In the most recent protests against the government of Pakistan thousands of people marched the streets of Islamabad. Although some of the protesters were there to ask the Prime Minister to step down, it appeared many more had come to enjoy the lights, music, and dancing rather than protesting the cause. I would not blame them. In recent years, there have been very few avenues of self-expression for the people of Pakistan. Occasions of self-expression are limited only to the national Independence Day, and these political rallies.
Furthermore, Pakistan has experienced its fair share of grief in the past few decades – suicide bombings, drone attacks, blatant corruption, and lynching to name a few. But all of these events are met with mostly indifference (this shows how desensitized the general population has become). When, Malala Yousafzai began to gain traction after speaking out against the Taliban for keeping her from going to school, she had an assassination attempt on her life. This example is indicative of the role an extremist group (religiously intolerant people who wish to further their own agenda) plays in suppressing self-expression and honest discourse in Pakistan. Religious intolerance, then, is a reason for people to fear self-expression and discourse, and it is hoped true self-expression or honest discourse would mean more tolerant attitudes when it comes to religion.
People fear talking about whether or not the Taliban were justified in killing someone. They have almost no forums (with the exception of social media) to discuss their reactions to issues of ethnic disunity, grounds for cultural similarity, or legislation – in essence; there is no place for discourse or to express how you feel. Therefore, most discourse has come to a standstill because people are no longer asking questions, engaging in debate, holding people accountable – put simply, they have lost interest.
This project is a website where there will be five categories of problems that people can talk about: societal, religious, political, economic, and personal. People will upload videos to this website in response to another video or topic being discussed or to initiate a topic of their own choosing (just like YouTube; in fact YouTube’s infrastructure will be used for video uploading). There are no constraints on what may be in the video (in fact, different languages and skits/dances are encouraged), but video blogs/journals are expected to be the most relevant and popular choice. There will be a 5 minute limit on the video length (I have uploaded three example videos on YouTube that I have provided the links for above).
The solution I seek to construct is very simplistic. My project hopes to provide a forum for impassioned conversations that educate the people of Pakistan about problems that their fellow countrymen may be experiencing. For example, by making a person talk about his\her own unique perspective on domestic violence, I hope to empower them to realize that he/she too can participate in the process of bringing positive change – with the added benefit of conveying her/his current feelings to other people. For me this project is important, because it not only gives me the opportunity to convey to others how I feel on certain issues, but it is interactive so it means I can hear responses to how people feel about my opinions and videos. Finally, the project also serves as a tool for mental health improvement because people have the opportunity to talk about the problems that they are grappling with in this reflective exercise.
Furthermore, Pakistan has experienced its fair share of grief in the past few decades – suicide bombings, drone attacks, blatant corruption, and lynching to name a few. But all of these events are met with mostly indifference (this shows how desensitized the general population has become). When, Malala Yousafzai began to gain traction after speaking out against the Taliban for keeping her from going to school, she had an assassination attempt on her life. This example is indicative of the role an extremist group (religiously intolerant people who wish to further their own agenda) plays in suppressing self-expression and honest discourse in Pakistan. Religious intolerance, then, is a reason for people to fear self-expression and discourse, and it is hoped true self-expression or honest discourse would mean more tolerant attitudes when it comes to religion.
People fear talking about whether or not the Taliban were justified in killing someone. They have almost no forums (with the exception of social media) to discuss their reactions to issues of ethnic disunity, grounds for cultural similarity, or legislation – in essence; there is no place for discourse or to express how you feel. Therefore, most discourse has come to a standstill because people are no longer asking questions, engaging in debate, holding people accountable – put simply, they have lost interest.
This project is a website where there will be five categories of problems that people can talk about: societal, religious, political, economic, and personal. People will upload videos to this website in response to another video or topic being discussed or to initiate a topic of their own choosing (just like YouTube; in fact YouTube’s infrastructure will be used for video uploading). There are no constraints on what may be in the video (in fact, different languages and skits/dances are encouraged), but video blogs/journals are expected to be the most relevant and popular choice. There will be a 5 minute limit on the video length (I have uploaded three example videos on YouTube that I have provided the links for above).
The solution I seek to construct is very simplistic. My project hopes to provide a forum for impassioned conversations that educate the people of Pakistan about problems that their fellow countrymen may be experiencing. For example, by making a person talk about his\her own unique perspective on domestic violence, I hope to empower them to realize that he/she too can participate in the process of bringing positive change – with the added benefit of conveying her/his current feelings to other people. For me this project is important, because it not only gives me the opportunity to convey to others how I feel on certain issues, but it is interactive so it means I can hear responses to how people feel about my opinions and videos. Finally, the project also serves as a tool for mental health improvement because people have the opportunity to talk about the problems that they are grappling with in this reflective exercise.