Colors speak -- This or that? - 2

Colors attract. Colors speak. No, it is not figurative. This-or-that can hear the language of colors too.

Once he was sitting alone in a park bench. He saw two colors speaking to each other. Speaking is a mild word. They are shouting at each other. One color was White - khadi white, and the other was Red. White was accompanied by a person named Economist. Excerpts:

White: "Ha..Ha..I am the ruler."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

Red: "You think like that? I will pull you down."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

Red jumped ferociously after this. This-or-that heard someone crying with pain. But it was not White's cry. This-or-that was puzzled.

White (meekly): "I am not the ruler."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

Red: "We will decide the fate."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

White: "No. I am not the ruler. We are the rulers."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

Red: "That's better."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

White: " Ha..Ha.. We are the winners. Winners take them all. Ha..Ha..Winners take them all from the London banks."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

They jumped with joy. This-or-that still heard the cry - the cry from the heart but he was puzzled as he could not see the source of that wail.

Red: "What is two plus two?"

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

White immediately warned Economist that he was not supposed to tell "Yes" when a question was asked. Economist nodded his head at 50 cycles per second.

White: "Four according to Russian and Chinese mathematics books."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

Red: "Well done. Well done."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

They danced together. This-or-that still heard that cry. He decided to go a bit forward to see what was happening. He was shocked. White and Red were jumping on a poor old man - 59 years old man. The cry was from that man. This-or-that now knew the source of those cries. This-or-that had a hearty laugh when he came to know that White had told an American TV that two plus two was four according to American books. Economist, as usual, nodded when he was asked if it was right.

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Previous This-or-that feature is available here.

Cartoon, Insensitivity, and Violence

The media and the western leaders have successfully projected the cartoon issue as a conflict between the great quality of western democracies, free speech, and the dogmatism of islamic society, intolerance. The violence that followed should be condemned in strongest terms possible. At the same time, why has the dialogue to evaluate the responsibilities of free speech not been initiated by media as well as by the rhetorical speech of western leaders. The insight into the reasons for lack of such dialogues within western society might possibly unveil the true nature of free speech as practised by western countries.

Cartoon controversy - Few questions

The cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) were first published by Danish newspaper. Several European newspapers have caused outrage in the Muslim world by republishing them in support of the vague concept, freedom of press. Two issues involved here are depiction itself and its offensive content. Let us just ask few questions first - only questions.

1. How do you draw a line between "freedom of press" and "civic responsibility"?
2. Do we understand the difference between "freedom of power" and "freedom of expression"?
3. Can racially, or otherwise, offending abuses be justified in the name of freedom of expression?
4. Is creating fear is the only way through which abuses can be stopped?
5. Why do people, who say they are deeply hurt seeing their national flags burnt, are not able to see the hurt caused to the people by their "freedom of expression"?
6. In our society where symbols have an extraordinary sense of importance and meaning, do media have enough maturity to glorify and/or demean those symbols?
7. Why do we accept a societal model where innocents suffer?
8. Does scientific outlook, whatever that means, have anything to contribute constructively in the above issues?

This or that? - 1

Once a person, whose name is This-or-that, went to a Quiz programme.

This-or-that now remembers only this question: Who is the prime minister of India?

Everyone answered this question correctly except one who put up a brave face saying his answer was right. The answer he told was Sonia and maintained that the principle of division-of-labor was at work. His name, This-or-that forgot, was some Man-moiety Singh or Mater-mohan Singh or something like that.

PS: This-or-that now reads a book written by an economist on how to do an obedient somersault before natives and native-foreigners.