I have been trying to get hold of the opinion columns on MaltaToday since David Friggieri told me that he made a fleeting mention to the J’accuse column on The Malta Independent on Sunday in his own MaltaToday column last Sunday. Thanks to Online Editor Matthew Vella I finally got to read through the article entitled “What makes a fanatic?”. Since, in editor Vella’s own words, the newspaper version of MT is still on bunsen burner mode (back burner – but somehow bunsen is more appropriate) I have taken the liberty of creating a public link to the opinion column in question in order that my apologia for a “limp, imported ‘son-et-lumière’ spectacle’ is all the clearer. So before reading on click here to read David’s contribution to the MaltaToday opinion pages.
Ready? Now that you have become experts on ski-jumping allow me to add a few finer points of my own that seem to have been missed in this song and dance in praise of fanaticism. In short, without much mincing and beating (of words and round bushes), my whole argument (an apologia) rests on the fact that ski-jumping (and its injuries) only happens to the “fanatics” engaging in the sport. Firework factories and their preparation has this slightly different tendency of having a detrimental effect and of being a constant menace to other people’s life and limb (lives and limbs).
Yes. To begin with and to put our finger on the crux of the matter, firework preparation, transport and use in the Maltese islands is self-evidently a fanatic practice that puts much more than the lives of renegade desperados yearning for “the thrill of feeling alive” in manifest danger. The multiple factories dotting the islands like some insane minefield, the transportation of fireworks via main thoroughfares (metres away from civilian houses) and the questionable handling of the fireworks in situ just before the country’s air is filled with the “noise, colour and smells” are actually a continuous (and continuing threat) to the life and health of any a person who would desperately hang on to the “thrill of feeling alive” without so much bravado and manifestation of ignorant attitudes towards basic precepts of safety (thank you very much).
You see David? The ski jumper flying oh so highly and bravely over the green fields of Upper Austria is – at most – taking the risk of splattering himself onto the ground in what would be verily a gruesome affair of blood and a jigsaw puzzle of sorts for forensic experts. At most – and I underline the “at most” once again – knowing the Austrian fervour for regulation and safety (second only to the ever so boring Swiss) they would have made sure that no civilian (as against ski-jumping fanatic) wandered in the vicinity of the estimated point of landing (nor would such landing point be within range of any house or log cabin). Thusly, people who are fully capable of recognising their vital nature without resorting to fanatic thrills are spared the possibility of being surprised of a ski-jumpers limb careening through their bedroom window.
It’s not just that though is it David? You tell us:
“And let’s face it, feasts would simply not be the same without the murtali, murtaletti, blalen, murtali ta’ l-art and all the other exotic and colourful, yet potentially lethal objects which fill this country’s air with noise, colour and smells throughout the summer.”
Hmm interesting. I too am hooked to the smell of sulphur (is it sulphur?) in the air that sends unquestionable orders to the brain in the form of “tuzzana pastizzi, pizza bil-muxrums u kendi floss ‘ekk joghgbok” racing to the brain. Isn’t the pagan and spiritual thrilling eh? Does not the firework light, smell and sound provide the lovely background to that ‘incestuous meshing of politics and religion’? Of course it does. We do not know otherwise do we? Does the fond memory of festa nights in any way justify the careless abandon with which our incestuous political leaders have tackled the issue until now? Not at all.
I’m sure an Aztec five hundred years ago would reminesce of the bygone days when the smell of blood and the scream of sacrificial victims filled the air while the population of Technotitlan celebrated the festivities in the name of the Sun God between a game of poc’t’apoc and a cup of hot choclotl. I’m sure he’d complain to the conquistador about the limp new style processions with the Virgin Mary at her helm and how they’re nothing compared to the wonderful passion exhibited by a winning poc’t’a’poc team on its way to summary execution on the high altar. Darn. These pussy Spaniards and their imported religions and traditions – they’ve ruined our passionate fanaticism to no end.
Seriously David. I’m not really that bothered about your branding a “son et lumière” as being a limp import – it is after all a question of taste and I’m not here to force feed you my questionable tastes. The problem though is that the conclusion in your article is a bit of a non sequitur. It may be cool and hip to get a thrill of feeling alive – many illegally available drugs and psychotropic substances provide just such a thrill. Does that make the danger posed by the current set up of the firework industry any better? Is fanaticism a justification? Methinks not. And while I sincerely hope that the idea of son et lumière is taken up by an avant garde village that will invest in training its sons in the art of light and sound engineering instead of bomb manufacturing I sure hope that a well-regulated single factory of fireworks will be able to still provide us with a taster of the crazy revelries of festas past.
I’m quite sure that change will not happen fast. There’s rarely hope for that on our island. In the meantime here’s an ode to the fanatics mentality – with no care in the world except their own. My way… or the highway (Limp Bizkit).
11 replies on “Through the Eyes of Fanatics (Limp Biscuit)”
I think so too.
Nahseb li trid tghid Jacques hu li jekk dawn il-ferhanin li huma iffissati fl-ski jumping jispiccaw kapuljat, jispiicaw huma biss trietaq, filwaqt li fil-kaz tan-nar hemm cans li jispicca hadd iehor spare parts.
Jacques, may I commend you for your mention of Aztec human sacrifice festivals and other artefacts from Moctezuma’s empire. It’s good to exchange shots with a big context lover once in a while. Pseudo intellectuals and wankellectuals of this world, play on.
Now to the issue.
1) The absolute majority of people who are injured/perish in fireworks-related accidents are the people who work with them directly. So the parallel with snow-sports stands. Incidentally, as a part-time skier yourself, you must be aware of the fact that several skiing accidents also involve other persons using the slopes (ie innocent bystanders so to speak).
2) The accident in Naxxar, in which fireworks were insanely stored in an individual’s house in a residential area, was obviously dealt with swiftly by the police and has entirely different implications. It appears that the band club associated with that tragedy has been banned from organising activities for an indefinite time.
3)You will note that I specifically mentioned that I would rush to tighten legislation on the transport of fireworks through urban areas. The present situation is worrying.
4) I would also welcome any investigation which gets to the bottom of the materials/igniters issue and which would answer the big question as to whether the manufacture/handling of fireworks has become more dangerous over the past few years.
5)Finally, my mention of son-et-lumière isn’t a non-sequitur at all and you know it. If we go down the path of ‘dealing with fireworks is a selfish, dangerous, crazy business which should certainly not be left in the hand of village bumpkins’ (I’m paraphrasing the armchair critics here) we will indeed find ourselves having to put up with a few lasers, a couple of moving shapes and those ubiquitous ‘projections’ to the sound of Lady Gaga (or a depressed ‘banda’, at best)
May I remark that very little mention is being made generally, in the ongoing debate on fireworks, about the unacceptable levels of noise pollution generated by the festa bombs. It is indeed deplorable that the Maltese “authorities” are taking no action whatsoever in this regard. I’m quite certain that EU standards on environmental noise are being infringed throughout the Maltese summers, with consequent misery caused to young children, their parents, the sick, as well as ordinary people who don’t want to be brutally woken up by 8 a.m. bombi on a Sunday morning.
@david (my numbered answers do not necessary tally with your numbers)
1. I still wonder whether you are serious when you describe “son et lumière” in such a manner or whether it just suits you to think so for the sake of your general argument. Do take a look at a real son et lumière when you have a chance before slagging the whole business as some sort of “disco in the village”.
2) Can you honestly put your hand on your heart and say that you would purchase a house that is within 100 metres of a firework “factory”? Or to make it easier on your conscience: Would you opppose the building of a new factory 100 metres from your house?
3)The mere fact that we think in quasi-warm terms when relating to the whole phenomenon should make intelligent people stop and think. By intelligent I mean those still capable of logic beyond fanaticism – not as an insult but as a description of lack of bias. In what normal world would the argument that “only people who work in the business directly are hurt” work other than in an argument justifying some twisted war? Naxxar was not a freak accident. It was a direct consequence of slack fanaticism. You can visit the Runs and somewhere in the marasma of current anti-Mintoff rhetoric there was a posting with photos from facebook of these admirable fanatics posing in a field with “fireworks”. Lovely.
4) And now we are down to the “technical” question of blaming the tools and not the workmen. Darn – it’s the igniters. So let’s concentrate on that shall we? Forget the fact that we have far too many firework “factories” for an island of 4000,000 souls crammed on a 20 X 12 km rock. In case it slipped your attention the UK has got only one (1) manual firework factory and yet they manage to pull off quite a successful Guy Fawkes night every year.
Having said all that I’d like to go on record that while suggesting a (very viable) alternative to the factually dangerous (both to direct and indirect participants) pastime of pyrotechnics (as they are wont to be technically defined) I am in no way advocating a total ban. Bans never work.
My position is on clear regulation potentially coupled with (at first forced) moderation that is proportionate to the actual capacity of the islands and a limitation of dangers within what is humanly possible. In other words – less, safer fireworks accompanied with a phasing in of other alternative, healthier, cleaner modes of celebration such as the “son et lumière” that you so evidently choose to misinterpret and denigrate.
It’s much easier to whip up the passion, fanatic or otherwise, than to pinpoint an alternative that works. I’d rather go with the reasonable second. It will take time. If Catalunya can regulate its bullfighting I don’t see why Malta cannot get over all its bull (eventually). (There, another cultural reference upon which to commend me).
quasi-war not quasi-warm
The Catalans “regulated” bullfighting? Sure, they “regulated” that it be banned.
I’m not being flippant (if I were I’d point out that 20 X 12 gives you a surface area that’s some 100 square kms than Malta actually is). It’s wondering how, in this case, you can be against a ban and for “regulation”.
I wonder what regulation you have in mind and what would it achieve. A crater of 50m instead of 100m? The victims being somewhat dead instead of dead?
LOL @somewhat dead.
Yes true Catalans banned bullfighting and probably there were ulterior political motives.
I do think that strict regulation can be achieved without outright bans. To start with by reducing the number of manufactories and by reducing the amount used per feast.
Since you are a great researcher can you find out whether Directive 2007/23 /EC has been transposed to Maltese law?
Jacques, I can just about get myself to enjoy son-et-lumière when it’s done spectacularly well on an Indian summer night in Paris. But as a ‘cutting-edge replacement’ for Maltese fireworks, no thank you very much. Too conceptual, too arty farty, too steeped in la societé du spectacle. The next thing we know, they’ll be handing out copies of Toghma magazine to an unsuspecting public while a band plays jazz numbers in the background. Nothing against jazz by the way, in small doses and in context.
Yes.
(Comment doesn’t seem to go through)
That referred to Directive 2007/23/EC.