Letters: May 25, 2011

Don’t ignore the good

While it is true that Facebook is being used for totally useless purposes by many users, we cannot discount its role in education (‘Rebooting Facebook generation’, Gulf News, May 20). I myself have been using Facebook in classes and have found that it can make courses more interesting, interactive and current.

A Facebook group for the course also builds bonds and enhances the learning environment. By liking news agency pages students can keep abreast of valuable developments in the business world, too. It is imperative for schools and colleges to teach their students the productive uses of Facebook instead of finding faults with it.

From Ms Premi Mathew
Dubai
Website comment

Right and wrong

After reading the report I am actually glad that I am not part of Facebook at this age. My friends argue that we children can guide ourselves very well because we know what’s right and what’s wrong. I am quite sure that this statement is not right and I need help so that I don’t get carried away by these thoughts.

From Ms Khaddija Arshad
Sharjah
Website comment

 Optimistic view

I understand the writer Ghada Al Atrash Janbey’s lament. It is one shared by all parents worldwide. However, it is our generation that created this world and we should not be surprised that our children are putting it to new and strange uses. Adolescents everywhere need to develop self-esteem and self-knowledge through youthful exuberance and relationships with peers. If we elders look back at when we were that age I think we’d realise that we were similar. It is now that they have a worldwide forum. How many of us in the 1970s or 1980s could claim a correspondence with hundreds of “friends” as our children do? I, for one, am optimistic — they will show us new global ways to reach out to others and in time will create a new and better world for us to watch in our later years.

From Mr Peter Taylor
Dubai
Website comment

It’s not a waste of time

Well, it wasn’t only upsetting but totally shocking to read Janbey’s comment. May I add that it is not only teenagers, as “strongly” mentioned here, but adults use this social networking site as well. So, the entire “worthless time-spending” just doesn’t make sense. I agree that too much of anything is disastrous but such views about Facebook is totally uncalled for and unacceptable, not only by teenagers but by people across every walk of life and every age group.

Another disturbing line that I came across was: “Children should be preparing themselves academically and developing their communication skills instead of spending their time on mere nonsense.” Social networking sites have a self-explanatory meaning and people do come here for work as well as leisure. So, tagging it as mere nonsense is utterly ridiculous.

From Ms Mayura Khanapurkar
Dubai
Website comment

Post 9/11 paradigm shift

History did not begin on September 11, 2001. The American people do not realise that US interference in the affairs of Muslim nations is not a retaliatory act of the post 9/11 phenomenon. The United States had been meddling in such affairs for decades under the guise of fighting communism and protecting Israel.

The United States has been giving financial, military and political support to Israel despite its persistent military excesses and state sponsored human rights violations against Arabs. This is the real cause of hatred and mistrust against the United States in the Muslim World and none but the United States and Israel are responsible for it. If the United States does not change its foreign policy, vis-à-vis Israel, then there will be new extremists born from the ashes of Al Qaida and Taliban — for such groups are only symptoms and not the cause of the disease.

I do agree that Muslims must restrain these extremists in their own ranks as they commit unacceptable acts, but this war against terror cannot be won without a paradigm shift in Washington regarding the state of Israel.

From Mr Rizwan Hasnie
Saudi Arabia

My driving experience

I have noticed that motorists driving pickup trucks and taxis are becoming reckless. In the past year I was involved in two accidents — both times I was hit from the back by a pickup truck driver. I think these drivers should be properly trained and only then should they be allowed to drive. Taxi drivers on the other hand never give way to any car to enter a lane. They are always in a rush and whenever I see an accident on the road, a taxi is involved. I think the Roads and Transport Authority should look into this matter.

From Mr Abhinav
Sharjah
Full name withheld by request