Live Jazz

It's lively, it's jazzy. It's a brand new sensation, a passionate tempo beating in time to life and music, it's spirited, it's spontaneous, it's for the young men of today.

"Live Jazz" is in tune for the next millenium. The latest in a line of perfumes which was launched by Yves Saint Laurent recently, Live Jazz was unveiled in Colombo early this month.

"It's fragrance inspired by music" says Tong Wee Onn Sales and Marketing Manager of Sanofi, Like the fragrance, Live Jazz is in itself a blend of techno, funky jazz which can grab the mood of the youngsters.

Bitter lemon peels heightened with a touch of frosted mint juggles with the Hesperidian notes of grapefruit to endow the fragrance with a fresh zest vibration.

An aromatic, aquatic chord is struck with a blend of Coriander, wild reed and rhuubarb leaves.

The base is a woody sensual tempo of Grey amber, cedar wood brought to life with a dash of vanilla.

The result a lively fragrance that sets life in motion Live Jazz is available at all Exclusive Lines outlets.

One fine Eve...

It is 6:30PM on the 16th August. The year is 6000BC. Adam Figleaf is sitting under a large tree after a hard day's work where he is joined by Eve, his significant other. "So how was work today?" she asks sitting down alongside. "The same as always," he replies 'frankly I'm getting a little tired of burying all those dinosaur bones.'

Eve: So why don't you tell the boss that you want to do something else?

Adam: There's no need for that. We're finishing it up this week.

Eve: What happens once you're done with that?

Adam: Oil

Eve: What's that?

Adam: Don't know, I guess it's another one of those things the boss wants our descendants to dig up and try to figure out in the future.

Eve: (Noticing that he is staring in her direction) Adam?

Adam: Yes?

Eve: What are you thinking about?

Adam: Well I just realised that I have never climbed that mountain over there behind you. It's quite tall, I wonder if I could climb it from the south side it looks steeper over there. Maybe I could use a rope or something.

Eve: (Clearly not the answer that she was expecting) Adam, do you love me?

Adam: (Taken by surprise and looks quickly for a safe response) What makes you ask that?

Eve: Well it's just that you seem so distant lately. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if there's someone else.

Adam: You know there's no one else. Anywhere. We are the only two people on Earth.

Eve: Adam?

Adam: What?

Eve: I've been thinking...

Adam: That's nice dear.

Eve: I've been thinking about asking the boss for a job too.

Adam: A job?

Eve: Yes, you know... work.

Adam: Why do you want a job?

Eve: Well you go out to work every day, and I'm left all alone at home with nothing to do. It gets kind of boring.

Adam: Actually the boss and I were just talking about that today.

Eve: You were?

Adam: Uh huh. He was talking about something he called 'Kids.'

Eve: Kids? What's that?

Adam: (Stuttering a little) Er... I'm not really sure. He was telling me all about it and of course since I'm the man, he wanted me to be in charge of it once it started. But as soon as I heard about it, I immediately thought of you. It sounded like the perfect thing to keep you occupied.

Eve: (Enthusiastically) Oh Adam that's wonderful. I feel like such an idiot for ever having doubted how much you loved me. When do I start?

Adam: Well the thing is, the boss isn't quite sure exactly how you should go about it. Apparently, he can't make 'Kids' appear out of thin air. He actually asked me if I had any suggestions about how it can be worked out.

Eve: So what did you say?

Adam: I told him that I'd think about it and let him know.

Eve: Oh I feel like such a fool. You are always thinking about me and here I am always thinking about myself. I knew the snake was wrong when he called you a chauvinist.

Adam: 'Chauvinist,' what's that?

Eve: I'm not really sure. He tried to explain it to me. I think it's some kind of a pig.

Adam: The snake called me a pig?

Eve: Well not really a pig, a chauvinist.

Adam: Which is a kind of pig?

Eve: Well I guess so...

Adam: So the snake called me a pig? I'm gonna wring his neck. And since he's all neck, I'm sure he won't enjoy it too much.

Eve: Adam, please don't do anything crazy. He told me not to tell you 'cos he was afraid you might overreact if you found out. He even sent along this peace offering just in case you were offended by what he said.

Adam: (Eyeing the 'Peace offering' suspiciously) What's that?

Eve: I don't know, I think it's some kind of a fruit. He called it an 'Apple.'

Is your English PC compatible?

Sujit Sivasundaram

Political correctness, the doctrine exempli fied in changing 'Miss' to 'Ms.', is now the latest fad in the West and Sri Lankans are starting to ape it blindly like many other trappings of Western culture. Isn't it better if we take a step back and scrutinise its failings before embracing it so wholeheartedly?

A few weeks ago, whilst at a routine meeting with my British PhD supervisor, I was startled when he gave me a rap on my knuckles saying, "I don't mean to be a moral policeman, but if I were you I wouldn't use the word natives in your writing. It's just not politically correct." I sat before him dumfounded for a few moments. The piece of writing he had criticised was on British imperialism and I had used 'natives' whilst referring to local people that had been brought under British colonial power. 'Isn't this highly ironic?' I thought to myself. He is criticising my use of the word 'natives', when I, a 'native,' have no grievances with it.

Political correctness, the buzzword my supervisor had used, is now an idea that is very much in vogue through the whole social hierarchy of the Western World. Its first subtle nuances may already be familiar to the most discerning Sri Lankans: 'black' should be replaced with 'coloured', 'Miss.' with 'Ms.' and 'author' with 'authoress' if the subject is female. I emphasize that this is just the beginning for political correctness in its extreme goes on to reject such words such as 'fat' and 'pet' and even the apparently harmless cartoon figure Babar the Elephant.

'Fat' is no longer acceptable in this world-view for there is nothing wrong with being over-weight; this can be a lifestyle in itself and labelling respectable individuals as 'fat' can contribute to the insurmountable mental pressures of rejection and humiliation. Similarly 'pet' infers that animals are in some way subservient to humans which is a philosophy that does not sit easy with modern animal rights; and Babar the Elephant is dismissed as paradigmatic of Western influence showing an Oriental animal dressed in European clothes.

Now there is a great deal of good in the conglomeration of rights movements that encompass animals, females and minority groups. However, political correctness seems to deal with the symptoms rather than the causes of inequalities. To exemplify, when we use 'white' to describe an European we do so because the distinction has already occurred to us. This distinction therefore stems from the way we see things and our mental readiness to classify; it is not caused in some metaphysical sense by the word 'white'.

Therefore to rid ourselves of prejudices such as the 'black-white' one, what is necessary is not the elimination of these words; rather we need to change the way we see. For as the philosopher Wittgenstein hypothesised, words get their meaning in usage. If we change the way we see and use words, the meaning of the words will then change accordingly. To use a Biblical expression, there is no use in cleaning the outside if the inside is still unclean: "Now then you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness." (Luke 11:39)

What then is the relevance for Sri Lanka of the debate around political correctness? In many ways this country's culture is one of categories. Have you noticed what the first remarks are when some long lost friend or relative sights you for the first time? "Aney how thin you have got?" or "How fair you are now!' Similarly many a tourist will tell you how overwhelmed they were at being meticulously labelled a 'suddha'. Categories such as this one are such common currency that it is difficult to imagine how we will survive without them.

In fact we may go as far as saying that Sri Lankan culture will lose its distinctiveness if we lose this way of relating. In this context, the sombre warning should be that we should be aware of the tenets of political correctness and be cautious in embracing it blindly like many other Western foibles. Sri Lankan identity itself could be at stake here. One thing is for certain. I will continue using 'natives' in my writing.

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