Dancing in Jaffa

The documentary, Dancing in Jaffa, reminded me of two different concepts. The first concept comes in the form of a quote given by the icon Nelson Mandela, which can frequency be found as a posting on different forms of social media. It goes as follows “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite”. The documentary reminded me of this quote because it showed how it was possible that two kinds of children that we raised to hate each other and blame the other for many of their problems could be taught to not only coexist but also positively mix in the inmate setting of dance. Dance, although not love, is certainly an intimate act as you are not only forced to be in close proximity and constantly touching another person but also must move in alignment with perfect timing. This increased the intimacy as the only way to accomplish this is to communicate with one's partner in order to be on the same page. To say any of the children fell in love during the process would be too bold, however I think they each were able to find and learn a form of love. That form being that they were able to not only release the previously held hate and prejudices they had for one another, but also be able to create something imitate with one another that each previously thought to be impossible. Through the form of dance the children were able to learn how to love instead of following the previously established decades of hate.

The second concept is one many people are identifying as a trend in social media or other forms of modern technology. When discussing one's thoughts on a person or issue people tend to be much more harsh when granted the ability to hide behind a screen and a keyboard. This concept was clearly shown in the start between the two different kinds of children. Growing up in the areas they had, it was clear that each held hate and prejudices for the other due to their families, what they had been told growing up, and what was most likely reported in the areas they lived in. However, when faced with that person directly, although somewhat reluctant at the start, these views did not hold. Eventually, the children that did not want to because of where the other person was from, did end up dancing with the other child. This shows that in reality, when having to face something or someone you have previously held a dislike for, the situation and more importantly what is possible, becomes entirely different.  

Al-Jazeera

What I found most interesting about the Control Room segment was the theory regarding the toppling of Saddam Hussein statue. The theory went into how it was possible and probable for a number of compelling reasons that the United States staged the reacting before, during, and after the events occurred. Obviously conspiracy theories of the United States government can be found all throughout history, and at this point I would not at all be surprised if they did in fact stage the toppling of the statue. But it was not the theory that interested me so much as they were not only proposing a story against the United States but also going into it with reasons and evidence. We previously learned how the network at one time or another has been very unpopular in the Middle East, even having journalists and reporters being kicked out of almost all the regional countries at one time or another. With this in mind one would think that they must be pro-west if they are anti Middle East. This is because almost all news networks in the United States are pinned against one another. If you are pro-Republican than you are anti-liberal and vice versa. This however, as shown by the theory, is not the case.

Having a network that is not pro-west or pro-Middle East while also not being against either puts Al-Jazeera in it’s own elite class. Not only is it the first of its kind, but more importantly it is able to gain widespread viewshare. Obviously it would not be difficult to find a blog with a hundred monthly views doing and discussing the same thing. However to actually have a whole network devoted to the concert, in addition to having that network be successful, changes everything in terms of reported news. This is what interested me most about the Control Room segment and why Al-Jazeera is interesting as a whole.

Another interesting aspect of the network is how they are also the first of its kind in the Middle East. As American networks have discussed for years, censorship in the media is common in some form or another in all Middle Eastern countries. Although citizens have tried to break this, using social media platforms to speak out and voice their opinions, this form of reporting has produced little overall or long-term success. Al-Jazeera however, has been able to be the voice many suppressed citizens have longed for, discussing topics without the threat of a government takeover. While it may not make up for the issue as a whole, it is certainly a long awaited help to an otherwise silenced nation.

In addition, Al-Jazeera is not only a help to those in the Middle East but also those outside of it. As stated before, many U.S news networks report on how news in the Middle East has very little legitimacy due to government censorship. Therefore, it is easy for American news networks to frame stories again the region. Al-Jazeera however, make this more difficult. Although not as popular as most major U.S networks, it still has the credibility to tell the other side of the story in order to give some actual perspective to the issue. This is what makes the network both important and in a class of its own.