The Cosmopolitan Blog

“There are 6 billion of us, we all come from unique places with unique ways of looking at the world, we don’t always agree, but for a few shining weeks we set it all aside, we come together to stand and cheer and celebrate as one. We forget all the things that make us different and remember all the things that make us the same.”
~ Visa Commercial, Morgan Freeman’s voice

So China is hosting the Summer Olympics and this is hugely controversial. Why? Because they have violated human rights, because of the torture of the Tibetan people, because of their history of repressiveness, because of their continued disregard for environmental issues? But the choice was made, and China was awarded the hosting contract anyway. Shouldn’t the discussion have stopped there?

But the controversy grew hotter. So, just because the host country is a so-called despicable member of this planet, then the world’s best athletes should not be allowed to accomplish their dream and take part in the biggest sporting event in the world? People are against the event, because they believe that focusing on China, means focusing on its wrongs and takes away from the spirit of the Olympics. But doesn’t considering boycotting the event send out exactly the same message?

Then later, we spent time focusing on which countries’ leaders would or would not show up, and we criticized them if they did (Harper, Canada) and we criticized them if they didn’t (Bush, USA).

So now, here we are, and Beijing just put on a spectacular opening ceremony, the magnitude of which can’t be described by any superlative i know, and it seems like most athletes showed up (even though there are a few sad stories like the Sudanese athlete who’s visa was revoked days before the start of the Olympics), and yet somehow, people just can’t seem to let it go.

So i’d like to offer some perspective.
A. We protest that China shouldn’t host the Olympics, but then neither should the US, since both countries are guilty of stripping civilians’ liberties (think Patriot Act and Guantanamo), polluting the world, and invading countries uninvited (think Iraq, Vietnam…)

B. We protest because Communist China keeps their population in poverty, but do they, really? I mean think about where China was 100 years ago! They have progressed by leaps and bounds. This is a country of over 1 billion souls for goodness’ sake, and moving a country like that into the modern era WILL have it challenges. They have a huge way to go, agreed. But think about it. This is the first generation that has 100% access to the outside world, from financial means to travel to information sharing on the Internet. This is the generation that will demand China progress into the 21st century, they will know what their rights are, they will see what the rest of the world is doing and demand that as their baseline, and then change and progress will come from the bottom up.

C. We protest because China is trying, with these Olympics, to dazzle us and make us forget their crimes and their history. Um, but isn’t that the point of hosting the Olympics? You’re given a noble challenge and a chance to show your country off in a new light and highlight what it’s capable of. You give a huge boost to your economy and tourism, improve infrastructure, create jobs, and put a spotlight on yourself, for the good and the bad, forcing yourself to play on the world stage. Ok, so the investments probably mainly benefited Beijing, while we heard reports of water being routed away from farms towards the cities. But this only happened in China? You don’t think that the leaders of every host country has made decisions that weren’t for the benefit of the general population?

Bottom line: the Olympics were created as a way to bypass politics, to bring together the best athletes in the world, to give the common person a dream and a goal to reach to become to best in their field, irrespective of beliefs, religion, wars and their government’s opinions. So be critical of China, sure. But be equally critical of every other country, and realize that boycotting the event or banning a country from attending will never bother the country’s leaders but will most definitely shatter the dreams of courageous souls who have put it all on the line for their dream.

Hey, you knew a rant on this blog was a long time coming… i haven’t posted anything of substance for a month now, and now i rambled on a bit. So sue me!

In a post back in January, when there were still more than 2 candidates in each party for the US elections, i predicted that if either Hillary or Obama became the party nominee, then the Democrats would loose the general election and the next president would be a republican.

I still stand by this statement. See, I always asked the question “is the US more sexist or racist”. We think this question no longer applies, since 1/2 of america is voting for a black man and the other 1/2 for a woman and one would think the answer is that it’s pretty much equal. But that’s not true, it still very much applies: now that we know our opponent is McCain, who is more electable and likely to win against him, a woman or a black man? So again, I ask the question “is the US more sexist or more racist”?

I personally always thought America was more ready to elect a woman than a black man. After all, this is a country where there a still TWO schools that have some sort of racial segregation.

My personal viewpoint is that, by nature, the Democrats are more likely to accept a minority lead them. So they are more likely to accept a black man. But when it comes to the elections, we may also be looking at a whole bunch of republicans and undecided, who DON’T want to vote for McCain. Will they vote for Barack? I don’t think they will. And in that case, I feel that maybe Clinton should be McCain’s opponent, I think that a republican is more likely to vote for a woman than a black man.

This is absolutely 100% my opinion and understanding of this country from what i hear, what i observe, having lived there and having most of my friends and family still living there. Now, i want to hear what you think. Feel free to post a comment or two. Or answer the poll question on the right. Is the US more sexist or more racist?

Well, i never considered myself an anarchist, but here you have it. I’m boycotting something. I’m boycotting CNN. Their tag line is “the most trusted name in news”. Seriously? How can we trust you, if you refuse to acknowledge that there are other countries out there. Dear CNN, did you know that the world does not, actually, revolve around the USA? That there are a few billion of us who don’t actually give a damn if we miss yet another Obama/Clinton debate? That taking a break from reporting on the primaries to spend 7 days talking about the New York governor’s affair is not actually good news reporting?

I used to fervently believe that Obama was the best democratic choice. Politics used to fascinate me. And now, CNN has single-handedly managed to turn me off politics. Maybe it’s cuz i’m generation X and i have the attention span of a goldfish, but seriously, a contest that lasts over 6 months, really, i promise you, looses steam very, very quickly.

Here is my plea to CNN, in the name of cosmopolitanism. We live on Earth. Earth is comprised of many countries. Each country, believe it or not, has newsworthy events. In order to up the awareness and IQ of your people, reporting on what is happening in other countries might actually be a good thing. Oh, and then, if you even spend just 10 minutes per hour reporting on what else is happening around the world, well then, maybe you could make a bold claim like being “the most trusted name in news”… And no, good looking anchors like Anderson Cooper not longer dissipate my anger.

But what makes me so mad (you know, like even MADDER than i was in the paragraph above!), and, unfortunately, i can’t really blame it on CNN, is the fact that i feel like we’re the only ones to see that the longer the democrats fight it out, the more power they’re giving to the republicans. I made a prediction on this blog a few months back, and i continue to maintain it. At the time, there were other democratic candidates, and i had said, if either Hillary or Obama get the nomination, then i guarantee the next POTUS will be a republican. I still believe that. Only time will tell, but in this case, pleeeease can time just hurry the hell up?

As you know, i’m a strong supporter of Oprah. I think she’s a smart, independent woman who has risen from a very difficult start, to a very influential person in today’s world. Am i proud of her because she’s a woman? Sure, woman are very “patriotic” that way, we stand together because many, many women in our history have fought real hard to give us the standing we can enjoy in most of the Western world today. Seeing the situation of women in the Middle East and Africa makes this fact even more obvious. BUT, at the same time, i would respect anyone with a story like Oprah’s, somehow who started from an unprivileged background to become one of the most successful people in their field.

So why does everyone always come down so hard on Oprah? I’m sure she doesn’t need me defending her, but seriously, do we really enjoy criticizing people who do well? You ask some people, and all they know of Oprah is some chat show host you went through her whole life having weight issues. NEWSFLASH! We haven’t discussed Oprah’s weight issues for years now, instead, her politics, her thoughts, her books, her charities, her movies… all of these things have been a lot more in the forefront than her weight issues in the 90s. So don’t give me the “well that’s all people talk about”, no they don’t! It’s what you choose to remember.

Now, the poor woman makes a choice and stands by a political candidate, and she gets grief for too?For one, if she didn’t make a choice, she would be criticized for not having the guts to take a stand. So, in case some of you hadn’t noticed, Oprah is a black woman. Turns out, 1 democratic candidate is a woman, the other is black. So how illogical is it for women across the country to criticize her for supporting Barack Obama and being unfaithful to women? Um, hello? So if she supported Hillary, we’d criticize her for supporting a white candidate??? So, let me get this right. She doesn’t express her opinion, she gets shot down. She DOES express her opinion, she gets shot down… man, sux to be a prominent figurehead.

For one, i think she is an amazing role model. She teaches us not to follow her blindly, instead, she gives us the tools to empower yourselves, as women, as citizens of the world, as human beings. If you could put aside your sarcasm and opinionated mindset, you might find that you can relate to a few things that Oprah has to say. Don’t vote for Barack Obama because Oprah supports him. Don’t vote for Hillary because she’s a woman like you. For Pete’s sake, women voters! Do what you do best. Combine your logic and your intuition and LISTEN to both messages. Then find which one rings truer to your situation and your heart. Judge them not for their gender or the color of their skin, we’ve evolved, we’re smart human beings, we are better judges of character than that… and stop judging Oprah for her choices and weight issues.

I’ll stop preaching now…

The Lost Season 4 premiere is on TV tonight, and so, i’ve spent some time watching recaps online (no, not spoilers, recaps)! It’s interesting what you realize when you watch a summarized version of the show. For example, on youtube, there’s an 8-minute video that summarizes Seasons 1-3, it’s awesome for someone who has actually seen the show to remind you of certain events.

One thing that transpires is the dedication with which Ben has been trying, all this time to block the signal to the island. The 1st time the signal was released was during the crazy event when the hatch blew up after Desmond chose not to turn the key. So, for a few minutes, the island was visible to the outside world, and that’s why Season 2 ended with us seeing those scientists/researchers up North somewhere, and their board lights up pinpointing the location of the island.

The ext time is when Charlie releases the signal just before dying, and so now, it is possible for them to use Neomi’s phone. And when Ben sees that, he becomes terrified, like we’ve never seen him before. Let’s not forget, Ben was a child when his dad was working for the Dharma initiative, and somehow, i think, something he saw there made him want to eliminate everyone from the Dharma initiative (and they all ended up in that mass grave in which he threw Locke).

Seeing Ben by the tower, litterally begging Jack not to make that call, telling him that The Others are actually the good people (although, um, that was pushing it, we do remember what they did to the Losties, don’t we?). But think about it. Locke suddenly sees Walt standing over him in the grave, and Walt obviously lets him in on something really important, telling him there’s work to do, and hours later, he’s hunted his group down and is threatening them if they make that call.

And now we also see that, in the future, Jack is obviously regretting his decision to leave the island, and even left me with the impression that maybe not everyone got off? Confused. Anyway, my thoughts are that Ben is in the casket, and he died, and now Jack realizes that Ben was right all along and he should ahve listened to him. When the funeral director asked him “friend or family” and he said “Neither”, it can only mean that it was someone that he hated (otherwise, why else would he be so upset), but that someone, he felt compelled to go visit, someone who was maybe not liked by many people (no one showed up), someone who maybe doesn’t have any family (again, no one showing up)… um, hello? Can you say BEN?

anway, your thoughts on who is in the casket please. VOTE NOW on the poll on the right hand side of this blog.as

Well Lost is back tomorrow, finally, and seeing that everything else on tv is not even worth the effort of hitting the ON button on your remote control, i have really high hopes for this return. If for some reason, you haven’t started watching lost, or, like a few people i know, you’re one season behind because you’d rather watch the full season on DVD, well, then… tough luck… i’m gonna be discussing what’s going on, so if you don’t want to know, STOP READING NOW!

ok, well, i’d love to hear from you. What’s going on? Why is Jack so upset that they left the island? How quickly did you get that this was a flash forward and not a flashback? Who is in the coffin? Who is Neomi and who does she work for? Who did they get rescued by? Who is Jacob? What convinced Locke not to leave the island? Were you sad to see Charlie die? Where is Walt, how did he suddenly appear to Locke? And for the love of all that’s unholy, what is Ben’s problem??? He’s soooo creepy, with his little beady eyes…

I have to say, this story is reeeeally complicated, and i’m actually thankful for the refresher we saw today. Actually, i’m gonna put a poll up for Lost viewers… i want your opinions on who you think is in the coffin. If none of the options you want are in the poll, feel free to reply to this post.

Well, that’s it, i’m just excited and can’t wait for tomorrow, only thing is, i might just record it, because if it’s anything like today, there was a commercial break every 7 minutes!!! Cheers ABC! Can’t you just pay your writers and give them what they want, so that we can get quality tv back and you don’t feel you have to triple on the advertising you feed us?

Part of the cosmopolitanism philosophy is the acceptance that no nation, culture or political model is better than another, that there are pros and cons for each, but that they each have a reason for existence. After all, each culture, nation and regime exists because it grew from a need for this ideology. If no one agreed with it, no one would adhere to it. There aren’t enough people in this world that can be mass-coerced to adhere. So should we be looking at the tribal way of life in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq (I mention them because they’re on our daily news, so I figure everyone knows where these countries are) and feel sorry for their backward way of life? I’m not sure.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein. I think that the tyrant deserved to be held accountable for his crimes. Should we show social responsibility by sticking around once we remove a dictator to ensure that the country will fall back on its feet? Possibly. But the very least we owe the citizens of that country is to see the world through their eyes. How did they get to this point? What motivated them to remain / accept this regime? Are you telling me that 25K+ Iraqi citizens have been sitting there praying for the brave westerners to rescue them? Really? Convince me, I dare you!

But we’re there now. So let’s see the world through their eyes for one moment. Can we honestly claim that democracy is a better regime that the country should aspire to establish? Why? Because it allows individuals to have their own rights and create their own wealth? Sure, that sounds like a good reason, and apparently, in the West, we believe it is, that’s why most western countries have adopted it. But why would be so arrogant as to believe that it will work best all over the world? Why do we think we’re doing other countries a favor by encouraging democracy?

It’s like criticizing woman in Islamic societies for wearing the hijab. Have you tried speaking to one of them and suggesting that they should be independant and non-submissive? Good luck with that! Yes, there will be a large number of them who will allow themselves to dream for a couple of seconds, and imaging the independant life they could be living, with their own goals and careers. And then they will submissively resign themselves to the current state of things. But! But, there’s a huge number of them will defend their choice and their way of life. They respect it and want it that way… It’s the way they’ve been brought out, to take care of the house and the family, and to think of the community before they think of their individual desires… And this is less noble than a career-minded western woman because….?????

I’m struggling to understand all of this… I should probably not think of the state of the world at 2am… *sigh*