Truth: A Commodity

Recently in my class of Media Studies, my students were to discussing on the “reality” television. They discussed and debated on the case of “sach ka samna” a popular reality show which is telecasted on Star Plus. The contestant in the show exposes some “truths” of past life where dark secrets involving lust, sex and immorality are revealed to the public. The students were divided in their opinion about the show with only a few advocating for some kind of control over what is aired openly in television. Most of them were in the opinion that such shows need no regulation since most of us know to differentiate what is right and wrong and no one needs to define other person’s moral limits and moreover those who do not want the show are free not to view it and they should not interfere with others preferences. This is a popular argument which is echoed by the people having the so called liberal mindset.



Now let us examine this argument whether it stands the test. Firstly, any argument as this one needs to be extended and be universal. I asked the “liberal” students of my class whether they would extend their patronage from the reality TV shows as this one (where dirty linen is washed in the public) to pornography videos to be openly aired in the television using the same logic that people have the capacity to distinguish right and wrong and those who do not want to view are free not to view. However at this point the “liberal” students were quite uneasy citing that such a situation is not desirable since that would lead to social evils in the society. So the very people who said that no one should judge on what is right for one to watch are now themselves engaged in judging what limit of liberalism we need to fix!



The other argument is that it is Truth that is being aired and truth is a virtue and a value in itself. The problem with this show is that truth as a virtue is not been promoted and truth per se has no value in this show. Instead truth is equated with a monetary value. Hence Rajeev Khandelwal the host of the show, time and again reminds that as the money increases the questions that reveal the truth will become tougher. So the contestants decide at what amount of money which level of truth can be traded off. As far as the audience is concerned, no one is interested in truth as a value but truth as an entertainment. Everyone is interested in the mucky truths which are being revealed on the television screens.



Finally the truth is said to relieve one’s burden. As in the Bible it says “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32). However the tragic scenes of disappointment seen when one does not win a single penny after losing the game does not in any way convey that such kind of truth has eased the burden let alone freed the person. Instead think of what would be the next step of such a person. Of course each one of us has a dirty past but the difference is when other person knows that past. Is the world outside ready to accept such a person whose dirty past is already known? Will the viewers who enjoy being glued to their television sets watching the show themselves share a positive attitude with such people. The answer is sadly negative in the light of the recent incidents, one in Meerut where a man stabbed his wife to nearly killing her for the “truth” which he could not digest in his personal life but was convenient enough to enjoy in television.



It is a “reality” show not in the sense that the show is real but the consequences of the show are felt in real life. Finally we have a new product in the market called as truth. Who thought that “truth” can be neatly packaged as a commodity and traded off in the market of TRPs to generate “profit”?