SEPT 18 — Once upon a time, there was a guy named… Zac! Zac Azron. Quite a good-looking guy, in fact. Most girls wanted to be with him while most guys wanted to be him (some guys also wanted to be with him!).
Always dressed casually, he had the rugged and boyish good looks which just screamed sex appeal. But this story is not about Zac’s good looks. It’s about a situation which Zac found himself in.
Zac happens to be a journalist and documentary filmmaker. Moderately successful, he has managed to get several of his films broadcast on Malaysian national television. And being a journalist, he always strives to tell true stories of ordinary folks.
So Zac went all the way to Pattani in southern Thailand to find out how the ordinary folks there live amidst the conflict and violence. As we all know, there are Islamic militants there who are fighting the Thai government for an autonomous state. So, he dodged bullets and bombs to get the stories of the people there. (Not really. He just wants people to think he did so he would look more macho!)
When he got back safe and unharmed, he hawked the documentary film tirelessly to local broadcasters, believing the Malaysian public (and the Pattani one as well) would greatly benefit from watching what he had documented. One progressive broadcaster decided to take a chance and a deal was made for the documentary to be screened. Zac felt satisfied that his journalistic responsibility was somehow fulfilled.
The publicity and promotion of the documentary film went into full force. Zac did the media rounds, appearing on television, radio talk shows and newspapers to plug the upcoming screening. He even spammed people on his Facebook list and in his e-mail address book. Excitement and anticipation ensued. Then, the unexpected happened.
Two days before the scheduled screening, Zac received a call from the broadcasters. The “powers above” had requested they remove the documentary from the line-up indefinitely while they took time to consider whether to ban it. Zac couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He questioned why. No logical answers were received. But an appeal was made. And the decision of which he now awaits.
Zac wondered why the gatekeepers in the country act in such a way. The age old questions arise. Are we not a matured society? Do we need to be told what we can and can’t watch, listen or read? Do we not have minds of our own? But then again, these questions can only be asked if the “powers above” are doing something because they feel they have a responsibility to take care of us. What questions, then, do we ask if we feel the “powers above” are actually just taking care of themselves? But hey, it’s just a story right?
Zan Azlee scours the Internet for interesting videos. The abundance of idle time forces him to write responses to the videos he views.
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