April 28, 2010

"Bigoted" woman begot it

For those who care about the UK election, it seems more and more interesting. As one of the first democracies in the world, and the example of political system for many countries, the UK election in this year is quite different, not only because of a possibility of hung parliament, but thanks to the tremendous influence of technology.

Because political aids are restricted limited on TV, online social media and networking websites are playing an unprecedented role, and Gordon Brown, who is ten years senior to the other two major candidates, looks much more clumsily under the never-ending limelight. His comment on a lady (calling her a bigoted woman, BBC) was caught by a microphone on his shirt, and the result is understandably disastrous. This will make the already-gloomy labor prospect even worse. On the contrary, the young, energetic, and multilingual (German, French, Spanish, Dutch plus English) Nick Clegg has taken advantage of the first ever television debate dramatically boosted the chance of his party, and the impact will be sustaining because of the electoral reform which will definitely benefit his party.

Technology does make a difference in politics, doesn't it? For leaders around the world, it's not too late to realize that. For those who can't even check emails (including Mr. John McCain), it's never too late to learn.

April 17, 2010

Disaster and unity

There have been many destructive earthquakes this year. It seems the movie "2012" is going to realize, which is clearly not a good news for people who don't have a billion euros. Also, considering the fact that those arks are being built in Tibet, I hope they are not affected by this earthquake.

National disasters are also tragic. People lose their lives. Survivors lose their home. But it is also a time to unite people. Just like Poland after the air crash, that country was united for a while. In China, there has also been sign of improvement.

For Han Chinese, most of them saw it on the TV that how bad the living conditions the Tibetans have, and how wrong the propaganda has been. This can change their previous perception that Tibetans are simply not thankful for the Chinese who help them raise their life quality.

For Tibetans, the rapid and timely rescue efforts really saved a lot of lives and many are, indeed, thankful to the government, even in front of the international media, without any sign of being forced to do so. For people around the world, they also see for the first time that there is cooperation and gratitude between Han Chinese and Tibetans sometimes.

True, this doesn't tell us a lot. This is just what government has to do. But I hope the bad things can help people to bridge their difference and live together peacefully. That depends on what people do after the disasters. If they do it like what Poles do to put the President's grave in the controversial cathedral, the natural disasters will turn into human disasters and people will turn from sadness to anger. If they do it like what Indonesians did in Aceh, they can help us find a solution which is beneficial for everybody.