SHOUT A LITTLE SOFTLY
Do Indians know how to debate?
And when I say debate I mean an impassioned but still sensible discussion.
And when I say debate I mean an impassioned but still sensible discussion.
Not the screaming and slander that substitutes for it. And very often without any proof.
Every small thing causes ‘outrage’. Everything is Breaking News.
Every small thing causes ‘outrage’. Everything is Breaking News.
Newscasters are always up in arms.
And usually about EVERYTHING. Big or Small. Important or Not.
And its not just the TV ‘people’ (99% of them aren’t fit to be called journalists) it everyone.
Politicians (mostly the likes of Amar Singh rushing to the ‘well of the house’ at every perceived insult), Businessmen (Anil Ambani washing his very private dirty linen publicly on the front pages of all dailies), Actors (Amitabh Bachchan threatening to stop blogging coz people were assuming Aishwarya had swine flu after he himself mentioned her having flu on his blog). They all seem to like to discuss every issue at the highest possible decibel.
And its not just the TV ‘people’ (99% of them aren’t fit to be called journalists) it everyone.
Politicians (mostly the likes of Amar Singh rushing to the ‘well of the house’ at every perceived insult), Businessmen (Anil Ambani washing his very private dirty linen publicly on the front pages of all dailies), Actors (Amitabh Bachchan threatening to stop blogging coz people were assuming Aishwarya had swine flu after he himself mentioned her having flu on his blog). They all seem to like to discuss every issue at the highest possible decibel.
Both vocally and emotionally.
Never mind then that “Reason” seldom finds its way among all that noise.
Never mind then that “Reason” seldom finds its way among all that noise.
Abdul Kalam was frisked? Let's Ban Continental Airlines.
Shah Rukh Khan was ‘detained’ for 66 minutes? Let's frisk all Americans. Or 'Tit for Tat' as the Lady Minister imaginatively called it.
Jaswant Singh was expelled? That means the BJP is finished. Lets write its obituary.
Rakhi Sawant got engaged? How could she??? Isn’t she supposed to be the national bitch?
(Its another point ofcourse that Ms. Sawant is proving to be just that now with all the excuses she is making to back out of the 'engagement')
There are never any coherent arguments. Just rhetoric. LOUD rhetoric.
There are never any coherent arguments. Just rhetoric. LOUD rhetoric.
Just like the daily soaps on TV.
LOUD. LOUD. LOUD!
Purported ‘news’ becomes loud ‘lecturing’ by the anchors and the ‘discussion’ is often reduced to a Question Of The Day which needs to be answered always with just a YES or a NO.
(Even here they don’t have the common sense to understand that Question Of The Day implies 1 question per day. Not 1 every hour)
The answer to “Should Amitabh Bachchan finally retire? SMS Y or N to xxxx ” is very quickly revealed by a panting anchor to be 89% YES.
Now while I may personally agree about his long overdue retirement, my own Question Of The Day is “89% of how many? 8, 9, 89, 890, 890,000,000??”
We are never told are we? We just get some over-eager journo (and almost always in an ill fitting suit) insisting its doomsday for Mr. Bachchan.
We say India is the IT hub of the world.
We say India is the world’s biggest democracy.
We say India is an emerging superpower.
We say India has the biggest purchasing power in its middle class.
We say we need a place in the permanent membership of the Security Council.
Yet no one seems to be taking us seriously. No one seems to be listening.
Why?
Now while I may personally agree about his long overdue retirement, my own Question Of The Day is “89% of how many? 8, 9, 89, 890, 890,000,000??”
We are never told are we? We just get some over-eager journo (and almost always in an ill fitting suit) insisting its doomsday for Mr. Bachchan.
We say India is the IT hub of the world.
We say India is the world’s biggest democracy.
We say India is an emerging superpower.
We say India has the biggest purchasing power in its middle class.
We say we need a place in the permanent membership of the Security Council.
Yet no one seems to be taking us seriously. No one seems to be listening.
Why?
Afterall ALL of the above claims are definitely true.
Maybe we just need to speak a little softly.
Soft Power anyone??
Soft Power anyone??
Till Next Time
Luv
Vish
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