That people do crazy things, and go to crazy lengths to draw public attention is not a new phenomenon anywhere around the world. Even six months ago he was unheard of almost in anywhere in Bangladesh. He is reportedly a freedom fighter and a former teacher of Dhaka University.
The lunatic this writer is talking about is at least 60 years of age, a bald headed person, and (not related to this writer in any capacity). Lately, he has captured public attention by storm. He has managed to do it, by making the most contentious and vulgar of remarks through YouTube videos sharing -- posted by any expat Bangladeshi so far.
Yes, he is none other than the Vienna based Bangladeshi, one Sifat Ullah. Candidly speaking, his unending grudges involving our politicians, political parties and the government have some logical grounds -- but his language of expressing his complaints and grudge his visibly highly offensive. Commonly known as Dadu (Grand pa) he has become almost an iconic virtual figure to reckon with.
Sifat Ullah travels far beyond the conventional and non-conventional extreme slangs of the Bengali language. He has no control over his tongue. Clear symptoms that he has become senile and mentally imbalanced have all become visible from his videos. And most importantly, he is doing it all because of a simple cheap agenda -- seeking countrywide publicity by misusing and also abusing one of the most popular American video-sharing website in the world -- YouTube.
Why Sifat Ullah's video sharing is harmful?
Even though I am rather disgusted to admit it, follow a couple of his postings, and if you are a sane human being you will abhor him. In short, he is the typical example of a fanatical senior citizen you may come across almost at every corner in the country these days. He is injurious to your mental health because of his sudden and wild explosion of obscenity. SU in short, will barely mention some of the unaddressed critical issues of today's Bangladesh and then he will go bang in vomiting whatever filth is left and also by creating more slang.
His postings regarding the ex-girl friend of one our former cricketer and young believed-to-be celebrities demands asking -- why he keeps disrupting the millions of youngsters of this country? To this writer, he clearly appears to be an apostle of hatred and vulgarity. He is unable to provide pragmatic solutions regarding our national issues, and at most of the times he keeps talking in a fit of unmanageable anger. He is dangerously detrimental since he may well inspire many more, inside and outside of the country, to follow his outrageous course of actions. While talking to young students of a private university, this writer was shocked how he managed to shape their young minds.
As a race, we are inherently emotional and passionate about almost any issue. Be it a defeat in the cricket ground or the unresolved Quota issue, offensive characters like Sifat Ullah only triggers chaos for addressing those issues. He has no troubleshooting methods, and more than anyone else he has greatly tarnished the credibility and prestige of the Youtube.
Why am I sad???
I am sad because whatever trash, whatever good and whatever obnoxious he has been posting for the past months is utterly worthless. Not only has he insulted the PM -- the ruling party, all our politicians in general, and a few unknown and unheard of gorgeous beauties -- recently he has been outright slurring Bangladesh as a nation. Nevertheless - the fact that we are a gossip -- mongering nation has been proved once more -- or else Sifat Ullah wouldn't have drawn our attention on any count.
Most importantly, a fatal weakness of the video sharing website, the Youtube is now exposed. Anyone can use it for any wicked purpose, and it is not only for promoting militant Islamic ideologies, but also to promote mental insanity. It is right on this point where the US based video -sharing website must address its weaknesses and flaws. Dangerous and reckless characters like Sifat Ullah have become talk-of-the-town only by taking unwarranted advantages of video YouTube, or else they are practically 'declared non-entities' of our society.
Why Sifat Ullah is actually a nonentity?
For this writer, Sifat Ullah is practically a piece of 'easily avoidable garbage' because he hasn't contributed for the development of either expat Bangladeshis in Austria or for his Austrian friends and employers on any count. Be it charity, knowledge -- transfer, academic pursuit, contribution towards the society, I am honestly unaware where the lunatic fits. Many expat Bangladeshis have excelled in various fields, but he is not one of them.
Sex and scandal definitely sells than most news items, SU sells neither, and he continues to sell his psychosis and vulgarity.
We ourselves made Sifat Ullah a celebrity:
The Vienna based Sifat Ullah is a self-made pointless celebrity in Bangladesh. He actually points his fingers towards a dangerous reality of today's Bangladesh: a considerable majority of young Bangladeshis do acknowledge and accept his insanity and crudity since they like it. This is not good news for us. It's a need of the hour for our youngsters to realise why they should follow him and why they shouldn't.
Also it is surprising why our local media continues to be abuzz with his videos. They have turned him into an uncalled-for hot potato simply because of his do-daring boldness to demean the government law makers.
Why I am afraid of him and why I am not? SU by now has more than a million regular followers and admirers in the country without any logical reason. And I am not afraid since I can become his next potential target. And this writer knows he will probably brand me as a son of a.....
However SU brands me, this writer felt it was the perfect time for delivering an immediate forewarning to the nation, so he did. He is not the least bothered about what SU shares in the future, but he is gravely concerned about the unimaginable harm he has been inflicting on the country's global image and our youngsters.
Often branded as pluralistic, liberal society, and also one of the richest in the world, the Austrian authorities as well as YouTube must take immediate joint action against this lunatic inflicts more harm to all of us.
The writer is the Assistant Editor, The Daily Observer (Sketch: Faquir Foysol)
