By Ranjona Banerji
The planet is burning. Russia continues its war against Ukraine. The virus still lurks.
But as ever, we remain in our insular world.
Who can blame us, really?
Fake nationalism and political wrangling remain our hot topics. Even Bollywood gets supplanted unless some film star is attacked for not being patriotic enough. There was a time when cricket could provide some respite but not in the new India. Here, hatred must rule so the IPL can wait in queue.
These are our realities, as a nation, a society. Were we once a democracy, faults and warts notwithstanding:
https://article-14.com/post/at-up-s-hate-crime-scenes-lack-of-justice-leaves-enduring-fear-as-hindus-muslims-drift-apart-6233fae0debf7
This is from Kunal Purohit’s travels through those parts of UP which saw Hindu attacks on Muslims:
“For many, the syncretic lifestyles they lived despite divisions of caste and religion—villagers of both faiths celebrating each other’s festivals, hosting each other’s weddings—is no longer possible and is fraught with danger.”
Our fragility has never been more visible nor more dangerous to our future.
The film on the terrible plight of Kashmiri Pandits has led to attacks on Muslims across India. As ever, and this includes the media, only lip service is paid to the Pandits and their problems themselves. Some will continue to live in camps, because the media and various administrations need them only for political gain.
Of all our faults as a society, this wilful blindness remains our most consistent touchstone.
And when you have a media which laps up propaganda in fear that it will starve tomorrow, what hope do a people have of getting any clues about what’s actually happening?
The battle against social media misinformation is already lost. The compulsion to share rubbish is so strong that no mainstream media organisation can take it on. In fact, succumbing will soon happen as we see on TV channels anyway. More and more, the media lives in a self-created world where it thinks it is in charge of dissemination, little realising that reality and its customers are somewhere else.
And then, let us understand that reality is so boring. Remember the planet that’s burning?
https://apnews.com/article/climate-science-colorado-arctic-antarctica-eda9ea8704108bdab2480fa2cd4b6e34?utm_source=Nature+Briefing&utm_campaign=9faf4287e9-briefing-dy-20220321&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c9dfd39373-9faf4287e9-46689510
There is no excitement here. No overdressed prime minister. No juicy religious violence. No change of demonising one community over another. Let’s face it: the main demons here are the whole human race and where’s the capital in that? Or, let me rephrase that: when capitalists are the main demons, what can the poor hungry begging bowl media do?
So also with Ukraine and Russia. As India cannot decide whether it has taken a side or not, and is instead so happy that it’s got some “praise” from Pakistan and other nations. India’s media is also thrilled with this “praise” whatever it means.
I haven’t even mentioned the expected raise in the prices of fuel and cooking gas after the results of the five state elections were announced.
The only amusing thing to do now is to watch how many of our TV channels stick with praising the BJP and how many do a little praising of AAP on the side.
If you’re really looking for entertainment, check the media’s reaction to that committee on farm laws and this:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/19/china-reports-first-coronavirus-deaths-in-over-a-year-amid-omicron-surge
It’s unlikely we’ll ban more Chinese apps, but we might have a good roasting of China on studio “debates” as we eat gig-economy delivered hakka noodles and complain about price increases which can be blamed on OPEC and the USA and NATO.
Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views here are personal