Television and Radio are a respectable form of media that reach out to the masses more quickly than anybody else. They are that responsible class that needs to analyze it’s thoughts umpteen number of times before giving it out to the common man. The great power to broadcast comes with great responsibility, and with it, for it, marches ahead of it; a group of people, who we know as, the Censor Board.
A Censor Board are the chosen ones, accountable for what to be shown and what does not hold relevance or contains obscene material for general viewing and are an initiative by the government of a Nation. They are those who de-mark and limit the scope, thus, defining the word obscene. They are the decision makers of correct and incorrect for public. Lets us take a more careful look again at this censor board. It is they who make media mediums respectable.
To define on crisp grounds on what extent should the material on Television and Radios should be censored, is very difficult. The need for it arises as this is exposed to the underage. We strictly do not want them to watch material that makes them mature ahead of their times.
But on the other hand are nations that do not agree or do any censorship on Television or radio, and I stand to side up with them. I believe, In the recent times there isn’t a single child that does not understand words like fuck, bastard, bitch ..etc or haven’t checked for the organs of a human body in an encyclopedia, as no biology book or encyclopedia censors it. Also making the image a little blur by introducing a few pixels make no difference, for the obvious above reasons again. Using a mute for the abusive language makes very little affect as even a child who has a hearing impairment can read the lips and know the language. Knowing it ahead of time will not make a child criminal. I remember the time when it was considered a taboo, watching stuff that displayed the naked parts of a human body, but does that imply there aren’t other ways to know about it?
The more we are put away from a thing the more we want to watch it, know it. A treasure is always a fascination, because it is hidden, it isn’t known. I agree that there can be a counter argument as similar as - "Smoking a joint can lead to heroin?" I remember my friend quoting a statement from his angry mother that he would go blind if he masturbates. Today, he has bad eyes but can still see.
By all means a television was, is and will always remain an idiot box. Our prime worry is the way our children our brought up, what they see and talk and make of their lives. There is much more to do in life than watching television. The outdoor & indoor games, quiz puzzles, internet, friends, relationships, mannerisms, bonding etc; there is much to know and learn for the little brain. Lets make them concentrate their rather than finding the idiot the only mode of entertainment and information.
Your views n comments are welcomed !! Post in !!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1. Well written
ReplyDelete2. You have an opinion and here I give a counter opinion (You, of course, expect that :D)
--------------------------------------------
Censorship is not about what should be shown or kept shut. It is about, what all is pertinent for an age group or a set of people and what is not.
I agree that everyone (we need to identify who are we referring to) knows all the expletives you have mentioned above. Here is a crucial point though; would you prefer a society where everyone is swearing at each other for no particular reason? I bet no. Similarly, TV in India is viewed by a huge number of people, from various geographical regions with their native ideologies and local definitions of "taboo". Such folks form the limiting factor for censorship. Currently, even if the Gen-X is comfortable to "fuck around" or be "fucked up" or even be their own "bitches", there is still a large number of people who will shirk at f-word. One might even go the extent of arguing that literacy(~61% in India) plays an important part, well, then there is just not enough of it here. If we pose the question of awareness, I certainly agree. But, now the question arises, what are we going to tell the people about f-word or b-word? There are no formal Hindi counterparts for these words that can be used in ones daily life, and those that exist are far too demeaning that make indifference a blessing. It is not that awareness levels are not increasing. In fact Govt of India, took the initiative of issuing a condom (more precisely, Nirodh) advertisement on National Television. Ads for condoms and oral contraceptives are quite common now. Even if the bottom-line for these ads is "Enjoy Sex! Use Us!". They are sold with the tag of "Safe Sex". That is called being responsible and not a point at which one smirks with the thought, "dude don't know what they are trying to hide here, I already know it all". Bravo, if you know all that and much more but you are one of those select "everyone" that we started with. I still believe we need to identify who all comprise this everyone.
Having just defined the comfort levels for various people of India, we now have a clearer picture of what all can be shown on TV. It is of little important who does that.
Also, if freedom of access to all the content is in question then:
1. People with access to the Internet can do whatever they feel like.
2. People can go to local railway station and buy any "knowledgeable" book from the road-side vendors.
3. People can actually talk to their friends, counselors, doctors, and most of all their parents.
Thanks Abhinav...for sharing your thoughts !!
ReplyDeleteI respect your perspective completly. But the basis of my writing was the globe at large, as the topic spoke of countries across not India in specific.
Keep posting ..It`s a pleasure reading u !!
HMMMM tooo many thghts already in there ... Guess i will be repetitive, but then who cares :)
ReplyDeletenot taking any sides this time
-----------------------------------------
Censor board needs to take care of the religious sentiments and also take into effect if anything shown or discussed can have any ripple effects of other aspects, being a political motivation for a select area or community. We have ample examples of actors acting like Punjabi and not wearing turbans, or movies names felt offensive for some sect.
We are living in a so called free world but things are not yet isolated and immune to ripple effects or rather butterfly effect. We are exposed all different kinds of sources, some monitored. And some not, but then the system does not work in for the handful of open minded and globalized humans. Even today families shy away from going to a movie with some steamy scenes, gross violence or plethora of abusive words.
Infotainment is a profit making business, and the Golden rule is u cannot make money, by making the customers unhappy. We are the consumers to the products, and they are required to tailor it to suit our own needs. It would be foolish to say that sleazy media sources like Playboy TV etc would have not make efforts to start operations in India.
The freedom of speech and of the press and artistic expression like movies or art does not confer an absolute right to express without any responsibility. That responsibility needs to be realized but some acme body, coz we cannot trust on people being self responsible.
For the kids and the growing ones, it’s my personal belief that being a human we always will find a way to do things that we are not told to do, but that does not mean that we pull out all the stops and let them do, watch and learn anything. Every1 know what Fuck, bitch means and u cannot erase things which are once learned. But yet it’s pretty much to the parents to make the kid aware when u uses it and when u should not. That personal grooming after all. There is no point of shouting aloud after a robbery, when u sleep with the doors open.
Thoughts are haphazard and inconclusive...but then they are thoughts and aint they supposed to be like this :)
My apologies for mistaking the discussion to be India specific, but the text reeked of sentiments prevalent in India or countries with similar thought process (not culture).
ReplyDeleteAssuming that the perspective is unbiased and treats global censorship with unequivocal fervor, we are now faced with plethora of dissimilar thoughts, traits, cultures, advancements (country specific), degree of freedom.
Is it apt to place American or European ways of TV/Radio censorship at the same level as that of India or China?
I would like to mention one famous censorship case from China. A really popular MMORPG (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game), World of Warcraft had to be modified where "[T]he edits include replacing piles of bones with sandbags, and changing the color of blood from red to black" (as taken from Shacknews.com). Do I see anything irregular in displaying bones as bones? No, but, Chinese idea of censorship does. In such a case there must be something different we are not considering.
1. Economy? China is one of the fastest growing economies and so is India.
2. Culture? We cannot discuss different cultures on one platform since every culture is the best in its own light.
3. Government? Could be, but then again arguing for or against political whims and fancies is but a paper worth presenting.
4. Population? Literacy? Awareness? Lifestyle? Earning Capacity Per Capita? Religious and/or Regional Views? etc. etc.
Whole of this text, thus far, has been for the idea of censorship the way it is (atleast it looks so). I would rather be pleased to see things going otherwise. A world without any form of censorship is an amazing idea. The sheer imagery is breathtaking. Every mind is enlightened and every soul is flawless. Will this be the truth or will there be indifference, hatred, disrespect and passion to contain information as much as possible?
Till we see a world, wise or otherwise, I am for the censorship as it stands today.
References:
1. http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/59881
2. http://www.international.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=18567
3. Censorship Around the World (http://www.thefileroom.org/documents/dyn/LocationCat.cfm)
4. What is Censorship (http://gilc.org/speech/osistudy/censorship/)
I would appreciate your thoughts. It is a big concern which is directly affecting the society. We need to look for some good options….. like outing,cartoon movies,games....many more......
ReplyDeleteThe Issue of Censorship or "Think of the children!"
Little Adik sits in the warnet. He's nine or ten years old. He's playing Counter-Strike, editing his Friendster page and chatting with his friends. He's cheerful, flush with youth and innocence. His hand slips and he accidentally clicks an ad for a dating site. On the dating site, he finds ads for porn sites. He's heard about them from his friends but has never looked at them because he knows they're bad. This time, he looks and doesn't know what to think of the images he sees. It's an Outside Context Problem for Adik. He has nothing to relate this to, he's yet to go through puberty and has no reaction to this beyond curiosity.
The warnet manager sits behind his desk, playing solitaire and wishing he could be somewhere else. He doesn't give a damn what his customers look at. They could be terrorists planning an attack or children looking at porn - who cares? A wage of a million rupiah a month only ensures the manager keeps everything working and collects money from customers.
Given the above scenario, typical of warnets across the country and internet cafes around the world, who do we point the finger at? The child? No, children shouldn't be made to bear the responsibilities of the world. The warnet manager? No, he or she's doing a menial job for little money and has no right to police individuals beyond taking care of the workplace. So who's left? Who didn't we mention?
Parents.
You got it, parents. Not the government, not ISPs, not anyone, except parents. Do your children have a computer or a TV in their room or do you monitor all that your children watch and browse? Will you allow your 14 year old to see a movie rated for adults only? Do you know what your children are doing now?
This abrogation of responsibility extends to all facets of life, a sickness of a pampered generation who don't have the first idea of how to think for themselves.
Every time you allow another person to determine what you can or can't see, hear, touch, taste or smell, you lose a small piece of individuality, a small piece of yourself that is gone forever.
If violence sickens you, avoid violent words and images. If sexual acts cause you moral outrage, don't watch them. If so-called blasphemous words and pictures cause your faith to waver, stay away!
Most importantly, if you are concerned about the welfare of your children, can we ask you right now to educate your kids about the world, tell them of violence and sex and religious intolerance and ensure they are equipped to deal with whatever they may encounter when you let down your guard or cannot be there to protect them.
Yes, totally agree, the parents need to be the moral guardians for their children. They can not let the state take this responsibility.
Thanks & Regards
Pooja
Well written Pooja ...I am in sync with you..
ReplyDeleteat the same time we respect perspectives, as we fight not over what is wrong and what is right..but what we think about an issue, social and moral.
Keep posting ..it was amazing reading your stuff!!
Hey Jughead !!
ReplyDeleteI completly agree they are thoughts and can be like this...!!