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Generalizing the specifics

Off late this has been the theme favoured by all and sundry in media and politics. Any issue, whether its worth getting tabbed as one or not is a totally different story, is picked scrutinized and debated..sorry..argued in detail and is used as a weapon to derail any legislative/parliamentary proceeding. It could be as simple as a comment by a lady to leave the country in fear or as comical as the current JNU "crisis". Is the government over reacting in pressing sedition charges? Are the opposition fools to sit in protest supporting those shouting anti India slogans and chanting praises of the very guy who attacked our parliament? Take each of those questions individually and try answering them and put them in context to verify your response. I am dead sure the results would be oxymoronic.

By repeatedly calling a lie in different forms and tones, the mainstream media has really established in making the nation intolerant. Everyone is jumping at shadows and wants their individual issues to be given limelight. The most shameful of the lot being, even deaths are not exempt from this madness. The media houses probably are watching the caste column on the obit sections with an eagle's eye for any death due to mishap. The moment minority, mishap and death synch its all bedlam and mayhem. Guess even vaasthu plays a role here. You've to be born or living or dead in some place in and around the AP region, which is the "media border" for hindi and non hindi states. The three girls whose deaths have sparked wide spread condemnation and call for investigation on the sham of our higher educational system in TN has been put to silent death and wasn't even mentioned in many channels, while the suicide of Vemula got the craziest of publicity. The atrocious part of the sad incident was that the focus moved from the reason for death towards validating the credibility of his caste status. Wonder how those people sleep at night in peace. Again, if you go by the baseline of investigating student deaths, why an obviously suspicious death of so many students, with recorded evidence of malpractice by the management goes unquestioned, while the other being overblown out of proportion. The same actor who blasted the mainstream media on twitter and on TV for ignoring the chennai floods is awarded with citizen bravery crap of award by the very same channels. Irony dies many a  death everyday in this great country. The megalomanic who gobbles thousands of crores in loans, who blatantly refuses money for his employees, wags his finger at the banks claiming bankruptcy goes on to publish the costliest calendars the country has ever seen and rubs the noses of those very agencies in mud by splashing money on buying sports clubs. No government, past or present, has the galls to seize his assets and put him behind bars. There is hardly any news about these as well. Every state runs up lakhs of crores of debts while the ruling and opposition parties assets show exponential increase. No one raises a finger against these. People gets killed by speeding cars for sleeping on footpaths. The beauty being neither the driver nor the passenger was driving the car, yet it ran over those people. This is a verdict delivered after decade of deliberation and there are people who celebrate such a result.

It all steps back to the way issues are slotted. No source is trust worthy. Everyone has paid and hidden motive and the greed to get maximum exposure and benefit out of viral sensationalism has killed the concept of breaking news. Nothing is an incident or an accident any more. Every news article is a potentially new conspiracy in making. In past 2 years, in the name of throwing mud on the government by the opposition and in pretext of claiming higher moral ground as messiah of the nation, both the ruling and opposition have created such a vicious environment. All this at a time when the nation is poised for exponential growth with virtually no competition. If at all there is a tipping point, i guess its very much on the sights. Whether its going to be belly up or otherwise is left only to the maker to decide.


Comments

Ramesh said…
Alas, an accurate depiction of current state of affairs. Large heartedness and enabling the good of the country without destabilising it is simply not on the minds of anybody.

Gilsu for CM of TN.

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