The Video Terror

OPED

I cannot boast my skill and sophistication in a complicated trade like ruling a nation, but I can definitely claim a humble general knowledge of governmental structures of various types and times that I have acquainted myself with thanks to the textbooks I have had a chance to lay my hands on throughout my lifetime. For instance, I am quite familiar with the Platonic understanding of state and its management ways and means; I possess a smattering of Confucian philosophy too, and I have read much about Machiavellian insight and practice of handling a ruling regime; I have gone through Hitler’s political biography in detail and I have diligently learnt the Stalinist methodology of governing an empire; my attention has been attracted by ancient atrocities, perpetrated by emperors Nero and Caligula, and the appalling deeds committed by our contemporary infamous political cannibals like Idi Amin and Pol Pot.

This all said and taken down, I do not really know how many states in the world would use extensively the video footage of its citizens’ personal lives for the purpose of suppressing and intimidating them for political reasons, trying to control the unruly individuals and potential nemeses by compromising their reputation, if need be, by using the photo, video and audio evidences of a risqué character against them.

What I know for sure is that this kind of video activity has burgeoned lately in Georgia to the chagrin of most of us who still want and intend to live here and feel happy. This is really scary! What happens is that some invisible unauthorized hand is shooting a video of people while they are engaged in one of the most natural human bodily activities, plainly called sex, to later put on the air via available media of mass communication.

If the question here is ‘why?’, then the answer would probably be ‘why not?’ from the sick unbridled sadist who has a chance and technical ability to exploit the viciously shot and cruelly produced video pieces to the best advantage of those who would pleasurably use the taped excerpts of our personal life as a weapon of political struggle.

The real tragedy of the current hideous moment is explicit in the question ‘why not?’ because it reflects the working style of the creators of those personal-life videos. With those videos out on the air now and in the future, not one member of this society will feel protected. The sense of insecurity becomes overwhelming even if you are one hundred percent sure that they cannot hurt you as you have done nothing that might stir the abominable sadist’s interest towards your personal life.

An analogy with the Abominable Snowman is asking to be used here because both are invisible and dangerous in the same exact way. I don’t believe there is anything sarcastic in my effort to perpetuate the term ‘Abominable Sadist’. This is only my desperate attempt to react to what our entire society thinks is wrong and intolerable. In our happy times of freedom and democracy, we should not be exposed so brutally and unceremoniously to those dreadful means of political confrontation. Just imagine our people frightened to death because every move of theirs is video or audio recorded, including their behavior in their own bedrooms. I understand that objections like exclamations of this kind are not enough to curb the Abominable Sadist. Video and audio products have a nasty quality of being easily copied and momentarily distributed. On top of all that, just think about the victimized unlucky and unsuspecting characters of those cinematographic masterpieces being buried alive – cursed and condemned forever. Thinking even better, the act of criminalization of video and audio activity of this category might be helpful to eradicate cyber-terrorism from our lives, but not enough as a measure.

Georgia has taken the recent sleazy development very seriously. The problem has hit the newspaper pages, TV screens and radio waves; streets have once again witnessed the protesting manifestations; government has started investigation and our public has declared the activity illegal. The impression is that the country has made another strong step towards what makes Georgia and its people look and sound more democratically minded than it has ever been.

Video terror cannot have its way in this country. OK, so much for loud words and emotional interpretations! In reality, the danger is real and present, and it needs proper handling. Otherwise, forget about the long dreamed about freedom and the looming-on-the-horizon democracy. Those two things are inching their way towards Georgia with such nerve-wrecking tardiness! This is why we really need some patience to equip ourselves with. If only patience!

Nugzar B. Ruhadze

24 March 2016 20:48