Cultural policing

For a people that have seen their fair share of violence these past few decades, one would have thought entertainment and pop culture would be allowed to be a much-needed refuge from the realities of life. Unfortunately, it seems the recent spiral into regression has not spared TV fare either. In a new directive, Pemra has advised television channels not to depict an un-Islamic view of life by showing “hug and caress” scenes between married couples or any kind of intimacy amongst others. It also believes that showing “bold dressing” and other “vulgarity” is against the values it evidently feels Pakistan should be promoting.

This is eerily reminiscent of the dark days we have seen before under the regime of Gen Zia. But today’s mediated age makes things much more stark. Questions have obviously been asked why it is so difficult to get any authority to move against depictions of violence women are subjected to onscreen or the terribly misogynistic content that is aired 24/7 but are quick to police ‘intimacy’ – which in our TV shows is barely worth mentioning. When so many marriages here are abusive and devoid of love, perhaps that is what Pemra believes TV channels should be depicting rather than encouraging ideas of happiness and love between married couples? The interpretation of “bold” has not been given, but we assume it means women wearing certain types of clothing since matters of clothing are almost always directed at women. The past year has seen passionate debate on the policing of women’s attire, on shaming women for what they wear, on the implications by so many that women’s clothes are somehow responsible for the violence they go through. Such notifications make things even worse.

There is an urgent need to rethink our cultural policies and to understand that as humans displaying affection is not and should not be a crime, especially when it is already depicted keeping current cultural mores in mind. Indeed, Pemra needs to encourage the idea of harmony of all kinds in society and of a progressive country rather than moving us back into a medieval age. Exactly what we are trying to hide or what image of Pakistan we are trying to depict is a mystery. The moral policing, gaslighting, even banning of social media sites such as TikTok are all an example of the mentality that people will be corrupted if they see a woman who they deem as being improperly attired. Moral policing of this kind has not worked in the past and will not work now. The best option is to raise responsible children and youth who are able to make their own decisions and to distinguish right from wrong. The key is in improving our educational system in which our young are able to nurture themselves as thinking human beings who are conscious of what they listen to and watch.