Of feather pillows & gossip ……

Well, I think it’s fair to say, gossip is a favorite pastime with a lot of people. Gossip, unfortunately, has always and will always be an integral part of the social structure. Needless to say, we have all been victims or worse still carriers of gossip at least once in our lives…. I don’t believe that anyone can say NO to this. If you do, then I guess you’re a SAINT!

So, back to the question, what does GOSSIP & A FEATHER PILLOW have in common?

Story time.

A parishioner went up to the priest to unload his guilt about the act of gossiping ~ so what harm was done exactly, he asks … So the priest asked the parishioner to go back home … take a feather pillow & a knife with him up onto the roof of a high building.. Give it a slash and see what happens…

So, the parishioner did as he was told … he took a pillow & a knife … went up onto the roof & slashed it with all his might… Lo & behold… there were feathers & more feathers flying all over …. The parishioner then returned to the priest to report the act done. The priest proceeded to ask the parishioner to go back up & the roof … to RETRIEVE each and every feather that escaped from the pillow …

Well, that sums it up beautifully doesn’t it… Each and every word, no matter how juicy (whether with malicious intent, or not) that escapes from our mouths … can never be retrieved fully …  So, the harm & the hurt is done. There no turning back. Food for thought.

Believe it or not, I got this story from the movie DOUBT featuring Meryl Streep & Philip Seymour Hoffman ….. Philip plays Father Brendan Flynn who is a victim of Meryl’s character Sister Aloysius Beauvier prejudice. She goes on a personal vendetta to flush out his so called sins..purely based on her suspicions and nothing else… In an act to voice out his displeasure, Father Brendan gave a sermon on GOSSIP by telling the above story …. Stellar movie…stellar performances. I loved it…

 

The significance of Dec 1 …

It is World Aids Day …. 

And I’m happy to report Bolehland’s efforts in promoting awareness amongst the people …

Well, the word “CONDOM” is banned on air. For the adult audience, I’m sure the move is purely designed to remove a certain stirring in the loins that the word might elicit. That’s a big NO NO of course. For the PG rating audience, they should not be exposed to such a word as it might give them ideas about having sex too early.

Such is Bolehland’s ingenuity, such is Bolehland’s sincerity in promoting awareness.

Fact is, people with HIV/AIDS are still affected by the stigma attached to the disease. This is prevalent in workplaces, schools and even amongst healthcare workers. It was reported in the NST today that some private hospitals have refused to accept expentant mothers who have AIDS and there were incidences where doctors refused to do the surgery. Well, that’s because people are unsure how to deal with HIV/AIDS patients. There is a lack of AWARENESS!!!!!

Prof Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman, the president of the Malaysian AIDS Council and Chairman of the Malaysian AIDS foundation has said “We are not able to give out proper information about AIDS and how people get infected ….”

Well, are you surprised ….. you’re not allowed to use the word “C _ _ D _ _ ” remember?

STOP AIDS. Keep the promise.

 

Hmmm … there’s a checklist for midlife crisis symptoms?

I read with amusement that day when a local newspaper did an editorial on the human behavior of people suffering from mid life crisis. 

Now, this social phenomena can impact homo sapiens from 40  up to 60 years of age. Hmm…. wouldn’t that mean the Roaring Fortiers fall into the early stages of this band ….. YIKES!

From what I gather, you can actually formulate a checklist of sorts for symptoms of this ‘it-which-cannot-be-named’ mental ailment ……… Now, if you’re between 40 – 60 years old & you answer YES to one or more of the questions below, …. it signals the onset of … umm…, for lack of a better word, the ‘crisis’ …..   Don’t cheat ok?

Hmm, its a YES for me on the brushing & flossing (that’s 1), checking for white hair (2), taking supplements (3), umm …..  & the bungee jump thing (4) did come across my mind but my back disagrees …  Wow, 4/6 (two thirds majority, in election jargon) ……  Does that mean I ‘pass’ with flying colours? … Oops – That’s not exactly good, is it?! 

You might agree or disagree with the list - but … I’m seriously wondering, how did you fare??? Don’t be shy, tell me – TELL ME!!! Ahahahaha ….. let me be the first to start the ball rolling, I, moi, …… am supposed to be suffering a MID LIFE CRISIS!

WOO HOO!!!!!!! Bring on the bungee jumps!!!!!!!!!

The American Dream lives on…

I am a cynic where politics is concerned but I take my hats off to America.

Clichéd though it may sound, they have proven to the world that the American Dream does exist.  Let’s take a look at Barack Obama. He’s  a 47 year old Illinois Senator with  only 4 years experience. He was born in Hawaii. He  lived in Indonesia during his early adolescent years ..  AND he has Hussein for a middle name. And guess what  ….. he will be the 44th US President come January 20, 2009. The first black president in the history of the U.S.A.

He will be the most powerful man, in one of the most powerful nations in the world, for the next four years…at least.  

There’s no denying that  bigotry and prejudice exists in this vast continent. It exists everywhere for God’s sake. But it appears quite a few Americans managed to look past the colour of his skin and his middle name and voted for change.  It was not about the individual. It was about the cause.

349 electoral votes vs. 162. A clear endorsement. 

Some say that the Republicans got voted out as a result of the economic crisis. Brushing critics aside,  the majority of Americans scored high in the department of racial acceptance.  It was only 45 years ago, that the height of the civil rights movement brought on by Martin Luther King came into play. Those were times when segregationist policies in the South were still being practised. And yet today, … America has voted for a black President. A black president in white America. A historic moment indeed.

The NST reported yesterday that Obama once said at the 2004 Democratic National Convention: “As I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents’ dreams live on in my two precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all those who came before me, and that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.” …  “Only in America.”

I couldn’t agree more. Only in America.

Will there ever be a similar story told in Bolehland … the land that I live on …, I wonder? Only if you believe in miracles, I suppose.

 

Watch out! It’s LOOKISM folks……

Wow, I think a lot of us are still a bit stunned at the shocking revelation by the ceremony’s music director Chen Qigang about the little girl who was just not pretty enough to show up to sing live at the Beijing Olympics Opening ceremony.

The little song bird Yang Pei Yi, who was slated to be a rising star, has buck teeth and a chubby face.

When interviewed by the Beijing People’s Broadcasting Station, music chief Chen said that leaders from various government agencies came to watch the opening ceremony rehearsals in the Bird’s Nest and “…a leader from the Politburo, who gave us his opinion, (said) this has to change”.

So the cuter pig tailed Lin Miaoke came into the picture. She was apparently “flawless in image, internal feelings, and expression”.  Oh, but can she sing? Not good enough obviously. Solution, get Lin Miaoke to lip sync the recording of patriotic song Ode to the Motherland  sung by Yang Pei Yi as China’s national flag was carried into the stadium, a key moment in the three hour ceremony.

In the end ….  What we heard, was the perfect voice of Yang. What we saw, was the perfect face of Lin. Problem solved. 

My two sen worth. There’s a word in the English Language for discrimination or prejudice based on appearance. It’s not widely used but can be found in major English Language dictionaries. The word is  LOOKISM.  The word may be uncommon but sadly, this form of discrimination is NOT so uncommon. Let’s see how lookism is practised as defined by Wikipedia:

• “Researchers have found that good looking students get higher grades from their teachers than students with an ordinary appearance.
• … attractive patients receive more personalized care from their doctors.
• Studies have even shown that handsome criminals receive lighter sentences than less attractive convicts.
• How much money a person earns may also be influenced by physical beauty. One study found that people low in physical attractiveness earn 5 to 10 percent less than ordinary looking people, who in turn earn 3 to 8 percent less than those who are considered good looking.”

What is beauty? Some people say beauty is all about symmetry. Some say it is youth. The media also strongly promotes beauty as being light on the scales. The whitening cream people will tell you its a fair & white complexion. The list is endless. What happened to – Inner beauty. Grace. Personality. Intelligence. Elegance. Charm. Oh well, you might as well throw it out of the window I guess. Useless, they say. Not so useless, I say.

Universal though lookism may be, the perception of beauty is however a harder subject to tackle. Just how do we discriminate between a beauty and a non beauty. It is not an exact science I’m afraid. It isn’t just about the pursuit of the perfect symmetry or looks. I’m sure if you throw a Twiggy like figure (when she was young) in front of Michelangelo he’d flip in his grave. After all, he is responsible for producing the sculpture of David which is a famous work on symmetry.  If stout figures were desirable during the Victorian Ages, its obviously history. Today, the complete opposite look is desirable. Stick thin figures rule bringing on the onset of eating disorders like bulimia & anorexia.  But then again, our perception of beauty is very much influenced by the media and the entertainment industry. So kudos to brandnames like Dove who have promoted advertisements featuring plus size women and ordinary day to day women.

Beauty is also culturally sensitive. A Polynesian man would view a woman with an ample figure of voluptuous proportions as beautiful, but in other cultures this very same woman could be labled ‘obese’. Or if you throw a bride in front of a tribal man in the Lao Cao region (in Vietnam) with a row of straight, WHITE teeth, he’d say – she’s not beautiful enough. Bring the charcoal – her front teeth need to be blackened. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder indeed!

I’d like to end this blog with a tribute to Little Yang Peiyi, you might not be considered pretty enough to be shown in the Olympics ceremony but hey, you’re beautiful enough in our eyes. You have a beautiful voice and you are beautiful in your own way, buck teeth and all.  Beauty is skin deep but inner beauty lasts forever.

P.S. Here’s a little glossary for those who are not too familiar with 2 expressions with the word beauty in it:

• Beauty lies/is in the eye of the beholder – Literal meaning. It means that beauty is very much an individual opinion. Different people might have different perceptions of beauty.
• Beauty is skin deep. – It alludes to the fact that physical beauty is superficial. Outward appearance is not as important as inner beauty.

Snobbery is alive & kicking!

I’m ‘happy’ to report that snobbery is alive and kicking. Name dropping. Flaunting of wealth. Flaunting of education. Just to name a few.

Snobs look down on people who are part of groups that they regard as inferior or flaunt their wealth in order to make others feel inferior. They say women carry the torch for snobbery dictating the likes of ‘where to live’, ‘what to wear’. ‘whom to see’. ‘what to drive’ ….. ummm, I’m not too sure about the last claim on ‘what to drive’ … but I think snobbery is non discriminating between sexes & let’s face it, its UNIVERSAL ….

Here are some accounts of snobbery which I have encountered or heard of …

Professional SNOB -  A lawyer friend has had his shirts scrutinised & ties flipped .. he’s had to suffer comments such as this “What on earth are you wearing, John Master?”. “You’re a lawyer. For God’s sake get a decent shirt”.  This same lawyer friend also preferred taking the LRT to the courts (those days when it was next to the Sultan Abdul Samad building) to avoid traffic jams. Needless to say, he received due admonishment for this blaspheme to the profession … “Hey, you’re a lawyer aren’t you – not an L.A. (legal assistant) - why on earth are you taking an LRT?”…. Sigh…. talk about job hazards – keeping up an appearance apparently is top priority in this profession. Well, today, this friend has stepped up and his SNOB friends would be proud of him as he drives a Merc & sports Hugo Bosses …. Apparently the new look is good for business. Clients are more confident of lawyers who are well dressed, hence they get more business. This is the very mantra preached in “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” - Robert Kiyosaki’s and Sharon Lechter’s best selling book on how to achieve financial independence through investing, real estate, owning businesses, and the use of finance protection tactics. They say the broker who is clothed expensively and drives the flashy car gets the business, as he projects the image of success & accomplishment in his ventures. ….  So do not downplay the ‘importance’ of snobbery in life. It has an economic, and socio economic role to play. No wonder, a lot of car nappers now come cloaked in expensive clothes & they too drive expensive cars to hoodwink unsuspecting drivers leading up to a successful car nap …  

Car SNOB - A friend of ours was recounting how knowledgeable her nephew was about cars & apparently he was raving about the Proton Persona (for reasons I have forgotten) & her nephew recommended that she buy it. She then proceeded to tell me with a cringe shaped into her face,  ”We are not interested in local cars like Proton….we prefer Japanese cars”.  Fat Dragon & I both drove Protons then … umm… it took us from Point A to Point B…. but yeah …. the goal of snobbery achieved… it made us feel inferior… just for a few seconds maybe …. But hey, don’t underestimate the powers of snobbery, we have changed one of our cars to a Japanese car - ahahahaahahah!   

Wine SNOB - A friend told us he was entertaining a customer at a BISTRO in Centre Point, Bandar Utama. The customer insisted on buying the wine. When shown the wine list (with prices ranging in the lesser hundreds) by the owner of the establishment, the customer frowned and said ‘Is that the best you can offer?”. “Get me your most expensive wine!”.  A thousand ringgit wine apparently was produced & till today, this friend of ours doesn’t remember what wine it was … only the price! What a laugh! For all you know the wine was not worth half the price. The price was probably inflated during the night itself…. Well that’s what wine snobbery is about. It’s all about lables  & prices.

(I had the opportunity to speak to a wine trader who travels round France to purchase boutique wines (i.e. wines from smaller, less commercialised private family owned vineyards) recently and he says that Malaysians do not really know their wines. So, they rely heavily on reviews, lables & price.  Don’t be surprised if someone tells you that a certain wine, which has received great reviews, tastes good even though it has oxidised (which is not surprising given poor storage conditions and the temperature in M’sia). But I guess you can’t blame us. Traditionally, we are not wine drinkers hence we’re not so educated in the science of tasting wine .. (for an idea what to look out for, check out this link)…. but don’t tell that to the Wine Snob… lables and the size of the price matters.)   

Travel SNOB - Fat Dragon & I have encountered more than a scoff or two when we told people that we planned to travel to Mt. Bromo, Indonesia. “Where?”. “Why are you going to Indonesia, of all places? “. But critics have been silenced when they saw pictures of our travels there. Another example is when I was asked by a friend where I thought would be a nice city to go  ….I mentioned Beijing & I received a weird look. I guess Asians expect answers like London, New York…or whatever snob place alike … but hey – I don’t think I need to defend my answer after the Olympics this year. The city can boast of a few more places of interest which have reached an iconic status i.e. the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube … but hey – I don’t wish to impose my travel preferences on you lest I be labled a snob too…..

Job SNOB - Oh, this tops the list. The snobs of society ….. do not view free lancing, home based activities  …. & being a housewife as a REAL JOB. I can attest to this being a free lancer myself and many a homemaker friend has also complained that when they are asked what they do … people just give a polite  & sympathetic smile in response when you answer “Home Maker”… More than a few ‘home makers’ have found themselves trying to justify how busy they are ferrying their children & attending to the household needs …. so, I say… RELAX. There are some of us who are not SNOBS….  we may not be the majority given that snobbery is in the pink of health but “we are out there”… ! So, I’d like to toast all freelancers & homemakers out there who dare to be different, who listen to your hearts & who sacrifice yourselves for the sake of others. Kudos to you & don’t mind those who think you are any lesser. Just think of them as being foolish enough to succumb to a weak, malicious vice ….  

Snobbery is really not all bad. It does have an economic role which is exploited by high end retailers. Mission: Target the branded snob. This group dictates a certain brand name as a ‘must have’. Then a group of ’followers’ takes this for the gospel truth. They in turn flock to buy this ‘must have’ to keep up with the Jones.  Believe it or not, this very mechanism keeps up the purchasing interest for branded items ………………… Just take the latest I Phone for example. A consumer who lined up 2 days to be one of the first to buy the phone during its launch in Japan, said he realized that the phone has Blue Tooth limitations but he said because its an ‘IN’ thing & since everybody raves about it as a ‘must have’, he too needed to purchase one. 

Like I said, snobbery is alive, kicking & in the pink of health. A word of caution … don’t let it turn into a malicious DISEASE!  Believe me, you & I are guilty of snobbery be it consciously or unconsciously, some time or other … Just be mindful that snobbery when practised with malicious intent is damaging and hurtful. And, if you’re the recipient of snobbery, hey – don’t be victimised by it. Just sit back, take the good and laugh at the bad of it.

 

No end to Hollywood cliches!

The Free Online Dictionary defines cliche as :

“A cliché (from French, klɪ’ʃe) is a phrase, expression, or idea that has been overused to the point of losing its intended force or novelty, especially when at some time it was considered distinctively forceful or novel. The term is generally used in a negative context.”

The operative word here being ‘overused’ & Hollywood is good at it!

It sucks to go to the movies these days. Ever since Iron Man came into the circuit 2 months ago, Malaysian movie goers have been hit with one superhero movie after another!  There is the Incredible Hulk, Wanted, Hancock, Hellboy 2 ………….. We are completely inundated – I mean it was fun at the beginning but then we’ve seen one too many unassuming fellows, millionaires & even drunkards turning into buffed up superhero types. Why is Hollywood so cliched? It’s like flogging a dead horse I say. Please GIVE US A BREAK!

It doesn’t just happen with movie themes. Let’s take the film stars or should I say the babies of film stars for example. When one starts having a baby, suddenly everyone’s having babies. It’s suddenly fashionable to show baby bumps, to wear designer maternity evening gowns down the red carpet etc with the likes of Angelina Jolie, Christina Aguilera, Nicole Ritchie, Cate Blanchett, Jessica Alba etc. (Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against pregnancy or babies but it is the overpublicity and hype that goes with it now. 10 years ago when movie stars became pregnant, they avoided cameras, much less strut down the red carpet … hardly any designer would be interested in dressing them then – but that was the cliche back then).

It is also suddenly fashionable to be adopting babies i.e. Angelina (AGAIN) , Madonna, Nicole Kidman (although she professes to be Aussie – but lets face it Nicole, Hollywood made you) . Hey, we’re not even talking about adopting American babies, we are taking it one humanitarian step further! They adopt Vietnamese children, African, Cambodian children etc. Well, good for the kids really but then how cliched it all is. I sincerely hope that these are genuine moves and not  publicity stunts. Are these children going to actually get the sincere love and attention of these glamourous stars or are they just going to be part time children – raised mainly by expensive nurses & nannies. You tell me.

Talking about cliches, reality shows top the list. It all started with ‘Survivor’, and then you have all the other shows ‘The Amazing Race’, ‘The Apprentice – Donald Trump’, ‘The Apprentice – Martha Stewart’, ‘Project Runway’, ‘America’s Top Model, “Bachelor’, ‘Bachelorette’, ‘The Contender’, ‘Hell’s Kitchen’, ‘Restaurant Makeover’, ‘Trading spaces’, ‘While You Were Out’ (The list is endless) …. And then the reality shows took it a step further by tying in with phone companies to sweeten the deal further - so you end up with shows like  ’American Idol’, ‘So You Think You Can Dance’, ‘Dancing with the Stars’ & god knows how many more which sizzled out early….

It’s all fine at the beginning to see all these contestants or reality show participants fight it out for the million dollar contracts or prize money or dream job, from surviving the jungle to boxing to modeling to cooking – you name it …..(umm, wonder if there are any reality shows for porn – oh dear…don’t tell me – I don’t wanna know!!!!!).

In short, you get hit with one series after another. You wonder ……. have they run out of fresh ideas???? The original brainchild behind this idea struck gold really. It not only boosted network ratings, it was lucrative too from the merchandising and advertising point of view especially shows like Project Runway & The Apprentice. Don’t we just love the back biting, back stabbing, the politicking etc of it?  Now the wonderful thing is, based on the ratings, it is evident that some of these shows have been highly successful – so in essence, we love seeing people scratch & claw their way to success.

Then you begin to wonder……Is society too becoming cliched? Yikes, God help us!

Give us something new before we turn into walking cliches!

P.S. Check out this link for more Hollywood cliches related to Movie Plots….. Good one!

P.P.S. I have another Hollywood cliche to add to the link above … there is almost always a token Asian role created nowadays & most times they are either the supporting roles or the baddie roles …. sigh!

Passing the buck generation…….

Well, there have been many titles coined for the various generations… baby boomers, Gen X, Gen Y & apparently now its the Cosmic Generation. Whatever it is, a few personal experiences has prompted this blog. It is making me rethink whether the new generation of today deserves such lofty titles. I think a simple Passing the Buck generation will suffice.  

Well..the young today seem to have silver spoons ingrained in their mouths..or should I say golden spoons.

With the maid culture and all, I have personally witnessed children screaming at the top of their voices to the maids for a drink to be brought right in front of them when the kitchen could only be a few feet away from them.

The work culture has also changed. The youths today seem to be the ones selecting the jobs asking more questions of the employers i.e. “Is it 5 day week?” “How many days leave do I have” etc. A friend even told us that an applicant came late and he had the cheek to say the he was late because it was his mother’s fault. She was late picking him up. Hey, if you’re old enough to look for a job, you should be well equipped to go for an interview on your own, right? This is just one example but I notice the youths today are filled with  excuses, excuses, excuses. There is no accountability at all. It’s always someone elses fault. Sigh.  

Where has their sense of responsibility gone? Is it their inborn nature or is it their upbringing?

2 cases in point.

A young staff wanted to take off earlier from work despite the prevalence of a deadline to be met. He apparently had to attend his father’s (a renowned corporate figure) birthday party. The superior refused to release him. Lo and behold, the HR dept got a call the next day ticking them off for working his son so late the day before. Believe it or not.

A manager and her team went for a marketing visit. The visit was to be followed up by a formal quotation. Despite the manager’s urging & threats, the quotation was not done and the manager had to do it herself, or risk losing a lucrative deal. The young staff just didn’t care. All they had to lose was their jobs.  Believe it or not.

Well, believe it. There are a lot of children out there whose parents have already set aside trust funds for them, insurance funds, investment funds – you name it & quite a few have 6 digit account figures. Seriously, their monthly salary is probably just treated as pocket money for shopping.

I say the young have become a passing the buck generation because they feel that there’s always someone who will pick up after them. Someone who will come up with a safety net when they fall. I fear that the young today will have very high IQ’s but very low EQ’s. Being apart of the cosmic generation also means that their lifestyles have also turned inward as they get more and more preoccupied with computers, computer games, surfing etc. How well does the social media of today help develop a child’s EQ, their sensitivities towards others, their sense of caring, their appreciation of others? How well does Facebook, WAYN, Friendsters etc develop us emotionally?  How well does the social media of today inculcate values such as responsibility, accountability etc?

Well, you tell me.   

 

Is life so cheap in Malaysia…?

In the wake of the 16th National Service trainee death, there has been a huge public outcry but the authorities have responded in a way that begs the question …. Is life really so cheap in Malaysia?  

Check out these 2 excerpts taken from articles printed in our local newspapers …

1. NST - 10th of May on why the National Service will not be scrapped.  

“National Service Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kecil reiterated that the training programme will not be scrapped “just because of one or two deaths (this year*)”. (Read full article here…..)

*Note: Mind you, we’re not even talking abt a full year… its barely half a year to date!

2. The Star - 15th of May on why the NS trainees death should not be debated in the Parliament:

“AN opposition MP expressed dissatisfaction that emergency motions tabled to discuss the death of a national service trainee and the Internal Security Act were rejected by the Speaker……..

….Manogaran was referring to Fong Po Kuan (DAP–Batu Gajah)’s emergency motion to debate the latest death of a trainee on Tuesday which was dismissed on the grounds that it was not urgent.” (Read full article here….)

I am saddened by the words used in relation to the deaths of the NS trainees. Is life so cheap in Malaysia that  ‘just because one or two’ of them die, the figure is not significant enough to be classified as urgent? And, because it is  ‘not urgent’,  does it mean that it can be reduced to a mere statistic? 

So what would a significant statistic be … obviously, not one or two, right? What about 16 deaths over the past 4 years, would that be a significant or an insignificant figure? An average of 4 deaths a year, significant or insignificant? Well, significant or not, even 1 is too many for the parents of the deceased children.  

The youths of today represent the nation’s future. They could have been the leaders of tomorrow, they could have been mothers, fathers to the generation after.  But… we will never know would we, coz they’re no longer here with us. 

Aren’t we supposed to be warm, loving, caring Malaysians? I would like to think that the answer to my question is “NO, LIFE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE CHEAP IN MALAYSIA!” …  So, would it be too much to ask for a little more sensitivity displayed ……..?  To quote opposition MP Manogaran “If the death of a national service trainee is regarded as non-urgent to discuss in the Dewan, I do not know what else is urgent.”

Please have some HEART!!!!

P.S. A partial summary of 11 NS trainee names & the respective circumstances of deaths(including Too Hui Min’s – the latest casualty), is available in this link.

… what happened to Carly’s Jesus Christ Superstar?????

We had to bid farewell to Carly Smithson on American Idol (AI) tonight. It was inevitable I suppose given AI’s reputation as a popularity contest as opposed to a talent contest. At least she made it to the Top 6.

My contention however is not with the results. My contention is with ASTRO.  If you caught AI tonight, you would notice that Carly Smithson sang Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar again. But you would not be able to catch the whole song & it was censored  blatantly when the chorus started …… “Jesus Christ, Superstar….”

Well, I question the reason for this. Is this because of religious sensitivities? Is it a timing issue? I’d like to think it was for the latter but I suspect, NO.  

All I can say is songs & lyrics are just part of an artistic expression. It was a rock song from the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” which told a tale of a certain historical personality. In this case of Jesus Christ. It was not a piece of religious propaganda. It was not a piece sung to convert non believers. Think of it logically, Andrew Lloyd Webber is no evangelist…. It’s ART for goodness sake.

Voice of Judas
Every time I look at you
I don’t understand
Why you let the things you did
Get so out of hand
You’d have managed better
If you’d had it planned
Now why’d you choose such a backward time
And such a strange land?If you’d come today
You could have reached the whole nation
Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication
Don’t you get me wrong
Don’t you get me wrong
Don’t you get me wrong, now
Don’t you get me wrong
Don’t you get me wrong
Don’t you get me wrong
Don’t you get me wrong, now
Don’t you get me wrong

Only want to know
Only want to know
Only want to know, now
Only want to know
Only want to know
Only want to know
Only want to know, now
Only want to know

Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
Who are you? What have you sacrificed?
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
Who are you? What have you sacrificed?
Jesus Christ
Superstar
Do you think you’re what they say you are?
Jesus Christ
Superstar
Do you think you’re what they say you are?

 

                                                     …………. (for full lyrics, click here)

 

 

 

Tell me, if you heard the song & you read the lyrics above, would you be compelled to alter your religious beliefs. Would you be compelled to do anything besides express musical appreciation. It was but a beautiful piece of rock music with lyrics sung in context with the theme of the musical. Fullstop. Nothing more, nothing less. Please don’t butcher ART.