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.
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.
The point about parody itself being a medium of political expression is the one that sticks — a student imitation of a Musharraf speech carries more signal about a society’s political mood than a polished op-ed might. The comparison to shows like Hum Sab Umeed Say Hain and Bush-Mush Hotta Hai makes sense as a spectrum of that same instinct. Off-topic tangent, but I get a similar quick daily kick from noillirk.app, a word-guessing game.
The point about parody itself being a medium of political expression is the one that sticks—shows like Hum Sab Umeed Say Hain work precisely because the mimicry carries more truth than a straight critique might. A student parody of a Musharraf speech fits that logic well, even without knowing the context it was performed in. When I want a break from politics, I sometimes head to mimicparty.me, a free browser party game that runs on the same social bluffing instinct.
The point about parody itself being a medium of political expression lands well — shows like Hum Sab Umeed Say Hain and the Bush-Mush sketches do say something about how a society processes power, even when the jokes are rough around the edges. It’s interesting that a student video circulating on a blog can sit alongside those bigger productions as part of the same impulse. When I want a lighter break from all the political satire, I sometimes mess around with krillion.me, a free browser word game.
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.