As I stare at my father’s eyes, which are entirely absorbed into
the LED that lay 10 feet away from the sofa we sit on, I think. I think about
what he has invested all these hours in. I think about the reason behind why he
continuously watches these political talk shows and the hollow claims made by
our purported leaders. Does he believe in potential change, or does there lay a
more subtle and perhaps more candid reason behind it all? Are the mainstream
news channels the new form of… entertainment?
"Nawaz
Sharif roams around Turkey and has reportedly bought a watch worth
approximately 1,000,000 Rupees". My father tuts and shakes his head but
does he fail to see the hypocrisy in his own actions? Just yesterday, he
complained to me about the absurdity of reality shows; "why would we spend
valuable hours watching the lives of others? Where does the sense lie in
that?" I replied with a sigh of acknowledgement. The argument seems to be
that the lives of these politicians affects how we, the people, live. This is prevalent more so in third world countries
where these legislators hold an alarming amount of wealth and power. The media
avails this fact by portraying every detail of their lives because they know
that people will listen. What other form of entertainment do they have? TV
channels are practically free in these countries, a vast amount of the
population is in poverty, and man craves for distraction from his daily apprehensions.
There is only one place to resort to. It is, in its truest nature, a trap.
Why
is this a concern? The nature of modern day news is that it always leaves room
for controversy, people take sides in arguments, national interest is sparked
and the result is civil unrest. Who is to blame? The subject of the report or
the medium by which the report was portrayed to the masses? Surely the subject
because if it wasn't for them, there would be no issue of discussion. However,
the contrary argument is just as reasonable: the media will always find a topic
and promote it to such an extent that people with no association to the matter
will feel involved. Also, the occurrence of certain events, such as the
elections, is inevitable and reporting outlets take full advantage of such
occasions.
"Does
Imran Khan deserve to be prime minister this year?"
"Yes",
the people reply.
"But
did you know that Imran khan doesn't pay his taxes?"
"Then
we shall vote for Nawaz Sharif", the people seem eager.
"Imran Khan won Pakistan the cricket world cup, he is
dedicated to lead the country to success"
The voters for both parties now seem perplexed, and mass confusion
leads to chaos.
Reports show that the previous three elections have resulted in
civil unrest across the subcontinent and presently throughout the entire Middle
East.
The media speaks the truth but the voter, the watcher, the one
being entertained is left wondering... who is to blame?
