Analysis of a Just World

In an eventful past month the unjustifiable world perplexed into a new dimension. The dead sun of another galaxy reached a world unaware that it was being visited by living history. Colombia has just about got its new president. The allied assault in Afghanistan has reportedly uncovered Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts (again). Britney Spears broke up with her boyfriend. Yet another China Airlines jet crashed (off the Taiwan straits). The Queen celebrated her golden jubilee (who cares?). The football World Cup started. Palestine got better. Britney got back with her boyfriend even quicker than it took me to write this much. Palestine got worse.

Reading the newspapers on a daily basis, I see things happen, unfold. Something happens; it rumbles on, seems to stumble towards a quasi-resolution, then a week later appears in the headlines a thousand times worse than it was in the first place. And then, irritably, a year later the story begins again at step one. You may mistake this little description as Israel – certainly not foolishly. Though it could be reminiscent of any problem in the world. Then there are the capitalist distractions of popular culture. Little things that dumb you down so that when you read the tragedies, they don’t have the effect they otherwise would. So caught up in a world of fake and make believe that when the all too real is before you, it doesn’t quite register as such. Even though bloody, horrible death is graphically portrayed in minute adjectival detail. And when the good news about these places appear, we are so caught up in another, virtual world, we don't recognise it; we disregard its existence.

So why is it always a problem or bad thing that reaches the international news pages, particularly the parts about the east and third world? Can’t we read about good outwith our own candy coated, Gucci driven society. Actually, if you peruse the Internet you may be aware of a news website dedicated to good news. It is called, funnily enough, Good News, and it focuses on the whole world. But that’s beside the point, I think.

And so I ponder. Some of you may be aware that everything you read is true. It is, you know. We westerners are the greatest. We do no wrong. We exist to be great. I see it now. Easterners exist to fuel our greatness. Here is where we begin to lose our way. There is no such thing as propaganda in the western press. It is all true, written by independent newspapers, by journalists free of any external influence, pressure or ideology. The stories you read infuse rich enjoyable tales of success. Even of poor, far-off lands. If only.

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