Sunday, June 24, 2007

Wah Taj!!

"You can fool some of the people all the time,
you can fool all the people some of the time,
but you cannot fool all the people all the time."

The following is a piece of an conversation that took place between two friends a few days ago. I really thought that I should put this up here.

Person1: Heyyyy...long time yaar, kya haal hai?? How have you been doing??
Person2: Heyya, Ive been doing well. By the way.. have you voted for the Taj??

Person1: Na! What about you? Have you?( the answer was clear and blunt!)
Person2: Err?? No? You havent voted? Are you even planning to?
Person1: No, not really. Why? I mean, why should I vote for the Taj?
Person2(scandalized): For the country's sake you idiot?? Dont you think its nice to have a wonder from your country?

Person1: OK, relax. Yes, I would love to have a wonder from my country. What I really want to know is that.. err.. that organisation?? Who gave them the authority to elect the wonders?
Person2(looking awfully confused): Err.. dint get you there. Who are they? As in?

Person1: Arre yaar, what Im really saying is that this organisation, the NewOpenWorld Foundation isnt really a world body na? I mean, do they really represent the entire world? Who made this organisation? Is it a part of the UN or any other world body?
Person2(now getting his side of the argument): Well, somebody will have to,right??

Person1: Why? Why not leave things the way it is now? I remember my history textbook telling me that there were the Ancient, the Medieval and the Modern Wonders of the World. So why have this "new seven wonders" at all??
Person2: So you mean to say that we shouldnt be having the seven wonders at all?

Person1: Yes, there is nothing wrong in picking them but not by some unknown organisation na?
Person2: But the entire world is voting for them. The fact that so many people have voted just shows the trust that has been placed in this organisation.
Person1: Arre dont you get it? This is some frigging company that wants millions to SMS and email their votes and eventually fuel them.
Person2: But the entire world is voting for them. Its not that they are choosing the wonders, we are. Do you think that this voting maybe rigged?

(A few other people who were just minding their business decided to watch them fight instead!)

Person1: No, maybe, or maybe not. Arre have you visited their site? Theyve got all kinda sponsors on their webpage. Christianno Ronaldo t-shirts, some shady travel-and-tour operators..blah blah. All they want is sponsors!
Person2: Arre but to do their job, that is, to publicise and advertise they would need money na?
Person1: That just shows that it aint really a non-profit organisation. I mean, I wouldnt care about their decision even if the Taj was voted because this organisation isnt representative of a world body as is the UN. Who knows, they might be filled with people from Papua New Guniea?
Person2: What I know is that all the major TV news agencies are encouraging people to vote and everyone really should.

Just when there was surely going to be a fist-fight, Person3(our hero!) comes in and..
Person3: All right, the two of you! Shut up and get back to class. Now!
...........................................................................................................................................................
My views?? I dont really know. I was Person1 till a few days ago, but Im sure that if the entire world ends up accepting the 7 wonders after the 7th of July(07.07.07) then I would probably have no choice and accept them too!

14 comments:

Nimit said...

arre agreeing to the fact that it may not be a non profit organisation ... we may not feel all that good if taj is selected .... but if it will not be then it would be a shame to all of us .... some papa new gunie ..(don't know how to spell it even) ..is in 7 wonders and our bharat is not !!!!!!!!!!!...

aur sms kyun free mein email se vote kar ... i voted from 7 different email addresses.

perhaps this wud change ur perception...
http://asicmyself.blogspot.com/

Psycho Surd said...

Thats really sweet of u man..agreed that it wud make us unhappy if the Taj isnt elected as a wonder..but my point was whether any organisation has a right to conduct such an activity..u know.. i cud float a company which wud tomm do something similar.. maybe some other sms/email contest and challenge something which has been existing and approved for so many years!

Medha said...

Random points:
* How many people/organizations DON'T work for profit these days?
* A quasi-commercial agenda should not necessitate that we doubt their intentions (here I'm assuming it's 'quasi').
* If you are/felt like person-1, then stick to your guns man! There's no compulsion to go with majority opinion.
* I voted, and I voted twice. It was a simple choice really: I don't care who it is, but if ANYONE was making a list of great things, I'd to see the Taj figure in it!
Also, the Taj is in many ways an icon & a symbol of India... so yeah, extra love is there!

Psycho Surd said...

Hehe, thanks a lot Medha. Yeah, I've stuck on to what I stood for and I haven't voted for the Taj. That does not make me any less patriotic! I do love my country but I would still say that the 'debated' organization had nothing to do with the UNESCO and therefore does not have any right to choose 'its' wonders!

Medha said...

Hehe...
One random point i forgot yesterday:
* WHAT U.N are we even talking about? It's some shit

Nimit said...

yoyoyoyoyoyo ....... TAJ a wonder ..... meri mehnat kaam aayi

How do we know said...

i sooo agreee. this is the first time that someone has put my thoughts so well on paper. I also asked the same things - ye log hain kaun? Or hote kaun hain 7 wonders nikalne vaale?

Good Job!

Psycho Surd said...

Thanks a lot for your comments man!

Akash... said...

Hmm! Though the voting is over:

I understand what the first person is saying. Definitely he is right.

However, I would vote for Taj anyday! Not only because I want my india in there, but also because I would love if even 1 child thinks my Taj is a wonder!

I would also vote, appreciating the good business idea the company floated! I mean, legally there is nothing wrong, and its just a way to earn money for the company, which is perfectly justified!

Psycho Surd said...

Yes, earning money is justified, only if it doesn't interfere with what we have been learning and knowing for so many years!

Remember the hue-and-cry we had when Pluto wasn't a planet anymore?? Well 'some' astronomers decided so and not the entire community as a whole. Similarly, agreeing that the voting has already been done and that the Taj has made the cut, think about all the other wonders which were considered earlier as one of the seven wonders (of other countries) and which now have been stripped off their status? What if the Taj didn't make it?

lalit mohan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
lalit mohan said...

me i am person 3....


wateva the f#$% u say i want to see taj there....
instead of crying over who they are to conduct that poll...
instead
as nimit said

free main email se vote kar...
taj ko jeetwa
and think bout their rights later

and obviously why the beep would they conduct such a huge exercise of voting and counting....unless they culd make some money outaa it...take a hint guys


and bozos they are giving u a chance to undisputably come in the 7 wonders...

and don't forget the free publicity and ensuing boost in tourism...


so as they say...

"eat the mangoes,dont think bout the huge seeds"...lol

Full Of Life said...

cool! Naah I wudnt have voted for the Taj..ok-ok agreed it is beautiful n stuff..but I have my reservations. Anyways keep posting. :D

9 said...

be it commercial and unrecognised.. nevtheless they came up wid sumtin intrstin.. isnt it.. though it ended up only to prove which country had more support (and inet/mob users), than actually wht its meant to be.. seen pple votin only for Taj.. (i pickd 7.. ob Taj in it.. but not the only one).. n ending it up with Bips representing India ova ter.. it summed up to crapp!