I've been pondering over many logic defying things over the past couple of months. And though I don't count myself as a genius in the field of politics, sociology and psychology, I have come to a few conclusions. Over the past few years I've observed a disturbing pattern in journalism in India and the world over. First, the kind of news that is becoming relevant . Take the case of the many controversies that have been covered over the course of a year in India alone. Padmavati, celebrity weddings, Big Boss, incessant and unnecessary debates (if you can call them that) on channels like Times Now and Republic. Add to that the large number of fake videos and articles on relevant topics littered around the internet and you'll soon realise why everything is going backwards.
Progressiveness starts with logic which for some strange reason is being lost in the modern world. It seems absurd that people would believe anything blindly. And even more disturbing is the net result of this habit of not reading up facts .
I can see one very disturbing pattern in all of this- the kind of mediums we are exposed to and the kind of content that is circulating. How is it that a country which seemed so tolerant and to a certain extent way more logical is now going back to the middle ages? Why would someone vote for a rapist or murderer? Why would a godman have an army at his disposal to sacrifice their lives?Why would people accept laws that put the protection of cows above women?
As a child who was born in the 90's, I have seen a steady decline in the kind of content that comes on TV alone. And in turn a steady decline in the quality of discussions people have. There were progressive shows on TV in those days. Women who stood their ground, gave up on abusive husbands, took up jobs and fought against societal taboos. Teens were encouraged to find love and men were taught to be more empathetic. Making fun of something absurd was never a crime and citizens were encouraged to be strong, individualistic and independent. Even mainstream cinema had radical stories about people breaking away from the usual norms. Think movies like "My brother Nikhil, Damini". News channels had civilized discussions about things that really mattered-everyone remembers the good old days of NDTV. Politics seemed more dignified as well. Even with BJP! Who can forget the dynamic Atal Bihari Vajpayee?Where did it all disappear? How did we turn from a nation that was becoming more tolerant and more open to this? In the 21st century so many important things are still out of reach for the citizens of this country- Sex education, sanitization, women's security and rights, economic prosperity and most importantly "logic".
Why is the nation more interested in things like Big Boss, religion, cows and moral policing instead of focusing on things that actually matter. Could it be that we as a society have been trained to be the sheep? To not pose uncomfortable questions? Are irrelevant issues deliberately being pushed in our faces so that we turn our minds away from the real problem? Well i don't have the answers. After all I am just a spectator too. Perhaps if we all weren't so bogged down by the mundane we wouldn't have to ask these questions in the first place.