Contradiction

It seems like a few more jargons have been forcefully introduced into the Indian journalistic mumbo-jumbo in recent times. Phrases or expressions such as gender bender or demolition of male bastion steal as much of the valuable print space as the time and patience of followers of print media. It doesn’t take much insight to deduce the propaganda behind columns that go on in great lengths about the "new age independent Indian urban upwardly mobile" woman, whatever in the hell that means.

The insinuations of all those supposedly journalistic works remain the same, that women are not only at par with men but also are better than them in every field. While I don’t intend to debate whether that presumption is right or wrong, it’s next to impossible not to notice the irony that prevails in the same newspapers and periodicals which publish these next to nothing scrambling up of words.

In a worst case scenario of unabashed irony, a story flattering the deeds of the so called new age Indian women is juxtaposed with another whose content is nothing less than a plea towards men to be more generous towards them. The nuances of the requested generosity are advice to men to be more sensitive (whatever it may mean) towards women, to be supportive and caring towards them, especially during pregnancy and post-childbirth, to refrain from verbal abuse, rape and domestic violence among a number of other things. If the so called new age woman is so self-reliant then why these surprisingly contrasting write ups run side by side? This is a question that the same women that double up as new age journalists need to answer.

As if it was a revelation of sorts, The Times of India recently carried a front page story and several items thereafter on the disparity that exists in the pay packets of actors and actresses of Bollywood. Not surprisingly, these stories were cooked up by none other than a few new age Indian journalist bimbos. In absolute contradiction to their findings these very same women went on to write another piece about the low faring of women centric films (read,Laga Chunari Mein Daag, Aaja Nachle and scores of others). Would anyone in her right senses venture for such a comparison of salaries without taking the market values of superstars and heroines into consideration? Would anyone even hit such a height of insanity to suggest that the women cricketers of India be paid the same as their masculine counterparts?

The same national daily whose reporters relentlessly praise women for rubbing their shoulders (and maybe some other parts too) with men in every field, carries reports of increased assaults on helpless women and goes on lengths about the plights of its victims as if to evoke empathy among the readers. The very same edition with descriptive stories on tragedies related to dowry has a page for trends which is in turn dedicated to results of researches, all of which claim women to be better than men in everything people do.

True, that these bimbos among journalists enjoy the support of certain media moguls, but shouldn’t these bosses care a thing or two about journalistic ethics before letting absolute trash to be published? It may be that the barons (mostly male) have their own reasons for being lenient towards them. In any case, it is much better if both of them understand that war of the sexes is something to be left at school and follow a single track when it comes to journalism – either make a legend out of every achievement of women or keep asking for more privilege.

PS: Q: “How many lesbians are required for changing a light bulb?”
A: “Three. One to hold a stool, one to climb on it and change the bulb and one to write a song on women’s empowerment!”

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