and any moviegoers who dared to attend. When theater owners began backing out of their commitments to show the film, Sony pulled The Interview from distribution. The situation was, effectively, a bomb scare called in to every theater in the U.S.

So far, public discussion has centered on the hackers’ success at using threats of violence to derail an American film. Particularly galling is the notion that cyber-terrorists can dictate the business decisions of an American company. Because the entertainment industry is involved, most see this as a direct attack on freedom of expression. The loudest and most pervasive analysis of this situation is that Sony negotiated with terrorists, Sony caved, and the terrorists won.

On one level, this argument is a fair characterization.

However, we could use this incident as a springboard for a different – and more complicated – discussion, one that goes beyond the “they won, we lost” binary and introduces important questions: does the American entertainment industry have an ethical responsibility when it comes to representing real people? If so, what are the parameters of this responsibility?

The 2006 British film Death of a President portrayed the fictional assassination of George W. Bush. Many commentators couldn’t quite articulate the problem with showing the violent death of a living person, but there was a shock factor in this film that went beyond simple bad taste.

2006’s Death of a President depicted a fictional assassination of President George W. Bush. imdb.com

The Interview’s filmmakers probably thought Kim Jung Un was a safe target, given the overwhelmingly (and justifiably) negative public opinion of his regime. If the hackers hadn’t been able to make credible threats, the film might have gone virtually unnoticed by many Americans. Nonetheless, a fictional assassination of a real political figure is ethically problematic.

While Hollywood’s claim to the right of “creative expression” rings true, perhaps this freedom isn’t (or should not be) absolute. I am not suggesting any kind of externally imposed rules limiting the content of films; only from within the ranks of filmmakers can any kind of normative guidelines evolve.

In the end, Sony will most likely find a way to distribute The Interview – and the controversy is sure to enhance its profitability as an “on demand” option or even a theatrical release.

But the question of ethics in the entertainment world will – and should – persist.

Patricia Phalen is an Associate Professor of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University.

The Conversation

"Not getting any reservation benefits, hence converted to Hinduism"

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home-coming-Hinduism

Thiruvananthapuram: As Kerala Police began a probe into reports of 35 people in two districts converting to Hinduism, two families Monday said they did it on their own and not under any pressure.

The families of Babu and Joy, siblings from Cheppad in Alappuzha district, told the media that in official records they were classified as Christian Cheremars, but they had been practising Hinduism right from childhood.

They said that despite being classified as Christian Cheremars, they were not getting any reservation benefits.

Hence, they decided on their own to convert to Hinduism to enjoy the benefits.

They also said they had approached the local leadership of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and it was they who made arrangements for their conversion rituals.

A total of 35 people from Alappuzha and Kollam districts had Sunday converted to Hinduism, following which state Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala had ordered a probe.

Additional Director General of Police A. Hemachandran has been asked to conduct a detailed probe and submit a report, Chennithala’s office told IANS.

“He has constituted a team of officials and they are trying to find if there was any forced conversion. The report is awaited,” the office said.

The VHP leadership Monday continued to maintain that there was no attempt on their part to woo people to convert to Hinduism.

Fr. Paul Thelekkat, spokesperson of the Syro Malabar Catholic Church, told IANS that there exists a problem in Kerala where reservation benefits are there for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Hindus and not for SC/ST Christians.

What happened Sunday was probably to enjoy those benefits, he said.

“Moreover, the Bharatiya Janata Party, through this could look to polarisation of Hindu votes,” Thelekkat said.

(IANS)

Jammu & Kashmir heading for hung assembly; BJP to form Govt in Jharkhand

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BJP

Srinagar/Ranchi: Jammu and Kashmir today appeared headed for a hung assembly with BJP making gains in Jammu region while the party is all set to form government in Jharkhand, the trends coming from both the states in assembly elections show.

The PDP, headed by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, and the BJP were leading in 25 seats each. The ruling National Conference was ahead in 16 seats and the Congress in 14 of the 87 seats for which the trends were available.

JKPC led by Sajjad Lone was ahead in two seats while JKPDF and CPI-M were leading in one seat each while Independents were leading in three seats.

The BJP’s spectacular performance, the best in the state so far, was however limited to the Jammu region where 37 seats are up for grabs. The party has not bee able to make any dent in the Valley which has 46 seats in all.

Going by the trends, unless any two of the four major parties–BJP, PDP, NC and Congress–come together government formation would not be possible.

In the last elections, National Conference had won 28, PDP 21, Congress 17 and BJP 11 seats.

In Jharkhand, the BJP was well on the road to forming a government of its own by leading in 38 seats including four of ally AJSU in the 81-member assembly. Ruling JMM is leading in 20 constituencies, Congress 4, JVM (P) 8, RJD 5 and others 5, the trends show.

(PTI)

Pieces of a Rainbow lie scattered across the land…

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Peshawar_School_Bloody_Shoe

by Malavika

My heart leaps up when I behold,
A Rainbow in the sky,
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!

The Child is father of the man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

I like to think that when Wordsworth wrote the lines, his heart was full of indescribable joy. The feeling of joy we all so instinctively hang on to, cling to for all we are worth. Which we seek to revive through smell and feel. That smell of freshly cut grass in the breeze, the salty warmth of the sea or of aromas from a passing kitchen, a spicy pickle, a familiar perfume from old boxes of clothes. The feel of velvet, which one so rarely sees these days, reminds me of my grandmother, her blouses, the fabric of which I loved to feel shifting under the patterns my young fingers drew on them, bent fibres displaying shifting dark and light lines across the cloth. The scent of winter chill in the pine forests of the mountains flooded my mind when I was just a child, and till today the slightest hint of cold pine in the air calms my body and soul, lifting me deep into a meditative silence in a way nothing else can.

Like Freud knew, when we search for the depths of our needs, we find the roots of all joys, of all happiness deeply intertwined with the fabric of our youth. And the fears and unhappiness as well. What I felt when I was young, is what has shaped me as a woman. And what we face in our youth, we often spend lifetimes either building upon, or tearing down. It is our childhoods that determine our destiny’s, the choices we make and where we seek happiness and warmth. For some family warmth is what is home, for others it is the freedom of open spaces. For some warmth is the vague familiarity of rough relationships, for others, the guidance of familial commitments. And for many, childhood is simply hand to mouth survival, life continuing for generations to be about simply and sadly, life and death.

The deep and horrendous loss of so many young lives under fire from the toxicity of the environment in which they grew, reflects the growing disorder in the world around us. Now more than ever the Darwinian wisdom, survival of the fittest seems to be shaping civilization. Descriptions of fitness ranging from considerations of physical and economic strength, to considered moral and spiritual superiorities. And at the front of the firing line stand, as always, the week, the handicapped and the poor. Amongst these then, the women and the children are particularly vulnerable, and more often than not, targeted by those with the strength and flawed bravado, to impose.

What will impact us all, and will shape lives for decades to come much more than the deaths caused by the collapse of a society in Peshawar on that tragic day of December, will be the young who will carry this incident emblazoned upon their souls. How many of the children who saw their friends fall will forever fear, avoid and shape their lives around the sounds of ricocheting bullets. How many will hate that need to fear, how many will hate others for making them fear. Not all can be a Malala, nor should all need to be. As a society we are failing, failing to protect the most vulnerable almost deliberately, and worse, allowing every man with a stick, to use them for target practice. From Nirbhaya to Peshawar, we as a society have failed. There is no doubt about that. But in time nature finds its balance. We will pay, each one of us, for this. The reason being the strength of the force which shapes the growth and fall of civilizations. The undeniable fact that every child grows up to become a man.

Janata Parivar targets Modi government on black money, conversions

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The leaders of the Samajwadi Janata Dal, a bloc of six parties, in Delhi on Monday. Photo: PTI

The leaders of the Samajwadi Janata Dal, a bloc of six parties, in Delhi on Monday. Photo: PTI

New Delhi: Leaders of the Janata Parivar raised the issue of black money both inside and outside parliament Monday, hitting out at the NDA government for failing to fulfil its promise of bringing back illegal cash stashed abroad. They also accused it of fomenting communal tensions.

Political heavyweights from the Janata Parivar, comprising the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) gathered in the Jantar Mantar area in the heart of the capital to address a rally denouncing the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

“Why has the NDA government failed to fulfil its promises made before the (Lok Sabha) election?” asked JD-U leader Nitish Kumar.

“Where is the black money it promised to bring back (from abroad)?”

“The prime minister has campaigned across the nation. He had said that he would bring back black money; what happened to the promises he made? They are spending money on religious conversions, they made false promises during poll campaign, and now they are diverting people’s attention,” said the former Bihar chief minister.

He accused Modi of not acting tough against right-wing Hindu groups charged with religious conversion of Christians and Muslims and said the country should not be divided on religious grounds.

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad were equally critical.

Mulayam Singh said: “They promised jobs to all the youth and Rs.15 lakh to everyone (from the black money they would bring back). They even asked people to open bank accounts. But where is the money?”

“The BJP’s conspiracy is to engineer riots so that attention is shifted away from the government’s failures,” said the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

“The Agra incident was just a beginning. They will do such things across the country,” Mulayam Singh said, referring to the conversion of 300 Muslims families in his state.

Lalu Prasad alleged that Modi was attempting to cause religious divide in the country by tacitly encouraging religious conversions.

“The minorities have also fought for India’s independence and the Modi government engages in ‘ghar vapsi’ (home-coming),” he said.

JD-U chief Sharad Yadav said: “Janata Parivar is protesting at the venue (Jantar Mantar) against the government over black money. You promised good days, employment”.

The issue was raised again in both houses by members of these parties. In the Lok Sabha, they also staged a walkout over the issue. Members of the Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress also held protests in the parliament premises.

In the lower house, Mulayam Singh accused the government and Prime Minister Modi of not fulfilling the promises made to people who voted him to power.

Members of the RJD and the JD-U also demanded a statement from the prime minister over the issue.

The SP chief said promises were made that farmers would get money in their accounts and that land encroached by China and Pakistan would be taken back. But “these promises have not been fulfilled”.

Both houses of parliament have debated the issue of black money during the winter session.

(IANS)

Indologist Koenraad Elst says "…make it uncool to be Muslims" at the Goa conclave of the Hindutva Right, draws flak

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Koenraad Elst

Utorda: Former Jordanian Prime Minister Abdelsalam al-Majali Saturday walked out of the India Ideas Conclave 2014 held in Goa protesting the anti-Islam remarks by Belgian Indologist Koenraad Elst.

“I am appalled at what I heard from the platform about insulting Islam and insulting the Prophet. One can criticize this, that and the other but don’t insult. To try to destroy the whole faith is wrong”, Abdelsalam al-Majali said while walking out of the event organised by India Foundation whose directors include Union Minister Suresh Prabhu and Shaurya Doval, son of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

“We came here to understand each other and try to be peaceful. It is very sad to be at such a conference to hear insults on a religion which is followed by over one billion people”, he added.

According to the Indian Express, Elst while addressing the session on ‘Religion — Tolerance and Terror’ at the India Ideas Conclave 2014, said: “On the whole, you should make it uncool to be Muslims. That will help them. You do not forcefully need to convert them. Through this, they will themselves outgrow Islam.”

Referring to the row over the ‘Ghar Wapsi’ campaign, Elst said: “The Vishwa Hindu Parishad is coming under criticism for the one thing that they are doing very well which is Ghar Wapsi. We need to liberate Muslims from Islam. Every Muslim is an abductee and must be brought back.”

Elst anti Muslim rant was also criticised by Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, former secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Countries, who lodged a protest with the organisation.

“We are hearing a speech of hatred. You cannot use your freedom of speech to hurt others. I was very happy being here until I heard this speech of hatred”, Dr. Ihsanoglu said.

Gunnar Stalsett, Bishop Emeritus of Oslo, and others also questioned the “demonization” of an entire faith.

Recalling his role in 2002 riots, Economist says Modi is follower of Savarkar, an "immensely divisive" figure

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Narendra Modi pays homage to Hindutva ideologue Savarkar on his birth anniversary at Parliament House in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: R.V. Moorthy

Narendra Modi pays homage to Hindutva ideologue Savarkar on his birth anniversary at Parliament House in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: R.V. Moorthy

by Counterview

In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a gap of about six months, top British journal, The Economist’s latest issue (December 20) has once again reminded its readers that Modi remains a controversial leader for his “failure” in 2002, when as chief minister of Gujarat, he failed to “avert a massacre of Muslims.” Insisting that the hostility is born of the ideology that militant freedom fighter Vinayak Savarkar “spawned”, the influential British journal says, Modi “has never apologised for the massacre.” Taking a dig at Modi, the journal recalls how he sought to “regret” the riots once – telling a news agency interviewer that he is as sorry for the killings as he is while “seeing a puppy run over in the street”.

Pointing out that Modi is inspired by Savarkar, the journal suggests, after Modi came to power, RSS supremo Mohan Bhagwat has become more aggressive by increasingly referring to Savarkar for inspiration. Like Savarkar, Bhagwat now says that “all who live in Hindustan are in fact Hindus, whatever Muslims, Christians or secular Hindus might say”, the journal says, underlining, “The group has become an enthusiastic and effective actor within (the BJP). The RSS’s millions of members and volunteers played a big role in electing the BJP by a landslide in 2014. At least 19 ministers in government, including Modi, have a background in the RSS.”

Even as saying that Modi is “India’s strongest leader since Indira Gandhi”, the journal contends, the Prime Minister has made no attempt to “distance himself from the RSS”. It adds, “Those who promote Hindutva and echo Savarkar whip up stories of ‘love jihad’, alleging, Muslim men convert large numbers of Hindu women by seducing them.” Pointing out how earlier this month “a BJP parliamentarian praised Godse as a ‘patriot’ equal to Gandhi”, it says, things have gone so far now that “members of the increasingly influential RSS feel emboldened” and are promoting “majoritarian politics” in order to “absorb or flatten a minority” in “utterly destructive” way.

Pointing out that “India’s tolerance and moderation” may be “at risk”, the journal notes, this is clear the way Modi has been promoting Savarkar. “In 2008 Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat, inaugurated a website (savarkar.org) that promotes a man ‘largely unknown to the masses because of the vicious propaganda against him and misunderstanding around him that has been created over several decades’.” While a “previous BJP-led government put Savarkar’s portrait in parliament… on Savarkar’s birthday this year, May 28, the Prime Minister paid homage to him there. Modi tweeted about Savarkar’s ‘tireless efforts towards the regeneration of our motherland’.”

While calling Modi a firm follower of Savarkar, the journal refers to how Savarkar and Mahatma Gandhi differed from each other ever since they met for a meal in England in 19065. “Savarkar offered Gandhi some of his meal; Gandhi, a vegetarian, refused. Savarkar allegedly retorted that only a fool would attempt to resist the British without being fortified by animal protein”, The Economist says, adding, “The meeting is said to have begun hostilities between the two young Indian nationalists. Gandhi was a pacifist with an inclusive attitude towards Muslims and Christians. Savarkar, who would lead the Hindu Mahasabha, was a right-wing majoritarian who spawned the idea of Hindutva, or Hindu-ness…”

Pointing towards how “Savarkar remains immensely divisive”, the journal recalls how he called Gandhi a weak, a “sissy”, and far too willing to collaborate with Britain. “Gandhian talk of man’s common humanity he regarded as utopian to the point of naivety. In articles from the 1920s to the 1940s Savarkar lambasted Gandhi as a ‘crazy lunatic’ who ‘happens to babble…[about] compassion, forgiveness’, yet ‘notwithstanding his sublime and broad heart, the Mahatma has a very narrow and immature head’. Gandhi promoted ahimsa, a Buddhist rejection of violence which Savarkar called “mealy-mouthed”.

Pakistan to execute 500 terror convicts

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The decision to reinstate the death penalty for terror cases following a school massacre is condemned by human rights groups.

The feet of a victim of a Taliban attack in a school are tied together at a local hospital in Peshawar — AP

The feet of a victim of a Taliban attack in a school are tied together at a local hospital in Peshawar — AP

by Sky News

Pakistan plans to execute around 500 militants after the government lifted a moratorium on the death penalty in terror cases.

It comes after Taliban gunmen killed 149 people, including 133 children, in a school massacre in the northwestern city of Peshawar last week.

Six militants have been hanged since Friday amid rising public anger over the slaughter.

Around nine gunmen stormed the army-run school on 16 December taking teachers and students hostage and killing them in classrooms.

After the deadliest terror attack in Pakistani history, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ended the six-year moratorium on the death penalty, reinstating it for terrorism-related cases.

“Interior ministry has finalised the cases of 500 convicts who have exhausted all the appeals, their mercy petitions have been turned down by the president and their executions will take place in coming weeks,” a senior government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Of the six hanged so far, five were involved in a failed attempt to assassinate the then-military ruler Pervez Musharraf in 2003, while one was involved in a 2009 attack on army headquarters.

Police, troops and paramilitary Rangers have been deployed across the country and airports and prisons put on red alert as the executions take place and troops intensify operations against Taliban militants in northwestern tribal areas.

Mr Sharif has ordered the attorney general’s office to “actively pursue” capital cases currently in the courts, a government spokesman said.

The decision to reinstate executions has been condemned by human rights groups, with the United Nations also calling for it to reconsider.

Human Rights Watch described the executions “a craven politicised reaction to the Peshawar killings” and demanded that no further hangings be carried out.

Pakistan began its de facto moratorium on civilian executions in 2008, but hanging remains on the statute books and judges continue to pass death sentences.

Before Friday’s resumption, only one person had been executed since then – a soldier convicted by a court martial and hanged in November 2012.

Shahid Afridi to retire from ODIs after World Cup

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Shahid Afridi

Lahore: Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has announced he will retire from one-day internationals after the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The 34-year-old all-rounder, said he wanted to choose his own time to step down.

Afridi said: “I want to go out of ODIs with self-respect and with my fans wanting more from me.”

He will continue as Pakistan Twenty20 captain and wants to focus on winning the T20 World Cup in India in 2016.

Afridi has an average of 23.49 and a strike-rate of 116.29 in ODIs, and has also taken 391 wickets at 33.89 and an economy-rate of 4.62.

Afridi, who captained the national team to the semifinals in the 2011 World Cup, has played 389 ODIs since hitting the fastest century (off 37 deliveries) on his debut in October 1996 against Sri Lanka in Nairobi. The record stood for more than 17 years before New Zealand’s Corey Anderson broke it in January this year.

“I always wanted to do this having seen the problems faced by other bigger players in the past. It was not an easy decision to take and I think many of my seniors also found it difficult to go out at the right time.”

“I am the first Pakistan player to be able to announce his retirement properly,” he added.

Afridi had retired once before from Pakistan’s ODI side in May 2011 in protest at the Pakistan Cricket Board, following a public row with coach Waqar Younis, but made himself available again just five months later.

Sachin Tendulkar announced as ICC World Cup 2015 brand ambassador

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A file photo of Sachin Tendulkar. Photo: Rajanish Kakade/AP

A file photo of Sachin Tendulkar. Photo: Rajanish Kakade/AP

Sachin Tendulkar is the latest name announced by the ICC to be a brand ambassador of the ICC World Cup 2015. Earlier, current players such as Indian batsman Virat Kohli, Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson and all-rounder Shane Watson, New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum, and former Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara had been appointed ambassadors for cricket’s most-anticipated event.

According to a media release by icc-cricket.com, Tendulkar said, “I am delighted and honoured to be appointed ICC Cricket World Cup Ambassador for the second successive time. After playing in the last six editions, the upcoming World Cup will be a different experience as I will follow it from the sidelines. It could probably be comparable to the ICC Cricket World Cup 1987 where I was a ball boy, enthusiastically cheering every ball.”

He continued, saying, “The excitement of the World Cup grows with every new edition and this year’s host nations, Australia and New Zealand, are known for their sporting culture, great cricket facilities and knowledgeable crowds. Lifting the World Cup is every international cricketer’s quest and the tournament brings out the best of individuals and competing teams. The image of the champion team lifting the World Cup inspires many youngsters around the world and gives them a dream to chase — a dream which I fulfilled after 22 years of relentless pursuit by being part of the victorious Indian team in 2011.”

The 2015 edition will be the 11th cricket World Cup since 1975, and will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand from February 14 onward. The matches will be held at various venues such as Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney in Australia, and Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson and Wellington in New Zealand.

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