Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Now don't get me wrong.

I 100% sympathize for the innocent victims caught in the crossfire of the recent Iranian political standoff. What I'm finding difficult to grasp is why the world has turned to a blind eye to Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and countess others. It's as though "people are looking for something to stand up for RIGHT NOW vs. something ongoing and unmentioned." - a friend. Do we need visual proof of human suffering in order to take a stand? Have we forgotten about the images of the Palestinian father who was shielding his son from point blank, enemy fire, only to find them both left for dead?



father and son
father and son

father and son




Love me or hate me for this I really don't give a shit, but don't just stand up for one thing while forgetting about the rest.

My tears hold no solidarity to one particular nation or region. Neda Soltani's untimely departure was just a sad, but (un)necessary reminder of human injustice world wide.

Concerned Citizen

14 comments:

Yance said...

thats just how people operate brotha

it's like the whole 'free tibet' thing. as soon as beastie boys did it everyone jumped in

it's all sad tho

Mahassine said...

A never ending story! It's just a cycle in fact, each new event covers ongoing human suffering, until when? Only Allah knows! I just hope that one day we'll wake up...

Santi said...

that's the thing with media, it seems very sensational and impulsive, only hyping up recent developments. but that's the news.. i assure you iraq and afghanistan, palestine and israel, syria and lebanon, somalia and most of africa... actually i think africa has it the worst off since the congo has been in unrest for decades and no one.. no one cares..

also its the times, we can show solidarity, but what can we do? the recession has hit us so bad that we can't even afford to volunteer time or money.. i would join the peace or mercy corps, but im stuck with all these bills and im unemployed as of four months ago.. its a sad situation, but i assure you.. not forgotten at all.

Anonymous said...

oh eeb! i totally agree with you! . I Think that there is soo many issues with human rights in the world. However, the issue with Iran is pertinent to the entire middle east. Reason being, the entire political structure of the middle east will change if the government is over thrown in Iran. This impacts the entire mid-east.I do agree there is tones of issues that are being swept under the rug its up to us a people to look past that and support all human rights issues.

sachin @ rationalimperative.com said...

There's a term among political scientists who study the media known as the "issue attention cycle" which probably has a lot to do with your observations: remember how much attention swine flu was getting not too long ago? While the threat of pandemic has actually significantly increased since then (when the WHO raised the pandemic warning level recently, the media wasn't paying half as much attention to the issue), media attention has declined. That's because the most important criterion for what is "newsworthy" is how interested the audience is in the issue, not necessarily how important the issue is objectively speaking.

However, there is some justification to the extra coverage of the Iranian situation vs. other turbulent parts of the world (notably Pakistan right now) - middle eastern country hostile to american + revolt against theocratic regime because of democratic concerns + potential for nuclear armed Iran = an international media orgy (did I mention the media blackout there, which only adds to the allure?) but as soon as people stop being interested it won't be in the media as much

Unknown said...

Hey eeb.
To begin with, i'm a big french fan of your music since day one, and since then i have listened to it every morning. Whatever.
The point is, i've never been on your blog before today and what i see disappoints me. no judgement, but before sending informations to your fans, who are people like you and me, that just watch tv, be sure of what it is : that is to say : they can only agree with you because the fact is that medias make whatever they want out of our minds, they maniuplate people who are not aware of the real situations.
And to stick with the images you just put, about the father and his son, under "Israeli bullets" , there has been proofs that they were killed by palestinians bullets, not israeli's. And it was also on TV, just like these photos.

But like you said, you dont give a shit about what people think (people who are your fans and bought your album for some of them, including me)
so stop talking politics, and start talking music !

Peace

herve digeos said...

no more, no more... what can we do ?

Layla said...

Maxime just remember one thing : no matter whose bullets killed them, they died as many others and sadly, as many others will. This conflicts are part of our lives too? no matter what, cause one day, and it seems to be soon, it's gonna collapse this comfortable world you're livin'in. God gives us life and we're "making shit of it", for power, money?! No powerfull country intervene in a bloody conflict, like in Iran, if there is no profit for them. Do humanity still have a conscience? So yes, we got to remain people of human's injustice, unfortunatly, coz' if death, war, injustice don't knock at you're door you don't worry ( by "you" I mean people). You wanna talk about music but music often choose to talk about world's injustice & misery in all it's aspects. So what you gonna do now? stop listening committed music?
Plus, we're not dumb sheeps, we can have our own opinion, I mean, most of us...I hope...
No hostility in my words dude, am a pacific a demonstrator, just to set the record straight.
From an unmanipulated concerned music fan citizen.
PEACE

Moeid said...

Maxime, as you said media manipulate you in order to make whatever they want out of our mind, if they can do that be sure that they can also put whatever they want in.
Just one thing to say, there're time to think about what are the reason for this, this conflict, this thing that came up with so many dead people... but in the end the time comes when you'll have to trust your heart, when you see people die, don't always search for answers...
Sadly this time always come too late in my opinion, always come in the end.

Anonymous said...

So its not important how i stubled across your blog. Its almost doesnt matter that i find your music amazing. I read this blog. I looked at these pictures for like 10 maybe 15 minutes. As a father... Well my heart stopped. I actually cried. Politics aside. coents aside. We are humans. This post hit me hard...

@lizchoi said...

I'm glad there are musicians who are just as concerned with important current events as they are with their music. Apathy seems to be the enemy that's quickly and quietly growing beneath the surface of things.

Unknown said...

i think it's the way a society's (or even us as humans) flow of thinking works. it's pretty sad how people just tend to follow trends. our attention span is that of a toddler, very easily swayed.

i feel you dude. i hope change, WILL come.

Unknown said...

why is it that when someone who has influence who shares their opinion strikes a nerve?
should it matter? we are created by the most high to use what we have been given to decipher, question and ponder the reasons and meanings behind this post, the pictures, the Green movement, the hamas militia whatever it is.
so think, dont be critical because some choose to explore out of your expectations;
viva falasteen.

Anonymous said...

Dude, I was chiling, dancing and enjoying your music.
You know really enjoy something what hits you in your soul, I think a point of happines but then when I like to find more about you I saw this.....

I can tell you watching these pictures was hard really hard...I couldn't stop my tears (God I can't stop my tears writing this message.)
Again the following word is buzzing through my head "WHY".
This truly hurts my heart and I can't stop crying.

Trust me I really want to do better but it frustrates me, what can I do to change the world a little better but it's hard because it looks like in the end we as humans are both intelligent but sadly also destructive.

Greetings all the way from the Netherlands.

A dad of two little daughters
TK who's turning 4 and
CK who's 2 years old.