West imposes double standards regarding its own interests

After listening to "Edge of Revolution," a new song by the Candian band Nickelback, one can easily understand how clever the West is in expressing and propagating its views.



In this song, a new generation, especially teenagers, are seduced into agitating against the state. But unfortunately this agitation is called "revolution."



This song was released by the same Western media which emphasizes the promotion of democratic values and traditions and teaches us the lessons of democracy. Is it possible that a media that trusts in democracy can bring about change by agitation and revolution?



Wayne Isham, an American, directed the video for Nickelback's song, producing a video that shows scenes of protests and military marches in the background. Scenes of recent Pakistani and Ukrainian political crises, the Occupy movement, and the Arab spring are also shown.



In the video, Nickelback performs in front of teenage school children. After a while, the children get inspired by the song and start throwing books and furniture in the classroom.



However, in this song the children are not encouraged to take part in practical politics, but rather the politics of agitation, annoyance and protest against the state.



The West has double standards regarding the fostering of its interests. Sometimes it targets a nation because of lack of democratic system, and sometimes it systemically plots against democratic systems.



Isn't that precisely what encouraging young people to protest against the state is?



Western people protest very peacefully. Protesters hold up placards, and after a few speeches people disperse peacefully. But "Edge of Revolution" is teaching our children to become violent and resort to aggressive protests.



Change in the West is brought about through elections, while "Edge of Revolution" is teaching our children to bring about change through violent agitation.



Occupy Wall Street was almost entirely a nonviolent movement, but this song is trying to export the Occupy movement, blended with a dash of violence, to Asia, where the vested interests of the West are no longer realizable through diplomacy, plotting and support for armed and fundamentalist groups.



The poem "White Man's Burden" was written in 1899, but even today Western nations have not been able to set aside their sense of moral superiority.



In the age of globalization everything is becoming global, but it would be better if globalization were confined to spreading science, technology and education only.



Morality and politics should be left to evolve at the natural pace of each nation. Instead of imposing ideologies through propaganda, it would be better to allow them to emerge naturally through the spread of scientific education and technology.



Science itself will change the world. Coercing young minds through media to take a stand against states is another form of interference in the internal affairs of independent states.



Farman Nawaz, a Pakistani columnist and runs an Urdu Weekly newspaper in Pakistan

