Write to the editor

I attended the Ibtissam Foundation ‘humans are not for trafficking’ charity event at the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa last Friday and I felt I must share with you how extremely impressed I was by the whole evening. This is an area of great importance and a topic that we usually don’t hear too much about.

One of the things that particularly stood out for me during the evening was the Question Time-style interview rather than having Saudi Arabian princess Madawi Al Saud do a ‘usual’ style speech, as during the interview the message was sent out loud-and-clear for all to hear. 

It was also transparent to all that she has immense knowledge on this subject and her true passion and commitment shone through and could be felt throughout the room, which was very encouraging and inspirational.

The statistics are worrying and this subject, which I believe should be given more attention by providing greater awareness in whatever way we can, touched me.

Michelle Deaville-Davies by email.
 

We would like to thank you for helping us out with the voting for Hard Rock Rising 2014. We had a great gig and party at Hard Rock Cafe Dubai the night before voting closed and want to thank all who made it down for that.

Unfortunately we didn’t place in the Top 25 through voting, but came in 43rd place out of 10,000 bands from all over the world.

We like to think we raised the awareness of live music in the region and helped to draw attention to the Gulf as an area that can produce hard working talent with international goals and achievements in the music industry. We aim to achieve higher accolades in the future.

Gary Tierney,
managing director,
The Boxtones FZE.

Our increasing tolerance of, and lust for, vicarious violence is frightening.
The upward trajectory of vicarious violence is matched by the increasing amounts of dehumanising media we’re exposed to: ‘reality television’ turns supposed real-life personal heartbreak and tragedy into entertainment. The internet is casually rife with horrific imagery.

It’s no surprise we’re seeing more incidents of road rage and even more heinous crimes committed by children. When we’re inured to violence and we lose our appreciation for the value of every human life, society can become terribly cruel, even sadistic.

How can you shield yourself and your family from it?

* Don’t give your children ‘junk food’ media. You wouldn’t let your kids eat a candy bar for breakfast, pizza for lunch and a plate of cheese fries for dinner. Discourage junk media by encouraging stimulating discussions and edifying reading material at an early age. Children are full of curiosity and wonder; don’t be afraid to engage with them on their questions about life.

* Exercise your empathy. Are you captivated by aggressive young women having meltdowns on TV? Rather than taking petty pleasure with a palpable dash of superiority in witnessing that footage, you might instead wonder why you are supporting the exploitation of broken, emotionally immature people. That young woman could be your daughter, sister, friend, co-worker, etc. who forever regrets her misguided choices while a young person.
 
* Read a book. Focusing on anything for an extended period of time is inherently pleasurable, and reading a book – but please not a murder mystery – provides the kind of engagement that is far more satisfying than vicarious violence. Fiction is shown to increase empathy among readers, and non-fiction books broaden your understanding of how the world works.

* Engage with the people around you. One way vicarious violence works is by a disassociation with the person being abused. This is probably being amplified by seeing people as vague entities rather than human beings. Take time to renew relationships. Isn’t life more interesting when you’re engaged with what and who is around you?

L. Craig Williams,  by email.