By profession I'm a computer scientist, which doesn't mean that I program for a living, or that I can fix your computer when it fails to boot, but that I am interested in, and study, the mathematical and logical foundations of computing. A family of logics which I have used various times in my work is that of multi-valued logic - logics used to reason about values other than truth and falsity, possibly denoting different levels of truth or certainty. Reading Andrew Borg Cardona's blog on the Times, and Daphne Caruana Galizia's blog, and comments on other blogs, I've been toying with the idea of defining a new logic - Malti-valued logic, where the truth and falsity of a statement is to be assessed keeping the context of local political values of the author in mind.
Let me start by quoting two selections from their writings which led to this article. Please feel free to read the whole articles, to ensure that I have not quoted them out of context.
"Would Erika have been a Labour supporter if she weren't Leo [Brincat]'s daughter? I seriously doubt it. She's much too intelligent."
Daphne Caruana Galizia
Comment in Bitchin' Time on J'Accuse's Blog
http://jaccuse.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/bitchin-time
13th June 2008
Comment in Bitchin' Time on J'Accuse's Blog
http://jaccuse.wordpress.com
13th June 2008
"[...] I can't help musing on whether [...] there is an educational divide still in this country. For some reason, the people who write in not to insult me seem to do it in much better English than the ones who do it to call me names."
Andrew Borg Cardona
For Some Variety, Times of Malta
13th June 2008
For Some Variety, Times of Malta
13th June 2008
So, it seems that according to them, being intelligent, and being able to write in good English implies you must sympathise with the Nationalist Party, unless obviously you come from a die-hard Labour family. Funny - I always assumed that an intelligent person would refuse to make a categorical statement about agreeing with one party or another. Parties change, their policies change, their leaders change. Blood ties to either party for life have always struck me as particularly stupid and irrational. Which is probably why I never included either ABC or DCG in my book of intellectuals. Rather the opposite. Sympathising with a party and supporting the policies (or more likely some policies) of a party at a particular point in time is what I always thought would be the intelligent person's behaviour.
One thing that I found disgusting in the last election campaign was the implicit message in some of the supposedly independent local media that not voting for the PN was tantamount to irrationality, to stupidity. As soon as someone voiced a pro-MLP stance, the media struck out, to the extent that we've now all heard the "but how can s/he's vote Labour - s/he's too intelligent to do that" comment. Those voicing a pro-AD stance, were labelled as "paving the way for Labour" and hence, by transitivity also stupid. Simply raising questions about cases such as JPO's meant you were believing Alfred Sant's fabrications, hence making you an enemy of the people - sorry I meant the PN, which we were promptly reminded, was the same thing. This is the logic I cannot understand, dear Borg Cardonas and Caruana Galizias.
Give me broken English over broken logic any time.
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13 comments:
I accidentally came across your blog entry, and I couldn't agree with you more. Your reasoning is the right reasoning - the reasoning which any clear-headed, reasonably intelligent European would live by. Thanks for showing me that not all Maltese are plagued with a pathetic, ignorant, easily influences, "small-island" mentality. Regardless of her very probable political agenda, Daphne Caruana Galizia is a (proud) snob and a wannabe elitist. What she seems to miss is that her mentality is that of a Maltese peasant, who never learned to really have an intelligent viewpoint. Oh well, she gets paid for writing WHAT she writes, have no doubt about it.
The worst thing we level-headed thinkers can do is leave the space that themselves (I mean the DCG's and the ABC's of this island). We need to make a presence in their own spaces, in their own blogs. It's funny but something seems to have happened to DCG after this election. Instead of enjoying the success of helping to destroy Dr Alfred Sant as a politician and with him MLP's hopes of electoral victory, she has now gone on an orgy of venom and hate against anything remotely associated with Labour. She is attracting a strong following of other who mimic her views not only on her blog and others but also, worryingly, on radio phone ins.
Political debate in Malta after the elections is now turning around how much facial hair this or the other politician has, or if his trousers are too long for his legs.
I think level-headed observers of the political scene should get their act together and make this lady see that she will no prevail in her disgusting aim.
I wouldn't go as far as insulting the peasants by comparing Daphne to them, BUT you've got to give the woman one thing: she knows EXACTLY what the average Maltese person wants to read. And she gives it to him/her. In bucketfuls. The amusing thing (or sad - depending on how you look at it) is that she thinks she is a journalist.
I can't take the name-calling though and playground rhetoric. For example, the reasons she gives why she KNOWS - not even thinks, she KNOWS - that Joseph Muscat is not a good guy to occupy his post are:
he gels his hair, he wears his trousers too long and his ties are ugly ... need I say more about the credibility of this opinionated-ist? Not to mention the puerile jibes at some elephant and Anglu Farrugia ... I read her blog for the same reason I watch Xarabank. I like to now what (and how) the average Maltese person thinks.
Borg Cardona seems to agree that to gain a wider readership he must stoop to those levels... at least that's what he's been doing lately. It's a pity really, because he was very entertaining - perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but entertaining nonetheless. I think that he does what he does to gain a wider internet fan base because so far his Saturday column in The Times is still OK.
Let's hope he sees the light and repents ;)
People like DCG try to stifle healthy political debate because as soon as someone challenges/questions the PN he is immediately branded an MLP arse-licker (and being associated with the MLp is like admitting to having genital warts DCG says) or someone with an axe to grind. Being ridiculed in print is not a pleasant experience and people like DCG know that and work on it in order to make people think twice before voicing opinions which do not constitute praise of the PN government.
The only way to put a stop to this is to continue calmly making one's rational argument
You've been too long in the company of machines; go out and meet some human beings for a change.
You'll find people are less logical than your precious computer but have other qualities: a sense of humour and irony, for example.
PS - I know you're entitled to remain anonymous but I can't help wondering why you choose to hide behind a mask. The two columnists you despise so much have the moral courage to take a public stand on the issues they write about.
Zizzu hit the nail on the head - "I read her blog for the same reason I watch Xarabank." For an intelligent discussion you have to look elsewhere.
And Antoine, I guess your point is that you find name calling to be ironic and humourous. And probably also a sign of intelligence. To each his own. Regarding anonymity, maybe you should have bothered reading who the article was posted from.
Very original article Gordon. I enjoyed reading it. we need more of these at least as alternative reading for the few at the end of the tail.
I found the article very toughtfull and deep, at least i know that level headed people exist in this country
Antoine, you have regurgitated back Daphne's response. There is a very fine line between being humorous and being pathetic. DCG and Bocca try to be witty but end up being mostly nasty. Monthy Pyton is humour with a wit. DCG (aka Mrs Cuschieri) and our friendly elf try to attain the same grandiose but end up by being pathetic and tastelessly partisan.
It seems that Gordon's article has stirred the venomous pit after all.
You know what?I used to find both DCG's and ABC's columns entertaining, but stopped doing so when they started generalising and putting people in brackets. I am quite sure that both have good friends, or admire, people with different political opinion. If not, they must be sociopaths, which I am sure they're not. So, I must say that I sometimes fail to understand the reason for their jibes. And what about the so called peasants? On ABC's blog, DCG could have been easily understood to say that peasants remain peasants, even if they climb up the social ladder. Would she refer to PN's Joe Saliba in the same way, then?
They are both (very) good in writing, but (except to ABC's presences in court or on boards) they are both very poor speakers and usually end up losing any admiration rather than gaining any when they attend a speech (anyone remember ABC's contributions on Xarabank, especially the one on smoking???)
One last thing - I very much doubt whether ABC or DCG would allow any of their offspring to become emotionally entangled with a peasant's daughter or son. But they won't call themselves racist, would they? Oh no, that's only reserved that to others.
For the record, not that I am particularly worried, the comment you quoted from me was specific and based on the lousy English used by people who comment on my blog and my column. There are intelligent Labourites, but they are intelligent enough to comment intelligently or use decent English when they do so. The fact is, few of them do, so what you see (lousy English and/or fuzzy logic) is what you get and that is what prompted my remarks.
The personal insults contained in the comments above (and no doubt the ones that will be in the ones to come) are further evidence in support of my thesis.
Dear Andrew Bprg-Cardona, despite your impeccable English, I still fail to see your logic.
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