‘Name bashing’ – The latest versions

Name bashing- a favorite game tearing up names and reputations. Not that it’s a new game in town. It has always been there, but has assumed dangerous and many times frightening dimensions these days. It is so widespread that no one seems to be spared. The social media has become one, massive name shredder and reputation destroyer. But more worrying is that even the mainstream media, knowingly or otherwise, seems to have been caught up in this very unethical and also unholy game. Mostly in the guise of interviews with ‘politicians,’ ‘commentators,’ ‘activists,’…the names of those who can’t defend themselves in real time are put on the chopping block.

The names of personalities who have done much for this country, those who have put their lives on the line, many paying the ultimate sacrifice, are pounded and pounced upon to the point of making them irrelevant un the history of the land. The ruse seldom has the effect it is supposed to bring about. But the very experience of watching the name-marauders having a field day is, to put it lightly, chilling. It really gets on your nerves. Current politics, unfortunately, has taken name bashing to new levels. People have suffered and are suffering. Character assassination is no more about storyline from fictional works. It is so real you don’t even recognize it. What in the world am I saying! I’ll tell you what; anything that has evolved into day-to-day routine and, to use a recently popular phrase, that has become the New Normal, is taken as just that, normal!

You’re talking about a very efficient and industrious fellow when this human, flesh and blood, name shredder jumps in, “I know the guy. He never does anything on his own; He’s always stealing ideas and making others do the work for him.” Mind you, he is talking about someone you have known and worked with for a decade and more! The name shredder doesn’t even blink! It is sad that even some of the usually reserved and well-mannered guys suddenly flip over and start chipping away at the reputation of someone they have been close to for years. The soft-hearted would dismiss that as some collective curse we could do nothing about. How nice it would have been if the answers were so simple!

There is this Amharic pun more or less saying “Don’t emigrate with your childhood chum. Obvious; he knows you inside out and you wouldn’t have any chance for a complete facelift of your profile. You’d have to handle him with care, wouldn’t you? But when a C childhood chum rewrites your bio to satisfy his newfound political appetite, nothing breaks your heart more than that. Many stories of such backstabbing, mostly with ethnic edge, make the rounds. Colleagues who have been working in the same office for a decade probably know about each of their work performance. But don’t be surprised if one day you discover they are busy at pushing each other’s name into the ground.

“The GM is having an affair with the wife of the finance head,” could sound as an everyday rumor; but it could prove to be a many-edged sword for the fellow in question. He might have done it or not.

 That’s for his spouse and maybe the courts. But it is that cat-out-of-the-box story. Once the mud balls start flying in, cleaning up will be one, very difficult job. And the name would never be a clean slate again.

The problem with name bashing is that with ‘creativity’ dying out obscenities fill the gaps. Of course, especially in politics, there’s no lasting camaraderie. But sometimes the speed at which groupings just go up in smoke is bewildering. A number of supposedly like-minded politicos establish some group. Only a few months into their existence the name bashing starts and everyone goes for everyone’s throats!

Evil is digging deep! No doubt about that There is a lot of it around. Take the evil politician; as long as he thinks his ends will be served he will throw you to the nearest shark. It is not about humanity; it is not about acting as civilized people do, it is not about doing one’s math right. Two plus two is no more four. It is about trampling on anyone we think is blocking our way. And believe me such politicians are the master name shredders because devoid of brainpower to think rationally, they resort to the ‘tried and tested’ strategy of throwing others to the wolves.

Then there is the evil hubby. He thinks his only responsibility as a hubby is throwing some morsel of money every month and making sure his wife is there to satisfy his animal instincts whenever he puts away a lot of vodka, which is every other day. The poor wife! And he is the one who will be telling his friends about his wife’s shortcomings none of which are true. The way to cover his shortcomings is painting his innocent wife a monster.

Look those still walking and talking can defend themselves. But bashing the names and reputations of those who are gone for good decades and centuries back is something the logic of which you can never catch. How inconsiderate can people be!

Some names are bashed to the point of total annihilation. Much fiction and little fact dangerously mixed the onslaught is a sort of D-day. Once someone’s name has been used as target practice it’s not always like “Oh forget about it; have a nice day.” That’s for the movies.