Adil Najam
I think that political parody – even when not of the highest quality – is often indicative of the political trends in a society. In fact, the presence of parody itself is a medium of political expression. Shows such as Daily Show with John Stewart, the Stephen Colbert Report, Saturday Night Live, the many British political satires, Hum Sab Umeed Say Hain, Three Man Show, and GEO TV presentations such as Bush-Mush Hotta Hai are not only indicators of vivid political imaginations but also of political vigor.
I saw the following video of a parody of a Gen. Musharraf speech by a student on Adnan Siddiqui’s blog yesterday.
00:54
I do not know where and what context this was in, but it is one of a number of such parodies (some, it seems by the same young person) available of YouTube. The quality of the portrayal is variable at best as is the humor in the substance. However, like all satirical parodies it is a to be viewed not only for its humorous content but also for the points it seeks to make as a depiction of public opinion and expression.
I dont think the parody is as bad as people are saying. But I do think that it reflects public opinion and shows why the religious extreme has been able to capture political importance.