Monday, March 16, 2009

Valentines Day, Charlie Chaplin & terrorism……are we focusing civic activism on wrong issue.

Stimulus: A religious activist group wants to ban Valentines Day. http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20090211/818/tnl-valentine-s-day-was-non-event-in-ban.html
Result: All intellectuals take time to organize themselves and protest such move. Political parties go on statement rampage continually for 3 weeks. Youths come together and make “Pink Chaddi capihn” across the country. Some techno savvy group creates face book group attracting thousands of followers to join the “cause” to protest such great protest. Religious group went on further and support its stand in all possible manner. It believes this is make or break point for a thousand’s of year old culture.
Impact: Multiple sheets of newspapers loaded with news on this all over the country. Multiple channels devoting hours of satellite time on this “Breaking news”. Billion of SMS’s across the country. Thousands of web pages filled with this news. Political parties taking strong stand on their position with this subject.
Stimulus: Some film shooting unit wants to erect a 60+ feet statue of Charlie Chaplin in front of a temple in a village near Udupi. http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/16/stories/2009031656371300.htm
Result: Hell breaks loose….people oppose such thing for different reason….from religion of Charlie Chaplin to religion of people in that village to administrative issues about permission. And same set of youth group, Media, intellectuals & political parties get involved with same rigor as earlier incident.
Impact: Multiple sheets of newspapers loaded with news on this all over the country. Multiple channels devoting hours of satellite time on this “Breaking news”. Billion of SMS’s across the country. Thousands of web pages filled with this news. Political parties taking strong stand on their position with this subject.
Stimulus: News on front page of all major news paper about how all the money from pirated DVD market is flowing into terrorist funding. The report is supported by research. www.indianexpress.com/news/buying-pirated-dvd-you-could-be-helping-dcompany/431798/
www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG742.pdf
Result: The news doesn’t go beyond that date.
Impact: Nothing. Neither the Activist group which focused all their earlier effort in the name of saving country from western influence …….all the youth, intellectual, Media & Tech power who tried to save freedom of expression continue to buy the same DVD on the street to fill the bank account of terrorist funding.
Do they think the people who are watching are fools?…..who get carried away by these groups who try to convert their liberty of impression into larger manipulated freedom of expression?

If these groups who took stand by taking position and “Action” on either side of issue………to save larger interest of humanity or larger interest of the country…………..why are they not taking any stand and action on the real issues where real civic activism in required.
Can we do something?
1. On priority STOP purchase of pirated DVD’s
2. Avoid focusing our energy on misplaced civic activism which doesn’t serve any thing bigger than bringing some popularity to people who are involved in it.

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