Remember how the saying goes that everything in life is a preparation for something, a particular moment. This could be an apt way to describe what is unfolding in Afghanistan. More than an emotional outpouring or logical questioning of what is happening in the region, the way civilians are targeted, most of us are relatively unmoved. This is not to say that watching the Taliban killing people at will, abducting girls as young as 12 or making a list to deal with those who worked with the US for over two decades is harrowing, of course. However, unlike before, there is now a concerted mainstream effort to allow terrorists a seat at the table.
How did we land here, you ask? Well, you can squarely blame a segment of not only print and electronic media but also global bodies that were supposed to stop this very thing. The desensitisation of the average human started a long time ago. This is indicated from popular culture such as U2’s 1983 hit ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’, where the lyrics—“And it’s true, we are immune, When fact is fiction and TV reality”—suggested how news could shape thinking. Since it emerged in 1996, the Taliban appears to have undergone a massive image makeover all because they held a press conference. Suddenly, we have to consider the gun-totting militia that indulges in every imaginable atrocity against humanity and then some, to be a political entity that the world needs to engage with.
Each day is a new realisation of how the chickens have come home to roost. Films, television, books, graphic novels, video games, all appear designed to elicit a specific reaction or rather a lack of
the ‘right’ reaction. Now, television news has also become ‘designer’ where everything’s packaged to take you to the brink, and depending on the briefing, either tip you over or save the day. Irrespective of what is unfolding in Afghanistan, some fundamental questions have drowned in the din.
The scary part is how news and political analysts are not asking why the US left an arsenal worth billions that the Taliban could take over. Or how for two decades, most American presidents reaffirmed their commitments to install peace in Afghanistan but at the same were in bed with Pakistan, whose infamous ISI supported the Taliban in more ways than one. The message is straightforward—you have seen this before, and you have seen much worse. It doesn’t matter if you probably ‘experienced’ this horror on a screen near you or in the comfort of your living room; it’s all the same if you believe it.
gautam@chintamani.org
Gautam Chintamani
Film historian and bestselling author