Losing a child is the hardest thing a parent can go through. Faced with such an incredible tragedy, they need love and support to cope with the loss. Unfortunately, the bereaved parents of the children who died in the Army Public School (APS) massacre find themselves weighed down by the insensitive attitude of the media and society at large.
Bereaved of their children, they visit the school every day to see the students’ photographs which have been pasted on a notice board.
One look at their children’s innocent, smiling faces on the board makes them break down into tears. Wailing mothers brush their fingers against photographs of their children, as if trying to reach out to them and bring them back to life. Other parents look around the school’s playground with tear-stricken eyes, hoping to catch one last glimpse of their children. Relatives and friends do their best to console the parents, but cannot fill the void left by the tragedy.
However, there is another group of people who also visit the school’s premises and stand by the notice board. This group largely consists of young people who come to pay their respects to the APS victims. They don’t cry or even attempt to console the bereaved parents. On the contrary, they smile and pose for selfies next to the notice board.
Muhammad Adnan, a primary school teacher, told The Express Tribune such inconsiderate behaviour is both shocking and reprehensible. “These people don’t seem to care about the pain and suffering parents are going through,” he said.
Visitors continue to pour in at Army Public School. PHOTOS; MUHAMMAD IQBAL/EXPRESS
According to Adnan, a large number of young people take pictures next to the notice board and upload them on social media.
“Such behaviour is immature and nonsensical,” he said, “It has hurt the sentiments of many parents.”
Adnan said the APS carnage is a national tragedy that makes one’s blood run cold.
“But young people have failed to respect the feelings of parents and are behaving in an inappropriate manner,” he added.
Grieving parents have also found themselves at the receiving end of excessive media attention. A mother who visits the school on a daily basis claimed that more often than not the media acts in an irresponsible, unethical and selfish manner.
“A photographer was trying to take a picture of a mother who was crying,” she said. “He went up to her and held out a picture of her son just to make her cry. It was a disturbing sight.”
According to the bereaved mother, the photographer could have assessed the gravity of the situation and taken the picture by zooming in. “Unfortunately, the desire to bring the best scoops to their audience has turned media persons into vultures,” she said.
At this critical juncture, the media should realise the importance of media ethics and respect the sentiments of the bereaved, she added.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 26th, 2014.
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I noticed the same thing during Sydney Siege. Some people were taking selfies.
It proves: 1- that there are some people who are insensitive to the seriousness of the event or we are increasingly becoming insensitive; 2- selfies are used for a certain social media, which means the concept of social media to show the picture of your self in a way that others should like it.
The question is has internet and social media and lack of interest in serious literature in youth has resulted in making people insensitive? or is the current education system is making us insensitive ? or social norms teach us, force us to mind our own business, to be selfish, to focus making infinite wealth?
One fact is well known to us, that majority of people are conformist, i-e: they follow the herd, without thinking.