No need to manufacture consent

Chomsky argues that the genuine need to ‘manufacture consent’ or shape public opinion is in democratic countries

I was sitting at a net cafe in Charsadda. Yes, this is from a long time ago, when there were net cafes. A friend of mine walked up to me in sheer excitement and said that he had just seen the cafe owner type his password on his keyboard. I asked what the username was. He had no clue. But what we both knew was that password alone was not enough. Having the key to the lock is good but knowing where the lock is is indispensable.

The story of Pakistani journalism and public opinion is not much different. Pakistani people know the truth behind certain disturbing things, but that knowledge has to translate into change as well to execute the unlocking. World renowned scholar Noam Chomsky argues that the genuine need to ‘manufacture consent’ or shape public opinion is in countries where there is a democracy. The more vibrant and thriving a democratic culture, the more need for media control. When citizenry’s tongues can’t be controlled, then there arises a serious need to control their minds. In dictatorial or undemocratic societies, however, there is no such need to control minds because people do not have free speech. In countries where there is free speech but none of it matters to the movers and shakers of government machinery, there is no need to control minds either. Absence of free speech or a free speech that has no power in shaping government policies creates no market for propaganda.

Edward Snowden made the disturbing revelations about the most extreme spying on American citizens. The Obama administration went to horrible lengths to discredit him and even took away his passport. But America is a different story than Pakistan. Over there, the public opinion and public noise can make a difference in the calculus of the power system. But it was the public opinion that didn’t change much as Snowden had feared. In Pakistan, however, the public opinion is the only thing that changes due to disturbing revelations. Nothing else changes.

Pakistani journalism especially the kind practised by journalists such as Imran Riaz Khan, Ayaz Amir, Moeed Pirzada and so forth is massively liked and listened to by people. The citizenry is quite aware about what is going on and at whose behest. Pakistani citizenry’s free speech doesn’t make a dent in the power system of Pakistan. Their cognizance of the truth doesn’t mean anything. And that baffles me as to why there would be any need to harass journalists who successfully shape public opinion, when public opinion has zero value.

And when you think about it, you’d realise that this is really about sending a message to those who might venture into flirting with such funny ideas as speaking truth to power. When people were upset with Imran Khan’s policies, they would be upset with him even though many believed that he was installed. When people get angry with the policies and actions of this current regime, the target of their anger is not Shehbaz Sharif or Maryam Nawaz. Everyone knows who they are angry at.

And that is the point; the anger only increases when journalism is under such a vicious assault. The people know full well that their mere existence is to breathe and pay taxes, then why the need to go the extra mile and harass journalism too. People feel as if the safe haven where they enjoyed intellectual satisfaction is being snatched from them. It only serves to add salt to their wounds and further create hatred for the power system. But their anger or any other emotion they might have means absolutely nothing.

If we don’t believe in freedom of speech for those we disagree with, then we don’t believe in freedom of speech at all.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2022.

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