The State Were In, September 12, 2009.
We look at how people treat each other during a pandemic and ask a
Swine flu sufferer how the disease has affected her relationships. We
ask if theres a right to complain and if protest is the lubricant of
democracy, meet a man who exercises his right to
kvetch and hear from Israeli singer-songwriter Aviv Geffen, who was standing next to Yizhak Rabin when he was assassinated.
This weeks theme is “The right to complain”
Complaints
Julian Baggini is a British philosopher who has written a book, called
Complaints: from Minor Moans to Principled Protests. He discusses
with Jonathan what constitutes a complaint, right and wrong complaints,
and how complaints and protests can lead to positive social change.
Jailed for complaining
An Indonesian housewife, Prita Mulyasari, went to a hospital emergency
room late last year suffering from a high fever. She was misdiagnosed
and she complained. As a result, she has since been arrested and jailed
and now shes on trial, facing a 70,000 euro fine and up to six years
in jail.
Protest is the lubricant of democracy
Adam Eidinger was one of around 1000 protesters who staged a
protest near the White House in 2002 to protest against the World Bank
and the International Monetary Fund. The protest was crushed by the
police and over 400 were arrested. They were subjected to harsh
treatment before finally being released. Eidinger and many of the other
protestors have sued the city of Washington, D.C. and won. Eidinger
tells Jonathan why protest is so necessary in a democracy.
Listen to the section here
Hal’s kvetch
In this essay, Canadian writer Hal Niedzviecki explains how, after
years of resistance, he has come to accept the fact that he is a master
kvetcher.
Listen to the story here
Geffen’s gift
Israels biggest and most controversial pop star Aviv Geffen
discusses why he thinks music can be more powerful than politics and of
the moment that changed his life he was standing next to the prime
minister Yitzhak Rabin when he was assassinated in 1995.
Listen to the story here