Shooting with a pen

 

 

 “ He is the one that ,tossing a bomb into

                                                           The crowd takes note;

The one who, from an unseen distance

Levels on the tripod that black rifle

 with sights that see  as far as his soul”

Quoted above is an extract from a poem by Lakdasa Wikkramsingha where the poet observes the role of an artist, a poet  in this case, in rectifying society eliminating the ones that are detrimental to  the  growth   of  peace ,justice and equality.

Time to revisit the role played by the rulers whom we have selected expecting a promised land   where the rule of law is enthroned, justice is adorned. We the desperate citizens eventually got nothing but disillusionment, not once, twice or thrice. The biggest tragedy is that we keep on electing the very people who betray us. We, out of ignorance, faith or being myopic elevate these swans to be saints.

Exposing the folly, stupidity, cruelty, hypocrisy and cynicism of these rulers to the rest of the world has been a prime duty of sensible citizens who wishes the well-being of the country.

My aim in this short article is to see the possibility of Fb in striping these rascals in public. One of the ways of doing it  is  ridiculing them to the core.

Ridiculing the ridiculous has been an art in literature. Aristophanes  ( 427 BC – 386 BC) , was a comic playwright or comedy-writer of ancient Athens. He employed theatre to ridicule politicians, playwrights and even Gods. He firmly believed that theatre can impact society in changing its direction. No one is safe in Aristophanian comedy, it is said. Some Aristophanian quotes listed below mirror the spiritual bankruptcy in his contemporary society.

“To plunder, to lie, to show your arse, are three essentials for climbing high.”

With this, Aristrophanes exposes decadent values in his contemporary society. We Sri Lankans here experience the same. Wealth, power and status have been decisive factors in determining the status of people. Wealth, no matter how it is amassed, brings recognition to a person. 

“Does it seem that everything is extravagance in the world, or rather madness, when you watch the way things go? A crowd of rogues enjoy blessings they have won by sheer injustice, while more honest folks are miserable and die of hunger”

This is yet another quote in an  Aristrophanian play. See how relevant it is to our land too. Aren’t the people who govern us rogues? Have they gained their power by fair means?  Haven’t they abused democracy for their advantage? Aren’t the people who were proven guilty by judiciary of stealing public money and resources acquitted and released by  commissions in session with the full blessings of the presidency whose conduct and character too is questionable? The inevitable choice of honest and peace-loving people   has been patience and endurance. Bottling up hatred and displeasure, for sensitive people, is a curse, a plague. Only releasing the stress caused due to suppression can bring about solace.   

 Voltaire the satirist and critic in France (1694-1778) Paris ,too have read the people around him critically.

 “It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere “

His observation done in centuries ago in a different context though, appears to be valid to our context too. Party politics, for us, has been a religion and politicians are gods. Idealizing politicians has been an art in media.

Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 – 30 May 1744) was a poet and satirist of the Augustan period. He is best known for satirical and discursive poetry. He too in his poetry exposes hollow and shallow people in his society.  He firmly believed that art of any type has a rectifying effect.

Tyrants have always some slight shade of virtue; they support the laws before destroying them

Sri Lanka's first comedy newspaper is called 'Kawata Kathikaya'. Launched 147 years ago, on January 1, 1872, the newspaper was edited by Gurunnansela's Don Palis Appuhamy, a brilliant comedian. He was twenty-three years old when the comedy began. Since then he has been the editor of the Kawata Kathikaya newspaper for about forty years, making Don Pallis Appuhamy the longest serving newspaper editor in Sri Lanka.

He too is a satirist who ridiculed follies, trivialities and absurdities of people and institutions intending to correct them.

T.G.W.De Silva too entertained readers with his humorous writing. Observing human behavior and the behavior of social institutions with a critical eye and mocking at them was his peculiarity.

 The role that the cartoonists play in exposing problems and issues  and the perpetrators responsible for  causing them too is commendable .

It is happy to notice that some Fb users making use of Fb platforms to ridicule the ridiculous, to condemn the contemptuous to abhor the abominable.