CNN and European politics - How NOT to cover the situation in Ukraine

Lately I have been following closely the situation in Ukraine in the media. It has as much been a lesson in Eastern-European/European politics as it has been a lesson in media criticism. I am a news junkie and typically when I read news I read newspapers and websites in both English and in my native language. I also read from various web resources as I find it important to get the news from several perspectives. I mostly read BBC, CNN and NBC and Al-Jazeera in English. However, lately I have found that CNN's coverage of the situation is Ukraine has been incredibly bad. It has been vastly historically inaccurate, overly simplified, ignorant of historical and cultural factors at play and very diminishing towards Ukraine. It has been woefully unprofessional and badly done.

There are several things which I would like to make clear about how wrong they are, especially in regards to a certain article - this opinion on CNN - which is absolutely terrible. So settle in because I am about to go politically European on y'all.

1)First of all, Europe is not an unknowable mass or the same country - it is an entire continent with many complicated factors involved. 

Europe is not a single mass of countries, it is an entire and vibrant continent of around 50 countries - each of them different from each other and each with their own culture, history, language, geography and feelings towards Europe/EU. There are a lot of cultural and historical factors at play in Europe and European culture. There is an uneasy balance as some countries share more common history and heritage than others, some countries are more at odds with each other and the relationships between countries are different. Each country has a different perception of Europe and what it means to be a European. It is not a simple black/white picture but instead a very complicated one. It is not the benevolent West versus the Evil East. There is no evil Russian/old Soviet Union versus the good EU/EFTA/Any country west of Poland. It is so much more complicated than that. Believe me, I am a staunch European that has lived here my whole life and there are still so many things I am learning.

2)The situation in Ukraine does not in any way threaten the independence of other European countries and certainly not the independence of the USA.

Anyone who gets this idea knows nothing about European politics. To begin with, European countries are masters at being empires and colonizing others - Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Belgium, Portugal and Britain being the biggest culprits. All of these countries have throughout history been independent. In fact, they have all at one point or the other dominated European culture and still do. These are European powers that have never been threatened by Russia (instead they threaten others... ) And, none of them were a part of the Soviet Union. So their independence is not in any way threatened by the situation right now. The same goes for the Nordic countries. Aside from Finland. Some were independent from the beginning and others were under the rule of other Nordic countries but have been independent since the early 20th century. None of the Nordic countries has ever been threatened by the Soviet Union/Russia and it continues to this day. To suggest otherwise is mad.

Russia does not rule the roost in Europe - if anything the European Union does and trust me, they are strong and will not go down. Many countries in Europe have never been under the threat from Russia and that isn't going to change. There are so many factors at play and considering the control and power the EU has, no one dares go against it. So no, in no way is the independence of my own Nordic country threatened by this. Neither is the independence of Portugal, Spain, The Netherlands et cetera.

And let's not even begin with the US. Who in the world gets the idea that USA's independence is being threatened? I mean, USA is the most domineering and leading country of power in the world today. There is no possible way that Russia will go against it like the article assumes. Not when USA is the world's leading military power as well.

3)It's about Ukraine and the people's rights for a better future, not about the USA.

I am going to be honest - I am so bugged and annoyed that the author of the article turned it into a simpering article about the USA, how everything is at stake for the USA in this. Therefore, they should care about it, not because Ukrainians are fellow human beings but NO - because it potentially (in some arbitrary and strange sense) harm USA. I mean seriously! 

USA has done a lot for Europe - no argument there. As a country is has done a lot for European countries and sacrificed a lot and believe me, we are thankful for it. I mean, really thankful. But the fight in Ukraine right now is not about the USA, it is not about the independence of other European countries - it is about the fight of a nation that has been to hell and back and suffered a lot. It is about people claiming their rights to live in more safety, better economic prosperity and the right to belong to Europe in more ways than geographically. It is about Ukraine, through and through. And let's keep the focus on that.

Having said all this I urge whoever comes across this blog to ignore CNN and their coverage on the topic and instead read BBC. I find it provides by far the best coverage. Read about Ukraine, read about the subject and keep yourself educated. But most importantly, ignore CNN!

Political commentary on parks and rec

It is no secret on this blog that I am a lover of good politic commentary on TV shows. I personally believe that when used right, TV shows end up revealing a lot about our society and the world around us. Parks and Recreation has proven to be an absolute delight in this regard. Within the space of 21 minutes, they manage to touch upon and portray all kinds of issues; feminism, sexism in the workplace, racism, the perils and pitfalls of government, dealing with history, gay marriage, love in the workplace, dating issues and depression. I relish watching a show that provides me with so much food for thought and manages to point out and explore so many issues with respect and sensitivity, using humor and sarcasm as the vehicles but also approaching them with seriousness.

I will delve better into the feminist aspect later but I want to point out two specific examples in which Parks and Rec has made political commentary

Season 2 had an entire episode dedicated to the issue of gay marriage. Leslie accidentally married two gay penguins and was harassed for it. She defended her choice. I was cheering pretty much the entire time I watched the episode and it is one of my favorites. 21 minutes dedicated to nothing but pushing this important issue. It was great

Click here to watch

The issue concerning Tom's name. Tom's original name was Indian Muslim but he changed it because dark-skinned people with funny sounding Muslim names aren't going to make it far in politics. Watching that scene made me sad. It speaks volumes about racial issues and prejudices regarding skin color and religion. I know it's a TV show but I think a lot of people have found themselves in this place. Obama did become president but many still believe he is a Muslim. I have traveled to India and I know Indian Muslims face greta prejudice in their own country as well as abroad in every aspect of life - so yeah, they got a point across

Click here to watch - what's in a name

I have already covered the episode where they dealt with the issue of Native-Americans. This scene stands out to me specifically. No humor involved or anything, only seriousness to get the point across. And that they did.

Click here to watch - map of pawnee

Parks and rec does really well with political commentary and it is one of the reasons I like the show so much. It brings depth and seriousness to TV which is important.

Gun culture on TV - American vs. Scandinavian views on guns

This is a heavy topic. Very heavy but it's something to tackle. Gun culture here is completely different from gun culture in America. Scandinavia is extremely strict when it comes to gun laws and gun ownership. Police offers here do not carry guns on them when on duty. Gun ownership is very rare among people. In anything, most people are afraid of guns and don't like them. Those who own guns all have to register with the police and gun ownership is very heavily monitored. I once researched the possibility of me taking a gun training course. It turns out I'd first have to register with the local police and put in an application with recommendations from two people and a certificate of good health from my doctor. If the police where to approve my application after a thorough background check I'd be allowed to take the course. But I'd still have to pass it with a grade higher than 75% and I'd need to register with the police.

This is very, very different from gun culture in America and for those of us that view American gun culture from the outside it is something that concerns us. The seeming worship of guns, the importance placed on owning a gun for self protection (from what?), the lack of background checks when it comes to weapon buying, the constant referral to the 2nd amendment as the right to own a gun for self protection and the alarming number of school shootings and the dangers easy access to gun makes.
It is culture we do not understand and are very strongly against.

So when terrible incidents such as school shootings take place, the seemingly crazy gun culture in America becomes a topic of discussion here in Scandinavia and people discuss hotly how wrong the seeming reverence towards guns is. And the craziness of demanding gun ownership for self protection based on the 2nd amendment. We view the gun culture as a very big social problem in America. We respond very strongly to it and view our own attitude towards guns and gun ownership as being a better one. I am going to be brutally honest and say that we consider ourselves superior to American culture in this regard.

These opposing views are best represented in the following clips - This is a FOX news clip concerning the gun ownership of police offers. And yes, we are democratic.

and the reply by a Norwegian man.

So for me, being a part of and agreeing with a culture that is so strict when it comes to gun ownership and is resistant towards guns, viewing gun culture on TV is interesting.

First of all, I always find it strange when the first thing the characters do when facing a situation is whipping out their gun. In my country, the police wouldn't do that. The local police has a special team trained in facing situations where guns are required for protection. You never see police officers carrying arms. Something like that would scare people. In fact, people carrying guns scares me. It seems strange to me that it is the first instinct of the characters to pull out their weapons when there is no need for it. And to constantly aim it at people when there is no threat. That, I do not get.

Secondly, I have zero knowledge of guns. I'm barely able to tell the most basic difference between different types of guns. I had no idea ballistics were considered to be a valid tool in forensics. I had never imagined there were so many different kinds of guns and bullets. It is a science unto itself. So when TV characters spout out gun fact after gun fact my eyes glaze over and I have no idea what they are talking about.

Thirdly I close my eyes when shooting scenes happen most of the time. I am still not comfortable when guns are being shot on TV. Pulling out the gun is one things, using it is completely another. It makes me wince. I will never like it. If that makes me the worlds biggest imp so be it.

Fourthly I am still wondering how in the world the gun scenes are constructed. Do they use real bullets? Are there always paramedics present in case something goes wrong? Who puts the scenes together? Is it possible for the actors to be dislike using guns?

And fifth - why the constant shooting? Is there a demand for constant shooting scenes or is it just for the sake of trying to making the shows more exciting?

Today I found this gem - This is the reason for why Obama really is a great president. He wants to make a change in gun laws and I am guffawed it did not happen.

Obama's speech concerning the gun legislation that was overruled

And for the record - having families that have been shattered by gun violence weigh in on such an important issue is not emotional blackmail or manipulation. It is a reality check for those that are in power to see the terrible effect of gun violence. And don't the families deserve to have a say in a matter like this? Does the opinion of the public not matter?

Do I believe people have the right to protect themselves? Absolutely. I do so 150%. But I also firmly believe in people's right for protection and to me a part of that protection lies in heavy gun control. It helps keep people safe. This is something I continue to try and wrap my head around and as do other people I know. But I will say that I am glad to have grown up in my culture where guns are not a part of people's daily life and people do not depend on guns for safety. I am blessed to live in an incredibly safe place with a wonderful police force that keeps everyone safe. It is not something I would change for the world and I know no person that would.

Barrett Foa singing as Mitt Romney - an ode of love (and a rant on politics)

So just to get it cleared up - I love musicals, absolutely love them. I am a classically trained musician and music is a big part of my life. And I am a proud musical geek (favorites are Wicked and Mary Poppins).
So understandably I devour any piece from a new musical that comes my way.

But I am also a thinker and an observer with a great interest in international matters and media. And learning new things. And I have a tendency to get extremely interested in certain things and try learning about them as much as possible (this includes my long standing love affair with Russian culture and the language). And last autumn was an absolute field day for a nerd like me. The American presidential election was on!

I dove into it with enthusiasm and started following Romney and Obama and enlightening myself on their policies on various matters, the most interesting one being taxes, health care reform and international matters. And was I in for a "treat" (written with great sarcasm). or what. From the beginning of the campaigns, I sat in shock in front of my computer as I watched video after video, read article after article with misconceptions and slander about Europe as a whole. Mind you, the entire continent was spoken about as if we were one collective country (which we are NOT!).

Europe as a whole continent was called a socialist state and candidates promised they would NOT have a socialist government like Europe. 
Because yes, we are all socialist pigs and all belong to the same country and all have the same government
Russia was declared as USA's main enemy
The Cold War and WWII are still going on apparently and Russia still aims to destroy USA - the rest of Europe did not get the memo apparently
European health care was described as terrible over and over again
Yes, our hospitals are ran by government agent with the sole purpose of killing people, you found us out USA sadly
European governments control everything people do and have their nose in people´s personal affairs
Yes the government watches my every action and even has a camera in my bedroom

I can tell you that my jaw fell to the floor over and over again and I ranted again and again about the insanity of this. And Romney was at the top of his game when it came to international policy and Europe.
His Europe trip was England, Poland and Israel. Apparently Europe only consists of three countries.
His vice president candidate declared Russia to be USA's number one enemy and talked about it being communist
He spoke in his foreign policy (and I read this with my own eyes) of having people come over to USA from Russia to get ideas on democracy and such things and then they cold go back home to Russia and educate people on it.
And Europe was time and again declared a socialist place (nice putting us all under one hat)
And to cap it off he had international policy towards all continents except Africa and Europe. he had a specific international policy towards Russia (so quite clearly we do not exist as a continent).

So I was feeling like losing my head. You might say I was letting this get too much to me but I care dearly about where I come from and seeing it talked about like that annoyed me to no end. It was as if the world had gone mad for a while. And I was not okay with it.

So when I found the gem of a song that is Barett Foa singing as Mitt Romney it meant a lot to me. I know it sounds incredibly silly (and it is) but the song instantly got to me. I loved it so much and still do. It made sense to me in so many ways and considering the politic situation it was perfect. I listened to it over and over again and each time I laughed my head off. I learned it by heart and started singing it when on my way to work. I realize how dorky this is but I arrived in good spirit at work every time. I still listen to it regularly and it makes me grin each and every time.

And here is why
-The song is a very good musical number - like really good
-Barrett Foa sings it really well - he has an excellent voice and you can tell he is a trained singer
-The lyrics - all my opinions and thoughts on Romney and politics in general expressed in fund and thoughtful lyrics - it expressed everything but also had valid political concerns
-It was fun - I love things that make me happy and make me laugh and this did and still does

It was such a relief to get this song and it came at the right time. I have played it for friends and family and they all think it's great. Barrett Foa managed to address the concerns and thoughts of pretty much all Scandinavians (save a few) in one song when it came to politics and Romney.

Music is something I respond very strongly to (I am a classically trained musician and have been a music nerd since infancy) and it helps me make sense of things. And this song did.
So thank you Mr. Foa for saving the political sanity of a Scandinavian :) And for making me laugh time and again!

And here is the gem on a youtube link - Click here!