These days, the Taliban are executing public executions with increased intensity, a crucial component of their oppressive regime. Among these circumstances, one aspect that should not be overlooked is the misguided fascination of people with witnessing these barbaric displays. Why do people eagerly desire to witness the execution of their fellow human beings by a terrorist group?
We’ve often seen that when an incident occurs in the city, people flock to the scene to witness what has happened or is happening. For example, when there’s an explosion resulting in casualties, when someone is arrested for theft and paraded by the Taliban through the city, when two individuals engage in a violent altercation, or when individuals identified as criminals by the Taliban are to be lashed or executed… In all these events, people are always present, unwilling to miss the spectacle staged ostensibly to deter them. However, their presence is always passive, one-sided, and uncritical.
People merely attend to witness the spectacle and return to their homes and workplaces once it’s over. Most of those who watch the spectacle sympathize with the actions of the Taliban because of a shared religious belief that considers execution as a legitimate, legal, and accepted form of punishment for criminals, emphasizing its enforcement. Therefore, when people witness the execution of an individual deemed a criminal by the Taliban, they not only do not feel anger or hatred but openly express approval, or if they outwardly remain silent due to certain considerations, they inwardly feel gratification towards the Taliban’s actions.
For another segment of the population, who have a strange addiction to spectacles, it doesn’t matter what is included in the display; whether it’s stoning, public flogging, the execution of multiple individuals, or scenes of people being victimized by explosions or natural disasters like floods and earthquakes. Even when victims or survivors of an event require assistance, most spectators prefer not to intervene and opt to distance themselves from the scene. In the case of public executions, these individuals only gather at the venue because a spectacle is being staged in the stadium.
In conclusion, the fascination with witnessing public executions reflects a disturbing aspect of human behavior, driven by a combination of morbid curiosity, religious beliefs, and desensitization to violence. It underscores the necessity of discouraging such displays and promoting a more humane and empathetic society.
In all these events, people desire to spectate: a spectacle for the sake of spectacle. But is spectacle for the sake of spectacle possible? By relying on this recursive idea that serves no purpose other than seeing, you demonstrate irresponsibility and a lack of human commitment toward the ongoing tragedy. This apathy and inadequacy can impose a heavy cost on your and others’ lives. So, while spectacle for the sake of spectacle may seem fine on the surface, behind it lies a grand political ideology that seeks to mold everyone in its image. This ideology, by staging spectacles, distracts you from critical thinking and aims to transform you into indifferent, confused, obedient beings whose only key concern is: “I don’t like politics.” Now you must be convinced that spectacle for the sake of spectacle, like the idea of art for art’s sake, is one of the most political beliefs in favor of desensitization.
The Necessity of Not Glorifying Public Executions
What is unfamiliar and alien among the people of Afghanistan is the refusal to glorify horror and the avoidance of witnessing such barbaric and inhumane ceremonies. People, both due to the shared religious beliefs they hold with the Taliban and because of an addiction to uninterrupted spectacles that poison all aspects of life, have a great interest in witnessing ceremonies of humiliation and torture. However, this perpetuation ultimately victimizes the people themselves. It’s a longstanding habit of the Afghan people to look indifferently at the harsh reality around them as long as they are not directly attacked or harmed, ignoring the fact that disaster lurks behind their doors, waiting to catch each of them sooner or later. We must not allow “every man for himself” to become the norm. We must identify and eradicate the tragedy before it leads us to the slaughterhouse. We must refuse the Taliban’s horror show, which includes executions and suppression, and strive for an alternative. The fundamental principle of this alternative is the refusal to glorify horror. When the Taliban realize that no one is coming to see their inhumane spectacle, they may eventually desist from it in the long run.
Of course, this is a minimal suggestion for combating Taliban intimidation politics. If people have access to a more serious fighting capability, which has significantly broader effects compared to the above suggestion, it is clear that they should choose it. However, if people feel that there is no better way to resist the Taliban, refusing to glorify the executions of this group can be a brave form of response that may lead to the formation of the first nuclei of popular resistance against the Taliban.
