Decadence in crystal ice!

Social media is a heartless platform -- no one item seems to dominate interest for too long.

With the war raging in the middle east, the scarcity of fuel was the hot topic for several days with people posting images, depicting their waiting ordeal at the petrol pumps across the city.

Although the fuel crisis persists, the topic de jour is no longer the long hour spent in the lines.

That has been swiftly and, almost unceremoniously, taken over by the detention of a young lady with a large consignment of items for making the deadly drug crystal meth, aka ice.

In normal circumstances, this would have become semi viral for, let’s say, a few hours or so but when the person caught in a long route bus happens to be attractive, the interest level spirals.

The ensuing debate has transcended narcotics and has waded into convoluted philosophical deliberation as to how such a lovely girl got caught in such a diabolical web.

This news seems to have triggered more excitement than worry because the person in question is a young lady.

As comments often go haywire, countless people on social media have expressed their desire to have such a person as their lifelong companion.  

Without offending anyone, danger, daring and the dame do make a compelling blend!

But these observations, made by people from different spheres of society, actually reflect on how social outlook is still influenced by preconceived notions and how some ideas, programmed deftly into the inner layers of our psyche, continue to thrive.

Evil Often Has a Slick Surface

This knowledge rests at the back of our heads but in the face of something pleasant and beautiful, we forget it.

Shakespeare pithily said in The Merchant of Venice: there’s no vice so simple but wears a mark of virtue on its outward front and then, the bard went on to be even more blunt in saying “all that glitters is not gold”, often we have been told!

Yet, time and again, society in general is deceived by looks of innocence, appearances of civility and the dazzle of mesmeric beauty.

In South Asian countries, this deception is even more entrenched because from an early age, “Shundor” or beautiful is religiously presented as sacred while “Nongra” or ugly is something which, on the outside, does not seem appealing and therefore, is perennially unholy.

The damage is thus done -- in our mind, we take the appearance to be the arbiter of our judgement.

Hence, a suave looking properly dressed man or a woman with a bewitching smile is never the epitome of the wicked.

In the recent case, where the lady was caught by the law enforcers, the social media went into an overdrive about the arrested person’s outward appearance, instead of focusing on the deadly cargo she was carrying.  

This, sadly, indicates how general reactions can be clouded by an image that is pleasing to our senses.

One is compelled to quote Shakespeare once more, this time from As You Like it: Beauty provokes thieves sooner than gold!

Immediately after the arrest, a variety of salacious stories, covering human vices ranging from greed to lust have been presented and these include the lure of the latest iPhone to getting involved in drug running to please the paramour.

Whatever the case, one certain fact is that instant monetary gain, whether in the form of cash or an expensive item, must have been the motivation.

And this is where we get deeper into the unscrupulous layers of a pernicious social creed, continuing to vitiate young minds.

Scruples Be Damned!

The video of the girl carrying the contraband items as luggage in a long route bus has become a national sensation of sorts.

While most comments either marvel at her sharp features or express regret as to how such a person got into a mess like this, what many will fail to notice is the calm, composed nature of the person.

Unperturbed, she seemed in full control of her emotions.

While commenting on her demeanour, social analyst Faizul Bari said: “There can be two reasons for this. One, she has been caught before and knows that after a while she will secure bail. Two, she is too young to realise the gravity of her crime.”

In elaborating on the second part of his assessment, Bari adds: “If the story about the iPhone is true then we are looking at a case which is symptomatic of a disconcerting social affliction -- rejection of all scruples to acquire an object of desire.

Would it be wrong to say that this girl is but a victim of a mercenary culture that has insidiously crept into our social layers?

In the pre-Eid frenzy of going home and spending a prolonged holiday, this story will gradually fade away but the girl in question must face a thorough psychological evaluation by specialists to understand how blatant materialism has become a motivating force for a large number of young people.

The other, crucial dimension to look at, says Asma Ahmed, a psychiatrist, is the desperation to get something valuable fast.

This get-rich-quick approach is the driving force for many young people who look at the traditional way of “work your way up” with scorn, taking up quick earning schemes, no matter how dubious, with ease.

Syed Mehdi, a veteran journalist, who had written extensively on the scourge of Yaba, the caffeinated meth based drug, when it first appeared in the Dhaka clubbing scene at the turn of the century, contends: “In 2002-2003, Yaba entered the drug scene as a party mood enhancer substance which was peddled by women engaged in the entertainment industry. Then, over the next few years, the carriers were often general women who escaped the law simply because the established perception of a drug dealer never imagines a young woman as a peddler.”

Come to think of it, unless there’s definite information, law enforcers will rarely stop a woman to check for banned items, he adds.

“The reason the recent arrest was made in a bus was because the law had confirmed information on the carrier.”

Faizul feels that capitalising on striking looks, a large number of young people have been lured into a wide range of illicit acts: drug peddling, carrying raw materials for making drugs, setting up honey traps to extort money via a plethora of scams (marriage, insurance, Ponzi schemes).

To end on a lighter note, the guy who was thrilled to get the seat next to the lady who was arrested also had his romantic sensations shattered as he reportedly was subjected to a thorough body search.

“Will never crave a beautiful travel companion any more,” he wrote on Facebook.

Well, to end with Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice) once more: The world is still deceived with ornament!

[Towheed Feroze is a former journalist!]