Mini Memories and the Significance of Snowden

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Modern memories, like attention span, are fashionably short for a number of reasons, the most obvious of which being incessant shrinking and conditioning by the mass media. Another reason could be mental overload. There are way too many baffling issues, some real, some fabricated, designed to confuse.

Many survivors of WW2 are still alive with their scars and memories, yet the denial and reinvention of history have commenced before their eyes. No wonder Iraq has been largely forgotten. But countless Iraqis are still dead, for reasons that never existed. They are the relatively lucky ones though. Thousands of deformed children, DNA warped by depleted uranium bombs, are yet to face life in a broken country. What about Guatanamo Bay, the 21st Century torture camp operated by the most vociferous lecturer of human rights and rule of law, offering indefinite detention without bothering to stage even a show trial? 

集体失忆与斯洛登

[English]    [烦睇中文］

当今集体记忆与注意力的严重收缩，首要多谢传媒多年来的悉心培养。极其复杂的天下大势，电视报章只消花三言两语便忠奸分明，正邪定局。来不及想深一层，话题已经消失，变了广告。欲深入分析已资料难寻，亦不合时宜。再者，天下劲乱，资讯泛滥；值得注意的事情太多，能做的事情极少，众人心理负荷过大，唯有跳制短路，以求自保。

曾经二战的人很多还健在，战争的前因后果已经当他们的面被删改得模糊不清。难怪记得伊拉克的人不多了。百多万伊拉克人死得不明不白，家破人亡的不计其数，连个牵强的借口也没有。如此离谱的侵略行为，世人还是忘记得越快越好。死者已矣，要忘记相对容易，自由传媒不提便好了。但数以千计的小孩子，基因被灭绝人性的贫铀弹扭曲，奇形怪状地出生在一个破落的国家，还要面对整辈子的挣扎。他们欲忘不能。

集體失憶與斯洛登

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當今集體記憶與注意力的嚴重收縮，首要多謝傳媒多年來的悉心培養。極其複雜的天下大勢，電視報章只消花三言兩語便忠奸分明，正邪定局。來不及想深一層，話題已經消失，變了廣告。欲深入分析已資料難尋，亦不合時宜。再者，天下勁亂，資訊泛濫；值得注意的事情太多，能做的事情極少，眾人心理負荷過大，唯有跳制短路，以求自保。

曾經二戰的人很多還健在，戰爭的前因後果已經當他們的面被刪改得模糊不清。難怪記得伊拉克的人不多了。百多萬伊拉克人死得不明不白，家破人亡的不計其數，連個牽強的藉口也沒有。如此離譜的侵略行為，世人還是忘記得越快越好。死者已矣，要忘記相對容易，自由傳媒不提便好了。但數以千計的小孩子，基因被滅絕人性的貧鈾彈扭曲，奇形怪狀地出生在一個破落的國家，還要面對整輩子的掙扎。他們欲忘不能。