State Sponsored Censorship
The government banned FTV today. I draw a few connections with China, Soccer and AIDS control.Barely a few months after taking AXN off air, the government today issued a 2 month ban on the FTV for telecasting programs where ‘skimpily dressed and semi naked models were shown that are against good taste and decency, denigrates women and are likely to adversely affect public morality’.
Neither of the two television bans makes any sense. AXN's show the "World's Sexiest Television Commercials" had no nudity or profanity and it was a late-night show. Its not like the whole family would tune in to watch AXN and be shocked on seeing that show.
If you start banning adult content (and that too content with only veiled references to sex) on the late night segment, what will you be left with? (A late night segment on Felix the cat? )
State sponsored censorship is and should not be a part of a democratic society. It is an impedes the political process and discredits formal discourse. These bans are being based on the whims of the bureaucracy in the I&B ministry, with no form of pre-discussion within the intelligensia (a part of democracy that ancient Greeks got right). The last time I had heard of something like this, it was in a country with a communist goverment where killing of its citizens in police firing was routine(Hell, even that's happening in India now).
Mr. Priya Ranjan Das Munshi and his stenchmen had single handedly ruined football in India. He has now set his sights on the media. Had such bans been issued under the previous regime, all hell would have broken loose with comments about the forced "Saffronization" of the media (hell, I don't support that party). I used to think that both parties have the same position on economic issues but different views on social issues. Now except for the Mandir/Masjid (which apparently Rajiv Gandhi would have saved had he been alive, but the rest of his family did nothing to save) that line seems to have disappeared too.
Why the hell is Munshi still the most important man in Indian media (and soccer??)? Why wasn't he sacked after the AXN affair? And much more importantly, who the hell gave him the right to preach me 'morality'?
We are now going through a difficult time, the world is now more tolerant of "socker-moms" who think its right to interfere in everything in the public domain, until they can create a world for their precious ones. (Hey, I can fit another soccer connection.)
You, can't rid the world of sex. Its a part of life just as brushing your teeth. The branding of sex as "immoral" was artificially done in the Middle Europe as way to subjugate the female population (along with burning of women on stakes for witchcraft). Modern law does not support witchcraft burning anymore, why do we still have archaic laws that deem sex as something immoral. Why don't we have open discussion about it? Atleast that has a much better chance of educating people about HIV control; much better than the "morality" the government preaches.
Now, I am no FTV fan (hell, I have never seen more than 5 mins at a stretch) but banning a TV channel is certainly not the way to go esp. for adultish content at a late night hour. Hell, FTV isn't a channel that people sit down with their families while dinner. Only those who want that content tune in.
It's the people who should decide for themselves and for that to happen sponsored censorship has to come to an end.
Its high time the people get back their choice.
posted by aniket @ 8:25 AM
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