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Stop star hunts

Why is the media always after celebrities? Aren't there more crucial issues, asks Sudharsan N.


There are three kinds of jobless people in the world. The first kind are the likes of me who comment about the other two categories; the second are those who waste time reading stuff on the personal lives of celebrities; and thirdly, the media which lap any little bit that is said about the stars.

I'm totally at a loss to understand why people are so interested in knowing whether Mad Kitt has tied a not with Kunjalina Molie. Or for that matter, what use is it to anyone in the world to know if Whitney Pears has had a baby?

Let us analyse this from the beginning. People are a celebrities if they are in the movies or sports or politics or at least in a mega TV serial. So it is basically their profession to keep people entertained — sports is more than sports nowadays and the drama in politics is better than the ones in the serials. We pay to be entertained, make them stars and we also pay to read about the exploits in their personal lives.

The conclusion is obvious — Homo sapiens are more stupid than any other species on this planet.

Apart from the sleazy magazines that employ every ounce of their resources to track celebrities, even mainstream newspapers have started devoting entire sections on this "news that you cannot use". The word "paparazzi" has now come to denote a bad picture (pun intended) of the media due to very many safety and privacy violations in the recent past.

While the newspersons may argue that they are tailoring content to the needs of the consumer, finally they do have a responsibility towards the society. It is they who should censor what is being disseminated through their papers.

Society should be more sensitive towards the plight of the underprivileged sections rather than tune their senses towards "star news".

I urge the media to please take note of this one small voice before it is too late. I request the readers to avoid wasting their precious time, energy and resources in such trivialities and put their faculties to good use.

Sound Off! is your column. If you have anything to say about the world, the city, your angst, pen it stylishly and you might get it published in this column. Don't forget to attach your photograph.

Send it to bangaloremetro@thehindu.co.in or MetroPlus, The Hindu, 19&21, Bhagwan Mahaveer Road, Bangalore 560001.

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