“There is no immigrant crisis,” said philosopher Slavoj ?i?ek to the journalist during an interview on UK’s Channel 4 a couple of years ago. His point was that, beyond the heart-rending images used by the media to prick our consciences, we should seek the causes behind the flow of economic migrants and bona-fide refugees.
(You can watch the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EYxqocgk9g)
I would say that Western economic neo-imperialism (the scramble for oil, French meddling in Western and Central African monetary systems and currency management) make it impossible for poorer countries to become rich, even though they are literally sitting on unimaginably vast natural resources, or they can’t get rich because of those resources.
I keep asking myself whose interests France seeks by keeping a representative on the governing bodies of the African Financial Community franc and the Central African Financial Cooperation franc. These two African currencies are not inter-convertible but each is fully convertible to the euro. In other words, the system is built to hinder inter-African trade, unless through the euro as a vehicle currency. This means that inter-African trade, which could create wealth for these peoples, is deliberately hindered by a system concocted and supported by France!
Is Malta putting any pressure on France to alleviate this situation? According to Article 1(3) of our Constitution, “Malta is a neutral state actively pursuing peace, security and social progress among all nations”. How has Malta been pursuing these goals?
Western political neo-imperialism, then, accounts for the creation of failed States (Libya, Syria, Iraq, God-knows-who in sub-Saharan Africa) and the twin phenomena of the bona-fide refugee exodus (Syria, Iraq) and of the inability to contain the sub-Saharan El-Dorado seekers (Libya). A big prosit! to the West for creating this mess of biblical dimensions.
Fortune, Prowess and our Fate
The entire migrant issue makes me wonder about Fortune and Fate. We live by the myth that we have free will. We believe that we go to school, or to university even, get good grades, and then we are free to choose what to become and if we want it hard enough, our will triumphs and our dreams come true.
The truth is that some of us fail because the human being is flawed. Others fail because the system is flawed. Those of us who succeed and are insightful, humble, and sincere will admit that it has very little to do with us and a lot to do with Fortune. In certain ways, we are all predestined.
Machiavelli argued (rightly, I think) that our Fate is shaped by Fortune and Prowess. However, I do not think that it is a 50:50 situation. Prowess is much, much less consequential than Fortune.
If you are born beautiful or handsome, many doors will simply open before you, and that’s Fortune. If you are born ugly, you will experience something different, and that too is Fortune. (Unless you are an actor with a sense of irony and can cash in on your ugliness – do you remember Marty Feldman and Jack Elam?) If you are born into a rich family, you have a head start in life; if your family is poor, you start with a massive handicap.
No matter how good or bad you are your beauty and your family’s riches will have an immense impact on your life. And your talents – which are, again, a product of genetics and the environment you grew up in – are also something you receive and not something you yourself create out of nothing. You might practise for 10,000 hours, but if you are tone deaf, you will never become a concert pianist. There’s no way you can train your ear; it is just a matter of Fortune. If, however, your ear detects the right pitch and your family is supportive, then you can achieve something in the music business.
Lucky to be born in (Western) Europe now?
We are probably fortunate to have been born in (Western) Europe, and now; the Africans are probably unfortunate to have been born in Africa. That does not mean, however, that Africans should be condemned to live their lives in poverty because of Western (European) neo-imperialism.
We as Europeans should have as one of our sincere objectives the development of African countries. Unless, that is, the élite need them underdeveloped because, should they develop, Africans would simply overwhelm Europe. If this is indeed the case, then the élite cynically need to maintain the status quo, to have human tragedies both in the Mediterranean Sea (in terms of lives lost) and in Europe (in terms of culture and social harmony lost). What has Malta been doing in this respect? Apart from quarrelling with Italy, that is.
The more important question is: who stands to gain from the status quo? The middle and working classes, or the rich élite?
Media dishonesty
How do the media behave in this scenario? Does it allow us to really understand what is going on? Or are the issues fudged by repeating emotional, do-gooder narratives with a view to distracting us from the root causes of the irregular immigration we witness on a regular basis?
The media has a huge responsibility for the expectations being formed and the attitudes taking root. But is the media always honest? Or is it (knowingly or unknowingly) blindly following the agenda of the rich élite who need migration flows to destabilise the European working classes and to serve as cooling mechanism when Africa overheats under the pressures of exploitation?
Not all media houses adhere to the same levels of honesty. Let me give you an example from my own personal experience. Only recently, I won a libel case in which MediaToday’s integrity came out heavily scathed.
I was taken to court for allegedly asking a question on the MaltaToday website. It would seem that Mark Vella – brother of MediaToday’s editor Matthew – won a literature prize in a competition where one of the judges was Immanuel Mifsud. It also seems that Mr Vella had, many years previously, published a book by Mr Mifsud. The situation begged the obvious, legitimate question. However, I was taken to court for allegedly asking something similar. But it seems that MediaToday substituted whatever I had written with something they themselves cooked up, only then to take me to court for what they themselves inserted on their website under my name.
In court, MediaToday were not able to prove that what they were alleging that I wrote was actually written by me. In other words, it seems that they implanted the text and attributed it to me.
Now consider this. They cooked up a statement and posted it under my name on something as small and insignificant as a question on whether Mark Vella won an almost-forgotten literary competition thanks to his past ties with one of the judges, Immanuel Mifsud. Just imagine what they could do when the stakes are higher.
This is just a miniscule example of media dishonesty, which I can attest to because I went through it personally. This kind of unethical behaviour pollutes public discourse, from small and insignificant events (like Mr Vella winning a competition, in the case of MediaToday) to big and significant issues, such as an honest and transparent public debate on migration.
Why I am fascinated by Slavoj ?i?ek
My fascination with Slavoj ?i?ek stems from the fact that he hails from a small country and his accent is thick. So much for certain local big heads who want to throw their weight around in our small pond but then lack the wherewithal to jump on a metaphorical dinghy, cross the metaphorical sea and risk their life to prove their mettle in Intellectual Europe.
My Personal Library (12)
Amor Fati (2018) by Andrew Sciberras is an unusual little book of poetry. Unusual not only because the author invites purchasers to donate to Puttinu Cares (a highly commendable initiative), but also because it is a collection of poems dedicated to the memory of a philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) in this case.
Dr Sciberras is a quiet man, who likes to keep a low profile, but his poetry is something to write home about. Read what is effectively a 40-word rendering of the notions of Dominant Ideology and pensée unique in verse: ‘Aħna l-bnedmin / sirna atomizzati / ’ppulverizzati / fl-istess frammentazzjoni tas-sistema ’mmanipulata / bħal priġunieri sterilizzati / ’mmansati biċ-ċimi tal-irmiġġ / fil-qigħan tal-għar imdiehex / b’nar iħeġġeġ warajna / naraw biss id-dellijiet vagi / tal-iskulturi tal-allat tat-terrakotta / fuq il-ħajt immoffat ta’ quddiemna / nemmnu li dik hi l-unika realtà eżistenti’ (p. 53).
I don’t know where he gets this skill to synthesise from, but it certainly is impressive.
Or consider this little gem: ‘Ħuti / meta tkunu kollha ċħadtuni / mid-deżert immens tal-iskorpjuni / b’bejtiet mostrużi / bħal kavallier erudit riekeb fuq żiemel istintiv / nerġa’ niġi lura b’għajnejja mħaffrin / gandotti mċajprin / u nfittex lil dawk / moħbijin fl-għerien tal-għoljiet imdallmin / u did-darba nħobbkom b’differenza / f’dan il-vjaġġ tal-eżistenza’ (p. 82).
That image of the erudite knight riding the instinctual horse reminds me of Don Quixote or of the Ego riding the Id (and being taken wherever the Id wants to take it...). You would say, okay it is a lucky choice of words. But then, as you re-open Dr Sciberras’ book, the first thing you find is a quotation from Freud on Nietzsche. Dr Sciberras is indeed quiet and does keep a low profile, but, man, does he know how to play this particular game of cards!
Amor fati is Latin for “love of Fate”; the idea that you accept what Fate throws at you as part of your existence in this world. In other words, to say “yes” to whatever happens to you, to reality per se. To put it in the words of poet Andrew Sciberras, ‘U bħal reliġjuż li jemmen bid-dommi tal-fidi / xi darba nixtieq inkun biss / li għalkollox ngħid iva’ (p. 77).
If you watch the movie Adrift – a film based on a true story – you might find a good example of amor fati. I do not like spoilers, so I will just say that the protagonist loses two important people in her life, and yet fully accepts her fate, not passively, but by getting back in the saddle after the fall.