pean Elena Anglo-American Studies An I, Sem.

Essay
What I must start with is to present myself. I am a hater of journalists. I dislike the fact that they poke their noses when they shouldnt, people or machine, it doesnt matter as long as they talk in that certain offensively way. Excuse my language if so, but I dont think they should make a hush out of everything, like the one from the book Media Anthropology written by Eric W. Rothenbuhler and Mihai Coman, in which the author of the chapter The Pope at Reunion, Hagiography, Casting, and Imagination written by Daniel Dayan comments upon the pilgrimage, the arrival and the message of the Pope John Paul II at Reunion. Of course, there interesting things to learn from this chapter: types of events, how they differ and their importance in the world, the types of spheres or planes that the actions/events take place in which concerns local people, populations, and states; the discourse used by each participants in the respective event, the level of understandings, the level of interpretation of the text spoken at a certain event, be it ritual or national; the capacity of transforming realities through imagination, and the notion of casting, which I said above, it implies the idea of participation within an event, an action at a certain moment in time or at the certain filming. These all elements are of max importance because it makes people understand the goal, the task of mass-media, of journalism, of the reporters that come on the spot, filming and reporting (hence the name) what is happening there, in that area at that time, or even before or in the future. Be it like that, I may understand them and their actions; but they often challenge what the viewers see they have offered and call in (or cast in) other participants, such as The Prime Minister of France and/or the Ministry of Religion, Education, or a historian, or a journalist-critic and so on, to have a discussion on the base of the Popes visit to that particular island (this example is taken from the chapter mentioned above). Opinions, meanings, interpretations are a-plenty, the problem is which to adopt, to be at the likings of others (the men in control maybe). What I sense here is that sometimes it is necessary for this ritual (to use Dayans words) to take place, as some people do not see the truth (lets say) or their point of view, what they are hitting at (the reporters/journalists I mean); and sometimes it is quite unnecessary, in the sense of the need to promote scandals, or to deepen the cases gravity in a unlikely manner. There is always a two-faced thing about these rituals, and all operations that the media, the journalists do. What Ive been sensing reading the chapter is that, sometimes, at the beginning and the end of the respective articles has questions, good for the readers to answer, to help them see the authors reasoning. It is also a way in which other readers see how a journalist puts things in this kind of cases. Personally, it helps me a lot understanding how their minds work, but in the sense of knowing the adversary. The Pope arrives, at the end of his pilgrimage, on a French-colonized little island named Reunion (what a name). Here people gathers as they do not know of this Catholic priest that settles on their land. Ive seen it and I think of it, but this time I let it go. Whenever the Pope goes in a mission(nary) staff, cameras are following him, to report, to

surprise moments where the pontiffs heading, to hear peoples opinion about this sovereign, whether or not they know him, to link this event to the French history (again scandal, and people think that hatred leads to war, its not, its the reporters) and so on. All these put together makes up a very much linked universe, with which every element defines itself as having a role of its own in that particular moment of time and space. How poetic, one may say; but if we look closely we may have the feeling that this universe has been orchestrated to function as it functions, or it has always been like this throughout human history. Another thing surprising to me is the fact that this event is not only transmitted to the two participants, in this case France and Reunion, but actually to a neuter kind of a world, the third one; also likely to give an opinion of what they have seen and hear. Not good in my opinion, as I see and hear what the United Europe has to say about my country, or America, but even she is linked to us, so I may call out Australia, who is far away, having not seen what is Romania or her history. Yes, Australia is that kind of a third world which watch and gives an opinion (or not) about my country; which again I sense something wrong. Why should another country know my problems? Why should Honduras know about the arrival of the Pope at Reunion, that tinny-tinny island in the Indian Ocean? (Here is my question) No response I guess. Again please excuse my tongue, for I hate the journalists very much I could shut down the world, if I had the power. This power used today destroys in a way or another, the people, local, regional, national, all you want; and transforms them in the likeliness of the men above (these are symbols, if you know what I mean then dont ask). Yes, the journalists have that capacity, they are the instrument through which these men arrive in our brain, consuming it and replacing it with other staffs like scandals, conspiracy, tensions, hatred and so on. Journalists, the mass-media in general, often put to questions the reality in which we live in, as it was stated in Dayans article where he talked about the tensions between France and the post-colonized people of the island. Again, these tensions arise when certain vital points are emphasized in a certain degree or manner. Sometimes, journalists may have the upper hand in knowing whats around us, interpreting it as a lively-reality, but what we should do is not to fall into their hands, into their own interpretation, and try to interpret these on our own, even if we lack history or religious lessons. Our common sense and judgment will lead us to peace (somehow).