The post-World War II global system was created and is being perpetuated as a grand American conspiracy against the Muslim world in general and Pakistan in particular. I am convinced. Either that or some of the analysts who appear on various tv channels, and write for newspapers, are fops at best and charlatans at worst.
Some benefit of the doubt is in order because Hanlons Razor says that Never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity. So, perhaps these smug rantings is nothing more than foppery. But then again, who knows where stupidity ends and malice begins, adequate explanations of the former notwithstanding.
Take the example of Julian Assange, the man who has declared media insurgency against the United States and who Washington is doing its best to nail down. One would have thought that Assange could be described as a conspiracy against the US. But no, dear reader, going by some of the leading lights of the tribe of fops that appear on tv and feed their bilge to us, Assange is hands-in-glove with the American establishment, the shadowy behemoth that rules the world from some undisclosed location in the US.
One such bazurjmeher was informing us the other day that the biggest proof that this is a conspiracy against Pakistan and the (you guessed it) Ummah, is that former US ambassador to Pakistan Ann Patterson was not allowed an extension so she could be outta here before the proverbial hit the fan. Right! As finding clues to conspiracies and mysteries go, this gem, begot of much pain and deep-thinking, surpasses anything that Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot could invite us to.
He then informed us, and the banshee sitting next to him agreed, that WikiLeaks is an attempt by the US to create fissures among Muslim countries, especially between Saudi Arabia and Iran. This gent said he was very happy that both countries had pooh-poohed this crude attempt and all was well between them. As should be obvious, this is a mind whose depth is greater than the Mariana Trench and I may be forgiven the inability to dive in there and fathom it.
Perish the thought, however, that this is the only fathomless mind we have here. The tribe is a large one and by the looks of it breeding in competition with the rabbits. Its members modus operandi is to slip in and out of illogic faster than a catwalk model changes clothes for the ramp or, if you prefer, you can say Mustansar Hussain Tarar.
Try pinning them down on one point and they will pop up from somewhere else. Since tv is notoriously short on time, it is a medium ideally suited to these great minds of our times. And if one does try to unravel the illogic behind their smug statements, they will immediately resort to what Johann Hari once termed what-aboutry. There is no known cure for that.
Tell the what-abouters that the cables are not just about Pakistan or the Ummah, they are also about other countries, and many contain information whose revelation is downright harmful to Americas interest and embarrassing to a number of countries in Western Europe. Show them the one which gives out the locations of structures considered of vital importance to Washington; or the one where Israelis are saying they dont have enough information on Irans nuclear facilities and so on.
Try also the fact that what has come out thus far is just the tip of the iceberg and one reason America is trying so hard to pin Assange down is to somehow prevent his band of anarchists to make further revelations, likely to be even more explosive. None of these efforts will deliver results. The what-abouters will always come up with another what about that.
The reason is simple. They are not here to argue a logic point but to disgorge polemical nonsense and appeal to the lowest common denominator. Some have understood what the vox-pop want; others are not that smart and are a product of the very thinking they now reinforce by saying and writing what they do. Idiocy in their case acquires bi-directional causality.
The victim in all this is logic and right thinking. Hardly anyone would talk about how states behave; what their interests are; how those interests are secured; what is the difference between individual and collective morality; what are the theoretical frameworks that one can apply to these goings on; what is this animal called the Ummah that everyone talks about but no one has seen; the fact that those groups that are fighting the Pakistani state rely precisely on this mythical animal and by doing so undermine the security of the state; that states, for the most part, do not invoke religious affinity to advance their interests, a fact that can be proved by even a cursory reading of history, etcetera.
And why do we not talk about the intricacies when dealing with issues? Because we thrive on superficiality. TV, especially, lacks time and also the will to raise the discourse. The political talk-shows is the new slapstick we watch every day of our benighted lives. From the hosts to the talking heads, the idea is to package a programme that sells; and lowbrow sells. The benchmark is the target rating point. You may be Einstein but if you fail this benchmark you are no good for the medium. The fact that there are fops in front of the tv also ensures that those inside the box can create a bond with them. That leaves everyone happy.
The result is obvious. Stupidity has a way of begetting more of itself, and now we have reached a point where people look askance at a logical viewpoint and where logic finds almost no buyers for itself. Blessed be the Lord!
The writer is Contributing Editor, The Friday Times.
