Commisérations

[french frank]

I take it that this thread expressing our sympathy for the people of France is now exhausted. Further off topic discussions and the thread will be closed as having served its purpose.

[ahinton]

I take it that this thread expressing our sympathy for the people of France is now exhausted.

No, not the thread, FF; just a single contributor thereto, as far as I can tell. Just as there's "one in every village" (as the saying goes), there's one on every internet forum, peut-être...

Sympathy for the people of France is not going to ebb away that quickly, any more than did the French for us following 7/7.

[Beef Oven!]

I think that the expression of sympathy finished at post #9. Since then we have witnessed the familiar anti-west/terrorist apologist posturing from the usual suspects. Now that Anastasius is putting in a challenge from a non-leftfield perspective, the thread will be closed. Plus ça change...... as they say.

[french frank]

I'm not surprised you see it that way. I saw it as the final straw after many people indulged in their prejudices. It's the conflict of prejudices that cause the trouble.

[greenilex]

The Enlightenment has a lot to answer for...deists are still horrified by the temerity of certain European thinkers in suggesting a different reality.

From the other side of that divide, it is quite hard to appreciate strength of feeling.

[Petrushka]

Part of the problem with a Muslim response, and someone might like to correct any ignorance here, is that there is not one single figure to speak for them in the same way as the Pope or the Archbishop of Canterbury. Be that as it may the silence is deafening.

[french frank]

Be that as it may the silence is deafening.

We 'hear' what we're fed by the media

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3322064/We-need-wage-jihad-against-jihad-French-Muslims-join-mourners-condemn-Paris-attacks-late.html

[Lat-Literal]

We 'hear' what we're fed by the media

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...acks-late.html

We hear what we are bombarded with by the media. It isn't very easy sometimes because of it to apply a clear line to selves. Perhaps in the philosophy area of the board there might at some time - not now - be a thread on when is apparent freedom of expression not freedom of expression but rather a form of societal illness. This is not a point about sides and causes. It is one that is more about being in favour in many areas of limited discussion on sides and causes. I am thinking here specifically about the modern media.

Ever since the weekend I have conducted an experiment with one particular news radio station. Ostensibly phone-in, hence public opinion guided by a presenter of whatever angle. I've switched it on for 30 seconds every three hours I have been awake. The topic has been this one on every occasion. It continues as I write and it is fully in line with how it approaches other matters, either when something unusual occurs or if not on one of its favourite subjects. I'm not sure that it does anyone any good. Should it ever be deemed necessary to apply some censorship to it in the future for national security reasons, I'm not even sure it should then be considered censorship in the normal sense. It would be the rationalising of a Frazer style "we're doomed" by someone akin to Mainwaring. The difference between Frazer and this bunch is that for them it's dark profit making entertainment.

[ahinton]

We 'hear' what we're fed by the media

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...acks-late.html

If we read it and are influenced thereby...

[P. G. Tipps]

We 'hear' what we're fed by the media

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...acks-late.html

That is sadly true though the subject of your link is somewhat ironic considering the source.

However, imo there is rather less excuse for public ignorance than ever before. One can find important news on Al Jazeera, CNN and the internet which the BBC, ITV and SKY completely ignore in favour of national and local trivia. I now never rely on solely UK media outlets for comprehensive and wholly objective reporting of news.

Maybe it's rather more a case these days of 'Seek and ye shall find ... ' ?

[Flosshilde]

Part of the problem with a Muslim response, and someone might like to correct any ignorance here, is that there is not one single figure to speak for them in the same way as the Pope or the Archbishop of Canterbury. Be that as it may the silence is deafening.

The problem with this statement is that the Pope & the A of C are not 'one single figure' speaking on behalf of Christians - they only speak for their own particular branch of Christianity. It's a serious mistake to talk of 'Muslims' in this contest - there are many branches, only one, or some, of which are responsible for the interpretations of the Koran that lead to IS.

[french frank]

That is sadly true though the subject of your link is somewhat ironic considering the source.

I was not oblivious when I posted it - and an unexpected source too

However, imo there is rather less excuse for public ignorance than ever before. One can find important news on Al Jazeera, CNN and the internet which the BBC, ITV and SKY completely ignore in favour of national and local trivia. I now never rely on solely UK media outlets for comprehensive and wholly objective reporting of news.

Perhaps unsurprisingly most arms of the 'news' industry (being as much part of the entertainment industry) focus on what will resonate most strongly with their home audience. Some are perverse in ignoring 'the other side' of the argument'. Most people appear to stick to the sources they think will reflect their own view - equally perverse, in my view.

Maybe it's rather more a case these days of 'Seek and ye shall find ... ' ?

Yes - I wouldn't have immediately thought of the Daily Mail as coming to my rescue on this issue.

As I commented off-board, most of us have had reason to use the slogan 'Not in my name', at least in our hearts: not all of us shouted it so loudly that we made the headlines.

[Lat-Literal]

The calm sounding man from "Not in my Name" and woman from "Inspire" were on at the end of R4's Today - 8.55am.

Ferrari's started - 7am - with the sound of gunfire and the feverish excitement of a five year old at a fireworks display.

Three newspapers are carrying "is this the end of western civilisation?" articles by supposedly serious journalists.

On 27 August 1975, the IRA's bombing of the Caterham Arms occurred less than one mile away. I don't recall us discussing it other than perhaps referring to it once, nor do I recall any of the coverage in the media. It must have been mentioned on radio/television but so little of it was there that most people only recall Birmingham and, occasionally, Guildford.

I would favour regulation to send news reporting/discussion into the freer 1970s if the media won't regulate themselves.

[Nick Armstrong]

Today's Charlie Hebdo cover....

[ahinton]

The calm sounding man from "Not in my Name" and woman from "Inspire" were on at the end of R4's Today - 8.55am.

Ferrari's started - 7am - with the sound of gunfire and the feverish excitement of a five year old at a fireworks display.

Three newspapers are carrying "is this the end of western civilisation?" articles by supposedly serious journalists.

On 27 August 1975, the IRA's bombing of the Caterham Arms occurred less than one mile away. I don't recall us discussing it other than perhaps referring to it once, nor do I recall any of the coverage in the media. It must have been mentioned on radio/television but so little of it was there that most people only recall Birmingham and, occasionally, Guildford.

I would favour regulation to send news reporting/discussion into the freer 1970s if the media won't regulate themselves.

You mean the kind of regulation possible only by force and for which millions was spent on Leveson without there being any ultimate material difference?

In any case, new media are no longer the principal purveyors of information now.

That said, the very declaration of intent to spend extra billions on security and other measures, as reported in news media and other outlets, will be telling IS that it's winning, despite any successful attacks against it.