Inglorious Violence
Dune by Aftab
I’ve been reading Dune, which is pretty cool, but one thing strikes me. A lot of our pop culture heroes are basically terrorists or, at best, vigilantes. Take this example from the Galactic Empire Times: “Obi-Wan Kenobi, the mastermind of some of the most devastating attacks on the Galactic Empire and the most hunted man in the galaxy, was killed in a firefight with Imperial forces near Alderaan, Darth Vader announced on Sunday” (GET). If you look at from another side, all of these movie heroes are quite tainted by their killing and quite easily spun in the other direction.
The fact is that violence is generally a crappier strategy against a large, heavily armed foe. Like one with a Death Star. Or spooky time travel wizards. According to researchers Stephan and Chenoweth, “Our findings show that major nonviolent campaigns have achieved success 53 percent of the time, compared with 26 percent for violent resistance campaigns.”
Perhaps even more odiously, if they do win, violent campaigns often turn out to be worse than what they overthrew, or at least bad. I think this is mainly because they are based on something bad – killing – and you can only go so far from there.
Still, we fill our pop culture with tales of noble violent resistance and even inculcate our boy children with the idea. While people react with horror to school shootings and rampages, similar behavior is justified by ‘everybody thinks I’m crazy but I’m saving the world’ movies like Terminator or even Thor/Iron Man. All of this movies involve shitloads of violence, death and property damage – usually to cops. The same behavior, however, is publicly vilified.
I’m not saying that we make every movie like Gandhi, but I think the myth of glorious violence is just that, a myth. We can somehow acknowledge that in reality but not in fantasy. What we’re selling to our youth, however, is a bit of a toxic cocktail. Fuck, I’m getting old. I enjoy violent movies as well, but I enjoy gangster ones, where you can enjoy the depraved bits while still maintaining awareness that this is bad. Lately I find that movies glorifying similar behavior for political reasons just seem false.
Mohsin Hamid, author of How To Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia, has a nice 
I’m happy to be featured in Echelon magazine’s 40 Under 40 feature, profiling young people who contribute to the economy in some way, mainly in business but also in terms of innovation and thought leadership. It’s an interesting article not just in that I’m in it (mainly for work on indi.ca and 
I won’t add too much commentary, but just read I guess. The youngest Rajapaksa, Rohitha (Chi Chi) has given an amazing interview to the 
In 2009 this strange character appeared on the Sri Lankan Internet scene, getting angry, flaming, trolling whatever. Then he started naming anonymous bloggers, posting comments as people’s kids, nasty stuff, for which I removed him from 
It strikes me that there is an obvious gap between Violence (Glorious) and Violence (Effective). These come with different moral baggage, also.
But forgive me if I’ve misunderstood your point here. I concede, certainly, that Hollywood rarely espouses – or even discusses – inglorious but effective violence (though there are some examples: Unthinkable?).
[I've not read Dune.]
Perhaps that is because not all effective violence is inevitably inglorious.
You said, ” Perhaps even more odiously, if they do win, violent campaigns often turn out to be worse than what they overthrew, or at least bad.”
Well Silly Lunket is a good example. From the Prabahakaran frying pan into the Rajapaksa Family frying pan is what has happened here.
Anyway Praba, Rajapaksa and his psychotic Goat brother and Darth Vader are in a league of their own…maybe their might be a movie someday called, “The League of Distinguished Mass Murderers?”
Which one is Vader ? :D
…and also a movie called, ” Inglorious Sinhala & Tamil Bastards and One Pseudo Burgher Joker?”
starring: Mahinda, Goat, Fonseka, Prab, Karuna, KP and Blacker…produced and directed by Quentin Tarantino, in association with Warner Brothers & the Rajapaksa Warlord Millionaire Brothers?
…please await the romantic comedy of the year, “Zero Casualties” coming to a theater near you in June 2011.
ps. this is the sequel to “Hoo manitarian War.” Please await the 3rd movie in this trilogy titled, “Fighting for Peace is like Fucking for Virginity.” To be released worldwide on May 19th 2012. Starring Anarkali Ho Ho WhoreKarsha and Namal Mongoloid Rajapaksa.
I’m no shrink doctor, but I think the prospect of violence is part of our psyche, e.g. evolution has programmed it into our minds. This would explain why men are more violent than women, since it was men that served as guardians back in the day (on the Wooly and Neanderthal calendars, that is). Violent films simply appeal to this part of our psyche.
Now this is “Inglorious Violence” at it’s best…
“No other profession calls on its practitioners to lay down their lives for their art save the armed forces and, in Sri Lanka, journalism. In the course of the past few years, the independent media have increasingly come under attack. Electronic and print-media institutions have been burnt, bombed, sealed and coerced. Countless journalists have been harassed, threatened and killed. It has been my honour to belong to all those categories and now especially the last…When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me.”
- Lasantha Wickrematunge -
“You realize that the culture of impunity is too widespread and democratic mechanisms have broken down and are constantly being undermined, and you realize this is the tipping point. Do you stay? Do you compromise your ideals and your principles to survive? Because that’s the only way you’re going to stay alive? Or do you leave and do your best from outside.”
- Sonali Samarasinghe -
http://en.rsf.org/report-sri-lanka,79.html
http://www.cpj.org/reports/2010/04/cpj-2010-impunity-index-getting-away-with-murder.php
http://www.cpj.org/blog/2009/01/and-then-they-came-for-lasantha.php
Incidentally Sri Lanka was ranked No. 4 on the Committee to Protect Journalist’s 2010 Impunity Index.
I wonder what David Common Ground Blacker has to say?
Common Ground would say the “army did the best job it can.” Even the SLA deserters who make up a huge % of the underworld have “done the best job they can”, kidnapping, killing, and extorting.
Some other “counter-arguments” from Common Ground:
1. Columbus invaded North America in 1492 and killed hundreds of Red Indians (NO UN INVESTIGATION)
2. USA dropped bombs on Hamburg, Germanyin 1943 (NO UN INVESTIGATION)
3. Hiroshima and Nagasaki (BILLIONS OF DEAD JAPANESE, NO UN INVESTIGATION)
according to the abrahamic religions (approximately half the planet ) the very first recorded human death was inflicted by his own brother( Cain kills Abel ) !! so i guess it’s ingrained
Some Nursery Rhymes for people who glorify violence in Silly Lunket!
When the MIGS start dropping bombs!
(sung to the tune of “London Bridge is falling down”)
When the MIGS start dropping bombs,
Dropping bombs, dropping bombs,
When the MIGS start dropping bombs,
There’ll be a ‘Big Blast!’
Take your kids and run away,
Run away, run away,
Take your kids and run away,
There’ll be a ‘Big Blast!’
Find a place to hide away,
Hide away, hide away,
Find a bunker right away,
There’ll be a ‘Big Blast!’
Just admit you’re nearest kin,
Nearest kin, nearest kin,
Don’t let any neighbours in,
There isn’t enough room within!
Don’t forget you’re ID card,
ID card, ID card,
You will need it later when,
They stop you at a check point!
When the MIGS have flown away,
Flown away, flown away,
You’ll be safe to make your way,
And live inside you’re ‘Bombed House!’
It’s a good thing I don’t live in SL; the temptation to vandalize one of those Rajapakse billboards is overwhelming. After all, at the end of the day, we must all do our part to educate the Silly Lunketans, however hopeless the outcome looks…
You dont really SOUND happy about not living in SL, Heshan.
And what you dont have to educate anyone in SL about, is that it’s much better here than what it was 2 yrs. ago. Things are not perfect, but they are better.
yea shammi…like when somebody has been hitting you on the head for 26 years…and now instead of the head you get beaten all over your body. We have just fallen from Praba’s frying pan into Rajapaksa’s Family frying pan…
Now this is the real Silly Lunket that we live in today…see below…
To create an impression that Rajapaksas were descendents from Royalty A special excavation to find King Dutugemunu’s sword
A veteran monk in the archeological field has commenced a special excavation programme to find King Dutugemunu’s sword to make a claim that the Rajapaksa family were descendents from a Royal family, a senior government minister said.
The monk had said there was clear evidence to prove that the Rajapaksas were descendents of King Dutugemunu and in order to prove his point, the monk is currently engaged in a secret excavation programme in Anuradhapura.
When inquired, a senior official from the Archeological Department said that although parliamentarian Ven. Ellwela Medhananda Their has claimed that the Rajapaksas were descendents of King Dutugemunu, there was no clear evidence to prove the fact.
The official said there was no excavation progarmme launched under the Department to find King Dutugemunu’s sword. However, he said the Department has learnt there was excavation work being carried out in certain areas in Anuradhapura under the supervision of security forces.
Meanwhile, the senior government minister said that a person who had claimed the Rajapaksas were of Malay origin has now gone missing.
…taken from http://www.lankanewsweb.com
And what came first, the egg or …
At least you can be happy that there are no more bombs, or cant you?
Mahavamsa mindset preceded them all. Look what the wolf in sheep’s clothing Dayan Jayatilleke has to say about it:
See Mahvamsa mindset by Dyan in his book in the 90?s.
“The first is the role of the sangha, the Buddhist order, and the extremely circumscribed nature of the world view of that clergy. This is because they, unlike the Catholic clergy, do not have a rigorous scholastic tradition. A scholastic tradition presupposes a knowledge of at least one international language and usually of several international languages – because only this would give them the ability to contest various theological and even scientific theses that go contrary to what they think are the fundamentals of their religion. Since the bulk of the Buddhist clergy know only Pali, Sanskrit and Sinhala and most of them today do not even know Pali and Sanskrit, they have an extremely circumscribed world view – which I call the Mahavamsa mindset – in which the Mahavamsa is real; where the myth is taken as historical fact.” (p.136)
http://transcurrents.com/news-views/archives/739
I’m sure you know what “extremely circumscribed world view means.” By the way, it’s only one step from monk to villager.
Guess what? Dayan has “seen the light” and now he is busy screwing Tamil nationalists left and right with his sharp wit. He is now working for the SL government and Rajapaksa :)
Dayan is too intelligent to “see the light”, as you claim. I don’t subscribe to his views, in fact, I thoroughly despise the man, but I can’t deny he’s intelligent. He is working for GOSL because of a personal vendetta he has with the UNP, and a desire to work in the civil service. As for the BS he writes about Tamil nationalism, he’s basically paid to do that. If GOSL was looking for a federal solution to the “Tamil Question”, DJ would start writing about the merits of that. Remember, when all of the Sinhalese nationalists were against the 13th Amendment, DJ was vouching for it (which is why he lost his Geneva post). Like I said, the man has no morals – a wolf in sheep’s clothing .
So you agree DJ is raping Tamil nationalists left and right.
Awesome.
Next generation of Sinhala-Buddhist Nazis:
http://transcurrents.com/news-views/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/USLTP528.jpg
I must question the loyalty of the one in the hijab, though….. she must be thinking, “WTF is that kafir saying?”
Transforming universities from breeding-grounds for dissent into epicentres of patriotic-conformism would be of paramount importance in this context. With the ‘correct’ indoctrination, university students can be harnessed into the Rajapaksa-chariot as foot-soldiers and shock-troops (i.e. deployed against national and international ‘enemies’ of the motherland). Universities can also become excellent hunting-grounds for the youth organisation set up by (and for) Namal Rajapaksa, especially the Blue Brigade.
Children and youth provide the ideal-typical tabula rasa for any despot who aims to occupy a country, rule it for life and hand-pick his own successor. German children were disciplined into unquestioning obedience to ‘Der Führer’ via Jungvolk and Hitler Youth. Vellupillai Pirapaharan set up the Red Blossom Gardens – orphanages tasked with turning their innocent denizens into mindless enforces of the Surya Devan. According to President Rajapaksa, “Our aim is to produce a learned citizen who has gained physical and mental discipline coupled with positive attitudes and love for the country” (Daily News – 24.5.2011).
Translated from Rajapaksa-Speak this means citizens who unquestioningly accept the Rajapaksa-vision of a monochromatic country, internalise the Rajapaksa-version of (mindless) patriotism, participate in the Rajapaksa-project of ceaseless-war on anti-patriots and accept eternal Rajapaksa-Rule as Sri Lanka’s hallowed destiny
http://transcurrents.com/news-views/archives/853
This what is happening in Silly Lunket today…
“When an opponent says, ‘I will not come over to your side’, I calmly say, ‘Your child belongs to us already’”
Hitler (Speech in November 1933)
…Rajpaksa has started with uni students…principals of schools are next…
“Whoever can conquer the street will one day conquer the state, for every form of power politics and any dictatorship-run state has its roots in the street.”
- Joseph Goebbels
“The Trafalgar Square stage had, amidst the surrounding LTTE flags, a mock up of a prison cell with a life-size effigy of President Mahinda Rajapaksa behind bars, labelled ‘War Criminal’, while a young lady dressed in black read from the Darusman panel Report. The Report serves as a loaded weapon handed to the pro-Tiger Tamil Diaspora. It also serves as an ‘enabler’; a passport and password to access many political and governmental circles mainly but not exclusively in the West.”
- Dayan Goebbelstilleke
Ha…ha… I like the name Dayan Goebbelstilleke. Wouldn’t it be better to call him “The Yarn” Goebbelstilleke???David BlockHead sounds nice too…What a funny Cunt ry we live in…o tempora o mores.
http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=11210
http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=11205
http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=11208
http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=11202
Don’t take Duminda Silva into custody
President orders Gotabhaya
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered Defence Secretary Nandasena Gotabhayaa Rajapaksa not to arrest the parliamentarian supervising the Defence Ministry, Duminda Silva following the revelation that he was one of the main persons to import narcotics to the country, sources from the Defence Ministry said.
Following an order given by the Defence Secretary to the Walana Crimes Division to keep a close watch on Minister Mervyn Silva’s son, Malaka Silva and Duminda Silva, who are engaged in the drug business in the country, officers of the division had taken into custody a boat that had brought drugs to the Chilaw beach
from Kerala and the van that was used to transport the substance.
One of Duminda Silva’s henchmen, Ruwan Chamila, who had contested at the last local government elections, had also been arrested by the police team.
A luxury jeep belonging to Duminda Silva had fled the scene when a group of policemen from the Walana Crimes Division had approached the Chilaw beach following a tip off about the drugs and the persons arrested had confessed that 50 kilos of heroin was in the jeep.
However, the police had only managed to take into custody a load of Kerala ganja, which is valued at Rs. 75 lakhs, that was in the van. The ganja is currently stored in the Walana Crimes Division.
Soon after hearing the incident, head of the Hiru media network, Raynor Silva had met the President and Defence Secretary and pleaded with them not to take any action against his brother, Duminda Silva.
The Defence Secretary had told Raynor Silva that these actions have been taken to control him as he was overstepping the limit in importing drugs to the country and other illegal activities by misusing the powers vested with him as the supervisory MP of the Defence Ministry.
However, police sources said that the investigation into the incident has been temporarily halted.
…taken from http://www.lankanewsweb.com which is blocked in Silly Lunket.
Ahhh yes, “The Yarn”, recently spotted in Paris, sipping bourbon & watching an LTTE parade, while reminiscing about Lenin’s wet-dream Commie years…
While “The Yarn” is assessing the “parade threat” and its potential for global mass destruction, his master’s are dealing with garment worker threat and lecturer threat……
Busy days in Silly Lunket? That would be an understatement .
- Nivard the Ponzi Capone Cabraal carefully fudging economic data under the eye of his IMF masters
- Permanent Silly Lunketan Representative to the UN busily denying all UN Report allegations: This basic requirement of the need to give the domestic mechanism space, time and opportunity should be known by the High Commissioner . In typical Sinhala-Buddhist style, the accused shall carry out the investigation of the accused; unfortunately for the charming ambassador, one cannot fool the white fellows directly; therefore semantic and time-stalling games become essential
- Defeating terrorism seminar (also known as Humanitarian Operation, Operation Zero Casualties, and Operation Menik Farm) taking place in Lunketistan, with CHIEF VIP’s Russia (don’t ask us about Chechnya), Pakistan (we do NOT fund the Taliban), and China (don’t ask us about Tibet) presiding; all major Western nations boycotting
…yea the only cunt ry in the world that bans the slaughter of animals and the selling of meat on full moon days…but permits the slaughter of “unarmed men, women and children” in the “Nooo Fire Zone?”
We are sooo fortunate to live in the “DemoCrazy TheoCrazy HipoCrazy Utopia of RajaPakistan!”
And, says director Callum Macrae, the horrific video footage which accompanies the testimonies is authentic.
“It is not fake. It has been very carefully analysed by forensic pathologists lokking at the nature of the wounds and by video scientists who analysed every frame of it, worked out when it was filmed, checked for any kind of editing,” he said.
“That footage is genuine evidence of genuine executions.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2011/06/110603_geneva_film.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13637360
…justice will prevail…someday.
I think if you took one of the Sinhala-Buddhist Einsteinians by the hand, and led them to the site of a mass grave in the North, and they actually saw skeletons with their own eyes, the end result would be that two days later, they would deny such a grave ever existed. These people are better at lying than Paris Hilton is at losing her virginity.
Once upon a time on Groinviews, I asked Blockhead how many Tamils were locked up at Boosa… his answer was that since no “official” estimate exists, the answer must be zero! People say the Indians invented zero, but I beg to differ; the Sons of The Soil have a monopoly on it.
Dear Heshan Donkey,
By your own words you stand condemned as a moral cretin for saying its OK to torture Muslims.
Heshan Donkey says “if the Muslims took responsibility for their own actions, torture would not be an issue.”
Basic logic dictates that Heshan Donkey’d also says “if the Tamils took responsibility for their own actions, torture would not be an issue.”
In another fabulous display of Donkey Logic, Heshan Donkey also says …”Americans are very careful about who gets tortured..”
Basic logic dictates that Heshan Donkey’d also says “…”Sri Lankans are very careful about who gets tortured [and executed etc].””
Looks like you’ve cornered the market in stupidity. Are you a Sinhala modaya or just an ordinary modaya?