The Outrage Machine reloaded |
I ONCE made the mistake of watching one Republic TV reel, and now my algorithm refuses to believe I want nothing to do with Arnab Goswami and his nightly shouting festival. Lately, the familiar theatre has returned on my timeline, and this time, the speculation-fuelled ‘geopolitical analysis’ is pure comedy. And that too not the sharp wit of satire, but the kind of ‘comedy’ associated with the comedian Carrot Top in full performance mode.
“This just in: our sources say US Vice President J.D. Vance would turn back mid-flight rather than reach Pakistan for talks,” declared one anchor in a reel. Another gravely informed viewers that Donald Trump was “scared” for Vance’s security in Pakistan. Yet another featured Arnab Goswami on the verge of a literal meltdown, demanding to know how Pakistan could mediate between the US and Iran.
And the theatre continues, as usual. Anyone who has ever watched these studios knows the format: shouting anchors, flashing graphics and outrage dressed up as analysis. None of that is new. What is new this time is the target of the anger: peace talks between the US and Iran, hosted and mediated by Islamabad.
On the face of it, they are criticising Pakistan for facilitating diplomacy. But that invites a simple question: is this war not hurting India too? The conflict has already pressured the Indian rupee, raised fuel costs, disrupted gas supplies, and unsettled markets. India’s dependence on Middle Eastern energy, its shipping exposure around the Strait of Hormuz, and its large workforce in the........