Think before you watch.

 Let's have a talk.

Today will be an extension of yesterday's topic. Staying with the media curve, let's talk about the other wave of media that took over us decades ago - Serials. I'm not talking about the short 2-3 seasons of Netflix series that everyone started watching during the pandemic. I am talking about 1000 episodes long "mega serials". Because if you think movie represents sensitive topics in a bad way, boy do I have bad news for you. Let's get to it.

Serials started off as an entertainer for homemakers who had no sort of entertainment. And even these were available only to those rich enough to buy a television. But around the late 80s to early 90s, almost every house had a television, which blew up the popularity of serials. Now, unlike films, these serials had the need to be relatable to housewives and interesting. So, almost all of them focused on a family and the hardships that family faces. And more often than not, the story revolves around the perfect good daughter-in-law and evil mother-in-law and her useless husband. This was the template. And I can excuse it for the lack of awareness of the time. But what I cannot excuse is the serials airing today. The regressive and ridiculous story lines baffle me. I'll give you examples. One is literally about a girl getting married off during her 12th grade. The very thing we have been fighting against for DECADES now is being romanticized and glorified. The girl's husband LETS her study so he is a great man. And this is a story widely enjoyed by audience today. Another one is literally a guy kidnapping and marrying a girl and claims to do it out of "love". Sure, teach children that this is love. I'm frustrated and angry because these are the sorts of media that gain popularity today. We fight for things to change in the real world, but why is it that our form of entertainment is still regressive and that regressive entertainer is enjoyed?

Another ick of mine, why still carry on with the "good daughter-in-law, evil mother-in-law, useless husband" template? I have witnessed people dramatize their lives based on these serials. Production houses need to understand the fact that all of us are humans. No daughter-in-law is always good, no mother-in-law is always evil and no husband is always useless. The sheer amount of torture the daughter-in-law faces in these stories baffle me. But what shook me to my core was learning that people think a lot of these things are the correct thing to do. When was it ever right to hurt another human? What kind of a twisted morale are we holding to say it is ok to torture another human, to make sure she suffers just for the fun of it or just because you want to accomplish something? Before we praise and promote another media, be it a serial or a series or a movie, we should think about the impact media holds over people. Think about the message we are trying to get across through this media, because like I said, nothing is a pure entertainer in a society like ours. So, think. Do we still need these regressive ideas for entertainment? 

(P.S: Serials have bothered me so much from a very young age. I have always wondered why some women enjoy torturing and pinning other people down in all these stories. And this serves as an answer to that young girl's questions, in a way. Thank you.)


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