ZEITGEIST RULES #3

• NEW RULE - CHETAN BHAGAT SHOULD STICK TO WRITING HIS UNIMAGINATIVE, UNINTELLECTUAL, SUBSTANCE LACKING, PLEASE ALL BOOKS AND SPARE US HIS NEWSPAPER ARTICLES. I JUST HAPPENED TO COME ACROSS AN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY BHAGAT IN THE TIMES OF INDIA, ON THE EVE OF THE CWG OPENING CEREMONY URGING ALL INDIANS TO BOYCOTT THE GAMES DUE TO THE ONGOING SCAMS. TO PUT MATTERS STRAIGHT CHETAN - YOU ARE TO BOOKS WHAT DAVID DHAVAN IS TO MOVIES. YA SURE WE MAY GRAB ONE OF YOUR COPIES TO KILL TIME, MAYBE EVEN SMIRK AT ONE OF YOUR JOKES BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY - DON'T LET IT GIVE YOU THE IMPRESSION THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY. I AM GLAD THE MASSES DIDN'T BLINDLY FOLLOW SUCH RIDICULOUS VIEWS. I AM EVEN MORE PROUD OF ALL THE INDIAN ATHLETES WHO HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ONGOING SCAMS, WHO PLAYED THEIR HEART-OUT AND BROUGHT HOME SO MANY MEDALS AND MADE OUR COUNTRY PROUD. 

• SAY WHAT YOU WANT OF AMERICA AND ITS PEOPLE - BUT ONE THING I TRULY APPRECIATE ABOUT THEM IS THE WAY THEY EXERCISE THEIR FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND THEIR TOLERANCE OF OTHER PEOPLE'S PERSPECTIVE. LADY GAGA CAN DRESS AS MARY MAGDELINE IN HER MUSIC VIDEO AND INSULT THE BASIC FUNDAMENTALS OF CHRISTIANITY, CARTOONS SHOW JESUS IN HELL SIPPING TEA WITH SADDAM, PUBLISHED BOOKS BLAME THEIR GOVERNMENTS FOR MACRO LEVEL DECEITS AND LIES,  CONSPIRACY THEORISTS CAN CLAIM THAT 9/11 WAS PLANNED BY THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT, TALK SHOW HOSTS CAN RIDICULE PRESIDENTS AND SENATORS; AND EVEN THOUGH IT PISSES OFF A LOT OF PEOPLE -  NOT ONCE DOES ANYONE SUGGEST THE OPTION OF BANNING THESE WORKS. AND IN GUJARAT, A BOOK SUGGESTING GANDHI MAY HAVE BEEN BI-SEXUAL IS IMMEDIATELY BANNED. AS WE BECOME A MORE AND MORE GLOBAL COUNTRY - WE HAVE GOT TO START BEING MORE TOLERANT OF OTHER PEOPLE'S VIEWS, AND NOT GET OFFENDED BY OR TAKE TO HEART EACH AND EVERY SLANDER. THE MORE YOU TRY TO SUPPRESS A CLAIM - MORE THE CREDIBILITY YOU UNKNOWINGLY GRANT TO IT. 

• NEW RULE - THE TELEVISED MEDIA NEEDS TO STOP BEING SO DESPERATELY NEGATIVE AND CONDESCENDING TO EARN TRPs, AND REPORT ISSUES AS THEY ARE. EVERY TIME AN INDIAN STUDENT HAS A CONFLICT IN AUSTRALIA - IT IS TELEVISED AS BREAKING NEWS ON MY TV SCREEN. AND THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW - THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS FURIOUS AND WANTS "JUSTICE". BUT HOW DO WE KNOW THE INDIAN STUDENT DIDN'T DO SOMETHING WRONG? ARE ALL INDIANS ANGELS OR GODS? OR JUST BECAUSE AUSTRALIANS ARE OBNOXIOUS WITH THEIR CRICKET - WE SHOULD ASSUME THAT THEY ARE AT FAULT. AND EVEN IF IT WERE - HOW CAN WE NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE WAY WE TREAT THE FOREIGNERS IN OUR COUNTRY, WHO HAVE TO PAY RS. 1000 TO SEE THE TAJ-MAHAL WHEREAS AN INDIAN PAYS RS. 20. EVERYBODY RIGHT FROM THE TAXI DRIVER TO THE SHOPKEEPER IS TRYING THEIR BEST TO FOOL AND MILK THEM FOR AS MUCH MONEY AS THEY CAN. IS THAT NOT RACISM? JUST YESTERDAY, IN A FIRST BY ANY FOREIGN GOVERNMENT, AUSTRALIA LAUNCHED A WEBSITE IN HINDI AIMED AT PROVIDING BETTER INFORMATION ACCESS TO FAMILIES OF  INDIAN STUDENTS IN VICTORIA. IT IS THE WORLD'S FIRST WEBSITE OF A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT IN HINDI. WHEN HAVE WE EVER DONE ANYTHING FOR THE FAMILIES OF THE FOREIGNERS IN OUR COUNTRY; AND IF A STUDENT ASSAULT ISSUE WAS TELEVISED AS BREAKING NEWS - WHY ISN'T THIS? THIS PIECE OF NEWS DIDN'T EVEN MAKE IT TO YOUR TVs, JUST BECAUSE IT DOESN'T EARN ENOUGH TRPs. WE NEED TO WAKE UP AND REALIZE THAT THE TRUTH IS FAR FROM WHAT WE ARE TOLD.