Basket.

Today I was reading the fresh new copy of TIME Magazine and they ran yet another feature on "Asian Heroes" (like we're a zoo of some kind, things to be marvelled at, but that's another story). The one thing I was wondering was, why the hell are there so many movie stars, atheletes and pop stars up there?

Like, what the fuck have they done? 1) Get very rich and famous because they have talent (or sometimes, even if they don't have talent). 2) Change the cultural face of Asian societies, leading to a social revolution that will invariably and irrevocably change our YEAH RIGHT WHAT FUCKING BULLSHIT.

The fact is, they don't deserve to be there. Everyone knows Asia is huge, densely populated and home to most (although decreasing rapidly) of the world's poor and a vast number of its deprived, malnourished and abused. Now, in my opinion, only those who try to help this vast morass of unfortunates are true "Asian Heroes", not a silly athlete with, good for him, the ability to run very fast and flash a stunningly handsome grin for flashing press cameras. While he smiles, millions starve. He is given attention, they are not. That, I find, is utterly ridiculous.

The list, of course, did honour those who tried to help the continent's deprived, but very few. It focused so bloody much on one-dimensional millionaires. Well, culture is important and all, but I don't think it matters very much to have a general Asian culture when the majority of the continent is wallowing in poverty and hunger (which it is). To be real heroes, these greatly rich people should use their money, like, on these people. It is a free world and they can do what they like with their own cash, of course, but if they lavish it only on themselves or a few privileged, they don't deserve to be on any list like that at all.

That damned magazine is getting more and more full of rubbish. The Economist, all the way.