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We never leave our high school tendencies behind. The divine method of governing modern society is such that everyone has an opinion and everyone must express it. Social networking, micro blogging and meme-generating have contributed much to this noise. If J.S Mill called it freedom of speech, Mark Zuckerburg really materialised the notion with his ingenious creation.
In his latest film Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen describes modern day intellectuals as being pedantic. Woody Allen has his way with words and dialogues, but I say that this particular word is apt enough to shed light on the pseudo intellectuals that are (or will) be the death of me.
An opinion is made when one experiences life. A college experience articulates points of view into coherent paragraphs with a dash of three syllable words and a bunch of ‘ists’ and ‘isms’ to make a ‘paper’ sound well cited. But does a university experience provide us with an insight with which one can actually defend their biases? Biases that are cleverly put up as a ‘status’ which generates ‘likes’ and comments that give way to new biases and opinions? Is a university student really that clever?
Let’s just face the bitter reality. Us, who embark on the path of modern education, are less than say 1 per cent of the entire population. More so, the life we experience really isn’t what the majority faces. Then how can we (and by we, I mean us 20 somethings) think it is okay to say that democracy wouldn’t work in this country because ‘I’ think the majority is inept to make the right choices. Or Pakistan was meant to be secular but was created under the banner of Islam.
My question here is, how does one’s banter on a networking forum help with anything? Does it make one appear more experienced? Have they seen the down right reality of the majority? Or were they present during the time of the partition to derive which ideology it served? Woody Allen’s terminology sets in motion here. The opinionated, 20 somethings are nothing but ‘pedantic’ in the true sense of the word.
Another query I put forth, debates that revolve around Islam and secularism or democracy and theocracy, do they bring any solution onboard? Such terms and discussions in essence create binaries that do not bring forth answers. Opinions are expressed, critiques are given and a whole lot of drawing room talk is created. These aren’t pressing issues that need to be worked upon. They may make one appear smart in the social sphere but actually (and the actual may be the inept majority), no one really gives a s*** about secularism.
My mind now comes to a halt. I use a tool of expression to expose my own opinion. Is that not hypocrisy? It may very well be but I am weary of all that everyone has to say. How each one of us compartmentalises our ideals into ‘good’ and ‘bad’, ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, leaving behind the grey matter. We upload our status and take up the role of pseudo activists all in the hope to appear intellectual. But I have very well made myself clear what one appears on Mark’s marvelous website. On this note I conclude with a silent prayer: May we all be saved by the ruling pedantic population.
Zehra Hussain is a student at LUMS and a former intern at Dawn.com
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
