The food banks in the UK are swamped by demand and 9 million people have serious debt problems. TV covers celebrity court cases and Taylor Swift singing with a member of the Royal Family.
Philip A
28 November 2013
On “Rape of Delhi woman sparks protests in India”
Nearly about a year after the ghastly incident, I, like many other Indians, keep thinking about the insecurity of women and other vulnerable sections. I see a class bias in the nature of isolated reaction to one shocking incident and protests while ignoring the thousands of similar attacks, including those that took place during the weeks of those protests within Delhi. The media sensationalizes and based on the regional coverage, people (mostly middle class and the elite) across the country, or in some cities or towns, respond.
While I can understand their immediate human reaction, I also see an apathy to the attacks of less elite women in villages, urban slums etc. Those women are not considered as our “sisters”. But for many, it is hard to see the link between living conditions and crimes. The calls for death sentence are also bogus, while ignoring and even supporting the atrocities by military personnel in troubled areas and on illegal immigrants.
There is an increased campaign against the rights of accused and defence lawyers and advocates of human rights. It is visible from the dominating opinions in the web discussion forums like Yahoo. Police are using PR techniques like press meetings and presenting the suspects in hoods and making them confess their crimes to the media persons. That makes the gullible people shocked by the crime news, to accept police information as facts, and later resent court trials seeking objective evidence. I doubt such voluntary confessions, since I don’t see any reason for an accused in custody, covered by hood, to confess in public of his crimes.
But my question remains. What is the immediate means to control, if not stop, the attacks on women? In the absence of any better ways, is it wrong to seek administrative actions such as safe transportation, checks on transporters, CCTV surveillance and other superficial means, besides creating women’s groups, promoting public opinion against degenerative values, including capitalistic and consumer oriented as well as feudal? How do such short-term attempts hinder working people’s unity?
JP
India
28 November 2013
On “Will The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ‘stir up’ revolution?”
This review at 1,897 words is far too long for a trendy, commercial, genre film like this. The writing dwells too much on story reconstruction and unnecessary details.
The answer to the titular question—“Will The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ‘stir up’ revolution?”--is a flat “No.” I am surprised the review does not say this directly.
G
30 November 2013
***
Christine and David have written an exemplary review insightful in its critical intelligence and political analysis. Unfortunately (except for readers for wsws.org) it is a rare voice in our current world of critical malaise now contaminated by the “thumbs up/thumbs down”... While many self-styled political film journals founded 30-40 years ago have lost their original commitments and now produce mostly sub-standard, non-political fashionable academic/journalese articles often characterized by post-postmodernist banality, wsws.org continues to produce thought-provoking critical work.
In addition to the writings of David’s colleagues, Joanne, Hiram, and others, I again recommend his recently published book of critical articles. It is dedicated and sincere criticism of the highest order, an important continuation of the tradition represented by Literature and Revolution in the same way that wsws.org continues the political work of its founding figure.
Both this article and David’s book are essential reading and an ideal Christmas present. Please excuse my Black Friday and Christmas commercial promotion, but good work in any area does need “word getting out.”
Tony W
28 November 2013
On “Nearly a billion ocean-dependent people at risk because of global warming”
“Only under a rationally planned society based on social need can the preservation of the world’s oceans be assured.” This is a fair comment. However, without a global socialist revolution, despite objective causes present, this is impossible to achieve. We all are unwilling witnesses to a race between a rise in social and revolutionary consciousness of the broad masses, and an existential Armageddon driven by the profit, growth, and privilege system in which we live! But wait, there is also another competitor in that race: a spectre of world nuclear war, increasingly more evident as weeks pass. Both outcomes embedded in the DNA of capitalism and its twin, imperialism, as Karl Marx pointed out!
It’s not surprising that there is a paucity of debate on these twin existential threats to the very life on the planet, much less in the corporate media. The 19th Earth summit in Warsaw ended as predicted, as a talkfest, excluding the emotional appeal by the Filipino delegate, ending the most corporate-influenced gathering of that type, to date. Any guesses what the 20COP will bring us? Ha, ha! Illustrating the desperation of the scientific community, at the subsequent press conference, the world climatologists vowed to be more incisive and aggressive in the future, and combat the “deniers” and misinformation in the media. On our part, we, as Socialists, should reflect that commitment and yes, desperation, to inform, agitate and organise, organise, organise! It’s our very existence, as members of the human race, which is at stake.
Mirek S
NSW, Australia
29 November 2013