MH 370 has not been found for sixteen days. I have been alerted to be careful of the tenses and vocabulary used, for it involves sensitivities. The Chinese language has no tenses, and any translation has to be careful too, for it may be read and misunderstood by people all over the world in a web blog interaction.
The act of looking is a psycho-social act. How the images and news are presented or represented will be interpreted differently by different cultures and religion or even by the same person differently at different times. The same signifier may signify differently, as viewers are socially and politically constructed. If national security is involved, we may attempt not to reveal all. Or if there are lapses of security, we may choose a non-witty way of reporting. We are not devoid of such people around. In fact our system churns out too many of such transcendent talents. Apart from images we may also chose what to listen or ignore. Code switching is a matter of habits. In attempting to theorize, the bomoh and his team put on their psychodrama (sado-comedy), and the parody invites world attention. Unfortunately, the projected images are not cost effective, both financially and politically. We waste precious time deliberating on Hamlet’s famous line, or misread the words of the jesters. We are obsessed over petty and sexual issues, and crisis management are beyond the spinal reflexes. To date, we have yet to find the plane. The satellites, with god-eye view, are not able to clearly pinpoint the whereabouts. Our own security and cameras also have their limitations, and we may opt to turn blind at times. We chose not to subscribe to some radar systems, for we are saving the money to buy sonar for non-submersibles. Knowledge of science and technologies cost money, and devoid of such membership, we lost the power to relate and share information with the super powers. Marxism writes about lumpen proletariat, but capitalism also produces lumpen bourgeoisie and intellectuals at varsity factories. The people are curious about what has happened to this country. The reply is pushed around. If they care to look at their own Lacanian mirror image, they are taller and fatter than real. We never explore our colonial and post-colonial history, and the dominant mind set prohibit discussion. Hopefully history can be rewritten (not new in local context). We can afford to skip many great names, an illusion that may allow us to feel comfortable and inter connected.
Let us pray together with all relatives, and hope for best possible outcome.
P/S
Most likely the missing plane dived into the Indian Oceans, The debris found near Perth could be from MH 370. We need the patience to wait for the proof. The PM and the Press had declared the “death” news, ahead of all governments. From the start, they have shown insufficient sensitivities to relatives of passengers. I have no friends there. I could be in that ill fated plane.
wonkywizard 