Daily Times

Last week, two influential singers catapulted to the limelight not because they had made the country proud with their breathtaking skill but due to deplorable displays of aggression, violence and a general disregard for civility.

With no official apology rendered by Bilal Saeed for hurling a microphone into the audience during a performance held at a local school and by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan after beating his employee black and blue in viral videos, a wave of moral outrage has swept across social media platforms.

As their fans from all across the country express sheer disappointment in such icons who carry a significant responsibility as Pakistan’s ambassadors to the outside world, one can’t help but wonder whether these two isolated episodes are nothing but a microcosm of our dysfunctional society. Just like these two gentlemen, most of us would not bat an eyelid before abusing our position influence or power to resort to abusive tactics.

More worryingly, whenever held accountable, our defences focus more on the fact that we were caught in the act than the act itself. From shoes being lobbed at politicians to people thrashing police officials to law enforcement agencies using tear gas and baton charges in the name of order, headlines from the last few days are littered with a thousand and one examples of this phenomenon.

Care for some extra bells and whistles: Just as Mr Saeed is still getting invites for music festivals and Khan Sb’s videos continue to hit new records, adequate repercussions for these actions are literally never in question. A few rounds of criticism on social media and the severity of these acts manage to slide back under the rug.

If it is not some made-up explanation about frustration over “spritual water” or time-and-tested grievances with the whole system, this swarm of angry men and women (both young and old) manage to carve out some excuse to explain away their behaviour. *