LLA 5/7

I found some of the video clips presented in today’s LLA lecture difficult to watch. What made them so unpleasant is the fact that all the videos captured an unjust, one-way flow of violence: well-armed, authoritative people abusing the unprotected, innocuous people. Moreover, what is more outrageous is that these “authoritative” people such as policemen are actually our protectors (quite obviously, none of the policemen in today’s videos were accomplishing their duty). These were examples of policemen mistaking their authority as a free ticket to control the general people, as can be seen from the policemen’s arrogant behaviour. Sometimes, I hear news about the unjust treatment of policemen toward others, and listening to today’s LLA lecture made me think that there are many more incidents like this that are ignored by the media and concealed from us. I had always believed that NHK was one media that I could trust since my parents preferred it over other broadcasting companies such as TBS or Fuji television. However, I can no longer trust it anymore after watching the newscast on BBC asking Jody McIntyre (the physically handicapped man who was dragged out of his wheelchair and across the concrete ground) absurd questions, and this is an internationally famous broadcasting company! This raises the question, how am I supposed to get hold of accurate information if there is a strong possibility that the information presented by the national television may be censored by the government? Many of us have no choice but to nod to the information provided by government-censored media since we do not have access to obtain the necessary information ourselves, and the government takes advantage of this disadvantage that we have. It seems to me like the world that George Orwell envisioned in 1984 where the information that we receive is controlled by the government.

In order to stand up against this cruelty, I think that Web 2.0 is a great start as it will allow countless number of people from various parts of the world to collaborate and share ideas to make the world better. However, I also have some doubts about it. Seattle was one example that ended in a success, but some people could use Web 2.0 to spread false information, which will cause a havoc. For example, I learned in high school that immediately after the earthquake in Japan two years ago, someone tweeted a false information (I think it was something about a chemical that leaked from an oil company), which was expanded by others, and this freaked out so many people. This kind of information sharing does not bring good results, so depending on how Web 2.0 is used, I think it can either be useful or harmful.