Smoke gets in your eyes

It tells the story of how a Hollywood producer was hired by the White House to create and orchestrate a fictitious war in the media to distract public attention away from a presidential sex scandal.

The idea was so conceivable that even President Bill Clinton had been accused of attacking Afghanistan and Sudan in 1998 to divert attention from his infamous case with Monica Lewinsky.

Sometimes I wonder if I, as a journalist, have ever been manipulated or clouded by petty and insignificant, but intentional, smoke screens and distractions.

I wonder if all the brouhaha about fatwas being issued about liberalism and pluralism being 'haram' is just a diversion for the social inequalities that are happening in Malaysia.

I also wonder if ISMA, PERKASA and Ridhuan Tee, who created so much anger through their racist statements and religious intolerance, are just smoke screens to cover up corruption from the public.

I wonder if getting the people of Malaysia all riled up about how unIslamic it is to touch a dog is really just to move attention away from more oppressive acts such as political prosecution.

I wonder if causing Malaysians to tiff over how the extremely bad weather in the country is the wrath of God because Octoberfest and Halloween is being celebrated in our country, is to blind us from the country's financial woes.

I wonder if creating such a fuss about a ridiculous issue like the serving of alcohol by sexy air stewardesses is the cause of the MH tragedies, is to not make us realise the sad state of our education system.

Well, to be honest, I can only wonder. Just like how the American people can only wonder if President Clinton really attacked two countries just to cover up his sexual misconduct.

But then again, if we watch many of the films made by our mainstream film producers and directors, I find it hard to believe that there can be anyone creative enough to orchestrate such things here.

So even if if things like these are to cloud our eyes from bigger issues, it is still a sad state of affairs because we get so worked up over issues that hurt society and pit people against each other.