- And why we keep on falling for them over and over again
Answer this: Do you think of ideology as a man-made monster, hatched to experience a feel-good gush within ourselves and act sanctimonious without warrant? If you do, you and I are on the same page. If you think differently, well, you must have your reasons.
Ideology allows an individual to merge himself in the collective and purge himself of solitary, at times nagging, other times emphatic, conscious. Ideology dictates us mortals to take pride in things that are simultaneously petty, futile and downright unnecessary; it loudly brandishes the placard ‘I hail from the most VITAL group of people’. It would be erroneous to believe that ideologies are plain, simple narratives believed by some, ridiculed by others. No, they are not. Ideologies are promoted, raised and protected by those who accrue benefits from their perpetuity. There are strings attached, narratives fine-tuned and tickets sold. The show mimics the Sisyphus and his ordeal. It never ends, never.
Ideologies, in mythic and Marlovian terms, make heaven out of hell, hell out of heaven.
Let’s turn to a widely-accepted text-book definition of the word. Oxford dictionary defines ideology as a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy. Plain and dull, isn’t it? Well, these textbook definitions are general, modest and rudimentary for the greater good of university students and masses en bloc. More advanced souls have to delve further deep and return more muddier.
The above lines are neither a drunken banter nor a sally. It actually maps out the grand plan our lot daydreams on boring, eventless days. And in it lies our comfort and dire straits we never freed ourselves from
But, textbooks are read and forgotten as soon as exams are passed. So, let us embark on a quest and drill down the mythical meaning of the ‘Ideology of Pakistan’ which, for the majority, is unfortunately the only ideology to ever walk on the face of earth shoved down our windpipes by leaders of all ilk.
Mind you, no matter what bracket our kingpins hail from, they own a movable dais, a microphone, couple of speakers, a huge brigade of votaries available anywhere at a moment’s notice, and are buzz-worthy. According to them, and this includes our bearded, clean-shaved, and mustached bigwigs, the panacea to all that ails us is ‘implementation of Nazriya-e-Pakistan’.
And this magic bullet or dare I say, ‘manjan’ will right every wrong. It will mend the economy, reduce crime, ameliorate our battered education system, skyrocket exports, reduce imports, revolutionize the health sector in its entirety, assassinate the behemoth of unemployment, protect CPEC, tame India, destroy Israel, protect Palestine, clobber America, spread Islam all over the world, increase the reverence for our passport, and InshaAllah eventually we’ll rule and reign till eternity and beyond.
The above lines are neither a drunken banter nor a sally. It actually maps out the grand plan our lot daydreams on boring, eventless days. And in it lies our comfort and dire straits we never freed ourselves from.
Why we do it? Why do we delude our children by hammering propaganda in their syllabus? What good does it do, if any?
The answers may go something like this: Because it is convenient, it doesn’t rock the boat. Because ideology is a social construct that blurs the stark, glaring realities. Because it peppers a sense of purpose on everything institutions do. Because it perpetuates the notion that state has a greater purpose than all the individuals combined. Because individuals are means, state is the end and means can be slaughtered at the altar of End. And lastly, because ideology saves the sacred cow that has convinced us of its necessity and programmed our minds to buy a particular brand of porridge (and revere the institution it shares its name with).
For the bulk, ideology answers all the grand questions pertaining to ‘why’ of individual identities and entities, be them big or beyond. And that’s so because of our innate urge to worship simplicity when answers are either unpalatable or unacceptable. Since time immemorial, we humans have settled for explanations that soothe us, their veracity matters little. We humans are hard-wired to believe; everything makes picture-perfect sense when the inquisitive, curious voices inside our brains are rendered aphonic.
The most menacing usage of ideology is the ‘other-ing’ of people, tag people you don’t like; cite their rituals as offending on a very deep, very personal level, hate them for the color of their skin or their eating habits, isolate them. And finally be done with them; this is precisely how we lost ‘them’ i.e. former Pakistanis/present day Bangladeshis, no one snatched them away. We tossed them out.
Let me leave you with a scenario to contemplate for a minute or two. Where exactly do you see our ‘Sabz-Hilali Parcham’ amidst the red crescent-carrying flag of Turkey and the star-studded Chinese banner; the former, a state rebelling against its own self, the latter, a country hell bent to sell its ‘goods’ and ‘gadgets’ to friends and foes alike. And don’t forget to behold the splendid sight of ‘Foton’ Tunland police vehicles plying the roads alongside ‘Albayrak’ buses on spick and span roads of twin cities.
And the story keeps on going.
