There are some fundamental differences between “old” and “new” media. Old media is objective and still synonymous with power from an “elite” which is not obvious to trust and also perceived as tedious. New media is free (Internet) and private (cellphone). You are the producer and you decide whether you want to be disturbed or not. Old media deals with coincidences, every now and then. New media is constantely ongoing regarding communication, information, practical chores and entertainment. It is embraced as more free and not enforced.
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Old and new media
the multicultural riddle
Neither I can ignore the recent event in Rosengård. In short, currently there is a huge debate in Sweden about the values with in our police force. The incident that fueled the discussion was some recorded racists police statements, aimed at young people in a Swedish suburb populated by, well let’s call them “people with foreign background” – pretty much like my self. All of the sudden (and I guess finally?) Sweden is officially aware of, and might I say in a state of shock, that everyday racism is pretty common, especially amongst people with the right to practice power.
What interests me the most in this, is the simultaneous debate that goes on by many of us that belong to the categories that are being degraded. That is, “Why are people so surprised?” Cause the matter of the fact is we knew,(I am sure that there is some exceptions but) we have always known. And we have been trying to tell, but it never seems to be relevant enough. It’s on the agenda but is never prioritized. I understand that this multicultural riddle is difficult to tackle in Sweden but it’s not that tricky. The sooner you let us in the system, make sure that we are represented in all levels of workforces and so on, the sooner the alienation and segregation that creates hostility from both sides (no one is completely innocent here) the first steps of solving the riddle has been taken. Don’t just talk about it – do it!
the essence of “time” and “place”
When doing ethnographic fieldwork the understanding of time and place is one of the most essential tools for a cultural analysis. I think it was Stuart Hall, and probably a whole bunch of other cultural theorists, who said that everything that people say is contextual and therefore positioned. So… in order to fully understand a statement, a reflection or an idea, the framework for that thought should be as interesting as the actual statement. That’s cultural analysis.