The empires’ journalism: The Neo-Crusaders

The war was unavoidable; the United States officially assembled a war cabinet, and the aircraft carriers, which are belong to the U.S. Navy, were on the route to the Middle East. These all were prepared in 2 weeks after the September 11 attacks. Also, several American and foreign presses went into a state of emergency. Among the presses, CNN also sent large-scale reporters, which are fitted in owning over four thousand reporters, to Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan.

CNN has broadcast several interesting programs, especially related to wars, battles and conflicts, and kept at the top in broadcasting the stories about terrorisms and wars. They firstly wired World Trade Centre, the building wrapped in flames caused by an airplane crash, to the world exactly after 4 minutes. The broadcasting was rapidly well-prepared as like the American preparation for countering terrorisms.

The early reports on CNN, Fox and several American presses fully filled reports with the Americans’ painful and sad languages, and wills of punishment. As like broadcasting games, ‘we including the U.S.’ and ‘the enemies selected by the U.S.’, which have been unavoidably regulated by Americans, were written in articles. At least, the United States has become as the pronoun of goodness, whereas the Arabs and Islam have become as the pronoun of common bastard. Joel Achenbach, who is an American staff writer for The Washington Post and the author of seven books, once suggested that audiences have to follow the first regulation “Always be doubtful about media reports”. (Achenbach, 2004)

‘U.S. Attacked’, sourced from NYT

After the time, several media were focused on the case for leading U.S. and Americans to prepare the war against terrorists. Several American media, such as NYT and Washington Post, claimed about prudence on a strong view. However, the other media have claimed not to decline a war. In the final, they have chosen a war; along with the choice, CNN changed the special report subject from ‘America Under Attack’ to ‘America New War’. Usually, this tendency originated from delivering the U.S. government’s comments without proper filtering. According to the tendency, unilaterally delivering information and confined sources made some false reports.

Arabs and Muslims have become to terrorists the world’s common enemy due to those tendencies. Years later, it was disclosed that the attack on Gulf of Tonkin was a CIA lie; however, at that time, several American media reported that American warships in the Gulf of Tonkin had been attacked by Vietnamese torpedo boats. (Solomon, 1994)

What we have to consider is to take responsibility to judge the fairness of media and reports, to avoid unnecessary conflicts. As what I have mentioned as above, Joel Achenbach once said “Always be doubtful about media reports”. (Achenbach, 2004)

Reference lists

Achenbach, J., 2004. On 9/11, a Telling Seven-Minute Silence. [Online] Available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53548-2004Jun18.html [Accessed 26 October 2014].

Solomon, J. C. a. N., 1994. 30-year Anniversary: Tonkin Gulf Lie Launched Vietnam War. [Online] Available at: http://fair.org/media-beat-column/30-year-anniversary-tonkin-gulf-lie-launched-vietnam-war/ [Accessed 26 October 2014].

A new generation of democracy; protest, its culture and digital movement

According to the development of the internet accessibility, all the people are able to figure out what others have planned for the common beliefs, and also being able to share such meeting places for whom regardless of sex, age and religion. This is why online communities are able to be establish among various off-line communities. Except the countries where are ruling by dictators, all the people freely discuss what is in their minds, regardless of issues, categories and topics, and this implies the freedom of speech in the online sphere. Nowadays generations are called as ‘N Generation’ (imply as Internet Generation, originated from the book ‘The Growth of Internet: The Appearance of N Generation’, published by the American Sociologist Don Tapscott. One of the features of N Generation is that they are not hesitated to utilize the internet, unlikely the old generations are. And, the internet is not only being used as having funs, also used to truly defend our freedom and democracy, such sweet things.

Nowadays, the tools are increasing power as a tool for political activities such protests to against what they feel something is wrong.

This is mainly due to social networking services that large amounts of people can gather and freely argue what their minds are. Previously, the SNSs ‘Facebook’ and ‘Twitter’, and the UCC ‘YouTube’ have established to deal with political activities. Because, people were feeling safe even when they had discussed in these open-spaces due to its ownerships to foreign companies, especially being highly magnified during the Jasmine Revolution in Arab.

“You are the internet” – FireChat in Hong Kong

Nowadays, people are using mobile chatting applications such ‘FireChat’ (recently being highly used in Hong Kong, send messages through Bluetooth connectivity, not the internet). (Shadbolt, 2014) Furthermore, the China’s Golden Shield Project, the largest firewall established by the Chinese Government to block some foreign websites such Facebook and YouTube, are being able to bypass by setting Proxy or VPN (Virtual Private Network). (Pingp, 2011)

Thus, such technologies have developed our lives, even the cultures in political protests. Furthermore, young generations especially have felt such feelings of hostility towards old generations from other backgrounds. Youths are being well adopted to the new cyber environment, and established the methods to against towards old stuffs such dictatorships. To change its climate for shifting the social environments, which are well-suited for youths, they will continually try utilizing the newly-established fun-stuffs, while elders are trying to restrict them to maintain the present world.

Reference lists

Pingp, 2011. The Great Firewall of China: Background. [Online] Available at: http://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs201/projects/2010-11/FreedomOfInformationChina/the-great-firewall-of-china-background/index.html [Accessed 27 October 2014].

Shadbolt, P., 2014. FireChat in Hong Kong: How an app tapped its way into the protests. [Online] Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/16/tech/mobile/tomorrow-transformed-firechat/ [Accessed 27 October 2014].

Who counts in Global Media?

Global media has been the trend of nowadays. Everyone around of us is able to instantly figure out what is happening around the world by simply accessing the internet or satellite TV those are connected to central networks. However what I would like to argue is the role of the media. Is it fairly illustrate and represent voices or is it just intending to represent the supremacies’ wishes and voices, just as like the Voice of America (VOA).

Last time, I chose and discussed about the topic: Cultural Imperialism and the Media Imperialism, included defining several aspects such as the positive aspects which influenced to politics, and may led to the better societies; on the other hands, the media just represents the western’s voices.

‘Battle Royale’ – CNN & BBC vs. Al-Jazeera

In the term of the history of news, it has been a part of the western culture for a long time. So simply, the western world has controlled and overran the world’s media industries for centuries. Instead of these media, only local media subsists in their local areas, recorded only a few of audiences. However, during the Anti-terrorism Movement, one of the challengers suddenly appeared up on the surface, and threated the western media. The challengers, named Al-Jazeera, slightly took over strengths, and occupied the media industries as one of the predominant of the industries. After the time, the United States would eliminate the Al, and established the Arab-located U.S. friendly-media, named Al-Hurra, and it totally collapsed.

According to the neutral role of such media, news must be unbiased. There are no places standing for the propaganda media. However, U.S. had expected the success of Free Radio, broadcasted at the behind of the Iron Curtain, in Europe, during the Cold War.

As what I have mentioned, the purpose of media is not supposed for propaganda. Those who are using it for the purpose, the media will be collapsed, media must respect the various points of views. If broadcasting areas are limited at specific areas, then actually it does not matter, refer to as Fox News Channel the most right-wing media in US. However, media meets the whole world nowadays, due to the Media Globalization. Today, an international domestic market is much important than a domestic demand market.

At this point, let me directly ask about it: who is going to trust VOA, Russian Pravda (in Russian: Пра́вда), and the published journal of the Chinese Communist Party such as CCTV, rather than the mass media of the free world such as BBC and Al-Jazeera. …Before, the Hollywood movies, after then, the American dramas are.

Media Imperialism, the double-edged sword

Someone may argue Media Imperialism is the invasion of the foreign media, with strengthened influences, threated local media. However, I believe the imperialism has been greatly tarnished long time ago since the Media Globalization has been recently established into societies, everyone’s life and our living rooms.

The word ‘Imperialism’ sounds unreasonable. However, not only the expected negative aspects, Media Imperialism respectively has two different sides, both positive and negative are; nations’ attractions with media can have various results as written below.

Feminist Activism in Arab World

For the positive aspects, women’s rights may be suitable for an example. Nowadays, American or European way of modernized lifestyle and the social influences & reflections of women have created more powerful images of women in other countries’ media as well. (Noh, 2007) Everyone in the countries easily cannot refuse this happened reality, except Muslim countries; they have never tried to innovate. Women and their lifestyle have begun to act like sexy and the temptation of women at Hollywood and K-POP, and they have established several social activities and movements to become like them, such as the raising of feminists.

Furthermore, spreading the ideology of democracy to autocracies were able. The media have truly realized people what are the realities of the outer of iron boundaries. The reflections realized them and finally triggered them to rise for the freedom which they had never experienced before due to the dictatorships’ autocracy, and these connected to the actual movements, such as East Germany & the unification of Germany (Elizabeth Boa, 1994) and Jasmine Revolution.

On the other hands, the negative aspect is; the current supremacy world-media channels, such as CNN and BBC, reflect the realities, synchronized views only from American or Western sides, such as the Iraq War and the Anti-terrorism Movements which overcame human-rights. These media show aspects only from one side and supremacies’ minds with the ideas that the wars and the movements are fundamental to make Iraq or other third worlds more civilized.

I call the media ‘the double-edged sword’, because of some reflected advantages and disadvantages, either. These stories were coming from the double-edged sword, and the essay was trying to reflect with the several studies and the references, in the way how Media Imperialism was able to change several social realities, and push other countries and cultures in wrong understanding, and I personally believe these cannot be contradicted.

Reference lists

Elizabeth Boa, J. W., 1994. German Monitor, Women and the Wende: Social Effects and Cultural Reflections of the German Unification Process. The Netherlands, Rodopi B.V., Amsterdam – Atlanta.

Noh, S., 2007. Intersecting Gender and Race in Globalization: Beyond the Evolution from Cultural Imperialism to Cultural Hybridity. [Online] Available at: http://lass.purduecal.edu/cca/gmj/sp07/graduate/gmj-sp07-grad-noh.htm [Accessed 27 October 2014].

The freedom of the media, but some media must be restricted & controlled

The most of us are enjoying the freedom of expression and speech, including the media. Only a few of dictatorship countries are controlling the media, so those people who are living in the countries cannot be realized the actual situations and publicities. Instead of them, the people just like us are able to be realized and mastered by accessing several media, including online and offline published.

However, some of the media, following the left and pretending themselves as the freedom warriors against dictatorships, are confusing people into a chaotic state of affairs. Sometimes, these media are recognizing like a communist organ to me.

The media, which stir up divisions in a nation, are dangerous. These media usually claim object to governments’ intentions. To be opposed of governments, they struggle against the intentions, and they finally reach the final object ‘Subverting the state’ by instigating innocent people. Who said ‘Pen is stronger than weapon.’? Well, that obviously is true. Those media also usually spread groundless rumours, especially when the states are in the case of emergencies, such as during the war or the disasters. To spread the rumours, the people are incited; and the articles or the rumours may incite them to rebellion.

In addition, I would like to refer one of the most important events in our history as well.

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” – Goebbels (right)

For the Third Reich, the Third Empire also referred to as Nazi Germany, the empire was latterly organized by the German Worker’s Party to the National Socialist German Worker’s Party (abbreviated as NSDAP); even, the party was the far right the fascists. By the way, many people regard Hitler as having been a demagogue; however, Paul Joseph Goebbels (simply known as Goebbels) was the one who raised Germans into the Second World War, which had brought devastation to Germany. The Germans were exhausted for the defeat of the First World War, and the defeat was a great eye-opener for the people. Thus, Goebbels realized nationalism would tie people together. This is how totalitarianism always begins, and the incitement had led their history into such tragedies, the incitement which had inculcated the delusion ‘Germania Mythology’ to Germans, and ‘The Final Solution’ (Ghetto), also.

Always remember this, inciting people for confusion is sedition. Do not call yourself as, or try to be ‘awaken people’; better be a wise man, who can creatively think and independently result outcomes themselves.

Restructuring the composition of the world in the modern history: the supremacy, world-economics and religions

Our history has rapidly passed away, and there were uncountable events which cannot be contradicted. The past history, such as The People’s Revolutions, the Industrial Revolution, Renin and the Raising Communism, the Second World War and the Cold War, has made the world unlikely our leaders had expected.

The Soviet Union had fallen; the Red Bear had fallen, and the raising of Panda.

Nowadays, the People’s Republic of China is emerging as one of G2, the new world order, recently restructured by Washington and Beijing; particularly in which the Government in China has insisted on accepting the Chinese Yuan as a reserve currency into the world markets. Mostly to take its superiority than the United States Dollar in transacting international bonds and oil dealings.

According to its new transformation of new hegemony, this is no time for the existed governments, allied with the U.S., to repeat an ‘everything alright’ alliance with the United States, but read into what the new administration in Washington has in mind in the context of the new world order, particularly in which China is emerging as one of the G2. However, the supreme controlled by U.S. is the way better than what China and Russia are. Imagine what might be happening if China and Russia control the supremacy, be referred territorial disputes and international disputes between China, Russia and third countries. The truly world police and the gangsters who are dully following as what Washington does.

Furthermore, variables of religion crisis are raised as the new threaten of our lives and nations. Firstly began with the Crusades; and after the time, the Soviet-Afghanistan war (U.S. supported mujahedin which lately known as Al-Qaeda), and the 9-11 Terror. And, the crisis in Iraq, caused by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, is now on present progressive.

Personally, I do not blame Islam the religion; however, the problem is the lunatics who are heretically re-writing and following Quran.

“Who successfully accomplished Jihad, they go to the heaven, and meet 72 virgins…”

The religion power is enough to tempt and make people to be crazy and dumb, even an educated person is; so the lunatics demagogy others to accomplish their ‘own’ Jihad, not by themselves; what the cowards they are.

I was able to find several similarities between ‘Mein Kampf’ (written by Adolf Hitler the dictator of the Third Empire) and them.

Across global films make people to tie, and the affects whether these are positive or not

‘Global Film’, sourced from The Global Film Institute

All mankind around the world own different mother tongues, cultures and skin tones. However, the spreads of Globalization; after the time, we are able to communicate with the occupations at different regions.

Meanwhile in filming industries, Globalization has widely practiced and executed into the industries, not only the communications between people, and also to able the industries to thrive. Back to the topic, each different occupations at different regions are able to see overseas films in their living room with seating a downy sofa. According to the theory belonged to evolved technologies, different people have been able to easily understand and adopt different languages and cultures in their actual lives.

The Hollywood Movies, originated from the Las Vegas, have taught to people what American Patriotism and Imperialism imply. Furthermore, several Korean movies and K-Pop originated from South Korea have taught us the effects of Plastic Surgery.

Not only has such the negative effected as shown above, these films and cultural aspects have made many people indirectly experiencing other regions’ aspects, without boarding to the destinations; and people, who are bored to the local cultures, to be laughed for newly transformed humours that never experienced before at the boundary line of local areas. At least, I know who Stephen Chow is. Personally, he is one of the most favourite Chinese actor for me. Moreover, his acting style is really well-collaborated to my preference.

At the conclusion of the essay, I would like to define the word ‘Glolocalization’, the compounded word that compounds the words ‘Global’, ‘Local’ and ‘-lization’; adapting and being globalized at limited local areas.

Defining the internationalisation of higher education in Malaysia, and profit-making

“Amazing Malaysia Awaits You” – Education Malaysia (EMGS)

“Studying in Malaysia offers you the opportunity to acquire an internationally recognised qualification of your choice within an affordable budget. There are students from more than 100 countries studying in Malaysia, pursuing courses ranging from diplomas and degrees to Masters and PhDs at universities, colleges and foreign university branch campuses. Their choice of Malaysia as the place to acquire a globally-recognised academic qualification is a strong indicator of their confidence in the country as an education hub” (Education Malaysia Global Services 2012, pg. 1)

Over 100,000 overseas students in Malaysia have boarded with bringing the objectives, taking internationalized education for their careers, also preparing against the flow of the Era of Globalization; furthermore, there are thousands overseas students who are willing to consider and board for taking the globalized education in Malaysia with the cheaper costs compared to other developed countries where are widely known as the destination of education such as Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. In other words; the country, Malaysia is becoming famous nowadays as the destination of education hub, comparable to the other host countries as shown above.

On the other side, the Government of Malaysia is promoting the education industries to earn the independent profits from the source of education industries for earning foreign currencies, leading to fill the financial budget of the government; thus, all these are related to business without any exceptions at all.

Beyond all the known facts, the main objective of business is all about making profits; furthermore, the business is not about the charity work. Therefore, education is one of consistent leading to make profits. Which means, the internationalisation of higher education in Malaysia cannot be blamed for making profits; and, this was set to satisfy what consumers the students demand. Accordingly, the government of Malaysia is recently trying to innovate the education system of Malaysia to tempt students to abroad in Malaysia. For a reference, the Department of Education of Malaysia newly has founded and set-up the organization ‘Education Malaysia Global Services (abbreviated as EMGS)’ to fluently process the admissions and the visa applications of foreign students, admitting to the local institutions in Malaysia (however, reports directly indicate that there are the side-effects mainly caused by the foundation of EMGS, added unnecessary spends and costs; in the result, the overseas students face the problems).

The other efforts of Malaysian Government are as following below:

1. Adopting the standardized international qualifications such as GCE A-level and International Baccalaureate Diploma into the local institutions’ curriculums in Malaysia
2. The local-placed undergraduate and post-graduate programmes, collaborated with overseas institutions and universities
3. Foreign university branch campuses in Malaysia
4. Developing the foreigner-friendly environment in several cultural aspects
5. Investments to the education infrastructures

The advantages what the Malaysian Government earns are:

1. Improving the national image of Malaysia
2. Maximizing the government budget, independently sourced from the overseas students

The advantages what the overseas students get are:

1. Innovation of the educational infrastructures of Malaysia

The efforts, the internationalization of the higher education, planned and executed by the Government of Malaysia, mainly aim for maximizing the source of income; and, the writer believes these efforts will enhance the system of the higher education in Malaysia. However, to guarantee the efforts to the target ‘overseas students’, the government must carry them with maintaining and innovating the quality of higher education in Malaysia, not only following the incomes.

Reference lists

Education Malaysia Global Services 2012, Internationally recognised qualification, Education Malaysia Global Services, viewed 28 August 2014, <http://www.educationmalaysia.gov.my/global-education-hub/quality-education/internationally-recognised-qualification>.