Having lived in the US for almost 10 years, its more apparent now than it ever was when I was growing up. India seems to think its okay to tell people when and where to hug and kiss, dance and more atrociously, what to wear! I first heard about this when I was living in California and read that the Government had imposed a "dress code" for colleges in Chennai. Girls were not allowed to wear "see-through" clothes, JEANS!, t-shirts and anything above the knee - no dresses, skirts etc. I was totally shocked and remembered my college days in Stella Maris. Would I have really been able to get through those 3 years without being able to wear jeans?? I think not!
After moving back, moral policing seems to be everywhere. The latest has been the furor created over Richard Gere kissing actress Shilpa Shetty ON THE CHEEK, mind you. And then there was a huge controversy over a journalist taking a photo of a woman kissing HER HUSBAND on the dance floor in a popular night club. And another group of women drinking beer! Ooooh Beer!!
I know it wasn't the done thing for people to show any form of PDA, but I see the other side of it. There are now scenes in Hindi and Tamil movies where the actors are kissing onscreen. There are advertisements of people hugging and kissing. How do you tell the common people that what they are doing is not ok, but if you are a celebrity, anything goes? I don't get it.
The one I got the biggest laugh out of is this following board pinned up outside the Leather Bar at the Park Hotel, Chennai. 
Alcohol ruins family? What if I'm just having a beer every couple of weeks?
India has also banned Fashion TV because of their lingerie shows! Leave aside the fact that women show off lingerie in advertisements, why can't we see models on the runways??
I know I can't change the mentality but it is so frustrating to live in a country with rampant moral policing.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Moral Policing
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11 comments:
Agree with you on things like kissing, beer etc but FTV banning for me is good. It is not just lingerie shows, but they had shows in which there were models without any lingerie even. It was like watching porn and these shows were aired at primetimes.
I agree that if they had nude shows, it was time to take some kind of action - but instead of banning the channel, couldn't they have just banned the nude shows and taken that up with FTV?
whern you are frustrated, you need to police others. it makes your frustration bearable. it also makes you feel important.
you are absolutely right, bee! couldnt have put it better! but what i want to know is frustrated or "frustrated"? ;)
btw it was aiswarya rai and not Shipa shetty. the people who threw a fit were, bachan's followers in UP.
Vinod, it WAS shilpa shetty and not A. Rai. You can read about it in this BBC article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6560371.stm
All these incidents everyday remind me of the fact that we're a country of hypocrites :)
Raaga:
Yes, I agree. Its unbelievable the way they portray women, men and relationships between them in advertisements and movies. And then they expect the common person to behave differently.
Yup. If media changes its approach, we could hope for a better life :) They could start by educating folks...
I totally agree with you. The liquor thing, though...this lady who used to cook for my mom gave me a different perspective on it. For us, a drink is a social thing, something we do in moderation and enjoy once in a while. For her, alcohol was what ruined her family life and led her alcoholic husband to abuse her and her kids physically and mentally. So, for a large part of the Indian population, especially hard-working women who are trying to make end meet by working as maids, they have never seen alcohol as anything but trouble. Putting up this sign is down-right silly, but it brings up some disturbing social issues, that is all.
Nupur - I agree that to the common woman on the street the alcohol represents a family-altering vice. But this is an upscale bar in a 5 star hotel where the common man doesnt or cannot afford to drink regularly. These are supposedly educated folks who just want to chill on a weekend. The warning seemed quite out of place.
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