Discovered

The popularity of ‘war’.

Calum — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 10:13:21 +0000

I have just passed a newsagents and noticed that the headline for the local paper is – ‘NOISE WAR ON GANGS’. After reading the associated article it appears that high frequency sound is being transmitted in certain public areas to stop young people from congregating there and creating noise. The paper suggests this works because teenagers have more sensitive hearing than the over 20s and find the sound irritating. Apart from the ethical issues involved in this situationI have been rather amazed at the use of the term ‘war’. It seems as if there are wars against all sorts of things at present. Crime, drugs, terror, obesity and poverty are all participants in wars against……. who exactly? Perhaps the use of the term is to generate some sense of community spirit through fear. Are we all involved in such wars, or can we subscribe to certain ones that our friends and neighbours may not have even heard of?

I feel that this is a misuse of language, which in turn influences thinking and behaviour. Wikipedia defines war as ‘A prolonged state of violent, large scale conflict’. I am not convinced that the case above actually constitutes a state of war. It also states that ‘If a peaceable resolution fails, is not sought, or is thwarted, war often results’. Using the term ‘war’ may suggest that there is no point in engaging in dialogue to find a more positive solution to problems. The newspaper article does not contain any comments from the teenagers who are the target of this strategy. Perhaps an initial dialogue between all involved would have led to a different approach. If young people find that war has been declared to them who are they likely to turn to? I would be surprised if they reached out to the older generations in the search for mutual understanding.

The dangers of loose talk.

Calum — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:37:43 +0000

I’m getting close to finishing Robert Fisk’s amazing book ‘The Great War for Civilisation : The Conquest of the Middle East‘. One of the many things I have learned from reading the book is the way in which words have been used and misused throughout the conflicts. Unfortunately, the significant examples of such misuse relate to negotioations to encourage peace. In many cases words were consciously chosen for their ambiguity so there would be room for further explotation once agreements had been made. I had never thought of words being used as weapons to continue a conflict in this way. This highlights the need for experience in dialogue for individuals to enable them to see how the words involved in discussions can have a significant impact upon real life.

A Level Success?

Calum — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 14:29:48 +0000

It seems like the concern over “easy” A levels does not appear to go away. I am sure that students are working hard towards their exams but with a pass rate of 98% I wonder how meaningful these results are. What does it really mean to get four A grades if a significant number of others have also got the same? How do we distinguish between those getting such high results? I wonder how many of us would be happy to hop on a plane if we knew that 98% of airline pilots pass their exams. How many people pass the driving test first time?

I suppose my question is – To what extent do we need to measure ability, and if at all, how should this be done?