The myth of 'political neutrality'

Ansar Abbasi and ORya Maqbool Jab

'Political neutrals' are sick personalities who have personal interests from the system they are serving.

To call oneself politically neutral is one of the most absurd statement to hear. This is an excellent alibi to present your hatred and prejudice in the most severest way possible. Personally, I consider such statements as an intellectual sickness; a sickness of superiority.

A political neutral person tries to demean his opponent's idea, and simultaneously act as his best friend. This 'politically neutral' group notoriously malign the opposition.

Mostly, you'll find such people to have a complete command over rhetoric (i.e. clerics and their 'intellectual-followers', army men, and fundamentalist journalists).  They aren't able to give a logical and constructive reply. Rather, when they face a question they give out a wimpy smile and say, "You look frustrated; see the world in a neutral way!". This act is such an excellent checkmate move that the opponent doesn't have any more move left. He simply has to bare with the person.

When it's the opponent's turn to reply, these 'politically neutral' people play the old argument winning 'straw man' move. They just have to make a simple statement, "Look! I'm politically neutral, you aren't! So I won't be listening to you." Game Over!

I've met many such 'politically neutral' characters. Some were of my age and some older than me. There is a sense of intellectual superiority in these people. They play with you by asking bit-size questions, allowing them to subtly move the topic of discussion towards their side. In the end, if the opponent is weak, he is bound to lose, and hence stupidity prevails.

One such "political neutral person" who is destroying the youth is Oriya Maqbool Jan. He subtly constructs his arguments; playing with words and phonetics; he goes on to prove Taliban as the finest form of government, while declaring democracy as an atheistic form of government. The question arise, "whom does he support?" and the answers simply goes, "I'm only an analyst!"

When asked whether Islam allows killing innocents, he gives a big definitive, "No!". Conversely, when asked about his view on Taliban, he goes on to picture them as the soul champions who defeated three super powers and started the 'Golden Age' of Islam in Afghanistan.

He speaks for the right of individuals, but says that he supports Khilafat over Democracy. 

Another such 'political neutral' example is Ansar Abbasi. He, like his predecessor, is a fundamentalist. The shear abnormality of his neutrality is that he goes on to hate everyone who doesn't support fundamentalism. On the other hand, he also supports democracy. In the last few days this person even went against fundamentalism. Mr. Abbasi spoke venom against Dr. Tahir ul Qadri, although Mr. Qadri — like Mr. Abbasi — belongs to the people who some how want to implement Divine Laws in the country. Not surprisingly, this 'politically neutral' went on a blasphemous drive against Dr. Qadri. He even doesn't know the etiquette of criticising a political leader.

These 'political neutrals' are sick personalities who have personal interests from the system they are serving. Otherwise, even if the system isn't paying them enough, they try to assure that they get the largest share of the pie in the future. The only thing rational people can learn from them is how to be a good TV actor and play with innocent minds.

The question arises: Why do people listen to them?. The answer is as simple as this: They project them themselves as neutral players —  Mr. Abbasi calls himself an "investigative journalist", while the other is a "CSS passed dramatist and psychologist". This disguise of westernized terms with complex unexplainable personal goals create an unresolvable dichotomy.

Such personalities shouldn't be given time in the public space, because they are radicalising the society in a very dangerous way. Sometime ago, the CSS passed psychologist eulogized Taliban in front of our primary school children. His dramatic oratory did the magic, and everyone gave him a big applaud. He successfully radicalized the youth, while he himself smokes a pipe similar to western thinkers whom he opposes.

I think one effect of seeing such characters on television screen and print literature is that people — even sane people  —  are starting to call themselves politically neutral. The fallacious logic and wimpy smile is becoming more common. The intolerance in their language is increasingly being copied as the society descents into further chaos.

Now begins the Ramazan Show!

In Pakistan’s news media, anchors are analogous to entertainers, but now their entertainment has become very predictable. Their monotonous attitude has made the infotainment discourse extremely boring. Moreover, the public narrative that the news media tries to create is mostly conservative having an explicit penchant towards fundamentalism. 

It is very unfortunate that the media chatter house has become the defining source of public discourse in Pakistan. People consider these private TV channels as a party working for people rights. They think these private capitalistic firms are speaking on their behalf.

Quite opposite, this is never the case. Private capitalistic media only speaks for products through which they can make money. The fundamental goal of any business is to maximise profit. They give a hoot to any issue that might reduce their annual profits. 

In the coming month, these media capitalist tycoons are going to exploit spirituality to maximise net incomes. Ramazan is a jackpot for all media tycoon in Pakistan. It will give a profit boost just at the start of the second half of FY2012. All media channels – either news or entertainment or infotainment – are going to extract the last drop of 'financial juice' from this God gifted month. News anchors, fashion designers, and self-tagged entertainers-cum-Islamic scholars will help the poor nation in understanding Islam. The poorest of the poor will be paying only Rs. 14.07 (+ tax) per minute, if they want to hang on with their religion.

Some of the media tycoons have also released their Ramazan promos (similar to Hollywood film trailers).

The entertainer for Geo Television network will be Dr. (false PhD) Amir Liaquat. With his expensive designer suits, his Oscar winning sobbing, his impromptu speech, and his dexterous use of hands will magnate hundreds of people to switch on their television screen at day break and sunset. This entertainer will laugh, cry, joke, intellecutalize, cook, and blabber all the month long. Two years ago, Amir Liaquat instigated people in killing Ahmadis. His program was a nightmare for the Ahmadi community which brought human loss to them. Let's see what this fundamentalist do in the oncoming month!

Dr. Amir Liaquat anchoring his Islamic Show

Next comes Dr. (I guess either in quackery or homeopathy) Shahid Masood. He'll be hosting the Ramazan transmission for ARY group. A fundamentalist by soul, he'll now be educating the masses to fear the Lord. For the last decade, this man has tried to portray the rightist school of thought as the only saviour of Pakistan. People like Hameed Gul the Red General, Zaid Hamid the Conspirator, Orya Maqbool Jan the chauvinist scholar, Imran Khan the Tsunami man, Ansaar Abbasi the crying patriot, and Dr. Israr Ahmed got the maximum TV talk time on his program. He affronts liberal and intellectual dissents and allows his guests to caricature people like Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy and Asma Jahangir on live television.

  

Shahid Masood will be hosting a
Ramazan Show with Maya Khan for the ARY Group

Next month, this fundamentalist doctor is going to do a Ramazan show with the Mrs. Maya Khan. She recently violated the private sphere of two Pakistani teenagers who were relaxing in a park when Spectre Maya came out of nowhere to teach them Islamic morality. These two entertainers will be the here bringers of non-Hijabi fundamentalism!

For the Express Television Network, Shahid Afridi — a famous Pakistani cricketer — is going to educate the masses about gaining spirituality in Ramazan! As the cricketer will be fasting in this holy month, he won't be able to play cricket; to fill the monetary loss for missing his cricket series, he has signed a Ramazan deal with a media tycoon. An unmatched example of spirituality being supplanted by capitalism! As the demand for 'spirituality' raises, thus the viewer ship for cricket decreases; hence, capital underscores religion for profit maximization.

 

Shahid Afridi working on Express News payroll.
Source:  http://www.mysongs.pk 

It can't be commented what will be the output of this transmission. I guess it is the first program where a working cricketer will also be a television evangelist. The influence of religion in the Pakistani cricket team couldn't help them in winning a series against Sri Lanka, but did help Shahid Afridi in becoming a religious entertainer. 

I think it was in this perspective Marx said religion to be the opium of the masses. These capitalist enterprises are going to make millions of rupees out of spiritualism. They are going to boost consumerism by publicising branded cloths. They will cook delicious food tempting others to do the same. On the other hand, a father of six living somewhere in Layari (a poor locality in Karachi), will try to condole his small children when they ask their mother to cook the same food Uncle Liaquat, Uncle Afridi and Aunty Maya cooked on the previous fast.

Recent media polls on Pakistani TV anchors

Certainly, the internet doesn't represent the whole spectrum of Pakistani society; likewise, the private media also doesn't represent the whole spectrum of Pakistani society. Private capitalist media is mostly seen in urban and semi-urban areas of Pakistan. They have no reach in the far flung villages and towns, keeping these villagers save from psychological brainwashing which they do in the urban centres.

On the posit that people who watch electronic media also use the internet, a poll on the internet gives a raw figure what the people think about TV anchors in the post-Media Gate scenario.

In a recent poll by DAWN, people out-rightly rejected the credibility of media anchors. The question asked in the poll was, "Do you think the recent talk show scandal has reduced media's credibility?"  The results are: 

DAWN poll taken on 20/6/2012 (6.16 PM).

More than 90% of the internet voters voted "YES". In their view the media has lost its credibility. Even if we assume that their is a plus/minus 20% error in the figures, even then 70% people still have no credibility in Pakistan news media. This is devastating for the news creation industry. I think these anchors should run for the forests or shift to other industries!

In another poll conducted by Express Tribune, netizens gave a very similar opinion. This time, they were posed a different question. The poll asked: "Do you believe that Meher Bokhari's and Mubashir Lucman's interview with Malik Riaz was scripted?" Again, the results are devastating for the news media industry:

Express Tribune Poll on Mazhar Abbass' article
taken on 20/6/2012 (6.31 PM)

We can see that more than 90% voters are of the opinion that the Malik Riaz interview was scripted. In other words, it was no different from a third rated film, drama or theatre shows. The voters consider serious new programs similar to entertainment programs, thus clearly damaging the intrinsic character of news industry. It's a shame for a scientist if someone calls him a joker. Likewise, it's a shame for an anchor person if someone compares him or her with Charlie Chaplin or Marilyn Moore. I have all respect Charlie Chaplin or Marilyn Moore. It is shameful for the journalist to be compared with entertainment industry characters.


Another poll result question whether we really need need television talk shows. The results are:

Polls by journalismpakistan.com taken on 20/06.2012 (7.00 PM)

Will the urban middle class stop watching the corrupt and capitalist news media? Unfortunately, the answer is 'no'. There is no alternate to electronic news medium. The news industry is either controlled by capitalist tycoons or the government. The social media can act as an alternate, but the recent censorship by PEMRA has sabotaged this source of information sharing. All important sources of information are blocked by the PEMRA censorship board in Pakistan.

Secondly, internet access in Pakistan is lower compared to cable TV access. Everyone cannot excess Youtube and social blogosphere. Considering the low literacy rate in the country, even if people have access to them, it won't be useful for bringing a change.

All in all, the Capitalist media will continue to reign on our lives.

The media capitalist relationship

A recent video leaked on YouTube has triggered one of the biggest media controversy in Pakistan. The video shows two Pakistani journalists doing a predetermined interview with the business Tycoon Malik Riaz. The off-air discussion between Mr. Riaz, Ms. Bukhari, and Mr. Luqman,shows how capitalism runs the media for pursuing its goals. The video is 30 minutes long. The two journalist act as if they work for Mr. Riaz:

Mehar Bukhari (B) : `Say what you want... what question should we ask. It will appear as though it is planted...

Mubashir Lucman (L) asks Riaz (R), `Give me a villa like you have given Hamid Mir [who hosts a show at Geo TV]`. 

During the program Luqman also gets angry, while Riaz tries to bring him back to the program. 

***

Mehar Buhkari and Mubashir Luqman in the leaked video

The video shows how capitalism controls every aspect of life in the society. It is capital which allows someone to buy journalist, judges, and generals. In a corrupt society like Pakistan, capital can do wonders. The leaked video is a test case example on how a capitalist use illegal means of power to influence the state. 

The journalist asks for a villa, proving him to be a lapdog of the capitalist elite. The market principles are what dictate the ethics of the journalists. The only unethical attitude, is the one which creates hurdle in the easy flow of capital. Mr. Talat Hussain rightly says:

"میڈیا کا سب سے بڑا احتساب مارکیٹ خود کرتی ہے"

"It is the market to which the media is accountable"

The only purpose for setting up a media industry - or any industry - is to make money. The biggest source of money in a media industry is through advertisement, which comes from large business tycoons. The owner of a media group can never speak against these tycoons, as speaking against them, only diminish their annual profits. No media group want this, and hence the bilateral agreement for the enlargement of market becomes stronger and stronger.

A question arises that why are many media groups criticising this leaked video? The reason is simple; Market principles force them to do so. The media industry runs on the public viewer-ship. If the viewer-ship decreases, this will automatically reduce the advertisement time; hence a decrease in profit would be registered. The money designated for the news media might go to other industries where people have a greater interest. Therefore, the internal critique by the media is an attempt to regain the 'trust' relationship with the viewers. This internal critique is not against the capitalist elite or media corruption; rather it is an attempt to strengthen the media-capitalist relationship.

The Journalist Judiciary alliance will also gain strength. The whole news media industry is supporting the Supreme Court's self-motivated action against the leaked video interview. Any friction is the mechanism of JJ alliance will cause inefficiency in the media propaganda mechanism. The journalists support all unconstitutional decisions made by the Supreme Court, while the supreme courts everyday suo-motto action allow the electronic media to develop sensational dramas. Secondly, a weak JJ alliance means a weak Mullah-Military alliance. Untrustworthy journalists cannot perform effective propaganda. In brief, the internal media criticism will strengthen the alliance between the judges, journalists, and capitalists.

In the coming we are going to watch prime time discussion programs related to the leaked video issue. At this point, the public should understand that private media is a capital creating machine. It has nothing to do with helping the society, or the weaker classes. This leaked video is not an aberration in the media industry. This is how the industry works. Mehar Bukhari comments:

 'ایسا تمام ٹاک شوز پر ہوتا ہے تو ان پر کیوں تنقید کی جا رہی ہے۔ ’یہ سب کرتے ہیں۔

"It happens all the time on talk shows. Why are we being criticised? All do this"

Media Clowns in Pakistan

source:  globalresearch.ca

It's is near impossible to present a new ideology, thought, or opinion in a 1000 words editorial or a 40 minutes commercial laden talk show. 

It is the great media disguise which has turned cynics such as Haroon-ur-Rasheed, Irfan Siddiqui, Oria Maqbool Jan, and Ansar Abbasi into self-posed intellectuals. These characters occupy the media screen and rote the same piece of information again and again to make it a part of our sub-consciousness. They repeat meaningless sentences which makes them meaningful for the commoners, for example:

"Imran Khan will clearly win the next election"

"There was no terrorism before September 2001"

"Zaradari and Gillani are corrupt"

"Everything's wrong in Karachi due to MQM"

"Haqqani's a traitor"

"We need a saviour!"

These actor-cum-journalists try to pose themselves as if they are some great intellectuals who should be respectfully heard. Their distorted chatter in at par with the chattering at any local bus stops. They have no respect for alternate opinions and ruthlessly interject anyone speaking against the general media propaganda. For example, Ansar Abbasi posed himself as an Islamic Ghazi in Hamid Mir's program in an effort to nullify Dr. Hoodbhoy's logical claims. A similar case occurred when Asma Jahengir was on line in a talk show while Haroon-ur-rasheed constantly interrupted her.

The question is, why does the nation listen to such clowns? This is a wrongfully constructed question. It assumes as if the nation listens to few independent observations and then arrives at a decision through a personal dialectical process. The media propaganda process is never an individual thought process. The nation hears the general media perception times after times, which then became a subtle opinion in their minds. In prime-time programs (7 pm-10 pm), many actors solidify the agenda of the day. They use poignant speeches, rhythmic poetry, flaring eyes, beatific rhetoric, some pieces of Islamic history, sometimes they even cry out, and so on. It is such a master piece of drama that it mesmerises everyone. 

The process of deciding the propaganda topic of the days is still an abstruse process. No one really knows how the system works. We don't have a book like Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent for Pakistan. I hope one day, some Pakistani intellectual will try to demystify this propaganda mechanism is Pakistan. Despite that, we can still understand the outline of this media propaganda mechanism through everyday news articles.

Consider the Hussain Haqqani case.

The media projected Mr. Haqqani as a traitor. Aforementioned Journalist (or TV clowns) used every tactic they had to pursue this 'holy' goal. The story of tagging the ex-Ambassador as a traitor doesn't start with the memo myth; rather it goes back to the issue of the Karry-Lugar bill.

Pakistan army was agonized when two US senators subjected US aid to Pakistan to some internal congressional conditions. This included a check as to where the American money is being spent by the army. The bill also insured a future of sustainable democracy in Pakistan. The army was in no mood to accept such 'democratic' conditions, which triggered the media propaganda mechanism.  The army loathed Hussain Haqqani whom they accused was responsible for passing this bill. Working on the dictates of their masters, the paid journalists took on the goal of defaming the Pakistani ambassador.

With all their rhetoric, the defamation campaign again Mr. Haqqani was a failure. The army failed to defame Mr. Haqqani. This agony of losing against a civilian was what triggered the memo myth. This time these extremist journalists were supported by cricketers and politicians. More anti-Haqqani rhetoric was on-air. Baseless sentences were written by columnists in news papers. With the naturally backing by the armed force, the media propaganda mechanism was at its peak. The judiciary was also subdued. This time the manufactured consent was more powerful and more absorbent in the general sub-consciousness. Haqqani has no chance to win, and thus an unarmed civilian lost the battle.

In the Memo myth, one visible fact is the synchronization of army's opinion with the media's opinion. The media propaganda mechanism always tries to increase confusion in the general public, while completely harmonizing the media-army relationship. 

"Conflict" is the catchword for any great drama, and the news media knows how to keep conflicts alive. The net beneficiary of this conflict is always the armed forces and media groups; always belittling politicians and civilians.

This propaganda mechanism theory is applicable in many cases, for example, media propaganda regarding Asma Jahangeer and Prime Minister Gillani. Moreover, the mechanism applauds all actors who are speaking with the same tongue as the military elite of Pakistan, for example, Imran Khan and Right-wing Islamist extremists.

The propaganda mechanism described above is not quite clear yet. More scholarship and research is required to decipher the internal working of this system.

More reference:

http://www.viewpointonline.net/tv-debates-progressive-should-boycott.html

The Fallacies of Pakistani Media

The electronic media has played an important role at critical junctures in Pakistan's development. It's role in the earthquake campaign, flood relief campaign, judicial movement, activism  on Hudood Laws (Sharia Laws implemented by Gen. Zia ul Haq), and as a government watchdog are highly appreciably.

Major media groups in Pakistan

With all its good endeavours, Pakistan's media hasn't develop an healthy culture of political analysis. It mostly survives on the basis of creating political bewilderments and misperceptions. From every confusion stems out another confusion, and as a result no constructive debate takes place.

The media also lends support to anti-state and extremists organization which are detrimental to the state of Pakistan. We see the media reporting the Defa-e-Pakistan (Defence of Pakistan) rallies, which in fact is against the very ideological basis of the founding father of this country. Advertising such rallies might generate more orthodox viewers and might also develop an unending series of 'media chatter', but such media propaganda undermines the liberal political order of the country. The media creates confusion on the question of whether Pakistan is a nation-state or world-wide political movement (see: Ongoing History of Pakistan). This confusion bubble develops till the time a new confusion is found, and the cycle goes on.