Boycott America? Not yet. We have seen the consequences of electing wrong presidents: rhetorics of fear, unjustified and dangerous preemptive wars, huge financing of friend's army industries at the expense of global agreements and institutions (the foundation for peace in the last 50 years) and the environment. It is time to make sure the right ones get onboard.
In an ideal world, ~30% of the votes in any country should be given to the world population. After all, citizens of other countries are directly affected by one country's foreign policy, which makes them stakeholders in elections. This probably will not happen for a while, but as the current US administration proved it can be a danger to the world, it is everyone responsability to help countries elect officials that will care for their population as well as for the good of the global civil society in the longer term.
The internet makes this more possible. Watch and buy:
Child's pay
What are we teaching our children
What I have been up to..
(MoveOn has become a major contributor in Democrat financing. CBS banned the ads, but CNN will air them. Buy the full DVD here)
Monday, February 16, 2004
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Proud to be modest; arrogance camouflaged behind modesty? Denmark.
What is it that makes Denmark so special? "Go home to your own country" :-)
Not that Denmark is not great. European standard social system. High quality, frequent, and efficient public transportation that targets not-only the poor or the old but all classes. 150% to 180% of taxes when buying a car. Decriminalized marijuana and gay marriages are already far behind. Traditional and modern architecture bloom in cities with bicycle paths opened even in the winter. Team-work and humanistic in the workplace ..
So why close it down? Is a reason to send away all foreigners? To give up on social ideals like Europe or the UN?
It is normal to have failed social encounters in any society. People get angry because you moved first in a bus line, because you suddenly turned right at the light, or because you arrived one minute after the movie started when the barmaid was so slow and your seat was already taken. Fine, it happens. What is not normal is that people pick on you because you are a foreigner: "all the problems here are because of foreigners, go home to your own country". Quite unfortunately, I heard this twice in one week. I am a canadian engineer, nothing too extraordinary. Actually to many standards, quite a boring status. What a hard life they must have, muslim refugees, in Denmark.
So what is that makes Denmark so great? What makes some Danes so proud that they should wish all foreigners to leave? Why is it, that foreigners suddenly became a burden? Where did it come from, this nationalistic pride? Are we sure we want to live closed off in our little nation-states? Are we sure that is sustainable and beautiful? Some Danes want to prevent "foreigners" to come in? How about in exchange "foreigners" prevent Danes to go out? How would one feel to be forced to remain in Denmark?
The truth is: all nations are great. All have something interesting to share. But I sure do not want to eat Poelser all my life; the same way I do not want to eat mapple syrop pancakes all my life. Being told by some nationalist to go home to my own country is simply unacceptable. I truly hope this to be a meaningless minority in a world capital like Copenhagen.
Every society must be capable of making foreigners feel welcome. That is the key here, making one feel welcome. Be willing to learn from each other and to create a new culture that embraces the old and the new.
And for those of you who think: "well go then". Shame, of course. You, as much as I, are responsible for the well-being of every human being on this planet. In fact, we have no more rights to the land under our feet than any other human being. We can either enjoy and benefit from each other, or, well in the end, kill each other. But the bottom line is, we all live together on the same planet. Invent all the rules and borders you want, when disrespect and inequalities become too great, it blows up.
Nazis proved that nationalism is dangerous. Do we need to open history books again?
yann
What is it that makes Denmark so special? "Go home to your own country" :-)
Not that Denmark is not great. European standard social system. High quality, frequent, and efficient public transportation that targets not-only the poor or the old but all classes. 150% to 180% of taxes when buying a car. Decriminalized marijuana and gay marriages are already far behind. Traditional and modern architecture bloom in cities with bicycle paths opened even in the winter. Team-work and humanistic in the workplace ..
So why close it down? Is a reason to send away all foreigners? To give up on social ideals like Europe or the UN?
It is normal to have failed social encounters in any society. People get angry because you moved first in a bus line, because you suddenly turned right at the light, or because you arrived one minute after the movie started when the barmaid was so slow and your seat was already taken. Fine, it happens. What is not normal is that people pick on you because you are a foreigner: "all the problems here are because of foreigners, go home to your own country". Quite unfortunately, I heard this twice in one week. I am a canadian engineer, nothing too extraordinary. Actually to many standards, quite a boring status. What a hard life they must have, muslim refugees, in Denmark.
So what is that makes Denmark so great? What makes some Danes so proud that they should wish all foreigners to leave? Why is it, that foreigners suddenly became a burden? Where did it come from, this nationalistic pride? Are we sure we want to live closed off in our little nation-states? Are we sure that is sustainable and beautiful? Some Danes want to prevent "foreigners" to come in? How about in exchange "foreigners" prevent Danes to go out? How would one feel to be forced to remain in Denmark?
The truth is: all nations are great. All have something interesting to share. But I sure do not want to eat Poelser all my life; the same way I do not want to eat mapple syrop pancakes all my life. Being told by some nationalist to go home to my own country is simply unacceptable. I truly hope this to be a meaningless minority in a world capital like Copenhagen.
Every society must be capable of making foreigners feel welcome. That is the key here, making one feel welcome. Be willing to learn from each other and to create a new culture that embraces the old and the new.
And for those of you who think: "well go then". Shame, of course. You, as much as I, are responsible for the well-being of every human being on this planet. In fact, we have no more rights to the land under our feet than any other human being. We can either enjoy and benefit from each other, or, well in the end, kill each other. But the bottom line is, we all live together on the same planet. Invent all the rules and borders you want, when disrespect and inequalities become too great, it blows up.
Nazis proved that nationalism is dangerous. Do we need to open history books again?
yann
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