The idea of a ‘culture industry’ was first presented in an essay called ‘The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception’. Published in 1944 by philosophers Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, the theory conceptualised culture as something not only manufactured but also a tool for social control.

Adorno and Horkheimer identified ‘culture’ as the unified set of ideas and values prevalent in a society and reflected through film, television, theatre, radio etc – the entertainment media. Earlier, it had been generally understood that culture comes first and is then portrayed through the entertainment media. However, this essay offers the alternate view that culture is systematically ‘constructed’ and then fed to consumers who fall in line with the ideas and roles ascribed to them.

This idea is of relevance to societies such as Pakistan that are not only in flux but also attempting to identify their culture. Why else, after all, would there be so much debate on what is ‘Pakistani’ versus ‘westernised’, with the implication in the latter term being that it is not only alien but also unsavoury.

To strip, with due apology, Adorno and Horkheimer’s theory down to its bare bones, what we understand as culture is partially created and then reinforced by the entertainment industry, a system uniform as a whole and in every part. Under monopoly, all mass culture is identical. This monopoly can be of various natures, such as those of economic, intellectual or technological dominance. For example, television producers often defend the sameness of content and treatment in mainstream programming by pointing out that the centres of production are few while the consumers number in millions. They claim that the very nature of this system demands rigid organisation and planning by the management (ie the network bosses or the independent producers), and the imposition of certain standards based on consumers’ needs (leaving aside the question of how consumers’ needs were identified in the first place).

In terms of this argument, however, Adorno and Horkheimer point out that “no mention is made of the fact that the basis on which technology acquires power over society is the power of those whose economic hold over society is greatest. A technological rationale is the rationale of domination itself.” The technology of the culture industry is no more than the achievement of standardisation and mass production. “Talented performers belong to the industry long before it displays them, otherwise they would not be so eager to fit in,” they point out.

This helps one to understand, for example, why the role ascribed to housewives in the overwhelming majority of television serials is that of subservience and of being the carer/nurturer. According to the culture industry theory, it is necessary that such a role be impressed upon the consumers’ minds because only then will the societal status quo be maintained – the status quo that is palpably in the interests of the people and institutions already in positions of dominance. Put another way, it is not in the interests of the ruling classes, who in turn control the culture industry, to present revolutionary ideals because this may, in turn, lay ground for a revolution. What appears at first glance to be a difference in subject matter targeting different sections of the public proves, upon closer scrutiny, to be merely a system of classification. “Marked differentiations such as those of A and B films, or of stories in magazines in different price ranges, depend not so much on subject matter as on classifying, organising and labelling consumers,” they write. “Something is provided for all so that none may escape. […] The public is catered for with a hierarchical range of mass-produced products of varying quality; everybody must behave (as if spontaneously) in accordance with his previously determined and indexed level, and choose the category of mass product turned out for his type.”

To apply the theory to Pakistan, it would seem that from fringe or festival circuit films to mass audience Punjabi films, fusion music to mainstream pop, the underlying messages are not only relatively uniform but also feed upon earlier patterns without aiming, in any way, to break the rules. “Not only are the hit songs, stars and soap operas cyclically recurrent and rigidly invariable types, but the specific content of the entertainment itself is derived from them and only appears to change. The details are interchangeable,” write the authors of ‘The Culture Industry’. “As soon as the film begins, it is quite clear how it will end and who will be rewarded, punished or forgotten.”

Why would the culture industry behave this way? Because the mass media subordinate in the same way and to the same end all areas of intellectual creation, occupying men’s senses from the time they leave the factory in the evening to the time they clock in again in the morning, write Adorno and Horkheimer. Through the mass media, the worker drones are inundated during their so-called off hours with matters that “bear the impress of the labour process they themselves have to sustain throughout the day.” The prime service of the culture industry is to do the consumer’s schematising for him.

-- hmumtaz@dawn.com

Ping pong in Pakistan seems to have finally come on the right track after more than a decade. Yet, for the present lot of players, it’s still a long way to go to emulate the feats of their predecessors.

The activities for men, women and juniors have picked up momentum since new set of officials of the Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) headed by S.M. Sibtain came to power in Sept 2005. Sibtain has also served as secretary PTTF in the good old days of the game.

The game remained in turmoil for years on end during the past decades, the reason being fewer activities and lack of exposure both at home and abroad. The PTTF also survived suspension of its membership with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) as well as the Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) due to the non-payment of four-year dues which were eventually cleared in 2005.

The decline is evident from the rude domination of Farjad Saif who captured the men’s singles crown 13 times — seven-in-a-row preceded by two hat-tricks — and there was not a single player in the country who could challenge his authority. This shows a wide gap in standards and the responsibility lies with the previous PTTF set-ups.

In the past there was a three-tier system and the competition used to be so fierce that a player found it difficult to retain the prestigious national title. Veterans like Sohail Hayat, Javed Hayat, Arif Nakhuda and Arif Khan were never able to win two national titles in succession.

However, the year that has just gone by saw a number of national outfits making their presence felt in international events abroad.

Participation in the 17th Commonwealth Championship at Jaipur, India, World Individual Championship at Zagreb, Croatia, 18th Asian Table Tennis at Yangzhou, China, Farj International Juniors, Cadet and Mini-cadet Championship at Qazvin city, Iran, Asian juniors South Korea, and ITTF juniors circuit Goa, India, are some of the salient features of the table tennis calender.

On the domestic front, former runner up Saleem Abbas and Shabnam Bilal crowned national men’s and women’s champion at Peshawar.

As far as technical side is concerned, a four-day ITTF basic level umpires’ course was held for the first time in the country. Conducted by ITTF qualified instructor from India, the course was attended by 22 men and women across the country. Fifteen candidates successfully cleared the course held under the auspices of the world governing body of the game.

At the fag end of the year, two North Korean coaches arrived in Pakistan on a long-term coaching assignment hired by the PSB, a move that would go a long way in boosting the standard of local players.

Pakistan is indebted to Asian powerhouse China for their strong support in grooming then prodigies to attain an all-time best sixth slot in Asia.

Apart from the umpires, there’s a need for grooming volunteers in other fields of the game as well. A dearth of competent people has plagued the PTTF and may cause damage to the good work done. It will be safe to say that there’s light at the end of the tunnel insofar the future of table tennis in the country is concerned.

However, one remains unsure about the consistency in the PTTF policies because changing faces can drastically alter the plans in Pakistan and, once Sibtain leaves the arena, there’s no guarantee whether the graph of the game will rise or fall.

Benazir’s assassination has not only shaken the people but also shattered their cherished ideals. No matter what her political aspirations were or whatever she wanted to become, she would always be remembered as a leading woman of our times. Has not her untimely and dastardly removal from the scene shaken us to the core, has it not demoralized those of us who have the minutest ambitions of nurturing any political dreams? Indeed, the answer is yes.

Many women recognized her potential and popularity after her tragic end. One such view came from Misbah, a young professional working in the telecom sector.

“I’ve never had much interest before and always took her as just another politician. But it was only after her death that I got a chance to read so many articles, shedding light on her dynamic personality that I now realize how dedicated she was. She understood her father’s mission and was carrying it forward despite unfavourable circumstances”, said Ayesha, 22, a student of IR at a local university.

“Well I must admit that I had never been her supporter and used to criticise many of her policies. But I now realize that she was the only leader who was popular in all four provinces.

Moreover her brutal murder has shown the intolerance that some people have for those who differ with them in opinions.”

“Well I’ve never favoured her on her party’s political manifesto. But I feel that nobody deserves to be killed like that”, says Farah, a banker.

“BB had a very strong personality; her educational background and her grooming helped her in polishing herself as a good politician. Politics was her job and she was doing it well. She had mastered the art of dealing with people in a country where the word ‘politician’ is often synonymous with uneducated, uncultured men”.

“I’ve never voted for her and had no intention of doing so now but I must acknowledge that BB was a brand”, comments Ayesha, an MBA working with a multinational. “She had a strong brand image; that of being liberal and secular in a conservative male- dominated society and her party workers always stood by her no matter what. Such was her “brand loyalty” that she won only through her own hard work over the years”.

Hafsa and Hadia, both journalism students, expressed their grief and shock over Benazir’s assassination. “It is very unfortunate. She had got everything in life except luck. Throughout her life, she had been unlucky. It is also very unfair with her children and family, their loss is irreparable.”

“I do not know how she was as a politician or a person but I really feel sorry for her kids who are exactly the age of my own children” commiserates Asma 42, a housewife and a mother of three. “I think her son should not enter this game of fire and blood that has already taken so many of his family members”.

Now whatever you say, from whichever angle you look at the last videos of her life, no matter how many foreign experts you call in, how many statements you record, the fact is that what has been done cannot be undone.