Facebook and the books ... of law.

This is a script for a radio show and was written as part of a course called Radio Channel Project. RR and MNF are the two people hosting the show. 

RR: Hello Folks! A very warm welcome from the studios of FM radio 106.6. Me, Riffat Rashid and Mehak Natasha Farooq (Mehak, say hi,! ) will be hosting the very first episode of “K for Karachi!”. Mehak! How’s it going?

MNF: Ah well, since there’s no one in the studio right now I might as well talk to you…

RR: What’s that?

MNF: Nothing, I said it’s going great.

RR: Oh amazing! Amazing..So anyways,

MNF (under her breath): Retard.

RR: Ahm. Seems like somebody didn’t get some alone time on Facebook today. *Cough*

MNF: What’s that?

RR: Nothing, I said it’s amazing.

MNF: What’s amazing?

RR: The ban on Facebook.

MNF: “What!? They are banning Facebook?”

RR: Yeah, not like it’s a big deal. I mean it’s just a website and there are million others like it on the world wide web.

MNF: Not a big deal? Are you crazy! It’s the only place where I have all my friends and relatives in one place!

RR: And you say that like it’s a good thing?

MNF: Ofcourse it’s a good thing man, I don’t have to spend hours in line trying to pay my phone bills when I can only just “poke” people on Facebook to let them know all is well. Also, do you realize the number of painful conversations it saves me from? The kind of conversation that starts from “How old are you beta?” and end on “How many rotis and chappatis do you know how to make!”

RR: Oh c’mon you are exaggerating!

MNF: Seriously? You say that like it has never happened to you.

RR: Ah well, it has… but you know there are things you can do to avoid that?

MNF: “Acha, like what?”

RR: “you know like, pretend you have left the city

MNF: doesn’t work

RR: “act like you are on the verge of making an important discovery, even though your field is commerce

MNF: tried and failed

RR: “pretend that rotis and chappatis are old school and u are into paninis and pita bread now.

MNF “yeah right, so they ask for a dawat!”

RR: “Okay, fine! So facebook saves you from a lot of painful conversations but c’mon its barely more than just a petty reason

MNF: I shall tell you more if you play me a song.

RR: Justin…?

MNF: Don’t you dare!

RR: Okay, Pitbull it is then. The song is Rain Over me sung by Pitbull and Marc Anthony! Be right back after the song.

RR: Welcome back everyone! This is me and Mehak in the studio of FM Radio 106.6 bringing to you the very first episode of K for Karachiii! Mehak, the song is over. Stop stepping on my toes.

MNF: Buzzkill.

RR: You know I can hear you right?

MNF: Right.

RR: The ban on Facebook has you in a really bad mood!

MNF: Ofcourse, and your increasingly happy voice isn’t helping it either.

RR: Sadist.

MNF: What?

RR: Nothing , I mean, what would you miss the most about Facebook once it’s banned?

MNF: If you had accepted the endless invites I sent you on Facebook for my business page, you wouldn’t be asking me that right now!

RR: Oh right, the cupcake business you started right?

MNF: No that’s Niha’s you moron! My business page is about selling footwear. Do you realize the number of young entrepreneurs who were starting to get successful through the business pages of Facebook and now will have no platform to sell their products or show case their talents?

RR: Well, there’s youtube you know!

MNF: Man, you aren’t getting my point! Facebook is about useful things. True it’s called a social networking website but it isn’t just about fun and games.

RR: As far as my homepage is concerned, all I see is gossip!

MNF: It’s just you then! There are countless people who are using Facebook for a number of meaningful things. A number of businesses in our country are afraid of opening up their own outlets because of a number of reasons that range from low availability of capital to high security concerns. Advertising their business on Facebook allows them to only target the relevant people at minimal costs.

RR: I see that but in my opinion, if a young entrepreneur is determined enough he or she should be able to carry out his business anyway he or she wants.

MNF: Yes but don’t you see, by banning websites, we are actually closing down one of the most promising mediums of carrying out a business and networking?

RR: Hmm… Let me think about it…

MNF: Hopeless. I will just play a song. People this is Rolling in the Deep by Adele! Don’t forget to stay tuned.

RR: Okay fine I thought about it a lot but c’mon you have to pay heed to the other side too.?

MNF: “What other side man?

RR: “You know the side, where people are trying to spread messages of hatred and violence. And Pakistan being a struggling country, I think its right that they have taken the step to nip the evil in the bud.

MNF: Yeah? And what about the messages of hatred and violence spread around on TV? Do we ban TV too? Do we ban phone calls, vehicles because they have the ability to carry arms and ammunitions, people because they are capable of violence?

RR: No…

MNF: Then why just Facebook?

RR: But think of it this way, the youth of today like ourselves are better aware of what goes on Facebook then anywhere else in the country… so if we are to be influenced by any messages that carry a special agenda…it is more likely to be through Facebook.

MNF: Oh and what about the fact that the very point of Facebook being an effective tool of educating the urban youth of today can be used for something more productive instead of banning?

RR: More productive like what?

MNF: Like spreading awareness about social causes that we should be spending our time on, about educating people internationally of what kind of people Pakistanis are. Don’t you know think the status updates and pictures that we upload can be used in a way to reflect that there are people in Pakistan that can are both progressive and educated?

RR: Yeah, well I guess some of the people abroad don’t even know that people in pakistan have roads.

MNF: See! What better bridge between the international community and ours than Facebook?

RR: Okay so you’re saying Facebook is important because it allows you to interact with people, open up businesses, and spreads awareness about a certain society?

MNF: Ah! Finally! Yes!

RR: But… oh wait, Maha says we have to submit our Advertising presentations next week.

MNF: Really? I got no text!

RR: Moron! Check your Facebook.

MNF: People, as you can see Riffat has lost it! You guys have fun by listening to Coldplay’s track “Every teardrop is a waterfall” and we will try giving Riffat her proper meds the next time we come on air! Till then, take care! And keep listening!

Let Nabeel Khokhar Be

Today, we live in a world where when you slip and fall at your private residence, a million people from all over the world have the ability to laugh at you and we have nothing but the well-meaning social networking and broadcasting websites to thank for that. Go to throw rubbish outside and you are aware of a million eyes watching you, even if there's no one in the vicinity. Yes, today it's a world where everyone can see, hear and access any and everything. But does that mean, understanding comes easy as well? Does seeing everything implies that one has perfect understanding of the situation that is made visible? Sadly, no.

 Everything that we see online is made to appear in a certain context, usually a humourous or insulting one, even if the situation that is being aired or broadcast would be a grave one. Take Amir Liaquat's video that went viral for example. Two words, “Kesa Dya?” have almost become a household statement (if there's such a thing) and recently, we saw yet another example of how the electronic media can serve to transform a no-issue to amazing heights.

Yes, I'm talking about the billboard that went up on Friday, 4th November in Karachi and has since then been the talk of every Facebook page discussion. Nabeel Khokhar, did indeed had the billboard put up to apologize to his ex-wife for his considered misdeeds. And Nabeel Khokar does exist. He is somebody's son and my friend's immediate relative.  Imagine having to put up with tactless and tasteless comments on public forums about somebody in your family? It's hair raising isn't it? And yet, just to have a cheap good laugh people continue to tarn reputations upon reputations and say the wildest of things just to get a certain number of “likes” on their social profiles.

It's true that if it hadn't been my friend's relative, I might have also been one of you, poking fun and sharing gossips. But this has made me realize, how “harmlessly” making fun of people can alter and damage lives. The “Princess”, to whom the Billboard is addressed is a real person and a very good hearted one at that. The amount of emotional distress that she has to go through and will have to put up with till all of this dies down can't ever be explained into words. Usually, I would have advised my friends and their family to wait for all the hype to go down but unfortunately, the wait is taking the toll upon them.

Nabeel Khokhar, should indeed have considered the consequences but what is it that we are actually laughing at him for? For apologizing for his past actions? We all know how that's needed on all of our parts, even though in not really such a public way. But seriously, ask yourself why should the family and “Princess” have to go through the embarrassment? Is it really their fault?

This blog is not meant to garner more attention to the subject. It's been brought up amply enough. This is just written to request whoever is listening, to please, if possible help us in taking it away from the direction to where it's going. It was not meant to be hurtful to the people but has become a serious source of pain and this, I really really want to curb.