The Idiot Box and the Idiots

Today, i really have to vent out my frustration at the Idiot Box. A revolutionary creation of the 50's, Television has really occupied the majority of people's lives. Nowadays, people cannot even think of a day without television. Sports, News, Entertainment, Music and several other genres occupy the Bulk of Television time, which is nowadays 24/7/365. But, if one dwells into the content that is coming out on Television, we wonder as to why this is called the Idiot Box. With the growth in the economy, Television has expanded like never before. Penetration of Television has touched billions, and now with Satellite Television making inroads, we wonder as to what can the next development be.

Penetration of Television to the remotest of areas is indeed welcome, but one also needs to look at the content that is played on the Tube. Unfortunately, nothing flattering can be written about the content that is shown on TV. From Voyareustic News channels to Stereotypical Soap Operas, Television has made certain sections of the population Idiots, because these things are created taking into account their likes.

The main problem for the Cheap and crap content that is put out on Television comes from he Soap Operas. They have created such a stereotype of Indian Society that one wonders as to the existence of such things. The grandeur, style, message and the glossy production cannot hide the fact that here is a strong message of Conservatism and the adherence to the Joint Family system. The Woman in particular are shown in a very different and negative light. At the same time, the woman is caricatured to be the epitome of perfection, like wearing a Sari, putting on the Forehead Sindhoor at all times is one of the many problematic visuals that Television puts out. The bad news here is that many audiences of the Middle Class and the upper middle class conduct parallels with their own lives.

The other problem comes in the form of certain music and comedy game shows that are put out on TV channels. In particular, i would like to mention the programes 'Indian Idol' and the 'Great Indian Laughter challenge'. Both these shows are testament to the fact that there is no scope for hard work, Creativity and Talent. Now, in the platform of Television and the so-called SMS Audience Power, any person can become an Indian Idol and have his 15 minutes of fame under the Sun. They later on Fade away, and more of this is repeated. Gone are those days, when True Talent was being spotted and were made to work hard. The songs that were put out by certain artists of the 50's, 60's and the 70's still stand out today. Asha Bhonsale, Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt, Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Hemant Kumar all became legends out of their own hard work. Today, not a single song lasts for more than 6 months, and some new person comes out and fills up the thrash that already exists in the Indian Music of today.

The Great Indian Laughter challenge is a death knell for Creativity here. The comedy that comes out of many participants are cheap and not at all funny. In fact, i think that the Audience are laughing because they have nothing else to laugh about. True, Witty and Intelligent Comedy are dying out, and it doesn't look like this will be revived in the coming times.

The News channels, more notably the Hindi News Media, have indeed become channels for Voyauerism and Infotainment. What bothers the nation is of no ultimate importance, but personal incidences become breaking news for long periods and dominate the Airways. Serious content is blocked out, because the people are more interested in the gossip and scandal of personal events as well as of society itself. These Voyareustic media provide such a platform, and thus the people who watch these channels have already being Dumbed down to the level of Idiots.

To add to all this, Advertisers rake in more and more of the Money, at the expense of People's mind. In a one hour show of Indian Idol, 30-35 minutes are filled with Advertisements. These infotainment channels have been created to rake up the Advertising Money, because they wont focus on serious issues. By giving Breaking News status to anything scandalous in personal lives, entertainment, they cater to the audiences desire for gossip.

Walter Lippmann in his book Public Opinion has said that "Men Trusted the Pictures in their Head". This statement can be applied to the Television scenario of nations today. People are glued to the television set, believing in the pictures that they see, as well as forming their opinion upon it. The Idiot Box has made people Idiots, and Lippmann's prophecy has come true. I guess this will stay for a long time, and there seems to be no end in sight.