Monday, December 12, 2005

Where is Harold Pinter moral sensibility? What actions has Pinter taken against genocides around the world? What has he done against barbaric practices such as stoning and mutilation in countries such as Iran? And what has he done to bring attention to the psychological and social injustice against first second or even third generation immigrant in various countries in Europe?

As most people are aware of this fact… the Nobel Prize is regarded as one of the prestigious awards given for intellectual achievements… and each prize constitutes a diploma, a gold medal, and a sum of money. Given the recent history of Nobel Prize… this does not come as a bolt from the blue to see the recent Nobel Prize for literature was awarded to Mr. Harold Pinter of United Kingdom. In his speech Mr. Pinter, and my emphasis is on the word speech, what he delivers to the audience is one of his make believe playwrights with one exception… the play is rewarded by a large monetary award… about 1.3 million US Dollars that is. Convincing himself into believing this is another play, Mr. Pinter colorfully portrays the hundreds of thousands of deaths that have taken place throughout many countries … and according to him… those all have been attributable to US foreign policy. Subsequently he goes on to say: "The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them. " and "the United States is without doubt the greatest show on the road. Brutal, indifferent, scornful and ruthless it may be but it is also very clever."
Why should it come as a surprise to hear Mr. Pinter speak of these crimes yet never mention the 1 million Iraqis who died of the malnourishment and disease under the watch of the U.N., the organization he criticizes the US for not giving a damn about. He doesn't mention the cozy relationship between France, Russia and Sadam's regime. We never hear Mr. Pinter speak of France and the French troops when in their mission to civilize Algerians, looted, raped and desecrated mosques after the WWII. Predictably enough he brings up the favorite topic among Nobel Laureates, i.e. Guantanamo, but he fails to mention that the racism in his country of birth breathes and has driven the very same people to desperate suicide missions against the humanity. Charity starts from home! If you want to speak about the crimes against humanity please remind us, what actions have you taken against genocides around the world. What have you done against barbaric practices such as stoning and mutilation in countries such as Iran? And what have you done to bring attention to the psychological and social injustice against first second or even third generation immigrant in various countries in Europe.


Sheema Kalbasi