Saturday, 31st October 2009
Floundering in Mediocrity
We are a nation of contrasts. On the one hand we deem ourselves lucky and because we value family unity, social justice and Christian values. Then we often grumble that that we are a notch behind the countries of mainland Europe as far as our standard of living goes. But standard of living is not only wealth and luxury. It is also about mentality and mindset, attitudes and knowledge.
Let’s take a typical Maltese family for example. A 40 something mother and father and two teenage siblings. Every evening they sit in front of the telly to relax after a day's work and watch local television. What do they see?
They watch the same mind numbing Maltese soap operas with actors who have as much talent as I have in fire eating. They watch our cream of the crop political programs that have the sole aim of brainwashing anyone with the intellect of a goat. And best of all they tune into our wonderful current affairs discussion programs that discuss anything from Satan to dieting. Oh the excitement!
The thing is that all this is to their liking and they actually enjoy watching this sort of thing. Proof of this is the record breaking audiences these shows manage to achieve. Now let’s compare this to what happens in nearby Italy for example. Sure you get your garbage gossip and chat shows. It's a certainly the case that some programs leave much to be desired. But let’s concentrate on political discussion programs so that you can get the gist of what I am saying. The level of discussion, the use of vocabulary and the ideas and concepts discussed are light years ahead of what we get locally. It's because the sole aim of our programs over here is not to discuss, but to hammer in to the viewers' heads political propaganda that has been strategically formulated much before the start of the program. So you get the same stage managed mantra of partisan jargon on and on again.
But what is really worrying is the lack of critical analysis many Maltese have and the poor way in which they formulate their thoughts. Take an average vox pop as an example, asking questions about a current topic of interest. You will be met with a level of reasoning as shallow as a puddle. Most of the people won't be able to string a simple sentence and lot will simply say that they know nothing about the topic or they don't follow the news or current affairs. In the case of the latter fear of being associated with a line of thought of one political party or another is not uncommon.
The root of this malaise is the lack of cultural and social awareness brought through years of dominance and control of our political parties on every aspect of our lives. That coupled with the fact that half the population doesn’t ever read or take interest in the world around it yields a society where the ultimate result is the inability to reason and be creative. It is sad to see a country where so many young people are unable to recall even the most recent historical events of global importance. They live in a numb world where day to day enjoyment is the only point of being alive. Real live political issues are of no concern to them, even if they will effect their lives and their future.
We need a real revolution in the way we think and act. We should sweep away the mediocrity of partisan politics and espouse a real change in mentality. We should introduce our children to general knowledge and adopt culture where reading and learning about current issues is the norm.
The concept of having a knowledge culture would not be new to our islands. Most northern European countries have what one would call a ‘complete’ education system. This would consist of less academic rigour, a reduction in the number of exams and a more wholesome approach to knowledge. These countries have realised the value of having citizens who can express themselves properly and be creative.
For richness is not only a material issue. You can be filthy rich and lead an incomplete life, never exploring the beauty of knowledge and of having a reasoned opinion about anything under the sun. By instilling in our youths a culture of learning and freedom of thought we would be opening the door to immeasurable progress.
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Comments
Government entities are there to serve the public and not hand out goodies. Subsidies are out and the public better understand that whether through subsidies, taxes or increased tariffs, the cost of a service is the same. Government entities should break even and better still, become revenue generators. The last time I renewed my Passport, it cost me $100.00 plus cost of photo, and is valid for five years. Last time I obtained a Passport in Malta, it cost me Lm12.00 and will last ten years. Calculating the cost, the former is five times as expensive.
Obviously the Canadian government at worst breaks even and probably runs that division of Foreign Affairs at a profit. On the other hand the Maltese government runs the same department at a tax-subsidized break even.
It seems extremely difficult for the Maltese public to accept that it should pay for what it wants, like the rest of the world does, otherwise it will continue with the tradition of receiving something in one pocket while the other is methodically pilfered. That is no way to move forward.
Doing business the old way resulted in State controlled bulk buying!
In his Budget speech, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said: “Government entities having the potential to generate revenue from the sector in which they operate should no longer be dependent on Government subvention. For this reason, a new tariff structure for MEPA issued permits will come in force resulting in this entity not receiving central government funds.”
In other words, the government will stop the €6.2 million funding to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, with the costs to be recovered by an upward revision of the permit tariffs.
Referring to Don Luigi Sturzo, the founder of Italian Christian Democracy, Dr Farrugia stressed the importance of the PN’s Christian Democratic roots and asked whether they were as strong as they should be.
I will also be surprised if someone else comments, since the questions I raised and which you refuse to answer, were made to you and nobody else.
My comments about Joseph are repetitive because Joseph is your leader and repetitively comes up with a new caper such as the latest one, repeating a MaltaToday alleged libelous article without checking the facts. For his faux pas, he added one more libel to the long list adorning the LP's unenvious record! So, the saga repeats itself. I think that the LP is repetitive, illogical in its approach to 'new' politics and never learns that it is easier to catch flies using honey than using vinegar!
You are no fool and it is for that reason why you feel 'id-dwejjaq' and don't blame you if you 'gbajt' with Joseph's performance, thus far.
You have every reason to feel that way since within the LP, the more things change, the more they stay the same (an oldie but goodie).
@ J Martinelli
I now wait to see if anybody cares to react to your rhetoric and if nobody does it would mean that I am the only fool on this blog. You are so repetitive Sant Sant Sant, Joseph Joseph, Jason......ommi ma xi dwejjaq.....issa veru gbajt.
I wonder why it took you four bits to answer my comment and deviate from the subject.
Your response to the 'wasted vote' is startling because if you vote Labour again and they do not get elected, it will be one more wasted vote. Reducing 'waste' is if you vote and elect Labour this time thus reducing the many wasted votes by one.
Fear not, nobody will be crying on your doorstep if the PN wins again. Why would they cry on your shoulders, anyway?
The more you write about how much the government will rake in from increased electricity rates, the more you illustrate how little you know and how much you get mixed up between government revenue and Enemalta costs! The 'extra' you write about is nothing more than balancing Enemalta costs with billing revenue. This is NOT a tax.
Continued
You and Joseph are so mad at a good Budget that you just cannot find the right words other than utter your usual gripe. So upset at the Unions including (excuse me!) The GWU that they gave a positive response to the budget, that Joseph stood out like a sore thumb with his inane statement that the Budget was 'irresponsible'. Coming from a gentleman who refused to answer ANY Press questions, it is rather rich and also - unbelievable!
As usual young Joseph was caught with his proverbial pants down since he prepared himself for a negative budget while it never dawned on him that the PN may just come out with an excellent one in spite of the present circumstances.
Time is going by but Joseph seems not to learn anything let alone build a vision or even know which to direction he is heading the beleaguered Party.
Just face it Charles, you seem to be strapped with another loser!
@ J Martinelli.
A comment about Tonio Fenech which I made in my other post was deleted by the moderator. Don’t blame them as Tonio is very fast to dish out libels. Hope this one arrives safely home.
How many seven-person families do we have in Malta? Don’t you think that 10,000 units were based on the average family of four which common sense tells you that a larger family would consume more? Doesn’t this tell you that the seven-person families would get nothing while a single person, even if living in reasonable comfort, will get €55.
To be more precise.
These figures came out just now.
"The higher water and electricity tariffs to be introduced on January 1 will be mitigated by a one-off bonus ranging between €55 for a single-person household to €205 for a seven-person household.
Admitting that higher water and electricity rates "placed a burden" on families, the Finance Minister said the government would be forking out €10 million in direct financial assistance.
The compensation would be paid to families that do not consume more than 10,000 units of electricity"
As promised.
It is no secret that the Government will be collecting 85 Million Euro more per year with effect from 1 January 2010. Tonio Fenech boasted that his generous government would be alleviating the extra burden by dishing out 10 Million Euro but stopped short from telling us that that is a one off pain reliever.
In real terms the government shall be collecting, on average, an exorbitant extra 850 Euro per year from each family of four which translates to one month’s wage and giving us a one off 25 Euro each.
What upset me most was the minister's smirk on his face when he read out his mesmerising
chart of the subsidies trying to give us the impression that his 10 Million Euro were going to be given away on each utilities bill we receive.
Our Chancellor of the Exchequer is still a novice when it comes to pulling the wool over people’s eyes.
@-All
Vote PN again next time but don’t come crying to me.
@ J Martinelli.
In that case I shall vote PL again to reduce waste. I should have thought of that before.
With the moderator’s permission I may deviate the subject a littlr on my next post.
Don't need your vote, anyway.
Look at how many wasted votes you cast for the LP, what's another one?
You convinced me,next time I'll vote PN to make you happy. Now belt up.
It also works in reverse. It's only fair, wouldn't you say so, Charles?
That was not the issue. However 'new ethics', 'new standards' in Labour's electronic and print media, so bragged about by Joseph, still seem to be quite elusive and will even continue to be more so under the watchful eye of Jason Micallef!
@ J Martinelli
Hehehe you may have a valid point there. But at least, irrespective of which party is in government, a good opposition would serve us well by unfolding the Government’s shortfalls and shortcomings. I’m sure that when Joseph Muscat is in Government the PN would do its utmost to keep him under scrutiny vigilantly.
Governments, anywhere and of whatever political colour they may be, have never been known to in any way contribute or to be responsible to push the media " to intellectual heights".
If you are counting on Joseph Muscat, a former Super One host, or his eventual government to accomplish the feat, you are quite mistaken. It takes much more talent than Joseph's, as a former broadcaster (Made in Brussels) to accomplish such a miracle.
Who says I never agree with anything Nikita writes about? This article is one I happen to agree with but even here, I care to look at it from a slightly different perspective not to be construed in any way that I am trying to find the proverbial needle in a haystack ( insib ix-xahra fl-ghagina)
The media in Malta is evolving, however slowly and one does not produce world class presenters and television shows, overnight. I look at it from the point that as recent as two and a half decades ago, the public television media was State controlled and such conditions were not conducive to producing excellence since the objective was perversely different.
The other point I wish to make is that hundreds, if not thousands of TV channels are available at the push of a few buttons, but here again, most stations are pure thrash! Up to a few years ago, I regarded CNN as a prime, reliable news station but hold it! The arrogance displayed in the 'Situation Room' is downright repulsive. They come across as if they are controlling the 'situation' and not the other way around!
Continued
In the USA the only channels worth watching for their good entertainment variety, for educational topics, history, environment and other interesting themes, are the PBS channels. On these channels there is no smut but there is comedy, family programmes and indeed at any time of day and evenings, there is always something interesting to see. No 'Shop on TV' slots, no political propaganda and even less opining on the second hand rumors doing the rounds. But again, television show production with almost unlimited funds have existed for at least sixty years in the USA - not so in Malta since the market is so small, funds so limited and talent so scarce! Oh! I can already sense that many will jump sky high to educate me about the immense talent Malta has! Yes, the same kind of talent as our soccer players demonstrate at every competition they unwisely enter!
I don't blame the players because even if we have one or two playing at international level, that represents a reasonable average considering the size of the population.
We have quite a bit to go yet, but it is up to us to push ahead and encourage excellence
Worldly knowledge and multicultural awareness are topics that I believe to be highest on the list of Malta's most critically important issues if we are to, survive, move ahead, and be considered internationally plausible by those around us.
As you so eloquently pointed out in your article, quite possibly the majority of Maltese, are complacent in mediocrity, and familiarity, when in comes to their lives, which, for far too many, means accumulating hours at meaningless jobs, slouching at a table of unimaginative dining, and watching the World pass us by on the television.
In this day, it’s deplorable that so many chose a stagnant lifestyle over that of modeling a more productive one for the children that we claim to love so much.
Children learn by adapting behavior parents and teachers model for them. As an artist, teacher, and parent, I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to lead and model a significantly more constructive life style.
There’s no excuse for mundane, the world is literally at our finger tips (WWW), and the television off button and a good book is never far away.
Good points Attard, Nikita!
But other countries also have their ‘East Enders’ and the ‘Jerry Springer’ shows too.