Like
Archive for media
Sep
09
Stephanie Rice
Posted by: | Comments
Taking a leaf from Eddie I thought I would throw my view in on this topic. Also because I have a slightly opposing view to Eddie lol. Eddie is a dear friend so there is no malice in my post.
Firstly I would say, feel free to read Eddie’s post about this HERE. I’ll start my post with the same passage that he quoted from the Courier Mail.
A tearful Stephanie Rice has made an emotional public apology over her homophobic slur on Twitter, saying she has learnt a huge lesson.
The swimming star twice broke down in tears at a press conference she called in Sydney today as she pleaded for forgiveness over what she labelled “thoughtless and careless” comments.
Triple Olympic gold medallist Rice tweeted “Suck on that faggots!” following the Wallabies’ dramatic Tri Nations weekend win over the Springboks early on Sunday.
Now there are a lot of opposing views on this topic. My personal view is somewhere in between. For me I think this whole thing was taken way too seriously. I really don’t like the word ‘faggot’ at all, but I really didn’t take offense to this but can understand why some would. The thing is that I believe she made a careless stupid mistake. I certainly didn’t ever think there was any malice in the comment and I feel that it was a silly comment that once removed should have been the end of it. Instead she was put through a stupid public ridicule that I think did more damage than good.
I am a strong believer that political correctness is out of control and can talk for hours on specific examples however that’s not necessary. I am a firm believer that it’s about the intent. In this case, she made a mistake so a simple removal and apology was enough. We didn’t need to drive this girl into what was almost a breakdown over this.
I think we should look at the intent. Like one of Eddie’s readers mentioned it has become the same with the word “gay” which is starting to change it’s meaning again. It was once a word that meant happy, then it became a word for homosexual and now it’s changing to mean lame. However I don’t see this word dragging gay rights backwards. Again I believe in intent. I agree with Eddie that there are issues with history and also that with fame comes a responsibility to be a respectful because you are setting an example. But for me this was turned into an unnecessary media circus and was just a simple mistake with no malice and shouldn’t have gone as far as it had.
That’s my two cents.
Aug
22
Peering into……
Posted by: | Comments
Well yesterday we here in Australia had an election and the day ended with a hung parliament. I’m not sure how this will turn out over the next week or two but I will say irrelevant of the outcome both major parties need to admit to the people they have failed. When you have an election within a two party system and both parties average 50% it has to be a sign. When half the country don’t want you then you certainly have to think seriously about it.
My opinion is simple. We have two major parties whom are both full of bullshit (I know, such a surprise in politics lol). What do I mean? Well I think there are a lot of factors that affected the outcome but generally we are sick of the lies and propaganda. All the public really wants is for politicians to come out and say what they really believe, what they can achieve and what they can’t, in realistic timeframes.
I don’t want promises that they won’t follow through on or use an excuse when they don’t achieve. I want strong policies. I may not agree with them but if those policies are transparent I can make an informed decision. I read through a lot of the policies that were out there prior to the election and to be honest within the two major parties I liked probably 50% of what I read. I will talk about my preferred party at a later time and talk about why.
I’m not a huge fan of politics but I have strong views on policy for this country and what I think. Whether others agree with me is not the point. Even if I am right or not is not the point. They are my views and I will stand by my decisions. You will never get one party that gets everything right, however a party that is responsible and tells it how it is will be sufficient. The thing I see is that political parties seem to forget that they have a responsibility to do what is right, fair and just. Yes they need to represent the people but they also need to make unpopular decisions if it is the right thing to do.
Unfortunately in the two party system we have one leader who seems to use his bigotry and sexism to gain popularity and another who seems to promote the Christian views whilst living in sin (doesn’t make much sense). Funny enough is that this leader has no problem accepting preferences from a formidable party that has an openly gay man at the helm.
Right now I think we need clear policy and direction with a no bullshit approach. Bring it on!
Mar
06
Skins Connects
Posted by: | Comments
I am a huge fan of Skins. To date there can’t be an episode that has resonated with me as much as the latest episode which is Episode 6 from Season 4 which screened this week in the UK (Bless Torrents).
This weeks story revolved around JJ and it really did concentrate on his aspergers. There was so many elements to this episode that I recognised. Things such as the frustration that people think you are mental, or the frustration of trying to sustain meaningful relationships. What was good about this episode is that it actually covered off many of the frustrations that you go through in life when you have this issue. Even though it was dealing with several of the more negatively perceived attributes of someone with ASD, it also handled them in such an awesome way. Not dumbing them down but dealing with them. That is one of the things that really resonated with me.
But it wasn’t just the ASD that made this episode excellent. Throughout the episode several relationships were put under the spotlight and several dynamics. Whether it be the loyal friendships between characters, the love of an ASD teen when trying to date, a married couple who have hit a slump or a young couple trying to heal and cope with past betrayal.
A lot of the things that made this episode special were subtle in their execution and even though we all take something different from entertainment, this was for me one of those shows that hit home on so many levels. I hope when you get to see the episode that you take something from it.
Jan
07
Precious
Posted by: | Comments
I was lucky enough to see the film Precious this week. I actuall watched this film because I really didn’t have anything else towatch and thought I would see if all the hype was justified. To be honest I can’t really say that it is but it was still a good film.
It was good to see Mariah Carey without all the makeup and she did a good job of the role. Maybe this diva has some acting talent after all. She just needs to continue with decent roles.
The story in this film is actually quite good and I totally enjoyed the film. There were even scenes which shocked me and I’m pretty unshockable. I would recommend this film to anyone who hasn’t seen it. As for Mariah, we’ve now seen her with no makeup and as shown on the news this week drunk. Enjoy…
Jan
04
Avatar 3D
Posted by: | Comments
It’s not often a film has the impact on me that Avatar did. It’s not a brilliant film by any means with a script that was so-so. However the premise of this film is excellent and the messages in the film are thought provoking. Above all this film is extraordinary visually and if you only see it for the visual experience it’s a must see.
I’m not about to spoil it by talking about it too much but this film but if you’ve ever read any of my ‘Theory of Everything’ posts, this film really speaks to that and our connection to everything around us. It is worth seeing and if you have a chance to see it on the big screen or better still in 3D then you really should do it.
Jun
03
Twitter Warning
Posted by: | Comments
Well it’s not just Twitter. Today in the news was another study that is showing
“Continually flowing data from Twitter, Facebook, email, mobile phones, and TV is moving too fast for the brain’s “moral compass” to process”
The story is worth a read and you can get to it HERE.
Now I agree totally with what these studies show. In fact they didn’t really need to do the studies for us to realise this. What I have found a lot of though is these studies. What I mean is there are a lot of studies out there that show us this obvious change in humanity, however what is missing is help for society. parents, teachers and more in how to best help kids grow up with this.
I mean, let’s not be naive, the information overload that is now in existence is only going to get worse or more full on (at least until something big and global brings it all down) so we as a society need more practical assistance in how to educate and balance the youth. We as adults often have the skills to know it’s all too much and switch it off for a while, but kids don’t have those tools.
I do believe technology and information is moving forward much quicker than our own social and emotional growth. So it is essential that this is addressed for society, otherwise we are going to all end up unable to cope with the world. If anyone has written anything about this I would love to read it.
Apr
21
Aspergers in the News / Life
Posted by: | Comments
It’s probably just me but today in the news I felt so much heartbreak over a simple story. A family moved to Sydney from the UK and had become homesick. So they decided to move back to the UK. Unfortunately one of the children their 16 year old son who has aspergers has developed some kind of fear of the travel.
His sister and dad have returned and his mum has stayed to try and get him home. Not being able to get on a plane, they decided to spend all the money they had to try via boat because he (Thomas) thought he could do it. Unfortunately he had a massive anxiety attack and the ships doctor had to say he should travel.
Read the story HERE and then I’ll continue.
I’m not sure why this affected me so, whether it was the pain the family must be going through or the torture Thomas is going through. When I say torture, I’m saying the anguish and pain going on in his head. The issue is that his own level of frustration at not being able to get home would be eating him up inside. I just found this story incredibly sad. For those who don’t have experience with aspergers or anxiety this can seem so minor but for those who do understand it is terrible and my thoughts are with this family.
I was going to talk about some personal feelings on the topic of aspergers but I think that warrants a seperate post and a bit more thought. So stay tuned.
