It’s time to dial down the political rhetoric
Ibrahim Athif Shakoor
(First Published on this blog on October 2 2012 following the untimely and very cruel death of the late Dr. Afraasheem. May his soul be granted eternal jannath and his family be blessed with patience.)
In the specific political context of today, moderateness is a sign of weakness. The best politician is the person who is the most intolerant and whose invective is the most extreme. The most polished speakers are those who energize the troops not through rallying them to the cause but by getting them angry and excited against the opposition.
If you are on a talk show, and there are so many of them, the best speaker is the person who can bundle together the worst polemic. Doesn’t really matter what the topic is or on which side of the political divide the speaker is currently straddling. The trick in being invited again and to be a regular feature of the program is to be intolerant and fanatical.
If you are on the Parliament floor the way to guarantee your words will be repeatedly aired is to use extreme language and be blinkered about the complexity of the issue. If you are a speaker in a political rally make sure that all your statements are extreme. Never use the word “moderate” or even adopt the concept. It will not be accepted. Your speech will not be appreciated, and for a politician the worst possible thing, it will be ignored.
This is the political reality of today.
Unfortunately there are consequences, dire consequences of such extreme level of rhetoric and oratory. Our children are growing up in an environment of intolerance and narrow mindedness. Society as a whole is totally pervaded by prejudice and partisanship.
But more importantly words have power. Very real power. They impact and change the society. It transforms and energizes the people. It shapes and fashions the environment and defines the conduct of the society.
In this society of ours politics dominate our daily life. Economics issues take a back seat, a very very back seat. Just over the last two weeks the Finance Minister had stated that the budget deficit for this year would be six billion instead of the ‘budgeted” three. He has challenged the politicians to design a system that costs less. And it has been announced that the budget for next year is going to be even bigger than this year’s. Yet, this is largely “noise”. Our thoughts are closely glued and restricted only to matters political.
Imams and religious scholars are supposed to pull us back. But sadly we are witness to how their verdict morph and adjust to the political attire they assume. Unfortunately, yet evidently, it is the politicians who define the national agenda. Who set the tone and the rhythm.
In this context intolerant and dangerous rhetoric of the powerful and the influential plays out in excessive and extreme results. That’s the verdict of history.
In 1170, the then King of England, Henry II is supposed to have said in exasperation ‘Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?’ in reference to the then Archbishop of Canterbury; Thomas Becket with whom the King was having a bitter political fight at the time. History tells us that Beckett was subsequently murdered by four soldiers who had apparently heard these words.
The words of politicians count. The rhetoric employed by influential politicians count more. In the present political context of ours, the words of politicians count over everything else.
Politicians have got to realize this.
It is time to dial down the rhetoric. Moderateness and a call to dialogue and discourse need not be evidence of weakness.