In Psych 101, we learned that when there is an emergency, it’s not enough to yell “Somebody please get help!” Humans, with our tendency to shy away from danger or responsibility, will simply ignore the call to action, opting for a sort of “Well, that guy over there will probably do something” mentality. The best method, then, is to single someone out, point at him, look him in the eye, and firmly instruct, “You, in the green shirt — call 9-1-1. Now!”
Tom Watson used exactly that tactic in his plea Tuesday that bloggers worldwide join him to publicize the kidnapping of Mukhtaran Bibi by the Pakistani government. And, just as a psychology professor might have predicted, he has gotten a response.
In a post entitled “Musharraf = Coward,” Watson begins by criticizing President Bush for cozying up to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, a man who has stood by while Pakistani tribal councils pass rulings such as the one Mukhtaran received last fall: as punishment for her brother’s wrongdoing, she was sentenced to be gang-raped. Watson writes:
I can hear them snickering disdainfully in the Oval [Office]: “All this fuss for one little woman, one illiterate Pakistani from a rural province. Don’t these idiots know there are sensitive geopolitical politics at stake here? We’re a nation at war. We must support President Musharraf. It is vital to the region.”
Well here’s a little more fuss for you, Mr. President — your great ally, the wonderful President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan is a weak, woman-hating, dreadful coward of a man, a friend of those who would rape to humiliate and scorn, and pillage for power and perversion.
Watson refers readers to his older posts chronicling the terrible treatment of Mukhtaran Bibi before adding a heartfelt touch: “It sounds quaint and facile and boyish, but Mukhtaran Bibi is my hero — a small, willful package of courage and steel in the face of group torture and violence by the weak-souled, God-hating cowards who would make her a victim.”
And then, the call to action. Watson asks bloggers to help draw attention to the issue by linking to his post and to Nicholas Kristof’s latest column in the New York Times about Mukhtaran Bibi, or by writing a piece of their own about her strife.
But he does not just issue a blanket request; he singles out 24 bloggers who should get involved. And just to tack on a little peer pressure, he crosses off their names once they do their part for the Mukhtaran cause. So far, 11 from Watson’s list have responded, and the message has spread through the blogosphere.
Jason Chervokas from The Astounding Trickster puts the issue in “local terms,” assuming that “Americans only care about things American.” So how does Mukhtaran Bibi’s plight over there affect us over here? Well, for starters, it should make us question keeping Pakistan as an ally, he says.
Just how good an ally is Pakistan? Bin Laden’s living there. They refuse to turn over A.Q. Khan. And they placed a gang-raped woman under arrest because she wanted to speak out for the protect and rights of women. When will someone in the press corps have the balls to ask the president how Pakistan fits into his notion of democracy in action?
Ezra Klein gives his own long recap of Mukhtaran Bibi’s story, along with a call to action not just within the blogosphere, but out there in the real world as well.
Having Mukhtaran Bibi speak out about Pakistan’s brutal side didn’t fit the softer, more Western image [Pakistan President] Musharraf wanted to project. What he really didn’t count on, though, was a columnist for the New York Times taking up the case and making more noise than she ever could’ve. And I bet he’s not expecting outraged emails from all over the world to fly into his government’s inboxes. Which is why they should be. And they should be loud, outraged and laced with threats about how many congressmen will be informed and how much noise will be made. They should, above all, be perfectly clear on one count: If she dies, her voice will be far louder than if she lived.
Go.
Following his one-word imperative, Klein provides Watson’s list of names, email addresses, and areas of specialty for seven people at the Pakistani embassy.
Although the call to fight against human rights violations is one that should appeal to people on both sides of the political spectrum, one poster in Watson’s comment section warned that his attacks on Bush weaken his cause: “You gotta stop leading a call to arms such as this with bashing the White House and Bush voters for two reasons: You want and need EVERYBODY to help this women, and the White House may end up being the only hope to gain her freedom.”
All in all, an impressive day in the blogosphere, showing the power not just of networking, but also of explicit calls to action directed to specific bloggers.
–Samantha Henig
Samantha Henig was a CJR Daily intern.