Talk the Talk: Censorship
I hate censorship. I absolutely despise the fact that grown people should be told what to write or even say for whatever reason or at any given time. The US, allegedly the champion of free speech and freedom of the press, is abominable in that field when compared to its European counterparts.
I still cringe today when I recall the silence as if caused by a hypnotic spell following September 11. Understandable, to a certain degree. I remember sitting in a hotel room in Rabat, Morocco, watching the planes crashing into the World Trade Center over and over again, almost hoping that during the twentieth showing the planes would change their course and continue on to their respective destinations. That silence was paralyzing, to say the least. People during that time were thinking, “What to do next? Should I even go to work tomorrow? What is the point of it all?”
We are all fully aware of what followed. People kept their collective finger on the mute button, and we went to war virtually without a debate, knowing fully well that this administration full of draft dodgers and corporate CEO’s had lied to us like to a bunch of children. If you spoke up against the government in 2002 or 2003, in the time prior to the invasion of Iraq, you were silenced, sometimes paying for your choice remarks with a simple reprimand, your job, your reputation, sometimes even your freedom. To think that the United States could stoop so low is shocking, to say the least.
And yet that doesn’t even compare with censorship as administered by people in these parts. No, there is not a recent war or conflict here I can recall here that would even warrant censorship. Here, it is about the grander scheme of things. It is about the fact that the two white elephants in the room, government and religion, are allowed to progress unencumbered. It is about the hazy rules that exist whenever a nation is undecided as to whether a secular or a non-secular state should reign.
Let’s talk about the press. There was the famed episode last year about the seizure of Al Jazeera tapes by the Jordanian government, the ones featuring Prince Hassan stating his opinions about the failed Middle East policies of both the United States and Saudi Arabia. The government confirmed that they feared the open criticism of Saudi Arabia, if you can believe it. Of course, USA bashing is en vogue again these days, so the oil-rich Saudis apparently required a little appeasement.
To practice journalism, you must be a member of the Jordanian Press Association, who describe their mission as "freedom of the press but only within the framework of its moral, national and patriotic responsibility". Sounds familiar. What’s more, the media is prohibited from hiring any journalist not registered with the association.
There are stories I could mention here, dozens of them, ranging from women who are killed that brought shame and disgrace to the family, government corruption, or the Jordanian prison system. I could write about demonstrations that were never authorized, expelled journalists, and numerous cases of police brutality, things that would appear unfathomable to our hypersensitive reading glasses in the west. But I don’t think that’s necessary. Whether we in the west believe or not what is happening here is irrelevant. What matters is that people here believe it, and they won’t deny it.
And yet, it is amazing how little people speak up about what ails them here. I have already mentioned that people dismissed most candidates during the last national elections with a wave of the hand, stating ‘that they were all liars’. It is stunning to see how little people speak up about the king and their government. This is not a token of respect, but pure, unadulterated, 100% fear. Any person I know could share a minor tale about some opposition to the state here and its horrifying consequences. Most decline to do so, distrustful of their neighbors and colleagues. Sad indeed. So much for the democratic experiments often lauded here.
I hope we never see another 9/11 in the United States. It would be sad to watch the US regress to something this country has become (or probably always was). To listen to people around here, it feels like almost every day is 9/11.
I still cringe today when I recall the silence as if caused by a hypnotic spell following September 11. Understandable, to a certain degree. I remember sitting in a hotel room in Rabat, Morocco, watching the planes crashing into the World Trade Center over and over again, almost hoping that during the twentieth showing the planes would change their course and continue on to their respective destinations. That silence was paralyzing, to say the least. People during that time were thinking, “What to do next? Should I even go to work tomorrow? What is the point of it all?”
We are all fully aware of what followed. People kept their collective finger on the mute button, and we went to war virtually without a debate, knowing fully well that this administration full of draft dodgers and corporate CEO’s had lied to us like to a bunch of children. If you spoke up against the government in 2002 or 2003, in the time prior to the invasion of Iraq, you were silenced, sometimes paying for your choice remarks with a simple reprimand, your job, your reputation, sometimes even your freedom. To think that the United States could stoop so low is shocking, to say the least.
And yet that doesn’t even compare with censorship as administered by people in these parts. No, there is not a recent war or conflict here I can recall here that would even warrant censorship. Here, it is about the grander scheme of things. It is about the fact that the two white elephants in the room, government and religion, are allowed to progress unencumbered. It is about the hazy rules that exist whenever a nation is undecided as to whether a secular or a non-secular state should reign.
Let’s talk about the press. There was the famed episode last year about the seizure of Al Jazeera tapes by the Jordanian government, the ones featuring Prince Hassan stating his opinions about the failed Middle East policies of both the United States and Saudi Arabia. The government confirmed that they feared the open criticism of Saudi Arabia, if you can believe it. Of course, USA bashing is en vogue again these days, so the oil-rich Saudis apparently required a little appeasement.
To practice journalism, you must be a member of the Jordanian Press Association, who describe their mission as "freedom of the press but only within the framework of its moral, national and patriotic responsibility". Sounds familiar. What’s more, the media is prohibited from hiring any journalist not registered with the association.
There are stories I could mention here, dozens of them, ranging from women who are killed that brought shame and disgrace to the family, government corruption, or the Jordanian prison system. I could write about demonstrations that were never authorized, expelled journalists, and numerous cases of police brutality, things that would appear unfathomable to our hypersensitive reading glasses in the west. But I don’t think that’s necessary. Whether we in the west believe or not what is happening here is irrelevant. What matters is that people here believe it, and they won’t deny it.
And yet, it is amazing how little people speak up about what ails them here. I have already mentioned that people dismissed most candidates during the last national elections with a wave of the hand, stating ‘that they were all liars’. It is stunning to see how little people speak up about the king and their government. This is not a token of respect, but pure, unadulterated, 100% fear. Any person I know could share a minor tale about some opposition to the state here and its horrifying consequences. Most decline to do so, distrustful of their neighbors and colleagues. Sad indeed. So much for the democratic experiments often lauded here.
I hope we never see another 9/11 in the United States. It would be sad to watch the US regress to something this country has become (or probably always was). To listen to people around here, it feels like almost every day is 9/11.
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