A
SHOCK FOR MASS SOCIETY
On
the 21st day of the lockdown, the prime minister announced that it
would be extended till May. Rumours fuelled uncertainties as many had expected
the lockdown to be lifted substantially on April 15. Looking at the situation,
it was a pre-eminently sensible decision. The number testing positive has
crossed the half million mark in the United States with deaths rising to
26,000. Worldwide this virus has claimed more than 125,000 lives and has infected
more than two million. By and large lockdowns are being continued around the
world.
As
the pandemic rages it has come as a big blow to mass society said to have been
born with the French Revolution of 1789. Most affected are three categories of
people whose careers are tied up closely with mass society – sportsmen,
entertainers and politicians. Though newspapers have reduced the number of
pages in cost cutting efforts, the sports page has shrunk to just one side. The
Olympic extravaganza has been put off, not only severely depriving sportsmen of
competition, but media of content of all kinds. It appears as if it will
definitely be some years before we go back to stadiums to watch big ticket
games.
But
sportsmen are not the only ones to be affected. The entertainment industry is
in shambles since all cinema theatres are shut and social distancing means that
shooting of films and serials are off. If and when it resumes, it cannot be
said whether the heroes and heroines will appear in masks in the future. We’ve
already had masked comic characters like ‘The Phantom’ or ‘Batman’ but the
imagination stretches to the limit at the thought of masked protagonist. Akshay
Kumar is appear to be no different from Shahrukh Khan. We may be able to make
out Anupam Kher due to his bald pate but we will miss out on the most important
element of acting – expressions while dialogues will be muffled at best. In any
case, most films will look like the Wild West Hollywood movies with masked
gunmen or Bollywood dacoit films of the ‘60s and ‘70s in which people like
Sunil Dutt made their careers. The advertising industry too has to look for new
ways of promoting products instead of riding on well known faces from sports or
entertainment. They will also have to figure out new ways of brand building.
But it
seems the worst affected are politicians who are at their wits end to find ways
of keeping in the public mind. Of course, our prime minister can always give ‘messages’
on television to the people. But he has to be careful not to repeat it too
often as it will lose its novelty. The American president carries out daily briefings
for the press and gets upset when news channels threaten not to carry them
live. For him this is the crucial election year and there is no other way of
campaigning other than these briefings as thousands of Americans have already lost
their lives. Mr. Trump bashes the media people as he can’t get his hands on his
opponents at debates and campaign speeches. And the only way in which he can
stay in the limelight is to make outrageous statements because he knows very
little about the COVID19 virus. The Indian National Congress has of course come
up with the wonderful idea of online daily online briefings which not only save
money but also enable them to showcase regional leaders.
Let
us see what the future upholds for these unfortunate people.
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