Sunday, May 02, 2010

Waleed Aly: a coherent voice of reason

As I previously posted, this weekend saw Williamstown Town Hall host the Williamstown Literary Festival. Yesterday, I attended a number of events, bookend by my favourites: a screening of Paul Cox's The First Wife in the evening capped off a day that began with a discussion about current social issues between former Victorian Premier, Steve Bracks, and Waleed Aly. Aly is my favourite social commentator on the topics on which he speaks. I have great respect for both his intellect and - in particular - his amazing ability to take complex historical, social and political events and concepts and explain them with great clarity and coherence. In a sense, he's our very own Noam Chomsky, the only other person I can compare him with. In particular, since the events of 911, he has been a sane voice of reason in this country.

I've never really openly discussed my admiration for both Steve Bracks - possibly Victoria's most popular Premier ever - and Waleed Aly. Because it's been a largely private thing, it was perhaps a little bit of a surprise to discover that I wasn't the only one. I suppose it really shouldn't have been, and it was nice to be able to share the appreciation amongst like-minded people.

I recorded the event with the video capability of my compact digital camera. It's not something I normally do and I didn't plan to. If I was more prepared, I'd have had a spare battery - unfortunately the power ran out just before the 20 or so minutes of Q&A. I also lost about a minute changing the memory card - fortunately I carry a spare one.

The subject of the talk pertained mostly to Waleed Aly's book People Like Us. He covered a diversity of subjects, mostly around the so-called divide between Islam and the West. From the book's cover:
People Like Us confronts the themes that define this chasm [Islam and the West] head on: women, jihad, secularism, terrorism, Reformation and modernity. Its piercing examination of these subjects reveals our thoughtless and destructive tendency to assume that the world's problems could be solved if only everyone became more like us. The result is deep mutual ignorance and animosity, reinforced by both Muslim and Western commentators.
The talk was absolutely enthralling and if possible, I'm sure both speakers and audience could have stayed for several hours (it went for over ten minutes over the alotted hour). Perhaps most interesting was how Aly explained the differences in perspectives between Islam and the West and the difficulty in defining what is Islam and what is the West.

I asked a question about the stoning of women in places like Iran (I'd just seen The Stoning of Soraya M. the previous day) and how this sits within Islam. I can't relate the answer accurately but to try, Aly mentioned that Iran is an aberration within the Muslim world and, unlike other Islamic nations, Iran is a theocracy. Since the Revolution, Khomeini modelled the country's political structures much like Marxism. I feel inadequate to do his answer more justice, and unfortunately I didn't record this part of the proceedings.

I've never posted to YouTube before, and here is the bulk of the event in four parts:

Part 1
..

Part 2
..

Part 3
..

Part 4*
..

* I missed about a minute between Parts 3 & 4 (changing the memory card) and about 20 minutes at the end, all of the Q&A (no spare battery).

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

So Iran is an aberration, Islamic terrorists are an aberration, stonings are an aberration, honour killings are an aberration etc. For one religion, there are a lot of aberrations! That aside, I like Waleed Aly and he makes sense for most of the time but I have never heard him being critical of any Islamic terrorist attack. Instead, I have only heard him to search for reasons for the attacks rather than condemning them.

Paul Martin said...

Anonymous, I suggest you watch the video clips. It may interest you to read his book. I've never heard him condone terrorist attacks, either.

Anonymous said...

I did listen to it. Again, I may have missed something as I am at work but I didn't hear him being critical of anything Islamic. He was only critical of "white Australia" and others but not Muslims. You will find he will never be really critical of anything Muslim because it is against their religion or whatever that they cannot be critical of each other. It's not their fault but just how they have being brought up. Whereas everyone else is free to criticise their own religion and culture which they regularly do, there seems to a level of superiority That Muslims have over non-Muslims and Waleed shows glimpses of it although he tries to hide it as much as he can. Even Bracks succumbs to Waleed's superior wisdom as if its gospel rather than engaging in any meaningful debate.

Douche Gargle said...

All you need to do is show a fictional Muhammad wearing a bear suit in order to get the Muslims angry these days. Even uttering the name Muhammad on Viacom/Comedy Central will get you censored followed by bomb and death threats. Muslims should chill like Buddhists when they see an animated Buddha doing a few lines of coke.

It's all about tolerance. For example, Muhammad is a goatfucker.

RIP Theo van Gogh.

It's all a douche gargle.

Paul Martin said...

While the talk covered different topics, the guts of it was about bridging the communication divide - about having a common understanding of words that are used. It wasn't about fault - one side or the other. He points out how cultural and historic experiences colour one's perspective of the world, regardless of whether it's Islam or the West.

DG, in the aftermath of 911, the types of activities you're describing - if targeted at Christianity - could have had you killed in the US. One thing Aly mentioned is that extremism exists on both sides, there's no doubt about that. Why it manifests in such barbaric ways (like stoning and honour killings) within Islam, I don't have an answer.

Anonymous said...

Of course, extremism of all kinds is absurd and dangerous but it seems that Islamic extremism is the one causing the most violence and deaths. Over the past decade, there have been almost 40,000 violent attacks causing death and injury in the name of Islam. Yet, the majority of Muslims sit back and just ignore it and the reasons why this is happening and instead like to talk about white Australia and Israel and the evil USA. Then when there are Muslims brave enough to stand up and be critical of Islam like Ayaan Hirsi Ali then fatwas are held against them and they have to protect themselves by going into hiding or end up dead like Theo Van Gogh. There are many cases of Muslims themselves calling attention to the dangers of radical Islam and yet they are being ignored or isolated. Why?

Paul Martin said...

The point of this post is that there is a voice of reason, in this case articulated by Waleed Aly, and that voice is just a squeak compared to the amount of ignorance perpertrated and perpetuated by the media and politicians.

dmk said...

And what did you think of My First Wife?

Paul Martin said...

I've been so flat out this week that I haven't done my Week in Review. I loved it - I count it as one of the best films about a marriage in crisis. While it doesn't have all of the brilliance of Bergman's Scenes From a Marriage (theatrical version), it has all the emotional honesty and genuine nuances. I've previously named a small handful of films in this category of excellence, like Christian Vincent's The Separation or Sam Mendes Revolutionary Road. Now I also include this one.

Paul Martin said...

And we had a Q&A, and I got to speak to the director. I'll post some of these details if and when I find the time.

Anonymous said...

All men pipedream, but not equally. Those who dream by twilight in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to espy that it was conceitedness: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may deception on their dreams with problematic eyes, to create them possible.

Anonymous said...

All men pipedream, but not equally. Those who day-dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the heyday to become aware of that it was swell-headedness: but the dreamers of the epoch are dangerous men, benefit of they may dissimulation on their dreams with problematic eyes, to get them possible.

dmk said...

I was very fond of My First Wife. Emotionally abrasive enough to interest me. Christian Vincent's The Separation sounds superb, I will get my hands on it.

To that list you can add Long Weekend ('78), Possession ('81), and Gabrielle ('05). No, really, you can.

Paul Martin said...

I liked Gabrielle at the time but don't remember it well; Possession I remember less. Long Weekend I wouldn't really put in that category because, while it depicts a couple in crisis, the psychological and emotional reality of their situation is really backseat to the thriller aspect of the film. Don't get me wrong, I like the film a lot, but I just don't think it's in the same category.

And The Separation is brilliant.

dmk said...

I was, of course, talking about Zulawski's Possession, not LaBute's. I don't think you've seen it. :)

For me, the 'couple in crisis' themes of Long Weekend aren’t secondary to the film; having seen it multiple times, I’ve learned to approach it as a soap opera with horror-undertones. Almost an uncategoriseable film, the ozploitation label doesn’t suit it, not entirely at least. It’s a very satisfying tragedy of a disintegrating relationship, not as silly as the premise would suggest. -Hence why it’s such a rewarding rewatch. So yeah, I definitely include it with that list. It’s, at the very least, the most polarizing of the bunch.

Did you see Alle Anderen at miff last year? That was a superb film of similar themes. I’m surprised it didn’t screen at this year’s German Film Festival, it’s going Direct-to-Video in July.

Paul Martin said...

I was thinking I'd seen the Zulawksi film, but I haven't. Fair call re: the relationship theme not being backseat, but I don't think it nails 'relationship crisis' like the other films.

I agree that the Ozploitation label doesn't quite suit it because really, what it has that had it labeled as such was there in world cinema during the 1970s.

Nuh, didn't see that film.

Anonymous said...

I recently discovered your blog. I find the films you rate highly are somewhat about emotionally challenged souls. Would you consider yourself one such person? Do you suffer from a mental illness and does this drive your blog? A fellow suffer.

Paul Martin said...

Anon, I don't really understand your first question. I think the human condition is inherently psychotic and that basically everyone is mentally ill in some way, including me. But I have no clinically diagnosed condition and would be considered a functional human being. On the other hand, the most sane and functional person I have met was diagnosed with various mental conditions from the age of four. Go figure.

Uncle Boonmee said...

You've been strangely quiet regarding Cannes and the Sydney Film Festival this year. Not a peep about them from you? Cinema taking a back seat to the rest of your life?

Paul Martin said...

To your last question, yes. I'm going through a relationship breakup and personal transformation.

Uncle Boonmee said...

Cinema broke my heart too.

Paul Martin said...

UB, cinema didn't break my heart, but has been a wonderful distraction from the real me. I'm now attending to get to that poor soul who had been neglected for so long.

tumbleweed said...

good work, there's life and there's cinema & sometimes you can't do both

Life is beautiful. Really, it is. Full of beauty and illusions. Life is great. Without it, you'd be dead.

heh

Uncle Boonmee said...

TRASH HUMPERS is screening at MIFF. Get the motherfuck over your malaise and report this shit! Tumbleweed will be happy.

Paul Martin said...

I just saw that in the MIFF newsletter. Thanks for identifying yourself, UB. ;)

d m k said...

Haha, he lives!

Re: MIFF.
It's time for joy, Joe Dante's epic movie essay/love-letter/whatever-the-hell-it-is The Movie Orgy is coming. 6 Hours Long? You can't miss this one, Paul. Also, Rivette's new one.

But really, it's Venice is where it's going to be at this year. Skolimowski's newie, Monte Hellman's newie... ♥