Lost in theatrics

Why does our dominant media narrative obsess about symptoms while totally ignoring the disease? Why does it invariably miss the point even as it seeks to hit the target?

Why have we as citizens grown aloof to the patterns underlying every tragedy, every crisis, every national disaster, even as we struggle to grapple with its consequences? Want examples? Oh, there is no dearth of recent stories.

Let’s begin with the most recent episode, where throughout the day, high drama unfolded as teams of rescuers tried to remove eight persons (seven students and one grown-up) stranded in a broken cable car dangling from a single wire out of harm’s way.

What debate did this traumatic episode generate even as all of them were brought to safety? No, I am not asking about the mind-numbing running commentary that went on as the rescue mission progressed. What came after that?

A noisy argument on social media asking who should be given credit — the Pakistan Army or the local rescuers? The quarrelling parties were obviously alien to the concept of shared responsibility and credit. It was a multipronged effort to rescue the stranded, and there was absolutely no problem with acknowledging everyone who
chipped in.

But that is not the point. The point is the quality of the debate. Just consider how many self-effacing questions were left out. Take a gander.

Why is it that most of the population not exposed to life in mountainous regions was learning about this dangerous mode of transport used by students for the first time? What? It is not unusual for the locals for whom this is a matter of routine, you say?

All right. Would you happily send your children and loved ones to school and work via such a method involving much risk and dilapidated infrastructure?

I thought not. The media will not ask this question because it exposes its incompetence. Another question. How many of these death traps are still in use in the country? No answer because it exposes (a) the elite’s failure to cater to the needs of the residents of ‘far-flung’ areas, (b) our apathy towards our fellow citizens, and (c) our collective hostility towards verifiable data and numbers.

Notice I say the elite, not the state or the government because people run states and governments. In our country,
the elite totally dominates such functions. Have you met your elite? To qualify this point, let me remind you that all these regions regularly participate in elections. Weak central and provincial governments often bribe their chosen representatives with development funds to gain their support. Where do these
funds go?

Another example. A judge’s wife brutally tortured a girl child servant. The child has not yet fully recovered. When the news broke, the police initially failed to pursue the matter expeditiously because the woman in question was the wife of a sitting judge.

But as the pressure grew, she was arrested. On my social media timelines, I saw many well-meaning people celebrating this as proof of justice in society.

You and I know well that this is exactly what law enforcement does in this society in the face of public pressure. Arrest the influential party and bide your time until the story is crowded out of the news cycle and pressure dies down. Then, the guilty party walks free. But even that is not the key issue here. The case is an open indictment, not just of our justice system but of our society at large. Torture and the attempts to defy justice are obviously the more glaring parts of the story. But there is also a quiet part about the
judge’s conduct. We do not know if he was party to
torture, and only courts can decide that. But before
torture comes the crime of employing an underage
servant. Are we supposed to believe that a custodian
of law was ignorant of the number of laws declaring
child labour illegal? Or was he so clueless that he
did not know about the full-time employees in his
home? Why the quiet part? To find an answer, go
visit the houses of the influential, including the
media persons. You might be surprised to learn that
many pundits who lecture you on the sanctity of the
law and the Constitution break this law with a flour-
ish. Either they do not see it as a crime or are so sure
of their privilege that they enjoy flouting the law in
public. And pray, do not even bring up the culpabil-
ity of the parents because that would potentially dry
up the farms whence the supply of child labourers
come. What did you say? Ignorantia juris non excu-
sat? Non refert!
Rizwana above is lucky that she is at least alive, or
what passes for it. Ranipur’s Fatima Firoro is not. You
might have seen the blurred televised footage of her
last moments. Since I first came across the footage,
I keep asking myself what was the motive behind
airing it. Was it a noble and benign attempt to effect
social change or the very putrid sensationalism we
have grown accustomed to? Geez, whatcha think,
boss? Shocking images are good for ratings. That such
images increase despondency and outrage in society,
which it is not equipped to handle, is no one’s look-
out. Sell what you can, earn a living, make a profit
and go home. And just in case you think it is an argu-
ment supporting media censorship, kindly disabuse
yourself of the notion. It really is an argument in sup-
port of equipping society with tools for introspection,
emotional intelligence, effecting meaningful change
and, generally, more empowerment.
I highlight these shortcomings, dear readers, with
a heavy heart. The incorrigible optimist in me dies
again whenever I look at the sorry state of affairs. I
will neither deny that there are good people among
us nor try to look for ready scapegoats. An apple does
not fall far from the tree. The symptoms we often talk
about only point to a deeper malaise. The malaise
that afflicts every walk of life. The changemakers are
there, but there are only too few of them, and in the
face of public pushback, they are one by one fleeing.
Trapped in the middle of an ever-growing population,
declining governance standards and our social contra-
dictions, ours has become a system of the privileged,
by the privileged and for the privileged. And our
intellectual class keeps scapegoating only those insti-
tutions that, in this day and age, make an effort to
ensure that ordinary people join their ranks and rise
to the top. Have you seen an example of intellectual
bankruptcy that is even worse? I have not.
FARRUKH KHAN PITAFI
Lost in theatrics Mirza Masood Baig
The writer takes interest in current affairs. He can be reached at [e-mail]
The writer is an Islamabad-based TV journalist.

He tweets @FarrukhKPitafi and can be reached at [e-mail]