Are Television producers showing adequate Social Responsibility?

TV these days is getting from bad to worse.

So much of violence. Violence to the extreme, and in such graphic detail, that it appears the main aim of the producers / directors of the serials is to teach, in 3 easy steps how to steal, commit murder, kidnap, rape, and how to get away from the consequences. In an episode of half an hour, if they show these atrocities for 23 minutes, and just for the last  2-3 minutes, catch the criminal and tell him that now the death noose awaits you,  what lasting impression do they  leave on the viewers. Very recently in the serial CID, they showed the murder of a young girl, commited by her stepfather. They described in detail, during the conversations, how the girl was killed by a blunt knife, then how the body was cut with another knife into so many many pieces and then hidden in so many different places. All this puts ideas in the heads of servants and others. Is this what the serial producers, want to do? And why are the channels not protesting against this? Is there no censor board for TV?

Such bad language. If we had used even a few of them when in school, we would have had to wash our mouths with soap and water. Kids are talking this bad language these days, as a matter of course, and is accepted by all. 

Going back to old  backward traditions and glorifying them. Killing of the girl child at birth, child marriages, unbelievable treatment of young widows.The argument being that by highlighting the bad, they are showing how wrong these things are. Why not go the other way, and highlight the good, and show how things can be, or should be?

Giving sanctity to unacceptable events, like a man having two wives. And after overcoming a few hurdles, enjoying life with both.

I remember, once, while watching a movie on TV,  my father walked out of the room, when an awkward scene was being shown. On being asked, he said he could not sit and watch that scene with his children. I wonder, if he was alive today, what would he watch with us?

Why can't this branch of the media practice some moral responsibility towards its viewers? TV viewership is such a vast base in India. One of the first things a family, even the poorest, buy as soon as they can afford is a TV. The easiest way to educate our illiterate masses. That is how  they started educating the rural public, about farming etc. propaganda against smoking, rooting for family planning. Way back in those days, my three year old son had started asking his dad to stop smoking, as it would harm him.

In the name of entertainment, only the dance, and singing competitions are worth watching. Or the comedy circus. These show real talent. Tho’ the standard of the comedy is sometimes below par.

The news channels too have only 50% of the time devoted to news. The rest is spent on showing film and tv skits. The worst is the mushrooming of these reality shows. One worse than the other.

Anything good on TV these days?

(Contributed by Vibha)