Society under surveillance
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Nerun Yakub
According to Webster G Tarpley, Zbignew Brzezinski could not refrain from 'gloating'---- towards the beginning of the Egyptian destabilisation --- about 'his ability to manipulate the youth bulge across the Arab world, using them to accomplish at low cost what Bush and Cheney failed to do through direct military attacks, with extravagant military and financial losses.' If the right ingredients are there ('ignorance, stupidity, gullibility, and the willingness to be blinded by hatred') it is quite easy in today's wired world, to take advantage of these blind 'angers, passions, frustrations and hatreds .....when they erupt at volatile moments', Brzezinski was quoted as saying in a interview with Newsweek this February. This kind of manipulation seems to have been in the pipeline for decades. Brzezinski, intellectual statesman and geo-strategist, served as the 10th US National Security Adviser. He had in fact predicted as early as the 1970s that such things were more likely to happen than not. With the help of advanced science and technology, a more 'controlled and directed society' would gradually appear in the world, he said, and it would be dominated by an elite group that had mastered superior scientific know-how and that 'would not hesitate to achieve its political ends by using the latest modern techniques for influencing public behaviour and keeping society under close surveillance and control'. Noam Chomsky, the indefatigable MIT linguist-philosopher and sarcastic observer of the world's double-speaking powers, has no illusions about their proclivity for mischief. Those who have kept their grey cells in good order would clearly make the connections in today's world, a world where people's consent continues to be manufactured and 'democracy' defined and managed as they will ! Not understanding this potential for mass mesmerism, as it were, means remaining at the receiving end of all kinds of tests and experiments that these 'elite' can freely conduct on millions of disgruntled human guinea pigs across the world. The possibilities are immense ---- drug development, chemical, biological or electronic programmes, mind-altering, behaviour-controlling, slave-making and what not ! The scope is indeed limitless with 21st century technology, specially in socio-economic environments like ours where such interventions may not always be benign. A sufficiently informed public would however be in a position to identify what's hitting them when it does ! High time our youth force realised that power lies in acquiring practical knowledge and skills, not in merely going through the motions in so-called seats of higher learning and acquiring degrees that have little to do with enlightenment or education. Indeed, if 'Digital Bangladesh' means just the ability to tinker with hardware and press keys to activate software applications, minus the necessary knowledge, would we be any better than dumb herd, that could be turned into tools, should mischievous gamesters in the vicinity or further away desire ? Recent achievements however ---- showcased by Dhaka University scientists and their team in sequencing the entire genome of the jute plant, and other quiet research work --- tell us that given the right environment and impetus our grey cells can and do function optimally. Nonetheless, our education in general has yet to catch up with what is graded as 'world class' ---- in terms of content, teacher quality and teaching methodology. On all counts, these remain far short of requirement, despite continued efforts. Observers might be pardoned for wondering whether the course designers themselves are really up to the task ! Meanwhile, initiatives like drawing young people to the reading and appreciation of world literature, math and science based competitions and other such activities, help hone the grey cells to a certain extent and certainly deserve replication in all schools and colleges. The quality of politics and governance in general, and all that thrives under that canopy, can rightly be identified as the bane of Bangladesh, frustrating and defeating the primary raison-d'etre of the universities. Thus, the once glorious 'Oxford of the East' is nothing but a 'certificate shop' today, where student politics has totally been co-opted by derailed youth turned into criminal thugs and goons. Their 'mother' political parties remain unfazed. Bent on wielding power and wresting money-making opportunities, these so-called students can kill and maim even their own party fellows in bloody conflicts over the sharing of booty. Last Tuesday's insane competition at DU's Mohsin Hall where all kinds of weapons were used to attack one another, landing several fellows in hospital with grave injuries, is just one example to what extent hooliganism can go. If this is allowed to become the 'culture' in an avowedly democratic country one dreads to think what awaits this nation with such a huge youth bulge. Eminently corruptible and usable in the Brzezinski sense ? Leave alone so-called students doing everything but study. Within the DU faculties as well, real education and quality research seem to have been put on hold in most departments, according to insiders. No surprise therefore that none of Bangladesh's universities featured in the 2009 Asian University Rankings! This index, prepared by the Thomson Reuters Foundation in the UK, showed that ten of the top universities were in China and Hong Kong. We are not even among the first 500! Where have we gone wrong ? After all, the South East Asian countries were at the same level as us in the 1960s when the then East Pakistan had also pledged, like them, to invest in education. Half a century on, things have gotten far worse, not better. According to the TRF analysis, Chinese science showed 'awe-inspiring' expansion since 1981 because of well thought-out government investment at all levels, beginning from schools to postgraduate research. In addition, efficient flow of knowledge from basic science to commercial applications was assured and the government adopted a pragmatic approach to tap the talents of non-resident Chinese resource persons. Expatriates were offered flexible packages which enabled them to make the most of both worlds ---- at home and in foreign lands. These win-win deals attracted brains back to their roots. These have been identified as the main reasons behind China's scientific leap. The Bangladesh Science Academy could take similar initiatives, banking on the pool of scientists that the country has at home and abroad. A sustained effort is needed to attract non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) and harness them appropriately. In addition, it is important that the mindset for research and development is created early on, with guided, knowledge-based activity, starting from school-level. Then, in a few generations, our youth bulge could begin to transform Bangladesh, becoming a boon rather than a crop of mindless morons. A core of learned men and women with the heart in the right place can certainly work to serve both the country and other centres of excellence abroad, simultaneously. And high time war was declared against criminalized politics on the campus and poverty of the intellect banished forever ---- if we are to keep pace with 'elite' science and technology. With growing knowledge and our wits around us, we should be able to catch up with the more privileged people in the world. (E-mail: nyew@bol-online.com)
According to Webster G Tarpley, Zbignew Brzezinski could not refrain from 'gloating'---- towards the beginning of the Egyptian destabilisation --- about 'his ability to manipulate the youth bulge across the Arab world, using them to accomplish at low cost what Bush and Cheney failed to do through direct military attacks, with extravagant military and financial losses.' If the right ingredients are there ('ignorance, stupidity, gullibility, and the willingness to be blinded by hatred') it is quite easy in today's wired world, to take advantage of these blind 'angers, passions, frustrations and hatreds .....when they erupt at volatile moments', Brzezinski was quoted as saying in a interview with Newsweek this February. This kind of manipulation seems to have been in the pipeline for decades. Brzezinski, intellectual statesman and geo-strategist, served as the 10th US National Security Adviser. He had in fact predicted as early as the 1970s that such things were more likely to happen than not. With the help of advanced science and technology, a more 'controlled and directed society' would gradually appear in the world, he said, and it would be dominated by an elite group that had mastered superior scientific know-how and that 'would not hesitate to achieve its political ends by using the latest modern techniques for influencing public behaviour and keeping society under close surveillance and control'. Noam Chomsky, the indefatigable MIT linguist-philosopher and sarcastic observer of the world's double-speaking powers, has no illusions about their proclivity for mischief. Those who have kept their grey cells in good order would clearly make the connections in today's world, a world where people's consent continues to be manufactured and 'democracy' defined and managed as they will ! Not understanding this potential for mass mesmerism, as it were, means remaining at the receiving end of all kinds of tests and experiments that these 'elite' can freely conduct on millions of disgruntled human guinea pigs across the world. The possibilities are immense ---- drug development, chemical, biological or electronic programmes, mind-altering, behaviour-controlling, slave-making and what not ! The scope is indeed limitless with 21st century technology, specially in socio-economic environments like ours where such interventions may not always be benign. A sufficiently informed public would however be in a position to identify what's hitting them when it does ! High time our youth force realised that power lies in acquiring practical knowledge and skills, not in merely going through the motions in so-called seats of higher learning and acquiring degrees that have little to do with enlightenment or education. Indeed, if 'Digital Bangladesh' means just the ability to tinker with hardware and press keys to activate software applications, minus the necessary knowledge, would we be any better than dumb herd, that could be turned into tools, should mischievous gamesters in the vicinity or further away desire ? Recent achievements however ---- showcased by Dhaka University scientists and their team in sequencing the entire genome of the jute plant, and other quiet research work --- tell us that given the right environment and impetus our grey cells can and do function optimally. Nonetheless, our education in general has yet to catch up with what is graded as 'world class' ---- in terms of content, teacher quality and teaching methodology. On all counts, these remain far short of requirement, despite continued efforts. Observers might be pardoned for wondering whether the course designers themselves are really up to the task ! Meanwhile, initiatives like drawing young people to the reading and appreciation of world literature, math and science based competitions and other such activities, help hone the grey cells to a certain extent and certainly deserve replication in all schools and colleges. The quality of politics and governance in general, and all that thrives under that canopy, can rightly be identified as the bane of Bangladesh, frustrating and defeating the primary raison-d'etre of the universities. Thus, the once glorious 'Oxford of the East' is nothing but a 'certificate shop' today, where student politics has totally been co-opted by derailed youth turned into criminal thugs and goons. Their 'mother' political parties remain unfazed. Bent on wielding power and wresting money-making opportunities, these so-called students can kill and maim even their own party fellows in bloody conflicts over the sharing of booty. Last Tuesday's insane competition at DU's Mohsin Hall where all kinds of weapons were used to attack one another, landing several fellows in hospital with grave injuries, is just one example to what extent hooliganism can go. If this is allowed to become the 'culture' in an avowedly democratic country one dreads to think what awaits this nation with such a huge youth bulge. Eminently corruptible and usable in the Brzezinski sense ? Leave alone so-called students doing everything but study. Within the DU faculties as well, real education and quality research seem to have been put on hold in most departments, according to insiders. No surprise therefore that none of Bangladesh's universities featured in the 2009 Asian University Rankings! This index, prepared by the Thomson Reuters Foundation in the UK, showed that ten of the top universities were in China and Hong Kong. We are not even among the first 500! Where have we gone wrong ? After all, the South East Asian countries were at the same level as us in the 1960s when the then East Pakistan had also pledged, like them, to invest in education. Half a century on, things have gotten far worse, not better. According to the TRF analysis, Chinese science showed 'awe-inspiring' expansion since 1981 because of well thought-out government investment at all levels, beginning from schools to postgraduate research. In addition, efficient flow of knowledge from basic science to commercial applications was assured and the government adopted a pragmatic approach to tap the talents of non-resident Chinese resource persons. Expatriates were offered flexible packages which enabled them to make the most of both worlds ---- at home and in foreign lands. These win-win deals attracted brains back to their roots. These have been identified as the main reasons behind China's scientific leap. The Bangladesh Science Academy could take similar initiatives, banking on the pool of scientists that the country has at home and abroad. A sustained effort is needed to attract non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) and harness them appropriately. In addition, it is important that the mindset for research and development is created early on, with guided, knowledge-based activity, starting from school-level. Then, in a few generations, our youth bulge could begin to transform Bangladesh, becoming a boon rather than a crop of mindless morons. A core of learned men and women with the heart in the right place can certainly work to serve both the country and other centres of excellence abroad, simultaneously. And high time war was declared against criminalized politics on the campus and poverty of the intellect banished forever ---- if we are to keep pace with 'elite' science and technology. With growing knowledge and our wits around us, we should be able to catch up with the more privileged people in the world. (E-mail: nyew@bol-online.com)