Could you spare a little empathy, Mr Mayor?
Murtaza Wahab's response to the tragic and preventable death of a 3-year-old in Karachi was callous, to say the least.
Hello, my fellow chronically online friends! We’re starting our Monday off strong with a recap of news you might have missed from last week. I know you’re all as chronically online as I am, but despite our collective screen times, there’s always something we’ve missed. So, we’re going to be bringing you all the things we talked about, raged about, criticised, and celebrated on social media in the past week!
Last week started on a rather sombre note as news of a three-year-old’s death from falling into an open manhole on a busy street in Karachi led to calls for the city’s administration to take accountability for the shambolic state of the country’s business hub.
A video of the toddler’s mother, frantically pleading with the rescue team to save her child, went viral on social media. As if the incident itself wasn’t horrific enough, Mayor Murtaza Wahab’s callous response to the incident upset many — and rightly so. The mayor’s lack of empathy for a life cut too short seemed almost like rage-bait. Three days after a disastrous press conference, he apologised and very ‘graciously’ took responsibility for the incident — albeit too late.
While we’re on the subject of politics, let’s be honest: to have a spine in today’s political landscape requires courage. So, when the White House’s official social media accounts shared a video of federal immigration enforcement officers chasing people and detaining them “have you ever tried this one” from the song ‘Juno’ playing in the background, singer Sabrina Carpenter made sure she her government she’s not a party to their “inhumane agenda”. Of course, this ruffled some MAGA feathers, but the White House eventually took down the video. Perhaps, another blonde Grammy winner might want to take note.
Speaking of music, a recap of this week isn’t complete without mentioning Spotify Wrapped. Right off the bat — guys, this is my Met Gala! When my most anticipated event of the year finally hit the music streaming service, I rushed to X to see what other fellow avid music listeners had most played this year and the answer was simple: Pritam.
I wish that wrapped up our content from the music industry, but there was serious tea brewing when Netflix dropped a documentary on one of the most notorious rappers of all time, backed by someone who has known them for a decade. You best believe I and the rest of the internet were seated with popcorn!
50 Cent produced a four-episode documentary series on Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Yes, that Diddy who’s currently serving a 50-month jail sentence after being found guilty of transportation for prostitution and accused of a host of other crimes. And yes, that 50 Cent, who is Diddy’s biggest hater. The documentary explored the ‘Coming Home’ rapper’s problematic rise to fame, as well as damning evidence that puts Diddy at the front of two very famous murders: those of Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. This is your (and our) sign to never beef with someone as petty as 50 Cent!
Another beef that took over social media? The OTT and the cinema divide. Netflix bought Warner Bros’ iconic studio and streaming assets for $72 billion this week and the dread is evident. “Is the cinema dead? Is this the last run before OTT takes over for the worse? We know Christopher Nolan is absolutely hatching a plot to get us out of this mess” are just some thoughts users on X shared when the news broke. This wasn’t expected, and I understand their horror. I mean, Heath Ledger’s Joker on a flat screen instead of IMAX? No, thank you.
Another showdown no one saw coming (though perhaps we should have), was between the country’s most powerful and the country’s most popular. It began with a press conference and was then continued on social media by proponents of the populist leader, with everyone from politicians, stakeholders, the opposition and, of course, X users chiming in.
In other news, the notification was finally issued. Field Marshal Asim Munir is now Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces as well as Chief of the Armed Forces and one of the many to laud the new chief was YouTuber Saadur Rehman, popularly known as Ducky Bhai, in a clip that went viral on X on Sunday night.
The well-known vlogger made some explosive allegations in a YouTube video after spending 100 days in custody where he said he was physically and verbally abused, laying the blame on officials of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency. Ducky Bhai’s account of his alleged abuse garnered support from friends and foes alike, with several X users expressing support and sympathy. Many on social media also asked for a deeper investigation into the underlying issue of how “power has been misused in the country”.
That wraps up our recap for the week! I’m signing off till next week when I’ll be back with more happenings because you know there’s always something to talk about.