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Playing to the gallery
The Hamid Mirs and Talat Hussains of this world can get away with duplicity due to this linguistic Berlin Wall.
The writer is a freelance print and broadcast journalist [email protected]
If you are a public figure in Pakistan — especially of a more liberal bent — you cannot always express the views you hold in private to a wider audience. You have to curtail your opinions for public consumption. There are some topics that are acceptable with close friends but that would accelerate your demise if aired publicly. A natural filtering process occurs. That said, it still remains possible for public figures to be fairly consistent with their public utterances. But it seems these days our politicians and popular TV hosts like to radically tailor their statements depending on their audience.
Take my old colleague and friend Syed Talat Hussain for example. A man I had admired for being a rare voice of sanity on Pakistan television. “Live with Talat Hussain” was consistently one of the better talk shows — holding politicians to account with facts rather than innuendo (you know who I am talking about). His coverage of the 2005 earthquakes and the recent flood produced journalism of the highest quality. Yet this liberal, thoughtful image dissolved after reading his article in the Daily Express newspaper entitled “Jolie ka Thhappar” — a column I was only able to read in translation, thanks to the Cafe Pyala blog. The piece was a vile, vitriolic attack on Miss Jolie’s character that frothed with a latent misogyny. In it he attacked her ‘immoral’ lifestyle, her allegedly self-interested and ruthless personality, and even her ‘plain’ looks. Nor did he spare her for adopting children.
Now Talat has always appeared the alpha male type, a man’s man, but never a misogynist. But then it occurred he wasn’t communicating to the likes of me or the Express Tribune readership; he was playing to the gallery. He was talking to the patriarchal, conservative middle-class readership of the Urdu press. Instead of challenging this reactionary readership, he was giving them what they wanted.
Nor is Talat alone in suffering from this forked tongue affliction. The Quilliam Foundation, a UK anti-extremist think tank, recently held a function in Islamabad. The event gathered together some of Pakistan’s media elite, youth activists, reformed terrorists and foreign journalists. One of the speakers at the event was Hamid Mir. I have it on good authority that Mr Mir was the voice of rational moderation that day. He talked unequivocally of his disgust with the intelligence agencies, he explicitly condemned the Taliban as anti-Islam forces and passionately argued — in English — that the only future for Pakistan was democracy and that it should be protected at all costs. Yes, I am talking about Hamid Mir, host of “Capital Talk”. Version 2.0 of Hamid Mir had transformed, becoming the personification of enlightened moderation. But then he was speaking in English and not to his usual Geo constituents.
Of course the reason that the Hamid Mirs and Talat Hussains of this world can get away with this duplicity is due to the linguistic Berlin Wall that the establishment likes to retain. Project an urbane, liberal image to the West with your (mostly) rational, logical and relatively free English media, and feed the wider public bile, conspiracy theories and irrational, simplistic nonsense in Urdu, thus ensuring that a suitably malleable, impressionable public can be whipped up when said establishment is fed up with the present government.
Do you remember when AQ Khan was forced to apologise to the nation for giving away nuclear secrets for personal gain? In what language did the disgraced scientist speak to his countrymen? English, of course. The establishment didn’t want the father of the bomb discredited as a money-grubbing chancer in the eyes of the public. Change the language and you change the audience.
This linguistic apartheid must stop — only then will such deceitfulness be eradicated. A colleague of mine has twice requested that his columns be translated and published in this newspaper’s Urdu language publication. Twice he has been rejected. So for this column, kya aap isse chhapain gai?
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2010.
Reader Comments (109)
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Very true. If I recollect correctly there is a story of Zia on this that says that when told that something pretty strong was about to come out in the next days main English daily. His reaction was to laugh and say “let it, how many people read the English papers ?”Recommend
One way to bring an end to the language apartheid would be to encourage journalists/readers to learn how to speak and read Urdu. While the article you mention is biased to the extreme, I am sure that there are articles in Urdu newspapers that would offer insight on political, economic, or social matters. Why only encourage the translation of English articles into Urdu? Why not translate Urdu articles into English and, even better, encourage journalists/readers to use the official language of Pakistan in the media? Both readers and journalists would benefit. Recommend
George, you have pierced through the inner creases of the mind of this nation and discerned very accurately how the sick minds work. Pakistanis, in general, are under the impression that they are the smartest and hence can fool others. The only ones they fool are themselves. The state of the country says it all.
The bottom line is, this is a nation of hypocrites up to their core. They bob their heads side ways neither implying a yes nor a no, only to wiggle out of their commitments and to twist their statements to suit the moment.
Character assassination is their weapon of choice. This is how these bigots operate!Recommend
It was a shock to read something so distasteful from someone like Talat Hussain. I always perceived him as a level-headed fair journalist. What a disappointment!Recommend
george:
a tad unfair to bracket talat with hamid:)Recommend
Yet another way that the nations elite control and manipulate the masses. One narrative to suit make them feel better about themselves, how the nation would collapse if they were not around to exploit it dry. Another dialogue to keep everyone else in check, blatant emotionalism and maintain a state of readiness as the foreign power, cultural invasion and assault of religion is imminent. Keep fear alive? We are here talking about the divide between the English and Urdu media, then we have a number of local language and evening papers, not to mention the vast majority that cannot read to begin with!
Each layer seems to reinforce the height that keeps people charmed, sells papers and situates you in the limelight. Recommend
Jolly good Georgieee!!!Recommend
I wish talat had never wrote the subject article. He’s such an asset to print and visual media, he directed his popularity graph to fall down by writing this. The concept of linguistic wall voids when you talk about talat, because even when sitting in studio’s for ‘Live with talat’ or writing for ‘Express’ in urdu, talat has a different set of audience. I am not sure what exactly tempted talat to write this unexpected article that had nothing but a peek into the personal life of the UNHCR’s goodwill ambassador. I hope he marks it as a mistake of his, and he’ll surely work on it in future. Well conceived piece of work George. Point Made!
RegardsRecommend
Spot on!Recommend
Talat’s article was indeed disappointing to say the least but honestly, do you really think that it was simply a playing to the gallery act? It just reiterates what he and many more alpha males (aptly put) think. No matter how forward looking they may seem, this is all they’ll ever think of any one of us let alone a celebrity woman. Lack of basic grooming and dogma combines to form a deadly Pakistani male. What a shame.Recommend
You have misunderstood Talat very greatly. BTW, when he asked someone to get another passport, I vehemently criticized him but today you are wrong. Urdu is a very different language with a culture behind it. You can’t understand between the line message by translation. I will ask you to contact Talat personally and ask him his justifications.
As far as I could understand him, Angelina was not his subject matter. We call this “kaheen pay nigahain, kaheen pay nishana”. When you want somebody to change his attitude and you want to call him “bay ghairat” among other things, most politely, in Urdu language, you always tend to tackle with a reference to somebody else. I won’t say that AJ is all that is portrayed by her domestic media, as inferred by Talat, but what would you say about the person who is the most respectable (according to the constitution of Pakistan) drolling over her. Talat is not bashing AJ but just giving the common man a perspective to analyze his representatives as selected by him. He has written nothing which has not been published by reliable media sources overseas. The social fabric of our nation is based on the assumption that if a person is pious, he should be pious in every aspect of his life whether the starting point of his piousness is anywhere in his life. No doubt, we are loosing moral values but still, plenty of us Pakistanis or more precisely Indo-Pakistani, whether of any religion, still believe this. I can go on and on but George, for you, to put it simply, we are a Baba (Allah log) nation.
Please try to understand that.
PS: We could debate about double standards that are prevalent in this world but it is futile.Recommend
This is not the 1st attempt against talat….
Talat get ready for more.. from fasi also, and i think nfp already is the part of this compain :)Recommend
Talat has really disappointed those who considered him a youth icon. Recommend
i suspect its the other way round. . . . talats and mirs are closet bigots who play to the gallery when they’re speaking to english-elite.
Recommend
I think there is a hint of sarcasm in Talat’s article. Only he can explain what he really meant. But if Talat really thinks the way he has written about Jolie, then it is really narrow minded of him and I am deeply disappointed. Recommend
awesome article with deep realistic thought behind itRecommend
“rang barangay yateem bachay” , “her face wouldn’t even invite a second glance: hollow cheeks, triangular nose, big startled-looking eyes and lips like an uncovered clay pot, no glow on her face nor the vitality of youth in her body”.. this is disgusting. Far beyond dignity. Nothing justifies those words, not even what he writes at the end!Recommend
@Hamza
i havnt read Talats article so cant comment on that. yes I do believe that talat doesnt stoop as low as the others do. Yes he has and will continue to have more respect than most. Not that aware of fasi so can comment on him. as far as NFP goes I have not seen a more biased writer than him in the country to date. (yes even a liberal can be biased)
@George
George I like you but man you sometimes criticize things without understanding what this nation is based on. personal lives and personal values do matter here. Yes I know your heart lies with Pakistan but it will take time to truly understand this country. by time I mean another 10-15 years atleast. and yes Jamil is right its difficult to literally translate an article from Urdu to English without distorting its meaning. the same is what often applies to translations of the Quran causing millions of misconceptions. having said that I still like you George. keep up the good workRecommend
George: excellent article. All power to your pen. Wonder how will the ‘holier then thou’ anchors will respond to this. You are lucky because if Ejaz Haider was your editor he might have struck down your thoughts altogether and not published them at all. This is what I discovered very recently. So, all luck to you.Recommend
@ MAD and Jamil: Your inclination towards talat is justified, he has come up with good work lately. I am a fan of his, even after the piece of writing i just read in the subject article, i still am looking forward for more work by the experienced and stand alone journalist. But the article in no means is justified, he evidently played to the gallery. George may have read the english version, but i understand urdu. And even if we assume “kaheen pay nigahein, kaheen pe nishana” concept applies to the article, some words are beyond justifications. Be unbiased to writings or else you’ll also be played by the talats and mirs. If you feel i am against talat read my above post.
RegardsRecommend
Spot on Georgie.. I hav to agree with the reader Humanity, “you have pierced through the inner creases of the mind of this nation” Well, c0NGrAtUlAt|0ns! ;)
Don’t be discouraged by such comments as the one by reader Jamil, “Urdu is a very different language with a culture behind it. You can’t understand between the line message by translation.” To remind Jamil about hard facts, more than 80% of this nation speaks Urdu as a second language. So, actually this is the kind of bs you hear when you talk about the REAL issues facing this nation, just to sidetrack you. Its a blunt attempt to brush the dirt under the carpet, the policy & doctrine of “SAB ACHHA HEI” … ;)
Keep up the good work! And by ‘work’ I mean not just the writing of it but the enormous amount of ‘thinking’ that you hav put into this. Quality beats quantity every timeRecommend
By the way, its time for you to take on social media specially Facebook!
Just a suggestion :)Recommend
I have read the cafe piyalas one, and the one in Urdu by him………So shocked when hes criticising her personally and badly………I have been a great fan of his Live programs and anchor person ones….But after this…..I may have to click “Unlike” button of his fan page………Recommend
@George,
Hypocrisy has become a fashion in our socially and morally deformed society. We do not practice that what we preach. I do not blame Talat Hussain and Hamid Mir for their duplicity noticed not only by you but those also who are familiar with the art of evaluating on and off-screen human behavior. A word coined by media owners long ago is to be blamed for that vsible hypocrisy and that word is: POLICY
I recall the normal routine of the owner of one of the country’s largest media groups who used to forward all letters received by him to concerned heads of departments by simply writing only one word: POLICY
That word POLICY is reflected in whatever the journalist write, reporters report, columnists discuss, analysts analyze and anchors conduct in the newspapers and on TV shows. So-Called Eiffel Towers of media, no matter how proud they are of their freedom, are mere “NAUKARS” in the words of same media owner. And if someone, idiot like me, tries to break away from ROUTINE POLICY NONSENSE for a possitive change not directly in clash with POLICY and takes responsible innovative management decisions he is forcefully reminded that “NAUKAR, NAUKAR HOTA HAY and MALIK MALIK HOTA HAY.” (A servant is always a servant and an owner is always an owner).
Most of yesterday’s servants have become todays print and electronic media owners and they are assiduously and religiously following the POLICY of their former owners.
In a situation like this do you think that Pakistan can ever claim to have produced genuinely towering personalities in media with only two or three names that can be presented as genuine exceptions? NAUKARS will always remain NAUKARS!Recommend
Urdu and English speaking population are divided into parallel universes where the Urdu speaking dominates narrative which matters. My sympathies George Ka Pakistan, you are relatively new to the game and in your innocence believe things can change. Recommend
Talat Hussain’s article on Angelina Jolie boggles the mind. I can’t seem to reconcile the Talat Hussain who wrote the article in question with the person we see on television.
Not only did he come across as a misogynist in the article, but also a racist, a religious bigot, and somebody who seems to think it is acceptable to criticize a person’s appearance. Talat’s article gives us deep insight into his natural tendencies, one word, ug-lay.Recommend
George my friend, you have come to understand our mystically mysterious ways all to well…
It’s a shame really that even those who appear to be sensible sooner or later turn out to be senseless, or are bound to eventually lose their senses.
We’re all the same. Bigoted, corrupt, conniving, immoral, liars and deceivers. These qualities do not only define our elite or political cadres, they define all of us; bankers, rickshaw drivers, vegetable-cart vendors, milkmen, bus drivers, accountants, doctors, engineers, cops, clerks, anchors, analysts, columnists, editors–all of us are the same. We complain about the other man wronging us but go out and wrong another the same way. These traits do not make great nations. And we aren’t one. Our miseries are due not only to the politicians. They’re due to our own personal corruption, which collectively piles up to turn into a giant of depravity haunting us.
I’m ashamed how (allegedly) educated men can get so lowly and instead of objectively commenting on the VERY VALID concerns mentioned by Jolie, he chooses to attack her character and personality.
Extreme disgust and shame is becoming a way of life for Pakistanis with a more balanced or honest approach to things. Recommend
I had to read that article by Talat Hussain first before even commenting here…i agree he over stepped the mark by indulging too much into character assassination of Jolie which didn’t sound decent at all…wasnt a typical sober style of writing by Talat!…Recommend
Some journalists are mouth pieces for the people who control the national narrative and are defenders against any counter narrative in this country based on rationale and logic. People should recall what these people were saying on December 28, 2007 and what they are saying today. They will completely white wash the history and will project the distorted facts out of it and claim it as history. If anyone disagrees then he/she should recall the time when they were projecting Zardari as if he was victim of outdated judicial process but now he is a demon because he has settled the long standing isue of Provincial Autonomy. It was a very remarkable success of this government to give what small provinces have ever demanded and one part of the country has been lost in the process. But one hardly listen a word on this commendable achievement. They can devote weeks talking about controversial part of 18th amendment, and corruption of politicians (mainly PPP), but they go dumb when corruption of army personnel is reported in English print media. To say the least, how many programs they have conducted on October 08, July 04, and even December 16? These are the people who have established the myth (along with other myths) of political corruption as reality, but don’t say a word on the corruption of our ultimate powers. What a shame!!Recommend
Hi George,
You selected a great topic to write on but I guess language has ditched you in the case of Talat. I also did not like the way he describes the strife of Jolie to be what she is now, but wait until you get to the last para of his article. I read him being sarcastic while describing Jolie (which is what is usually hated about West in Pakistan). I read him saying that a woman who according to all our eastern, Pakistani , Muslim standards is worth no respect has the conscious of raising her hand and slap our system which laid a full course table for her while the people were hungry and homeless due to floods. Talat has not disappointed me , at least in this piece. Please ask someone close to read it to you. I hope you will understand the sarcasm.
Best!
http://www.express.com.pk/epaper/PoPupwindow.aspx?newsID=1101082513&Issue=NP_LHE&Date=20101024Recommend
@faraz,
Sir! I can expect anyone to say that Talat has been an icon of youth but not you. I couldn’t find the video of the interview he taken of Sushm Sowraj. She literally snubbed this youth icon.Recommend
ABSOLUTETLY RIGHT The point that u have made can also be held against the local urdu news channel as they are taking up issues without doing any research or investigion.Recommend
I watched Mr. Talat Hussain moderate a show where youngsters were talking about the concept of leadership, the leadership crises in Pakistan and related issues. One person in audience mentioned the fact that India made their rocket scientist the president whereas Pakistan has not treated its nuclear hero well. I have heard this strange analogy many times. What was interesting was Mr. Talat’s expression – “dont give me that” his sardonic expression seemed to say – and he went on to talk about Iran’s so-called inspired leadership under Ahmedwhatshisname. What I gleaned was Mr.Talat is quite a hardliner and sees nothing wrong in glorifying a regime in Iran that is repressive only because the leadership stands up to America. Surely there are better examples of standing up to America that does not involve inflammatory speeches, hate-filled talk and making your population endure crippling sanctions.Recommend
@jamil
I read it both in Urdu and English, and I agree with you that the english one doesnt do justice to the urdu version, i.e. to the lechery and the vile tone adopted by Talat in urdu. He thinks jolie would be stoned to death in Pakistan, how many of his “na mahram” friends have been stoned to death by Pakistanis? infact how many women have actually been stoned to death by Pakistanis?
@George
Hats off to cafe pyala and now to you in exposing this bigotry. Recommend
@ Mansoor
Agreed. still havnt read the urdu version but yes his criticism of Jolie was extreme. It seems Talat was trying to make a point that such a women (and Pakistanis in general would consider a person like her of bad character) is worthy of more respect than those running our government. The title of this article is true “playing to the gallery” something done by most (if not all) journalists. this happens everywhere which is why in many countries media ends up being classified as pro or anti government or being right wing/ left wing, liberal/ conservative etc. journalists play to their audience. mty cable network doesnt sho Fox anymore but from what I remember during the early part of the last decade their was endless bashing of Islam with anchors actively endorsing the same. the same applies to newspapers and TV channels. all seem to have their own agenda.
Oh and no discussion regarding playing to the audience can be complete withour referring to Shahid Masoods endless monologues and kamran Khan’s showboating. (just had to mention those names cause nobody else has.)Recommend
I regarded him as ‘the best’ in business. Very disappointing indeed.
But
George,
again… you are also talking to the ‘english readers’. A different audience. An audience that already believes Talat was wrong. It’s the urdu readers who need to understand the message you’re trying to put across. It is unfortunate that anyone can feed crap to the masses just because theyve chosen to use a ‘desi’ language.Recommend
@all
But you must understand. My premises are
1- Angelina was here shortly, have done very little, contributed a bit whereas Talat is here and doing a lot for flood victims.
2- The real person or mentality under attack in Talat’s column was not our beloved Angie.
3- The venom in Talat’s article as you call it is as reported by abroad. (mubayyana tor per)
4- Read the article of Talat again.
5- We, majority of IndoPak muslim never accepted the stoning or hand cutting etc etc. Learn our history
6- Name one city where you cannot find a mazar, big or small?
I will not go into details cuz it involved history and culture which will take time & space.Recommend
@ Humanity
Wow! strong sanctimonious and self righteous bile from someone who does not comment under his own name, rather a presumptuous moniker. Perhaps you confuse your personal opinion with that of the rest of Humanity or maybe because you are deluding yourself as being an expert on all things “Humanity”. Don’t know where you’re from…. well actually i do, the land where all are morally upright and beyond reproach. Not well informed though, about their stereotypes for it is the popular consensus among the racist to confine the sideways bobbing of the head to be an insult for Indians and not Pakistanis. I should know since i had to explain not bobbing mine that way to my numerous “friends” of the redneck variety. But going back to your moniker,”Humanity”, obviously excluding the Pakistanis of course, judging from the high esteem you show for them in your comment, one is astounded by your piercing insight into “their” psyche. Of course, i must remember to bring that up at the next meeting of all 180 million, where they all decide to act, react, think, feel and of course be equally despicable as you so astutely observed. Could it be that you are a Pakistani yourself or your insights are based on coming in touch with may be 10, 20 or so. One would not dare imagine a higher number of Pakistanis that you’ve had the pleasure of close personal association with considering your complete loathing for them…..once again that magical moniker “Humanity” comes to mind, unless of course you suffer from self loathing. You do sound like someone who’s been deeply, perhaps even intimately hurt by one or may be more of us. Oh yeah, before i forget, love the way you summed up by pronouncing us all bigots, and to think that to this day i thought a bigot was someone prejudiced or intolerant who will hold a low opinion of an entire group of people based upon negative stereotypes, a concept of course you so abundantly and selflessly demonstrated in your comment. You really are “Humanity”, wonder what the world would be like if more of us could be like you. By the way, i go by my real name, just a thing i have about trying to display the courage of my convictions. Recommend
Talat really disappointed us …. feel as a personal enmity
Good addition from you George …..Recommend
I think he did a relative comparison. what he wrote about Jolie was indeed way too much, but we got to understand what he is trying to tell the audience. I m not saying he rightly wrote it, neither i m from his group of fans. But he tried to relate the sympathy and compassion of a lady with such-and-such history to our leader who declare themselves as the patriots and compassionate to their people.
However, he should not have written it so bluntly and should have to take the reputation of jolie into consideration. Recommend
Georgie boy….you’ve got it wrong, in this case…read the urdu version, maybe something was lost in translation but the whole article by talat was a exercise in satire – showing us pakistanis how what the majority considers flaws of morality (personal) or non-compliance with various religious edicts has nothing to do with being a good human being.Recommend
@George:
Keep casting pearls, see if it helps.Recommend
@George
Tailoring statements to address particular segments of audiences is not something new. What these politicians and anchors believe in is the use of language and realities according to the intellectual and educational level of their audiences. You have very wisely quoted the example of Dr. A Q Khan.
Unfortunately, these anchors forget that the people have a very clear idea of what is going on around them in every walk of life and across the globe through the contents available both in local and foreign print and electronic media. They have developed a strong sense of reading the truth between the lines. They clearly understand when someone tells them the truth and deliberately hides the realities on ground. The audiences in the enlightened moderate groups and educationally less fortunate people also understand what they say in which language and what do they mean in reality. People even notice how they frame questions to receive desired answers to get their point endorsed. That is why people have given them certain names through which they are recognised in the society. They are popularly known by those names which can not mentioned here.Recommend
I completely agree Fulton Sahib. That piece was repulsive.
I think the problem with your “old colleague and friend” is a very large ego. He thinks he is the cats whiskers. Needs to be taken down a peg or two.
As for the wonderful job he does grilling politicians, they are an easy target. Anyone can grill them! Recommend
I agree to the this point in this article that Journalism Medium in Urdu is based on sensationalism and loud mouth-ism. That is pretty much it. i rather find his attack on Urdu speaking and understanding middle class which seems to be suggesting that they are nothing more then idiots looking for a fight on the TV Screen instead of the street.
Urdu is indeed a remarkable language and the fact the some morons on TV and in print media can abuse it does not make it low class, rather it shows how badly this language has been dealt with and how disinterested those who are responsible for it are. Secondly, Pakistan’s very foundation is in middle class. The working class the balances between the rich and spoilt and the poor and distressed. The balancing point of the society as it is everywhere in the world. It is the media that is to be blamed for such an divide and certainly not the people or the language. Recommend
Hats off to you, George!
You’ve raised a very interesting point, something not many people would’ve realized themselves (including myself).
Thank you very much indeed.Recommend
there are goras that say similar things about angelina jolie. Although I do not agree with what has been said, I wonder why you George only seem to find fault in Pakistani press?Recommend
I agree with you, George. These guys were never liberal. One of the two anchors was a closet conservative all along. His “liberalism” was confined mainly to his one or two English sentences that he would insert in his otherwise perfect and chaste Urdu: “Stay with this point … We will get back to you.”Recommend
It is rare that you read such brilliant and daring articles on the hypocrisy in the Pakistani media since ages. There have been some by Shakil Ahmed in recent months. Express Tribune is setting good traditions.
There is one more aspect to this problem which is our journalists’ desire to be on the right hand of the establishment. Although this article was particularly disgusting, Talat Hussain’s journalism is replete of half truths. I recently watched him on a talk show where he refused to criticise the PCO 2000. If taking oath under PCO 2007 was wrong, how could it be right in 2000? I can give many other examples but one suffices. Watch him and many others, you will see how they dish out half truths.
It is disgusting to see and read the most corrupt journalists and OPED writers talk and write about corruption. This is the most serious disease in this country.Recommend
Even the judiciary has come to understand that there is nothing they
could do to subjugate the mandate of the people, and they have to
accept the supremacy of the parliament. Now its turn of media to
understand their limits and to know that they are just another pillar
of the state, but not above any accountability, and they have to be
respectful of the parliament.
In the TV programs like Hum sub umeed say hien, Hasb-e-Haal, and other
comic programs, these TV channels are ridiculing the members of
parliament. They are doing parodies of them, playing Indian songs
behind their pictures, poking jokes at them, and calling them outright
idiots. They are not even sparing the President and the Prime Minister
of Pakistan. But why this double standard is? Why are not they doing same to the
generals and the judges and the journalists? Why this hypocrisy at the
end of the media? Are they afraid of them or they are just prejudiced
and biased? The media is free to criticise government but it should act
responsibly towards state and democracy. It should respect the
parliament, president, prime minister and other members just as they
are respecting (even out of fear and prejudice) the chief of army
staff and the judges.Recommend
@Ayesha Siddiqa: That you’ve launched a personal attack on Ejaz Haider on another, unrelated page altogether indicates a small but bruised ego. As someone who read the Daily Times regularly till Mr. Sethi’s departure, I can vouch for the fact that those pages contained more progressive and fair critique of the kind of garbage Talat Hussain has spewed than any other paper in the country. But let’s not allow facts to get in the way of some irrelevant personal attacks!
Come to think of it, did you not write in those pages as well, and weren’t several of your articles against the arguments made by Ejaz Haider? If so, your attack isn’t just irrelevant, it’s petty and baseless, two qualities that played a big role in your exit from Dawn too (another statement I can vouch for as an ex-Dawn staffer). Perhaps the problem isn’t with the editors after all!Recommend
He is not playing to the gallery, he is identifying with all they believe to be wrong with the west, using jolie as a vehicle, bringing out as much loathing and hatred for what are the perceived immoralities built into the fast and loose western lifestyle. He tries to insight the reader into feeling nothing but contempt and when they are ready to unleash their pent up moral outrage like one lets go of a sling shot, he gently takes them by the arm and turns them towards what he intended their real target to be all along: our inept, apathetic leadership. Some may say he plays the devil’s advocate but even if he believes a lot of what he says about jolie, so what, a lot of what he says is true. She has had an amoral lifestyle, even by hollywood standards. But that is not Talat’s main concern, he is a serious Pakistani and unlike many of us is more interested in dissecting the serious problems facing us rather than trying to schmooze up to the west. He could care less about people who stay busy licking up anything the west dishes out, all the while confusing tolerance with having no moral compass. He is too busy trying to reach the vastly irrational and over emotional masses the best way he knows how, directing the ire of those very emotions where it belongs, and if that means using some obscure western actress who’s lifestyle has been open to moral ridicule, so be it. He is not playing to the gallery but rather is trying to educate them and for Pakistan’s sake i hope he never finds doing that secondary to keeping a squeaky clean liberal image for people who adhere to western notion of political correctness, lest we hurt their feelings. Recommend
Talat might have gone a bit overboard in portraying a picture Angelina, but it is surprising to see how everybody is up in arms against him. Angelina’s life is far from perfect, I have always had questions about her adoptions. it is in fact a favourite pastime of a number of celebs in the west. Adopt a couple of black kids, if possible go to Africa and adopt from an impoverished country and invite the media. the paparazzi would turn it into a circus. As far a hypocrisy George has talked about our educated middle class. I agree with it. I wish George and all others could read the last two lines of talat’s column again. Recommend
George! Both you and Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa are some of the top iconic columnists of Pakistan. I wonder if you can also add in your list Mr. Karam Shafi and Mr. Ayaz Amir as well. I must say that without you and Dr. Ayesha, the segment of English columns will remain meaningless on this newspaper.
Well done and hats off to your brilliant yet bitter truth about hypocritical culture embedded within our T.V. anchors and media personnels. Recommend
… And Walls Shall Certainly Fall, No Matter How Tall ….Recommend
Spot on…………i think you must also write about some neo-liberal class as well.But one thing Talat is better then hamid mir anyday, although Talat adopts dualism, he atleast sure what he is doingRecommend
By Golly George you have hit it on the head. This is just brilliant! And of all the people in this wide world it is the English speaking George Fulton who gets under Mr. Flotilla Talat Hussain’s thick skin and that too via an article written in Urdu! Mr. Talat Hussain has no depth in his analysis and is basically a pseudo-intellectual masquerading as a journalist.Keep it up George! we all love you for it.Recommend
@MAD: Listening to kamran khan is wasting an hour of your precious time, i’ll prefer sleeping. With talat, expectations are high, the point he made may have been a good one but the way he made it wasn’t upto his standards. Go through the urdu version here
http://www.express.com.pk/epaper/PoPupwindow.aspx?newsID=1101082513&Issue=NP_LHE&Date=20101024Recommend
It is not like this that every body who write in Urdu is biased but unfortunately most of them are.Look at this column by veteran columnist and short story writer Zahida Hinna in express a month ago about Angelina Jolie.(Khanum Sahiba huum app ke shukarguzar hain)
http://www.pkurducols.com/2010/09/column-on-angelina-jolie-by-zahida-hina.htmlRecommend
George your attacks on Pakistan, Pakistani Culture and Pakistanis in general are getting a bit tiresome now, really… You know you have only a career in Pakistan because of the inferiority complex and slave mentality displayed by some Pakistani’s, which you can see by some of the comments you have here and on your previous hateful article.Recommend
I have read almost all coulmns written by Talat Hussain in daily express in the past one year. these columns shows how he is establishment man. On mumbai attacks he did a very “scientifc” programme in which he proved with “informations” this is indian propagandaRecommend
I have been silently reading all the comments popping into my inbox but jflossy really made me come back here. You speak of inferiority complex & slave mentality? Yes it is acting up now. I see you pushing hard to turn it into a pseudo superiority complex right here. This and any of George’s articles are never about any complexes of the nation and more about calling a spade a spade. Whoever agrees to his viewpoint are just being neutral peopel (a concept clearly alien to yourself) understanding what he is saying and agreeing or disagreeing for that matter. Please don’t bring your own wannabe complexes into a discussion. He has a career here because he is able to see things the way they are and not in some sad, apologetic and justified manner. He is hateful about the right things at teh right time which we all are, the sane lot I mean.
Talat had no business mud slinging on Jolie the way he did. Being right or wrong comes later in the day, it was all in extremely bad taste. There is no justification for being so crass and rude to ANYONE.Recommend
@HS
but why? why is jolie so much important to us? she is a nobody as far as we are concerned. why should we care about her? all the scandals reiterated by talat are published in foreign media. why should we criticize one of us (i.e. talat) for somebody who is not one of ours? Did she go to affectees in sindh, punjab or baluchistan? she was here on a purpose and only visited taliban infected area.
@george
look what you have done. you call him your dear friend and this is how you treat a friend. jolly good. 3 cheers for you. hip hip hurray, hip hip hurray, hip hip hurray…………….owwwwwwwww.Recommend
@Jamil
Hear yourself out buddy. One of us? SO if ‘one of us’ does something wrong we won’t point fingers at them. What are you mad at? Her not going to SIndh? Aap sath waalon ke haan aayeiin, hamaaray haan nahi aayein. What is this? It is a free world. She will go where she or teh UN wants her to go. period. Is that your justification for Talat hurling abuses at her as personal as her physical features and whatever she does for that matter? It’s not Jolie, its the level to which he has stooped. No one ever has teh right to abuse anyoen or insult anyone. He cannot do this to Jolie, he cannot do this to Reema, he cannot do this to you, he cannot do this to me!!Recommend
I always respected Talat Hussain for being one of the few saner voices in an atmosphere of sensationalism and intolerance.
I think he was trying to kill two birds with the same arrow, i.e. Nudge the government for poorly governing the country, while rebutting Jolie with “who-the-hell-you-think-you-are” in order to feed the ego of all the ‘Patriotic’ Pakistanis out there.Recommend
I second HS, its not about Jolie its the level to which Talat has stooped!!Recommend
George, You are 100% correct! Talat you have disappointed us with your double talk. Sad & Pathetic Situation.Recommend
If Hamid Mir can speak in English, then you can easily fool everyone by appearing as Firdous Ashiq Awan on TV, George. Who are you kidding?
Secondly, Talat Hussain has always been like this, it was YOUR naivete who thought he was not. I love it when naive people like you get a rude awakening, your expressions are just priceless when confronted with such realities.
And all those who think that Urdu readershjip is reactionary, jahil, or sensationalist, they are the biggest fools.Recommend
George, learn how to write Urdu and please start writing for the masses.
Its only you who can change the poisoned mindset of Pakistani’s.Recommend
@Jamil,
I have read Talat’s article in Urdu and it is disgusting. I loved it because it revealed Talat’s dirty, lowly mindset. Wow! He has revealed himself and how!
As for Urdu language is concerned, Talat is as good in it as Anjelina Jolie is good in Pushto. He uses big words and doesnt even know their usage prioperly
And are you for real when you say Anjelian Jolie did very little? What does she owe us? She donated money from her own purse. First look at your own people and then point fingers towards anyone else.Recommend
@ Talha great idea. Georgie, I can translate your articles to Urdu if you like. Recommend
@Dear all, we are used to offer, as popular saying goes, “grandfather’s fateah at Halwai’s shop!” How can we swallow the good deed of an actress who as a professional performs all kinds of roles as we do in our professional lives? What we need is to focus on is her gesture of generosity to help those in need of help in Pakistan not once but twice. Adopting someone poor is also not a crime. It does not matter how bed she is in her personal life. At least she had come all the way from thousands of miles not once but twice just to share the misery inflicted on millions of people by unkind nature and partially man-made disaster.
SHE DESERVES OUR APPRECIATION OF BOTH HER GESTURE AND GENEROSITY.
@Dr. Maliha Lodhi’s comment seems to be the last word on this subject because Talat has worked as her assistant in daily The News. I think no one knows Talat better than her professionally and otherwise too.Recommend
@Dear all, we are used to offer, as popular saying goes, “grandfather’s fateah at Halwai’s shop!” How can we swallow the good deed of an actress who as a professional performs all kinds of roles as we do in our professional lives? What we need is to focus on is her gesture of generosity to help those in need of help in Pakistan not once but twice. Adopting someone poor is also not a crime. It does not matter how bed she is in her personal life. At least she had come all the way from thousands of miles not once but twice just to share the misery inflicted on millions of people by unkind nature and partially man-made disaster.
SHE DESERVES OUR APPRECIATION OF BOTH HER GESTURE AND GENEROSITY.
@Dr. Maliha Lodhi’s comment seems to be the last word on this subject because Talat has worked as her assistant in daily The News. I think no one knows Talat better than her professionally and otherwise too.Recommend
@HS
Jolie is a celebrity who gets paid an immense amount of money, she’s in the public eye and anybody is within there right to write what they like about her, whether its in her favour or against, Talat has an opinion, and its his right, whether you like it or not. However this piece by George and his previous article reinforce his contempt of Pakistani’s, here he defend’s his “own” (ie white, western) and showers ridicule on Talal!! Surely an article telling us the great work and how humane and great Angelina is would be better? But no, he has to to show how he the great Englishman, morally and ethically superior, who’s country ruled you peasants for hundreds of years knows best, its a shame you clap at his every word!Recommend
I haven’t read the Urdu article by the Flotilla guy, but commenting those aspects of someone’s appearance that a person cannot change, is boorish, to say the least.Recommend
I pity Aaj TvRecommend
Here is the Urdu version
http://column.com.pk/2010/10/past-life-of-angelina-jolie-and-statement-about-pakistan/Recommend
Ms. Maliha Lodhi: “I loved it because it revealed Talat’s dirty, lowly mindset. Wow! He has revealed himself and how!” is probably the last word on the subject. Thank you Ma’am. I wanted to say more but you have said it all.Recommend
did George forget that Talat’s ‘more-liberal’ face is also in Urdu?
Simple non-sense!Recommend
MiR and talat are no more than overpaid hired actors by media houses to discredit a fledgling democracy.hey misguide a largely sceptical public and amuse antigovernment middle classes .you can see that they are shifting the guilt of the nation to a few politicians.they are trying to discredit the only Natipnal party who’s members and office bearers are no different than a Recommend
Really disappointing for me to lose another sane journalist whom I appreciated alot… Goodbye Talat Recommend
in hamid’s retort it is interesting/intriguing to see how he pleads Recommend
Talat – if you think AJ is “plain looking” you need to check your eyesight!Recommend
maulana diesel – I know you need to check your eyes. Bug eyes…Recommend
@farooq
who are you to question her adoptions?
who is anybody to question anybody else’s personal life?
how did his article get clearance from the editor?
this guy should be banned for spreading hatred & promoting racism and sexism!Recommend
How interesting it is to see media mountains turning into moles.
Dear @Talat and @Dear Hamid, do you notice the power of genuine gesture of generosity by a tiny in appearance but professionally rock solid woman of substance?
This is the power of truth. Do you know what is the meaning and real power of TRUTH?
@Talta, By the way it will be interesting to know how much money did the people deposited in your bank accounts in the name of flood victims flashed on a TV’s screen after every few minutes and what did you do with that money? This is what I call “grandfather’s fateah at Halwai’s shop!”
I hope the amount is much more than the amount personally donated by Angeline Jolie from her own purse.
We do not know the details of how the money collected by two big TV channels for Tsunami and flood victims in billions and crores of rupees have been spent? Will the owners of two channels stand up and give the details of the expenses in the same manner as they had collected the money?Recommend
@HS and Maliha
Find an american, go abuse him and you will know the meaning of “ONE OF US”. and i am more real than you when i say jollie has done very little as compared to what talat is doing for flood affectees. both of you are arguing for the sake of argument. don’t you know these things. American president after every speech says God bless america. do you have the guts to point finger to him? oh i know you will say what does he owes the rest of the world, i am arguing another thing which is off topic etc etc but don’t we need this type of mindset? why don’t we say God bless Pakistan as zealously? I agree if one of us do something wrong, we have all the right to criticize him but for defence of AJollie, i disagree. on factual grounds, could you deny anything Talat has written? Apart from your so called defamation of jollie, what is wrong in the article??
and i don’t care she visit any place in pakistan. my point was that she was towing agenda we all know. but @HS your pointing out in that way reveals yourself. but, i like the way you think, it is pretty much the same drolling menatlity that was pointed out by TALAT HUSSAINRecommend
Very well written George, I’m still in disbelief that wrote such and article
Part of the blame should go to the editor whoever allowed such a distasteful article to get published in the first placeRecommend
Talat represents cynicism and sarcasm.Recommend
Talat you have disappointed us…..your misogyny is evident in that article…! What a courageous effort George.Recommend
George – you have rightly and courageously exposed Talat for what he is. He and his like adopt liberal, western-appreciated tones in order to secure assignments and conference invitations to the west.
Well done – Talat has been overrated for a long time.His chauvinistic leanings has long been ignored.
Well done George!Recommend
Why are people surprised? perhaps he was miffed because she didnt fall for his charms (sic)!!! And any woman who does not do so is clearly “plain”.Recommend
But I do agree with @jflossy – even though some of George’s articles are quite good he only has a career here because of those reasons jflossy mentions. He wouldnt get a job in a UK paper with this standard of superficial writing.Recommend
George are you moving back to the UK soon? The Flotilla Hulk shall avenge!!!Recommend
George is also being a hypocrite. He and Talat had a falling out when TH cancelled his breakfast show which he used to do with his very plain looking wife. Perhaps thats why George is going after Talat in such a targeted manner.Recommend
Completely agree with Sadia Mahmood.
Although Talat used a few harsh words but please try to understand the sarcasm. Recommend
Is gora George outraged that a gori Angelina is criticised/ridiculed by a “brown native”? Or is he outraged because the “plain” woman insult is too close to home? How many times has mr George written about the routine racist insults and Islamophobic utterances of his two faced compatriots in the UK???? They talk of human rights and yet immigrants are treated like animals in Britain and their press publishes racist abuse in the name of freedom of speech.
Enough of pandering to this self appointed viceroy of our media. The Raj is over.Recommend
@asif raja
I hate to agree wid you but i think this is the language most of commentator will understand here. people, what’s wrong with you. the world out there is heavily partisan and bigot. just listen to the stories of air commuters. why can’t we love our nation and i stress the word NATION. Recommend
George, because of the language barrier, you’ve misunderstood the article. The message in Talat’s article was that a women who doesn’t live up to any of the superficial eastern standards feels that instead of hosting a dinner for her, the Prime Minister should have tried to arrange food for the flood victims. A woman who would have been stoned to death had people known what she has done in her life feels that the Prime Minister should have done something for the flood victims instead of wasting resources on calling his family from Multan to Islamabad to meet her. This was a great piece of satire but because of the language it was written it, people have misinterpreted it. Recommend
Mr shahid why everything has double meaning and foreign hand behind every thing. Attacking women is a game Pakistani must stop playingRecommend
@ Akhtar: Sir I didn’t say anything about a foreign hand. I personally believe that ‘foreign hand’ is just an excuse used by political and bureaucratic incumbents to divert the focus from their own negligence. I’m just saying that the way Talat’s article was interpreted is not the same way it was written. It wasn’t meant to criticize AJ (as it appears). It was meant to criticize our PM and his cabinet. Re-read the last paragraph of his article and you’ll see for yourself. Recommend
I’ve now read the Urdu article, thanks to the link provided by a commenter, above. Half of the article borders on pornography and the rest of it is bad taste.Recommend
George, you said it all. It has been widely observed that these two so called journalists cum anchor persons along with some other female and male persons in their media houses have their own agendas which they want to get implemented by those for whom they are working……. these types of agendas can easily be seen in Urdu Press. If something from which all section of people can benefit through English language news papers then it is seldom seen get printed in Urdu Press. All media houses have one or two planted persons who are only there to spread confusion and anarchy through their perceived intellect. Since the population in Pakistan are mostly from semi educated lot so it is very difficult for them to comprehend what is true and what is rumor. You have done a very good job so go on exposing this section of media.Recommend
I have read Talat Husain’s articles as well… and i do agree that his piece is only dripping in sarcasm but it is not directed to Angelina Jolie…. those who have written against him have only failed to interpert what he really means or are merely trying to gain attention by lambasting him. If you read the last paragraph…. its is a subtle but powerful criticism of the government.Recommend
I second Sabeen. Last paraghraph says it all. Get a life who are just lambasting him for nothing.Recommend
I was always impressed by Talat Hussain and considered him “The Best Journalist” a “Most Decent Man” very different to the typical anchors we have….I even wrote to him admiring his show….but,but the real Talat Hussain showed up when I started criticizing his overly personal feelings being portrayed in his shows,his unfair choice of guests and attacks on personalities rather than talking about issues. Recommend
By the way Tallat has more credibility in journalism than anyone else in Pakistan including my dear friend George. Again, I do like George. I am glad he has a forum to express his views. I wish a Pakistan had the same opportunity on Fox news. Recommend
Remember, this Urdu speaking middle class is the majority, or in other words, the real Pakistan.
The English speaking circle of yours (including the westernized liberals) is just pimple of British Raj!!!Recommend
@Danish: If you were to re-read and re-read the article you would figure out that what the actual point is that journalists tailor their articles (or talkshows as the case may be) as per their audience. This makes thema ppear two faced and really not having an opinion of their own.
@Hamid Baloch: Incidentally George is a Pakistani. please note that he moved here and has stayed on (for reasons frankly I fail to comprehend) during a time when many of us are trying to find ways to emigrate elsewhere.
Just letting every one know i didnt agree with the article and yes perhaps it was a bit harsh on Talat.Recommend