Adding meaning to rhetoric
January 30, 2013 § 5 Comments
‘In a country where thinkers are assassinated and writers are considered infidels; where mouths are shut, books are burnt, thoughts are forbidden and to question is a sin, I beg your pardon, My Lord….’
Just saying, rhetoric needs to be meaningful. And it must question the real issues – sadly, all declamation speeches I’ve listened to during my brief debating career tend to pander to populist rhetoric and dwell on jingoistic religiosity or patriotism. And the worst part is that the jury seems swayed by that. Save one or two occasions, the guy who appeals to the so-called ‘Ummah’, cites the false tales of our glorious history and embellished narrations of past victories, always wins. Not.Cool.
not.cool. at all.
Some are happy living a lie.
Very true.
Almost all Pakistanis are fed a distorted view of our history, and if we don’t try to find the truth ourselves, most of us live our whole lives believing in a glorious past that never was well, that glorious.
Sadly, indeed, critical thinking is a sin in Pakistan, especially when it comes to national history.