Diskors ta’ mibegħda

Tajjeb li tikber il-kuxjenza dwar id-deni li jsir meta diskors ta’ mibegħda, kif tlaqqam, isir bl-addoċċ, speċjalment fil-midja soċjali. Miegħu ukoll jiġi assoċjat diskors li jifrex aħbarijiet foloz, imħawra b’mod malizzjuż. Ta’ spiss it-tnejn… mibegħda u falsitajiet… jingħaġnu flimkien biex joħolqu klima kontra persuni jew istituzzjoni li jkunu qed imexxu kampanji kontroversjali jew kontestati.

Biss hemm diskors ieħor li jixbah lil dak tal-mibegħda imma ma tistax tqisu bħala hekk. Ta’ spiss ma jingħatax importanza. Hu diskors ta’ disprezz u tkasbir, maħsub biex jipprovoka reazzjoni ta’ rabja. Dir-reazzjoni ġieli tispiċċa fl-hekk imsejjaħ diskors ta’ mibegħda.

Għalija tibqa’ xi ħaġa li trid tiġi investigata aktar. Min qiegħed jagħmel l-akbar dannu lill-valuri tal-komunitajiet tagħna?

Dawk li jintelqu fi priedki baxxi u vjolenti kontra dan u l-ieħor li dejquhom?

Jew dawk li b’diskors li jniggeż u jkasbar, qed jipprovokawhom biex jesprimu ruħhom b’mod mhux aċċettabbli?

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REPUTAZZJONI F’RISKJU

Ir-reputazzjoni ta’ Malta fl-ambiti finanzjarji saret riskjuża; hekk qalulna. Fi kliem oħra, isem il-pajjiż qed jiġi mtappan bil-kelma li ma tantx tista’ tafdah.

Dik hi d-diċerija. U jsemmulna kif il-kap tal-HSBC f’Malta qalha. Veru qalha; u qalha meta kien qed jara kif jispjega għaliex il-bank tiegħu għamel anqas profitti dis-sena mill-operat tiegħu f’Malta. Sab fhiex iwaħħal. Imma ma semmiex kif l-istess bank, fil-ħidma tiegħu dinjija għamel profitti anqas milli kien bassar. Forsi dan ġara wkoll minħabba riskju fir-reputazzjoni tal-bank? Żgur ma setax jiġri minħabba r-riskju fir-reputazzjoni finanzjarja ta’ Malta.

Hi ħaġa kurjuża kif bir-riskju fir-reputazzjoni li qed jgħidulna, Malta saret iġġorr, il-pajjiż baqa’ jottjeni rankatura ekonomika li tħalli bogħod warajha lil ħafna oħrajn.

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MIREVA

Jista’ jkun li diġà semmejt hawn il-ħanut tal-Mireva barra d-daħla “qadima” tal-Università. Ma jkun ġara xejn jekk nerġa’ nsemmih.

Għax fih kont issib għażla tajba ħafna ta’ kotba akkademiċi u kulturali li filfatt kienet tagħmlu uniku fil-gżejjer tagħna. Kien jinżamm tajjeb u bix-xieraq li kont issibu qrib l-Università. Issa ilu xhur li għalaq ħabta u sabta – jew hekk deherli, forsi ma ndunajtx li kien qiegħed imajna finanzjarjament – u issa jidher li se jibqa’ hekk għal dejjem.

Tassew dnub li fiż-żona fejn jinġabru daqstant studenti ntilef post fejn jinħażnu għall-bejgħ kotba ta’ kalibru. Nimmaġina li l-bini għad jispiċċa jitwaqqa biex jitilgħu il-flats jew biex minn hemm jinbiegħ l-ikel li tikkonsma fil-malajr.

Ikun żvilupp li fl-ironija tiegħu jista’ jservi ta’ kumment fuq il-ħajja intellettwali u kulturali ta’ pajjiżna.

English Version – Hate speech

It is good that there is a growing awareness of the harm that is done when hate speech, as it has been labelled, is indulged in, especially in the social media. With it too is sometimes coupled speech that promotes fake news, maliciously spiced. Often the two… hate speech and false information are combined together to create a climate against persons or institutions which are running controversial or contested campaigns.

Still there exists another type of speech which resembles “hate” but which cannot really be considered as such. Frequently it is not given much importance. It is a discourse that carries a mix of contempt and mockery, intended to provoke a reaction of anger, one that sometimes boils over into so-called hate speech.

In my view, this is a concern that needs deeper investigation. Who is causing most harm to the values of our community?

Those who indulge in obscene and violent diatribes against people who have annoyed them?

Or those who by relying on discourse that grates on other people and demeans them, is goading those others to express themselves in an unacceptable manner?

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Reputational risk

Malta has become subject to reputational risk in financial markets; so we have been told. In other words, the country’s name has been tagged with the mention “not to trust”.

The claim has been extensively repeated. And we have also been informed about how the head of HSBC in Malta also made the point. To be sure, he did; and the occasion was one where he was trying to explain why this year, his bank made less profit than usual on its Malta operation. No doubt, the reputational issue provided good cover. However he failed to mention that in its worldwide operations, his bank also made less profits than it had forecast. Could this have happened because the bank too is carrying some reputational negatives? The slide in worldwide profits could certainly not have been caused by Malta’s reputational risk in the financial area.

What is a bit curious is how with the reputational risk the island allegedly now carries, Malta has still maintained an economic momentum that has left many other countries trailing.

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Mireva

I might already have mentioned in this blog the Mireva bookshop located outside the “old” gate at the University. There’s no harm though in referring to it one other time.

For the shop provided a very good selection of academic and cultural books, something which made it unique here. It was run competently and its location close to the University made sense. Months have elapsed since it suddenly closed doors – or perhaps it appeared to be sudden because I failed to notice the shop was slowly sinking financially. Now it looks as if its doors will remain closed forever.

It is a pity that in an area where so many students assemble, the place where high quality books were made available for purchase has been lost. One imagines that the building will eventually be cleared to make way for flats or for some fast food outlet.

That would be quite ironic – a development that could serve as a comment about the intellectual and cultural life of the country as a whole.