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Showing posts from July, 2016

Disintegration of tradition-bound forms of need satisfaction

By Prof  Dr. Sohail Ansari Conceived and worded by Prof DR Sohail Ansari (originality of concepts and originality of words). He believes that there can never be a zero scope for improvement and appreciates criticism if it is not for the sake of criticism. ·          ‘The market-industrial society led to dissolution of the distinctive and relatively stable forms of need satisfaction created by traditional cultures. Industrialization uprooted great numbers of people from age-old rural settlements and relocated them in cities”(1). Thus urbanization pulled individuals away from traditional leaderships The more the tradition-bound forms of need satisfaction disintegrated; the more traditional leadership disintegrated; and the more firmly political communication assumed the tasks of instructing individuals how to match their needs and wants with the available stock of leadership. Quite simply, individuals need guidance on what party to choose and how to assess them, and on

Consumer society: The developed phase of industrial society

By Prof  Dr. Sohail Ansari Conceived and worded by Prof DR Sohail Ansari (originality of concepts and originality of words). He believes that there can never be a zero scope for improvement and appreciates criticism if it is not for the sake of criticism. The developed phase of the market-industrial society is the consumer society.  The dramatic rise in real incomes freed most individuals in the consumer society from concentrating on the bare necessities of life. Freedom from concentrating on the bare necessities of life; rise in discretionary spending, and leisure time led to other ‘freedoms’: (a)        Freedom to think about issues other than bread and butter. (b)        Freedom to pursue human wants not directly tied to basic necessities. These freedoms developed new expectations in people. Newly found independence asserted in readiness to endorse anyone who could prove to be capable in effecting meaningful change in the quality of life by matching up to these new

Political communication: Privileged form of discourse

By Prof   Dr. Sohail Ansari Conceived and worded by Prof DR Sohail Ansari (originality of concepts and originality of words). He believes that there can never be a zero scope for improvement and appreciates criticism if it is not for the sake of criticism. Political communication represents a “privileged form of discourse” about concerns in modern society__ meaning simply that we accord what it says a place of special prominence in our lives. In pre-industrial age, the forms of privileged discourse that touched the lives of ordinary persons were church sermons, political oratory of patriarch, and the words and precepts of family elders. Such influences remain in rural and tribal areas of the modern world, but their prominence within the affairs of urban life and the rhetorical force and moral authority that they carry are generally sharply diminished to nothing. The space left as these influences have diminished has been filled largely by the ‘discourse through and about pa

Industrialization and POLITICAL COMMUNICATION

By Prof   Dr. Sohail Ansari Conceived and worded by Prof DR Sohail Ansari (originality of concepts and originality of words). He believes that there can never be a zero scope for improvement and appreciates criticism if it is not for the sake of criticism. Pervasiveness of political communication underlines the continuing need to understand reasons that not only brought political communication at the first place but also kept it at the very heart of the process of dynamic change in our political culture. Industrialization marked a watershed in human’s history. Job beckoned multitude of people; and as people gravitated to where the industries were, cities sprang up. In industrialized societies, people had imperfect information about the problems and people who could solve them. In contrast, a small scale community had no need for media advertising; because the sources of solutions (tribal chiefs) were nearby and word-of-mouth communication was adequate to enlighten and galva

Frustration for not being real

By Prof Dr. Sohail Ansari Conceived and worded by Prof DR Sohail Ansari (originality of concepts and originality of words). He believes that there can never be a zero scope for improvement and appreciates criticism if it is not for the sake of criticism. Frustration for not being real ·        Frustrated celebrity is obsessed with shredding his image in an attempt to be more than what he is packaged and sold as and to be flesh and blood and real.    Capability of judging and media narrative ·         One is not capable of judging things on his own as long as one is dictated by the dominant media narrative. Bigger than yourself ·        What makes you feel bigger than yourself? Feelings justify. You are right if it because of attaining the sense of justice and lower than yourself if it because of doing injustice. 

Heresy is the shadow…

By Prof Dr. Sohail Ansari Conceived and worded by Prof DR Sohail Ansari (originality of concepts and originality of words). He believes that there can never be a zero scope for improvement and appreciates criticism if it is not for the sake of criticism. Heresy is the shadow.. ·        Heresy is the shadow of every orthodoxy. Every orthodox sees his own as the only true interpretation and who ever deviated from it is heretic.   True to colors ·         Person is true to his colors if he is not opposite of what he is packages and sold as. Doting Fans ·         Fans are really doting if they take talking through song (of singer they adore) for signing. Contentment ·        Contentment has not much to do with success or even with the scale of success. One cannot have contentment as long as things are not what one sees himself as being about. 

Abdul Sattar Edhi- a Larger- than- life figure

(This piece of writing is written in response to a question from a brilliant student saif. Views do not necessarily lie outside the mainstream but are not necessarily in consonance to orthodox perception of Abdul Sattar Edhi.) By Prof Dr. Sohail Ansari Conceived and worded by Prof DR Sohail Ansari (originality of concepts and originality of words). He believes that there can never be a zero scope for improvement and appreciates criticism if it is not for the sake of criticism. Men and animals are similar with respect to biological cravings. Men like animals procreate by copulation. Men feel thirst and hunger and so do animals. Man is different from animal as latter is minus morality. God does not teach through revelations the craft of living. Revealed books do not contain any guidance for cooking, knitting, sowing, building roads and bridges. Humans learnt such things through experience or observation (of animals engaged in different activities). Revelations deal with

History does not repeat itself

By Prof Dr. Sohail Ansari Conceived and worded by Prof DR Sohail Ansari (originality of concepts and originality of words). He believes that there can never be a zero scope for improvement and appreciates criticism if it is not for the sake of criticism. ·          One can develop only those qualities those are not absent from his deliberation ·          Rewards of educating woman are tranforamtive. History does not repeat itself ·         History does not repeat itself; it repeats because we replay it. Susceptibility has limits ·         People are susceptible to media-mediated persuasions but they are not susceptible to change on a media timetable. When wonders occur ·         When predictions that nothing can be done do not become a justification for passivity; wonders occur. When nation is doomed ·         Nation is doomed if it allows its thugs to hijack its political authority. Conceptual acceptance ·        The invasion of exotic values through t

NAWAZ SHARIF AND MILITARY

By Prof  Dr. Sohail Ansari Conceived and worded by Prof DR Sohail Ansari (originality of concepts and originality of words). He believes that there can never be a zero scope for improvement and appreciates criticism if it is not for the sake of criticism. ·          Nawaz’s  attempt to use army as an instrument to target PPP workers created tension between Nawaz and military which was worsened by allegations that the government tried to ‘buy off’ the Army Chief and senior commanders with substantial material rewards. Nawaz’s confrontation with president alienated military and it sided with latter when he who dismissed the government on charges of corruption, nepotism, terrorizing opponents, violating the Constitutions and subverting the armed forces authority.(1) Sharif returned to power in Feb 1997. Army cooperated with him on 13 th amendment; and Army Chief, General Jehangir Karamat. did not object either at government decision to ask the Naval Chief to resign after his

BENAZIR BHUTTO AND THE MILITARY

By Prof  Dr. Sohail Ansari Conceived and worded by Prof DR Sohail Ansari (originality of concepts and originality of words). He believes that there can never be a zero scope for improvement and appreciates criticism if it is not for the sake of criticism. Despite the military distrust of the PPP, Bhutto was allowed to assume power in 1988. But because of her government’s political and economic mismanagement, bitter confrontation with her political adversaries and attempt to use troops to settle its scores with political adversaries in Sindh soured her relation with military.(1) Despite having a significant base of popular support… encroachment on provincial autonomy and indifference to democratic norms undermined Benazir’s government legitimacy. Her growing reliance on the military to squash dissention spelled the end of a brief democratic episode.                            1.         Feldman, ‘Illusion of democracy’ London, Oxford Press, 2007, 348

JUDICIARY

By Prof  Dr. Sohail Ansari Conceived and worded by Prof DR Sohail Ansari (originality of concepts and originality of words). He believes that there can never be a zero scope for improvement and appreciates criticism if it is not for the sake of criticism. ·          ‘Since Pakistan’s first decade, superior courts, particularly the Supreme Court ‘have literally judged the state, ruling on constitutional issues directly affecting national sovereignty, political participation and government organization. Throughout this long political engagement, the courts have been persistently unwilling to confront executive authority. Pakistan’s constitutional jurisprudence, rather than being characterized by inquires into the validity of executive action, is a series of elaborate jurisprudential efforts to vindicate and facilitate military interventions into democratic politics.’(1) Non political forces find solace in the role of Judiciary. Instead of exercising restraining influence an

Syllabus of SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

This syllabus is designed by Prof Dr Sohail ansari for the department of media studies of SBBU Course description: Social psychology course introduces key concepts through balanced coverage of classic studies, contemporary research, and current social issues so to bring vivid examples to reflect social psychology concepts in real life. The use of current events, social issues, or ( narration through) iconic or   evocative photographs makes the course more compelling to students by helping them relate concepts to their own lives and to see the world through the eyes of a social psychologist. Increased coverage of cross-cultural research and socio-cultural perspectives includes studies of sexual orientation, ostracism, Milgram in the 21st century, and social relations (similar to Pen pal   relationships) over the Internet.   These viewpoints are examined through topics such as the social self, personal and group perception of attitudes, conformity and obedience, interperson

Absence of political marketing due to absence of democracy in democracy

By Prof  Dr. Sohail Ansari Conceived and worded by Prof DR Sohail Ansari (originality of concepts and originality of words). He believes that there can never be a zero scope for improvement and appreciates criticism if it is not for the sake of criticism. Democracy from 1988 to 1999 was only the manifestation of the ideology of democracy. Therefore it failed to prove its efficiency, toughness, and reliance in the ideological and security field and its power to transform a non-democratic people into a democratic one. The poverty of genuine democratic living in a society, which became during democratic interval formally and constitutionally committed to democratic government equally marked by the poverty of genuine democratic practices, was deeper cause of a nation; fell into the abyss of out-and-out totalitarianism in 1999. During democratic period there was gradual weakening of democracy by those elected to lead it. Though elected through democratic means, both democratic r