Footnote To Previous Post

[poliphilo]

By the way, did you see that Aung San Su Kyi- the long-suffering, all-but-sanctified heroine of Burmese democracy- is now heading up a government which imprisons more political opponents than the government that imprisoned her ever did?

Sigh.

As I was saying, we expect too much of our politicians...

Comments

[davesmusictank.livejournal.com]

We sure do. That is so sad too - what a hypocrite!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Politics is a dirty business. Saints (plaster or otherwise)need not apply.

[matrixmann]

If it is for the loudest praised "suppressed" and "heroes of democracy", I think, it's "one" declares the wrong people to be heroes.
I say "one", rather it's actually media, politicians from the own hemisphere and stupid people which can just spell the words "freedom, democracy and freedom of speech", but unfortunately have a loud mouth or a loud lobby behind them spreading their nonsensical shit. Such as celebreties, movie stars etc..
To say it clearly: Before people check themselves what the backgrounds of something are, they rather copycat what everyone else is saying, that somebody's a "hero" or a "freedom fighter", they just think superficially and barely much farer than their own doorstep.
And that's how such mistakes and errancies happen - to call somebody something positive, but in the end he turns out to be just another asshole like all the others in the same position before.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Life is too short to research every news story that comes along- and so we mostly accept that the people presented to us as heroes and villains are what we're told they are. I must say I accepted Aung San Su Kyi at face value but then what do I know about Burmese history and politics? With stories nearer home, where I know a bit of the background, I'd like to think I'm more discerning.

[matrixmann]

Hm, in that point I'm different for sure. In mistrust, I rather tend to research a few things if people start to call somebody "hero", just because I'm used to it that, in the end, this person is totally the opposite. Might be that I don't remember everything of the research for very long, but at least it keeps being backed up and saved in the back of my head "not everything is as it seems, that person is no hero".
Call it a thing of experience that I made with lots of the heroes that the West wants to sell to the world. By the time it is experience if you happen to discover always similar stories.

[fflo.livejournal.com]

Dang, really?

Reminds me of my being excited about Hugo Chavez.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I have similar feelings about Castro and the Cuban revolution...