Recently, Farhan Saeed came forth with a statement regarding the numerous rumors and news pieces surrounding him and Urwa Hocane. The couple, that had separated a while back, seemed to have found their way back to each other – a phenomenon that led to many speculating. In a recent statement, Farhan stated the following:
“We are alright. Urwa and I have decided that we will not make our life very public. The masses just have so much to say about everything and some of their comments can be hurtful. We just want to keep some parts of our lives to ourselves.”
Deconstructing The Statement By Farhan Saeed
Here’s the thing. There is a lot of truth to what Farhan Saeed has stated. Indeed, meme culture and the spread of misinformation have gotten out of hand, where anything can, and does, pass off as legitimate news, given that there is no fact-checking mechanism in place.
Over the past two years, the surge in digital influencers who parade as the harbingers of truth has led to an influx of information, much of which is either unverified, or unreliable. Yet, the rumor mill stays afloat, and continues to churn out every opinion, regardless of whether or not it is fit to air publicly.
Celebrities: Public Vs Private Life
There are multiple arguments that can be, and are made when it comes to this particular topic. First and foremost, the age-old argument is that if celebrities and influencers live their lives publicly, they must also be prepared for the very public takes people will have. While it is true that many PR mechanisms pass on news related to influential people, and a lot of what gets out can be carefully manufactured, it is essential to analyze the response as well.
At what point did we become empowered enough to share awful takes publicly? Whether it’s slut-shaming, posting degrading comments, or shaming people for harmless choices – how did we collectively get to a point where positioning one’s worst version for others to agree with became the status quo?
We see this when it comes to people who have no say in the public manner of their existence. Whether it’s people passing numerous, horrid judgments on a young girl whose parents are trying to get her back, or people bemoaning and ultimately making a hero out of a deceased public figure, how is it that we tend to get it wrong every time?
Art Vs The Artist
There is a lot of talk about separating the art from the artist. Indeed, the people you see online are often not the people they are in real life. That is how the principle of branding works. Each individual has been transformed into a brand, which has its benefits of course, but also takes away the humanness of the person in question. When that human element is taken away, the brand is treated as such – a sentient amalgam of marketing techniques, that can be critiqued in any which way.
This entire model of engagement, starting from the transfiguration of a person into a brand, to the way people are conditioned to react to it, is thoroughly disturbing. Both ends of the spectrum begin losing vital aspects that make us human. Empathy, kindness, and the need to contextualize matters before passing judgments – all these values seem to have dissipated before our very eyes.
Summing Up
Perhaps, we can find our way back to understanding that judgment and feedback must be reserved for the art and artist offers (unless they’ve done something horrible, in which case the court of public opinion must demand accountability – an act that seems to always rain down upon victims, as opposed to perpetrators).
There is a ton of tweaking that is needed on both ends. Artists must reevaluate how much of their lives they are willing to offer up in an environment that is becoming increasingly brutal. The audience must take into account the fact that empathy is vital, in all cases, and at all times. Working in tandem, we can leave the digital sphere a lot better than we have found it to be. However, there must be willingness on both ends to create that tomorrow.
