What keeps our society from ‘growing up’?

News channels – limiting our range of thought?

People in power always want a bundle of followers or a group of non-thinking people. People who need to be fed on pre digested thought that they are given in the form of slogans. We, being a non thinking   society, it suits us. Even if we want to think, efforts are made to limit our thinking range.

When a congress leader said “that politics is a good business, one can buy the Rajya Sabha seat for 200 crores and then make more money. The news reader on Times Now, instead of getting alarmed at this said, “Will he be pulled up for mocking at democracy?” He should have been shocked at the revelation by an insider.  He should have asked for a probe into misuse of democracy.

 Whenever someone hints at the corruption in judiciary, media stumps this by warning that this is contempt of court. While media should have asked, “Is judiciary also corrupt?” When people protest against the non responsiveness of the police or justice system, news anchor will say “What will happen to law of jurisprudence, if people want justice in streets”. He will not let people think that justice process needs relook, but keep you tied to the words like Democracy, Jurisprudence and contempt.

Var or Palatwar- Attack, Counter attack-“ leader of congress attacks leader of BJP” and in next breaking news you listen” leader of BJP counter attack on congress” giving you a shock when you find both the leaders going hand in hand to save the  BCCI chairman Mr.  Srinivasin. Nobody is attacking any one. It is pre fixed match between two looters to jointly loot the nation’s resources keeping people glued to TV’s where ( Koi Nahin Chalata Par Teer Chal Rahe Hain)

Manufacturing our consent

Media not only limits our thinking range but at times  works to manufacture public consent  in favor of the vested interests  - these may be FDI, Nuclear Power, Naxals etc. - by bringing the conclusions of their discussions  on the pre decided  conclusions.

 Entertainment channels – limiting the growth of our value system?

Majority of our popular serials are busy showing worst of the human traits like cheating, greed, suspicion, deceit, manipulation, cunningness, superficialiaity. Even when you see someone going to make tea in kitchen, someone will be watching with a twinkle in her eyes from a window as if she has kept poison in the milk pot and moment she is about to sip the tea - the  episode ends suddenly, keeping you thinking  these worst of human emotions ,which will not allow you grow to the grandeur of life .Thus what starts as dose of entertainment ends up polluting  the Indian viewers mind .

Comedy amuses but pollutes-

These days there is lot of rush of the audience on the comedy channels.  Though these channels provide us  a  temporary relief  from  our  stressful life  but these channels revolve around double meaning dialogues , humiliation of the other, crude dialogues and very often - lack of creativity, thus lowering  our sense of grace and aesthetics.

But are these channels alone responsible for showing us these serials? Or do we also enjoy them which further encourage the media channels to show us more of these? It seems like us and the media are together responsible from not making our country ‘grow up’…