Making Mountain out of Molehill Again?

Art of Turning Insignificance into Significance

In the commentary dated March 29, 2010 on these pages, an example of "why is significance made significant" was quoted.

In continuation, the same theme was repeated in action just about a few days ago too. It has become habit of particularly those human beings who have totally lost their sensitivities. Mainly many of these are the people in politics, media, business and cinema.

In this case, another popular actor of Indian Hindi movies attended a function of total insignificance (mainly the actors are invited as crowd pullers). The function was: inauguration of part of a bridge that was already inaugurated some time ago- what was the need of inaugurating it again? (Frankly, a totally avoidable wasteful affair).

Now a huge controversy with sophisticated gimmick was designed and constructed around it as to why the said actor was invited and by whom because some other faction of the organizers of this inauguration circus were opposed to inviting him because of some cockeyed reasons. The television and news media added fuel to fire by filling up their entire 24 hours of some 3 to 4 days to entice the gullible viewers or readers (the TV and newspapers just refuse to allow any other alternatives on their offerings on such occasions or opportunities), increasing their TRP ratings and amassing huge revenues from the advertisers; advertisers in turn finding a great chance to brainwash larger audience in favor of their products to increase their earnings.

After 3 to 4 days of creating this huge business of turning insignificance into significance and looting large sums of money, the interested parties phased out the hoopla and withdrew themselves cunningly. General public was left with the illusion of being fed with some very important national philosophy of great order. And to confirm that illusion, the media was still busy organizing serious debates and discussions on this subject but only as a hangover or only as a side dish and squeezing out the remaining juice.

Tons of national and natural or environmental resources of the planet earth were wasted on this insignificance. Who is bothered in any way?

How to Measure Popularity of So Called Leaders and Celebrities the Easy Way?

Use Shoe and Flower (Instead of Elaborate Questionnaires)

Sometime ago a news item with its audio visual became pretty popular all over the world. Someone, during a well guarded press conference, had thrown a shoe at a political leader of a big country perhaps to express his disliking of the so called leader and celebrity.

These methods of showing dislike of a person in powerful position has been employed by the general public in different parts of the world a number of times in the past too. Perhaps, instead of throwing a shoe, they might have used other substitutes like a rotten egg etc.

So the agencies conducting the opinion surveys or popularity polls can take a clue from these instances and work out an easier way to carry out such surveys.

Take a life size cutout of the person whose popularity one wishes to ascertain. Place it in front of the demographically and statistically selected respondents, give each of them a shoe and a flower and ask them to throw either the shoe or the flower at the cutout of the subject.

Count the shoes thrown at the cutout as well as the flowers thrown at the cutout. Calculate the percentages. You can then infer the popularity of the so called leader or celebrity, write a long thesis and publicize it all over the place (whatever worth the popularity polls are, any way).

Why Is Insignificance Made Significant?

Open Your Mouth with Responsibility

A few weeks ago, a popular actor of Hindi movies of India spoke something, regretting about non-selection of even a single Pakistani cricket player in the teams auctioned by a cricketing event organization of India though it's another matter that the actor had full freedom to induct Pakistani players in the team he himself owns. So, logically there was no need to open his mouth. Yet, this is an example of a compulsive talker !! But then they say everything is fair in love, war and democracy (though strictly not in the same order).

So, first the actor opened his mouth and then as a reaction, a political party opened its mouth followed by another political party etc. And then all the television channels (damn difficult to keep their count) and the entire news media opened their mouths. And all of them started speaking a lot and thereafter shouting a lot. This talking and shouting by so may mouths consumed tons of national and environmental or natural resources and tax payers' money (ultimately pocketed by these few smart businessmen- finally it's all about commerce and ruthless marketing).

This is called the art of converting insignificance into significance (and gaining lots of mileage and making easy profits).

But then this kind of indulgence is too expensive for a poor nation like India where more than 80% people live below international poverty norms.

And finally why were the multi millions of rupees (Indian currency) of tax payers' money spent in just one half day on providing a governmental security to an actor? If he is free to speak, he is free to arrange his own security too.

The corollary: the same as in the earlier blog post with this sentiment "remove the governmental security to everyone." If implemented, it might result in people opening their mouths proactively with lots of responsibility saving tons of national and natural or environmental resources of the planet earth.

Who are Responsible for These Deaths?

Remove the Security Cover of All the Politicians

Today 39 innocent people got killed in blasts at two Moscow metro stations.

This is not the first and the singular mishap. It looks like as if it is becoming a norm.

Who are responsible for such deaths?

The obvious answer will be: apparently those who planned and executed the blasts.

But on deeper thinking, you will come to the conclusion that the primary responsibility squarely falls on those people who hold now and held in the past, material political positions in numerous nations from time to time and who, by their dim witted thinking and actions, motivated by their greed and selfishness, created and spread disgruntlement and hurt in a large majority of human beings.

These people holding material power positions never get killed in such blasts because they are cozily protected by the machinery and the security which are heavily financed by the tax payers many of whom though fall victim to these blasts since they are not protected the same way.

Remove this cozy protection machinery and security given to these political people and then let us see how many people volunteer to become the so called leaders of the masses. Good people, those who are non-corrupt and so, fearless may still opt for it.

And then the same political people will start behaving with greater responsibilities and will think, communicate, negotiate and act more prudently.

The blast and killings might reduce significantly.