Qandeel Baloch - Definitely a victim, but sorry, not a hero.

Since everything these days just shoots up into news and breaks the internet, there is always a hurry to jump to conclusions, mark down your favorites and to just join some or the other support group. I am a firm believer that today’s world needs opinions from the right people and the right mindset. Then again, who gets to choose what is right and what wrong? I leave that to your own fertile mind to gauge what appears to be aligning with sense and sensibility.

Last week, we all woke up to the news of Pakistan’s social media star Qandeel Baloch’s murder. Honestly, I had no idea who she was or even what being a “social media star” means. She was murdered by her own brother and he termed it as ‘honor killing”. The social media went into frenzy with this news. People condemned the murder, said there was nothing “honorable” in it and so on. I am totally in agreement with the condemning of such criminally unacceptable acts. It was a heinous crime and nothing can ever compensate for the loss that her family is going through. My outlook however is slightly distorted. I am perplexed at the ease with which the media made her a hero. The internet went crazy after she was murdered and it kind of elevated her to a level that is beyond my understanding.

I am writing today with facts and figures correctly studied so be assured that I am not just ranting on some emotional account. I became curious as to why there were articles all over claiming her to be a hero. There must have been something in that woman. And again, I want to clarify that I am not trying to malign the dead or do something nasty. I am only using my basic rights to question before I declare someone a hero.

What is the basic definition of a hero, just so I am on the same page as anyone reading this? Well, in layman terms anyone who inspires people to do something good is a hero to me.

So I digged into what her biography was. Honestly, I could not even go through everything that was there on the internet because it was just disturbing. The media is just filled with her self made videos which have no sense content anywhere. It’s a trend I fail to understand – shed clothes, be provocative, be offensive and you are all for woman empowerment. I am so inclined to use the F word right now.

Women, everywhere in the world could use all the liberation they can get but sadly, this is not helping! In fact this is what leads to blatant objectification of women. It’s time we stopped treating ourselves as pieces of meat and then walk around with the banner of feminism. We need to give ourselves the respect we demand men to give us. And, trust me; I am all for comfortable clothing and other stuff what I am concerned here is the miniscule portrayal of a woman in the name of “woman’s voice”. Her idols were the likes of Rakhi Sawant, Sunny Leone and Poonam Pandey. Now, I care two hoots about what any of these people do in their lives. It is none of my business to be offended or happy on what someone else does in their lives but I will take a stand if a hero is made out of non-sense. I am not justifying her killing, I am only saying she is a victim; leave her at that, don’t make a hero out of her just for the heck of it.

Seriously, we need to understand what feminism is all about? Are these the kind of heroes we want to give our future generation? No way!

We as educated individuals have to raise concerns when the media goes bonkers over anything and any one. If we don’t exercise care in choosing our heroes, we have to be prepared to see them in our homes.

There are heroes everywhere; there is Malala from the same country. Yes, she is the hero we need.

And if you think, what has it got to do with me? I have a good life, I go to work, have dinner with my family and sleep. Then please go about doing the same but do not be sad when your own daughters face a hard time surviving in a world with such heroes.

Signing off,

D