Thoughts on Freedom Next Time

I will admit that reading two chapters from the expository text Freedom Next Time, written by British journalist John Pilger, wasn’t the most enjoyable experience. Reading through the political jargon, statistics and long-winded interviews did have me drifting in and out of my daydreams, struggling to keep up with Ms Edwards’ reading of the text in class. As tedious as the task was to read Freedom Next Time, the text does convey a message that we need to hear.

I found much of the facts Pilger had researched and informed me of shocking. Pilger effectively exposes just how bad poverty, health standards and education are in India. Before reading the text, when I thought of India I would think of Bollywood musicals, the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games and annoying telemarketers. The text has definitely changed my perspective of the country and has made me realise how an issue as devastating as widespread poverty can go unnoticed by us. The “Liberating Afghanistan” chapter was very confronting. The anecdotes Pilger includes in the chapter strongly convey the brutal suffering innocent men, women and children are living with due to the actions of George Bush. I knew that the situations in Afghanistan were bad, but I did not realise that they were that bad. It was also shocking and thought-provoking to see America portrayed as the terrorists and Afghanistan portrayed as the victims, a representation that I have rarely seen or read about. This also proved to me just how influential the media can be to alter our views and attitudes towards certain groups.

Perhaps including the text in our curriculum may have been the only way that we would have been informed of these issues. I’m sure none of the 2006 year eights from Brearley at Kinross College will forget the surprise we got when we realised that we were going to see An Inconvenient Truth at the cinemas for our ‘reward’ excursion, to which the teachers said “If we hadn’t taken you to see it you probably wouldn’t have seen it yourselves”, even though we would watch the film at school another three or four times to come. But our teachers were right; if we hadn’t seen that movie at school, we probably wouldn’t have watched it outside of school and wouldn’t be aware of how the current major environmental issue of global warming is developing. I think that reading Freedom Next Time was no different. It informed me of what life is like for young people, just like me, in India and Afghanistan and how underprivileged they are compared to me. I have a roof over my head, access to clean water, food and an education as well as comfort and a safe environment, while others don’t. It made me gain respect towards the people I had read about who struggle to survive but still keep optimistic. Reading the text definitely made me gain an appreciation for the lifestyle I have and made me realise how fortunate I am to be living in a country where I have those privileges.

Thoughts on The Handmaid's Tale

Speculative fiction happens to be my most favourite genre to read, mainly because they offer ideas that are so unique because within the genre, the limit reaches beyond the sky so the authors can take the story wherever they want. One thing that speculative fiction can do very well is create a plausible dystopia as a warning of what the world could be like in the future. Being able to do this through literature I think is a very powerful thing. Although it may not influence every reader to actively do something to prevent the dystopia depicted in the book from happening, it can influence the way people see the world they live in and appreciate it for what it is.

The society of Gilead, the setting of the novel, seems so far from reality that it seems unlikely that the world could ever come to that. It was interesting to find out that Atwood based every aspect of her novel on current events and proved to me that Gilead could well and truly be a possibility. She says that “there is nothing new about the society depicted in The Handmaid’s Tale except the time and place” and also that “there isn't anything in the book not based on something that has already happened in history or in another country”. Current religious extremist movements in America, the increase of male sterility and chemical pollution are among the things the novel is based upon and which suggests what the world could come to if these continue to escalate. In the novel, the President is assassinated (which is blamed on Muslim terrorists) and the military take over the country and rule it according to the Bible. First, rights and possessions are taken away from women and a social hierarchy is established, similar to hierarchies present in medieval times. Unsustainable disposal of toxic waste (something that is currently happening in America) has polluted the water and the environment, has caused infertility to spread across the country. Infertility is another thing that is currently on the rise as well as a decrease in birth rates in Scandinavian countries and Romania. Atwood suggests that the practices in her novel like ‘farming’ women as handmaids to increase the population and ruling the country as a theocrasy could be the conclusions people could arrive at to solve these current issues.

The novel greatly presents these conclusions as inhumane and immoral as society has become a living nightmare. The novel definitely made me grateful that I don’t live in such a society like the one depicted in the novel as theocratic societies do exist in the world like Iran. It also really made me think about how easily our rights can be taken away and about what solutions our governments may implement to solve issues and how much consideration of our way of life they will put into making those decisions.

Music, or just a pretty face?

The music industry these days is just that, an industry. It's hard to find artists or bands that put their whole hearted passion into their music (let alone those who are actually musically talented), this is especially true for mainstream music that we are most exposed to through our radios, televisions and just any other medium you can think of. We hear artists such as 'pop queen' Britney Spears, T Pain, or even Paramore, what these artists (and many, many more like them) have in common is that they are 100% owned by a record company. Britney Spears is a face for whatever label she is signed up to, someone else writes her music for her, someone else picks out her outfits for her, and there is even someone to change her voice completely through auto-tuning (this can make anyone a 'great' singer). What a record company looks for in a potential artist or pop star is first a pretty face, if someone is an excellent musician, but has some sort of undesirable facial feature, they are generally not even considered as an option. True talent is discarded because of the simple fact that men won't swoon over her, or girls won't be crazy for them. The style and presence of 'pop' music has changed throughout the years, trying to keep up with the ever changing times, likes and dislikes of the general public. Pop was once considered the Beetles, or even the Smiths way back when. Both of these bands started whole revolutions, the Beetles were the dawn of nearly an entirely new genre, and the Smiths were one of the first popular bands to utilize a synthesizer in their songs and have a good reaction. These bands and musicians had to actually be talented enough to not only play music but to write it also. Many (not all) mainstream pop bands these days are consisting of very talented members, and once again revolve around a particular look or style that appeals to the target audience, although bands are lucky, there can be just one good looking, center of attention kind of member of the band to keep eyes off all others. The negative thing about many mainstream bands is that the record company get a bunch of talented guitarists together and pick out the one that best fits their desired look, then they do the same with a bassist, a drummer, a singer and whatever other instruments they may want to incorporate. These bands don't know each other apart from through their band (who once again get most music written for them), and this is the worst way to start up playing music. Music is supposed to come form the heart, but when people who don't know each other or have any previous history with one another get together to create music, some times it can be obvious through the lack of heart, as they're all just playing their separate parts as opposed to coming together as one musical piece. Once again these bands are put together for the right look that corresponds to what most people who tune into the radio want to hear, and see in the performers. Although these forms of creating music obviously sell millions of records very easily, it's almost making a mockery of true music. There is very little passion or outstanding talent left in music these days. Many, many bands that have so much heart and actual meaning or depth behind their music are over looked because they don't fit the right look, or their voice doesn't sound like a keyboard. this is all ridiculous, music is about passion, expression and heart none of which is possessed by 85 percent of 'musicians' played on the radio. Music has nearly become all about making big money as opposed to expression.

Can we really call Australia, multicultural?

Before the Australia Federal Election, you couldn’t turn the news on without hearing something about “boat people”. It seems that boat people and refugees are a hot topic in Current Affairs at the moment. Even news websites are talking about “boat people”. Having read Freedom Next Time and The Handmaid’s Tale I’ve started thinking that maybe all the news about “boat people” has just been made to scare society. In Freedom Next Time, John Pilger explains how dangerous and difficult life in a war-torn country is. It seems crazy to me, that as Australians who really do live in a lucky country that we would even think of refusing to let people who have escaped a war-torn country live in Australia. Australia is built on multiculturalism, so why would we turn people from other cultures away? I think it is just a power and control issue; the Government wants both power and control. The reality is, many asylum seekers arrive in Australia by plane, but we never hear about such incidents in the news. That seems stupid, if the people have enough money to get on the plane, surely they are a little bit better off than the people who have to stow away on ships to get to Australia? When I saw an image in one of the class presentations showing children running in pain and fear during the Vietnam War, it made me realise the horrific nature of war and I can’t understand how anyone could let that happen to children. I think if we deny “boat people” entry into Australia, they we can’t really call ourselves multicultural, in fact what we are doing is condemning them to return to, and live in, countries stricken by war which, let’s face it, have mostly been started by Western countries such as American. I don’t know about you, but that just doesn’t seem right to me.

Are you famous yet?

In an ordinary Australia house, on an ordinary day, you’re bound to find at least one person sitting on their computer. Sadly, in this day and age, they’re probably looking at YouTube, and even sadder, they’re probably watching clips like “Sitting on a toilet”. It makes you wonder, what on Earth is wrong with our society today?

A five second YouTube clip can make you a celebrity these days. And the worst thing is, it doesn’t even have to be a good five seconds. Seriously, a guy who rants about other video clips can be famous; a guy who danced in every place in the world can get an endorsement with MasterCard, and even a guy sitting under a blanket crying “LEAVE BRITTNEY ALONE” can become an overnight sensation. The question is, why? What are these idiots doing to deserve so much public admiration?

It used to be people became famous for their achievements not for their ability to upload clips of themselves in their daily life. Society is obsessed with celebrities and it seems everyone wants their “15 minutes of fame”. My argument isn’t that YouTube or fame is bad, but rather shouldn’t we idolise people who have done something significant? After all, everyone has sat on a toilet...big deal!

The media today shows more stories about celebrities and seems to focus less and less on important world events. Why are we hearing about Ben Cousins’ drug addiction instead of hearing about the deaths of innocent people in the war in Afghanistan? Why are we hearing about Paris Hilton’s latest trip to rehab instead of hearing about medical breakthroughs that doctors have been working years to achieve? Shouldn’t we be idolising people who are making a real difference in the world?

Even the latest Australian Federal Election turned into more of a celebrity popularity contest than an actual conversation about politics. Honestly, does anyone even know what Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott stood for? I seriously doubt it. But I bet everybody knows about Julia’s freakishly large earlobes and Tony’s obsession with budgie smugglers.

The truth of the matter is, it’s not your fault that you knew more about Julia’s earlobes and Tony’s swimsuit preference; it’s the media’s fault. General society will look up to the people the media focuses on most. If the media only shows us images of people who are famous because they’re famous, how can we possibly start looking up to who should be famous because of their achievements?

The media needs to change, instead of focusing on Ben Cousins’ drug addiction; we should be seeing interviews with doctors who have achieved the impossible. Instead of seeing the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, we should be seeing footage of the Australia of the Year Awards. Instead of watching young kids on YouTube doing stupid and irresponsible things, we should be seeing the Young Australians of the Year and learning about their achievements.

So next time you’re surfing YouTube, maybe take a look at the informative and scientific videos to enhance your knowledge? Or check out the instructional videos and learn to master a hobby?

Or even check out videos to help you with your school work? Of course, there’s nothing wrong with having a laugh at a lady sitting on a toilet, but just try to remember that there are great people in the world doing great things that are way more deserving of public attention than drug addled actors and idiots filming themselves in the bathroom.

America, good or evil?

You’d have to be a robot to not feel anything after reading some of the chapters of John Pilger’s informative text, Freedom Next Time. “Liberating Afghanistan” for example, simultaneously evokes feelings of anger, disgust, outrage and sympathy. I have nothing but respect for John Pilger for having the guts to tell us the other side of the story, and for not making the Americans seem like the big heroes as they stereotypically would be. “Liberating Afghanistan” reinforced my disdain towards the behaviour of America and particular Americans. A lot of the time America is presented as the beacon of the world where dreams come true and where life is wonderful but Pilger shows us that the reality is, America is nothing but a greedy, capitalist, selfish, bully. America would have us believe that all their decisions have been made to help other countries but the truth is they just help themselves. The heartfelt story of one Afghan person shows us just how un-caring the Americans are, for example;

“’Did you get any compensation?’ I asked.

‘I got [about $400] which has all gone on medical care for Jawad.’

‘The Americans gave you that?’ I asked.

‘No, the Taliban. They came and offered prayers and gave me the money in a cloth bag...Later, eleven Americans came and surveyed the crater where my home had stood. They wrote down the number of pieces of shrapnel and each one spoke to me and took notes. As they were leaving, their translator gave me an envelope with fifteen dollars. That’s less than two dollars for each of my family killed.’”

This story shows us that the Americans are more interested in methods of war than they are with the effects of war. It’s easy to see why the Afghan people would trust the Taliban more than the Americans, when the Americans treat life with so little respect. It just makes me even more disgusted when I hear that most of the people killed in the war were innocents, not the Taliban and that Americans provided no compensation, to them.

“’Nothing. No-one came. No-one sent anything. My friend, the police chief, even went to the American Embassy. They didn’t understand him, and shut the door.’”

Examples like this show that the Americans were more interested in payback, just as a bully would be, then they were in actually making a change to the Afghani way of life. From these examples, it’s easy to feel sympathy towards the Afghan people. I’m not saying what happened to the Americans during September 11 was not a tragedy, it was huge tragedy, but Pilger shows us that two wrongs don’t make a right. How is killing innocent Afghan people helping stop terrorism? I don’t think it does stop terrorism, but merely perpetuates hatred towards America.

The most challenging thing about Pilger’s Freedom Next Time is that it provokes readers to want to make a change, but it also shows how hard it would be to try and make a change. Both countries have committed many atrocities towards each other and it’s hard to imagine a time that they’ll both forgive and forget. Maybe if more people did what Pilger is doing, telling the un-told stories, eventually a day will come when peace is restored.

Extracts from Moira's diary

02.07.2048
evening

YESSS I’M FINALLY OUT! I knew I’d eventually find a way out, no way are they keeping me in there. Last time they got me my feet hurt so bad, I just wanted to steal a chopper from the kitchen and hack them both off. I can’t believe I failed the last time, it was such a foolproof plan. How was I supposed to know those angels were gay? Nobody believed me when I told them, not even Offred, I bet she didn’t even put it in that stupid little book of hers where she reminds herself of every boring detail of her sad life.



02.07.2048
night

Getting out of there was pretty fun actually, rather exhilarating in fact, now I come to think about it. If I could do it again I’d probably have made that Aunt bleed a little with that little toilet bar I stole, make her a little more flustered so she would have been a bit quieter. Those guards are so blind, they didn’t even look at my face. Anybody wearing green could have just walked out of that place, wish I had got out of there earlier. Wonder what I’m going to do now. Its so hard trying to sleep in this skip, the smells are just so strong, such a bad combination of every bad smell I can possibly think of. Think I’ll just hide out in here until dawn when I’ll know what I’m going to do.



03.07.2048
evening

Man, can’t believe I got caught again! Overslept in that skip (if that’s even possible) and when I woke up I was in some old rich guy’s office. Gave me a choice between the colonies or working at some club, so of course I chose the latter offer. I think its called jazzy bells or some other lame name. Only catch is they’re going to sterilize me or something, which is apparently painful, which is what I don’t understand. How is cleaning me going to be painful? Are they going to chuck a kettle of scalding hot water on me or something because they found me in a skip? When I asked him that he just laughed and said I’ll find out tomorrow. Kind of scared, but the other girls don’t really look at all scarred. Hopefully I haven’t got the meaning of the word mixed up with something else. It feels like its been more than ten years since I’ve read anything.