We the People

  •   Sat, Jun 27 2020
  •   By Hanita Pinto

June 27, 2020

“Boycott Salman Khan!” read a message. Never really cared for him, I thought. “Boycott China”, read another message aptly obtaining an eye roll from me. I have, thanks to my father who invariably searched for the “Made in…’ label on any product and announced “It should be made in Japan, not China…”

It’s so easy to start a hashtag on Twitter and forward hate messages today, not foreseeing the consequences. Today’s harsh reality forces people in the public eye to take drastic steps sometimes. Then in our defense we start new hashtags, stressing the need to ‘be kind.’ Towards that goal, we start blaming each and every person not knowing the half of it. We want to spread kindness by being unkind. How ironic. The recent suicide of an actor led people blame so many other famous people. Few years back when a homeless person died due to a drunken star running over him, nobody cared as much. They still adore him and he is called bhai endearingly! Was the homeless person not deserving of his life? Why didn’t the people boycott the star then? He has continued acting in mediocre cinema and minting hundred crores.

Today’s millenials follow vain celebrities and so called stars religiously on Instagram, Twitter etc. The media furore over the lifestyle of these ‘celebrities’ never dies. Hence we have to live with news items on what they wore to a certain party, what they eat and where they buy their groceries. Young girls know everything about certain actresses more than the current events. But what can we expect out of them whose icons are themselves college or school dropouts with very little knowledge on even the current President? What can we expect out of youngsters who would rather watch and make mindless videos on TikTok than pick up a book to read?

But we the people have made these dumb people ‘stars’ and our icons. Anybody can guess by the movies they make, their intention is always to make money. The real actors are forced to act in art films, while we cheer for a certain middle aged hero clad in khaki doing unrealistic action scenes with his glasses on his back! We pay hundred Rs to watch a skimpily clad female star gyrate to lewd lyrics and then trend the hashtag female empowerment!

Any well-read person knows that China is the hub for black hearted goods. But then people are always looking for expensive looking cheap knock offs than a made in India original. We would spend the same money on senseless movies and then boast about it on social media and get depressed when we don’t get the desired number of likes! We are the people who peer at videos of celebrities and do not spare even their children, so much so that 2-year-old star kids cannot go to the park to play. The kid’s video is our day’s highlight! How sad are we. And then we blame production houses, directors, actors and so on when an untoward incident happens. Aren’t we the people responsible?

We the people need to boycott using apps and start using our brains instead. We the people need to boycott watching mindless entertainers and start watching good cinema instead. We need to stop bragging about female empowerment and stop watching ‘item’ numbers instead. We the people need to understand that warfare is more than just boycotting countries’ goods. We the people need to change. “Boycott China”, screamed a TV news anchor as I changed channels, with a ticker in the corner reading ‘Powered by Vivo’ mobiles, as I stared open mouthed. Oh we the people…!

 

 
By Hanita Pinto
Hanita Pinto has a masters in law from SDM Law College. She has earlier worked in Bengaluru as a legal compliance officer.
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Comment on this article

  • Mohammed Naufal, Kulshekar, Mangalore

    Thu, Jul 02 2020

    Nice one Hanita....! Worth reading.....!

  • Shweta, Mangalore

    Sun, Jun 28 2020

    Superbly articulated.

  • John, Mangalore

    Sun, Jun 28 2020

    Probably to bring back to their senses God might have allowed this virus.
    Otherswise for our youngsters Cinestars, Sportstars... had become their gods and sometimes themselves, their beauty, strength even opinion (Tik Tok stars).

    BTW these Chinese apps or mobiles what all information they gather and send back to their masters in china through internet and for what purpose God only knows. Also Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a another God. It processes whatever one is typing or browsing suggests or recommends more better options to make one more addicted to it and it affects one's privacy also. That's how these internet search giants, some apps make money. So self control in everything whether stars, gadgets, internet or mobile very much needed specially in youngsters to become responsible citizens.

  • John B. Monteiro, Bondel Mangalore

    Sun, Jun 28 2020

    Very topical and well-articulated cutting-edge article on currently hot subjects. The last line is a satirical icing on the cake.

  • Joe Britto, Nakre/Bangalore

    Sun, Jun 28 2020

    Well said Hanita Pinto !!!

    Today the world itself has become artificial .
    Trends commenced in the 1970's and increased gradually and now
    fully blown out of proportion as we can see :-

    1. Youth have no outdoor activities and glued to Netflix or Tik Tok or Whatsgossaap.

    2. Money and Status in Society are more powerful and attractive than plain simple values like Honesty, Service to Society and Sacrifice for others. It's the last KALAM(

    3. Addiction to Gadgets and Modern Fast Cars and Bikes and desire to become Rich Overnight by Hook or by Crook-Mostly by Crook

    4. Undue Comparison with peers Be it by Parents (With regards to Marks and Ranks in Exams) and by youngsters themselves as they want everything that their Rich Friends possess.

    5. Quality of Serials and Movies totally degraded with no lessons or themes or takeaways .,Sole Aim is to make quick buck.

    6. Net Result: Bankruptcy of true Values (As prevailed in the previous Generation pre 1970's or even 1980's) .Result :
    As are the People so are the leaders . As proved by the utter lack of Leadership in the entire Globe . We have headless Kings ruling us .

    The whole Human Race can be seen as having embarked on a Grand Ultimate Voyage of No Return in the Grand Titanic ..... Hurtling at lightning Speed Towards the Hidden Iceberg .

    In the Ist Half of 2020 the Lord and Creator seems to have taken a break and is So Fast Asleep that only Bees will have to sting him into immediate wakefull-ness and rescue His Creation from the deep mess and Chaos .

    "Only after the last Tree has been cut down;
    Only after the last fish has been caught;
    Only after the last river has been poisoned;
    Only then will man realize that money cannot be eaten.

    "The Earth belongs to us only in our Egos and avaricious hands . In reality it is we who belong to the Earth , and by wrongly usurping what is not ours and what should be shared and kept for posterity .
    WE THE PEOPLE must change our behavior Now or NEVER.


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