Idiot on the "idiot box" :)

The TV was on when I entered. I am not normally a TV-watcher, but as I was having my daily round of chai-biscuit then and there, I happened to watch what was being aired. And I was glad I wasn't a regular viewer...

A 'family drama' - one of the kinds of soaps you encounter on TV. Mostly it has women crying, occasionally some of the men cry as well. You have these super-good, super-traditional ladies who have so much to bear... And then, there is this super-evil lady... (You can figure out who is who, even if you have never watched an episode of the serial before - if actions speak louder than words, clothes speak louder than actions... see for yourself, I bet you can identify with reasonable certainty who the 'good' & 'evil' characters are...) (I was reading 'The Omen' today - there was a line in it about how everything good had an evil counterpart (or something similar), which sums up what I'm trying to say - but I'm just rambling here...) Who is forever hatching evil schemes. And of course, there is an element of humour (!?)... Plus some more... (You can't make a serial just like that - you need a family sentiment, a love interest, some humour, some tense moments, some suspense...)

Picture this situation : a man beats his wife and throws her out of the house, and she begs him to take her back??? with assistance from her own sister (!!!)... And she knows he'll probably do it all again, yet goes back!!! Now, what kind of 'situation' is that?? What is the message it sends out? You can beat your wife, she'll come back to you. To the women - accept all that you get?? (Reminds me of this Rahul Mahajan episode - vicious cycle - does reel life follow real life, or is it the other way round? I digress again...) Seriously, whoever makes these serials, please send out some positive messages. We have enough stereotyping done already, without your adding to it.

Moving on from serials... reality shows (why do I seem to find either a soap or a reality show on every channel and almost all the time - with exceptions for commercials (longer than the serial episodes) and movies now and then). Reality shows - of every kind. Dance, music, comedy, actiong - name it, you have it... Sorry, but I'm overwhelmed by the sheer number of such shows... One idea works, you immediately have 10 'similar' shows...

Personally, I feel that while some of it is fine, it's sad to see so many people making a fool of themselves on air. Along with long hours of practise, getting camera-ready. Maybe I'm biased, but I sometimes wonder about the extent to which people go for a few minutes of fame. How
hard they try to impress the judges - I honestly wonder how judges are chosen - I think the last qualification needed for a judge is to know something distantly related to the show being judged... And their comments (expert opinions!!!)... Some things are not worth writing about...

I (thankfully) haven't watched all TV channels /shows. I hear that there are some good shows. But some shows I have read/heard about, and haven't felt the need to watch. Ever. Overall, I prefer to continue this way... Maybe someday some show will again be aired, which will make me want to go back to being the avid viewer I was once upon a time, when I waited impatiently for the weekly episode of some beloved serial.

I now go back to the next novel awaiting me...

And, before I end : V, happy birthday. And I do write positive stuff as well, as you probably know. You know where to find them...

Disclaimer : To remind you, this is a very personal opinion. And I know that many of you do not share these opinions. You are welcome to have your opinions, I have mine. And this is not intended to hurt/ ctiticize anyone. Just a few personal thoughts. Sorry for any unintentional mistakes.