Meet Anton Ego, the adversarial food critic of wonderful movie, Ratatouille (me, Li Tsin, and Cempakans et. al watched Sun night - great stuff!)

His parting words: “In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgement. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read.

“But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new.”

So beautifully said :) Sdr. Zam would do well to take a leaf or two from Monsieur Ego’s book :)

Interestingly, Monsieur Ego’s advice applies to both Zam and to bloggers. For bloggers, it is perhaps a call to activism beyond the blogosphere - which isn’t to say that blogging in itself isn’t an act of activism.

The government’s height of sophistication when it comes to criticising bloggers appears to be name calling (similar to the degree of sophistication afforded to their criticisms of the Opposition) - goblokla, unemployed womenla, monyetla, and now, karaoke singers:

Via Malaysiakini:

Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin today compared the nation’s Internet bloggers, under fire for their outspoken views, to washed-up karaoke singers who have little influence.

Explaining his analogy, the minister said these bloggers are like karaoke singers who take pleasure in their own singing but have no influence although they claimed to have received millions of hits.

He said some might enjoy their “singing”, especially those who shared their views but many rejected them because they sang “out of tune” and their views were unacceptable to the majority of the people.

However, not many people read their pieces (he said).

Then why on earth do you keep going on about us, making yourself look a tad silly trying to come up with name after name?

And what kind of dodo keeps obsessing about something that ‘has no effect’ on the people?

“the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so…”

ah, sweet truth…..

Being someone who doesn’t dare to sing, it’s a bit hard for us to accept your musical analysis, sdr. Zam. Blogging isn’t hard to learn you know. Why don’t you give it a shot, I’m sure we’ll appreciate your delightful analogies a little more once you do :)

Anyone can cook, and anyone can blog!

“But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new.”

Indeed :) My thanks to all who have fearlessly embraced the blogosphere, and seen it to be the level playing field that it is :)

Also, there is no ‘majority’ in Malaysia. Don’t believe anyone (except perhaps the Merdeka Centre) when they talk about the ‘majority’ of Malaysians.

The dearth of polling capabilities in this country persuades me that next to nobody actually knows what the ‘majority’ of Malaysians think about anything.

So, Zam: carilah kerja yang lebih bermuafakat sket… :) and bloggers: keep blogging (and do a little more if you can - i’m always full of ideas :)

Remy, of Ratatouille fame, had a great progressive spirit. Let’s emulate! Squeak, speak, roar!! :D

Tags: Responsible Free Speech //