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Sambhar Mafia - Cooked To Kill!

Friday, September 30, 2005

News Today hits out at vernacular media and PMK

In this hard-hitting article, News Today criticizes the way in which the Tamil newspapers and the PMK have (mis)behaved in the recent developments in Chennai:

You know something somewhere is impossibly wrong when the media talks a lot about culture and morality. Private things are not for public consumption. But actually these are the two words that are frequently used on the two matters that have been hogging disproportionately high media space over the last few days. L'affaire Kushboo and the breast-beating over a party in a star hotel in the city.

The hotel is said to have circumvented a rule (of seeking permission for a fashion show) and that is why two of its staff members have been arrested. Period. There is nothing more to the story. period. But the kind of opinions expressed, especially in the vernacular media, makes one blanch.

The opinions expressed by political parties, especially by the self-appointed moral police in the State PMK, make one feel sick in the stomach. The PMK, which has a vested interest in keeping the Kushboo issue alive, yesterday demanded that she be sent out of the State as because she has married thrice. Now, has she? Who is to tell that that public discourse cannot be carried based on what appears in gossip columns of film rags?

The issue here is not whether Kushboo has married thrice or not. The numbers on her marital pages and the affairs, if at all she wants to have, is not ours to judge. If monogamy and celibacy are to be the criterion for staying in this State, how many will we have to ship out? A few hundred Titanics would be needed, and this is a conservative estimate. Politicians being politicians will always be specious in their reasoning and economical with truth. So to ignore the PMK kind of politics is the right way. Strangely, the issues that PMK espouses may find a positive echo among certain sections of the society. But if you listen carefully, those will be hollow and hypocritical.

But why is the media too jumping into the moral police bandwagon? It will always be tempting to dole out ideas and suggestions to others. It is a human failing. But taking the seeming moral highground, though it may be tempting, is fraught with huge risks. For if anyone falls from that position, the impact is bound to be heavy and that much more severe. Media's job is to just report, hold a mirror to the society at large. In other words, provide sub-titles to the life of picture running in the society.

But if it starts interpreting the texts and adding its own ideas, the plot goes haywire. The script becomes clumsy, and the climax unpredictable. Some sections of the media have published the photograph of a woman gulping down a large bottle of some spirited water and ridiculed the whole culture.

To be sure, there is nothing edifying in such types of act, but what is it ridiculing? Drinking? Or a lady drinking? Actually, it is the latter. Without them realising the papers have given the feminists a chance to climb the high horse and start shouting themselves hoarse about the inequity in the system. Moral high ground vs feminist high horse, now this is quite a fight. Feminism, morals, culture...thanks a lot for the unholy mess that the political parties and the media have got us into.

On top of all this, today's Tamizh Murasu says that Khushboo attempted to commit suicide. This is the last thing Khushboo would like to read on her birthday (Sep 29).

7 Comments:

  • Kaps

    Newstoday editorial made much sense.
    Didn't expect this from dinamalar.
    Atleast they should have had the decency to blur the identity of the victims.

    By Blogger Ganesh, at 2:44 AM  

  • I got an SMS forward recently from a friend stating the PMK Supremo's two grandchildren are studying in a convent school where the first language is English and the second is Hindi. Where is Tamil?? And he talks non-chalantly about Tamil Makkal!!! Ha ha ha

    By Blogger Peak Day Blues, at 3:09 AM  

  • Asusual some scandal to divert and postpone finding solutions to everyday problems!!

    By Blogger Me too, at 3:53 AM  

  • Hats off to News Today for a nice article. Dinamalar reporters have to be hanged for invading the privacy.

    What's wrong with women drinking/kissing/dressing up like that in private parties. Why should that be blown up. Nobody would file a defamation case against Dinamalar.

    Thinking about all this, I am happy to live in the US raising my daughters.!

    By Blogger Narayanan Venkitu, at 8:30 AM  

  • Hi, I have a question if anyone would be kind enough to answer it. How do I know who's linking to my blog? Is there any software for that? I went thru blogroll.com, but I didnt see an option for that there.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:29 PM  

  • @Ganesh,
    I'm with u on this. they should have blurred the identity of the people.

    @Radhakrishnan,
    I think we can spot such double standards in the families of all top politicians in TN

    @ME Too,
    I hope these don't become the everyday problem in the future

    @Venkitu Sir,
    I hope somebody files a case against Dinamalar and Tamizh Murasu

    @Twinkle Anand,
    Thanks for dropping by. Lets hope the police can act without the influence of the government

    @Andy,
    Why don't u try this
    http://www.blogrolling.com/search_linked.phtml or try Technorati or Google Blog Search

    By Blogger Kaps, at 2:56 PM  

  • Ask any of the protesters to answer you honestly whether they have had a trick before marriage? And what is the suntv showing in 'kolangal' a married person having sex with his anni's unmarried sister when the household is away worshipping at a temple -- whether it is Murasu, Kumkumam or Sun TV -- all are from the same Kuttai as Kamaraj said

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:53 PM  

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