Silent morale killers
Television is one of the most modern methods of mass media communication which eventually has an enormous impact on the society. Unfortunately, the community itself stays unaware of the adverse effects of various television programs that are broadcast. Behind the veil of ‘entertainment’ programs, full of glitz and glam, a very different story awaits to be unfolded. As stated by Jess C. Scott:
“People are sheep. TV is the shepherd.”
This quote explains the true nature of TV which plays a major role in the development of national psychology.
In recent years, a developing trend of game shows erupted on our television screens. Besides Neelam Ghar which started in 1975, new game shows such as Inaam Ghar, which was hosted by Amir Liaquat Hussain, Jeeto Pakistan hosted by Fahad Mustafa, Jeet Ki Baazi hosted by Waqar Zaka and later the show on Bol TV, Game Show Aysi Chaley Ga by Amir Liaquat Hussain were broadcast along with others on various channels. These game shows offered the audience with different expensive gifts including cars, motorbikes and small aircraft.
Yes! You read that right!
Small aircraft were distributed by Amir Liaquat on his game show “Game Show Aysi Chaley Ga.”
But what is the real story behind all these game shows? Are these just for ‘entertainment’ or do they hide bad reasons behind them?
Unveiling the reality: Nothing on game shows is ‘just entertainment’
Starting from what happens on these game shows, a large audience at the set is asked to do imbecilic activities or answer mindless questions such as telling the audience a joke or saying out a tongue twister right. On answering, the person is awarded a motorbike and other gift hampers.
Besides the uninformative question-answer session, game shows have developed the culture of distributing various gifts and prizes to people randomly showing them as beggars who spread out their hands whenever the host approaches them for gifts as cheap as badminton rackets and bats. What is even more awful is that the audience screams out loud even for such gifts shamelessly.
Opening our eyes and our minds, we would be able to see how such activities are affecting our mindset. Looking at these “winners”, no particular difference can be pointed out between beggars who spread their hands in front of people for themselves and the audience in these game shows besides the fact some of the public comes from well-educated backgrounds while hosts themselves are literate people. That, therefore, makes the realities even harder to digest.
If literate people acted in favour of such wicked game shows, it would become even more difficult for others to understand.
Other favourite activities include the distribution of one gram to 20 carat gold in Fahad Mustafa’s show Jeeto Pakistan which is to be won apparently by ‘luck’. No knowledge of the person is tested, however, ‘luck’ is everything that implies there. Amir Liaquat also distributes diamond rings and cars to people when they answer a silly question or read out a piece of poetry. Amir Liaquat’s famous line, ‘Tuqqa Lagao Muslamano’ itself represents how easy it is for people to win rewards only by guessing the answers. If seen carefully, these shows are nothing but demotivating content and harmful as they display shortcuts to earn money.
There are thousands of people surround us with high degrees who remain unemployed due to the lack of job opportunities in Pakistan. Under such conditions, people are being taught through these programs on how their ‘luck’ could make them well off and not their hard work. Prevalence of such game shows has increased greed in our society and demoralised people. There are so many people in Pakistan who work hard to buy such commodities which are given away to others so freely in game shows.
This is how the game shows are influencing the mentality of our society in short and long term.
The audience is seen unhappy if they receive gifts such as kitchen appliances, LED’s, or AC’s which shows how they consider these things inferior and cheap. Their unhappiness on such situations accounts of how greediness has infected our society and how they value materials, thinking they are everything that could bring them happiness and inner peace. For all this, games shows have played a very active part.
Game shows are not only escalating greed in the society, but they also make people lose their self-respect to win various prizes. Several activities on the famous game shows are nothing but a platform displaying self-parody incidents. Several people are awarded motorbikes and other valuable gifts if they can dance the funniest and make the audience laugh at them or if wives can make their husbands look silly by applying makeup on them. The one who can make the most fun out of themselves wins.
Previously on Amir Liaquat’s show, he stuffed a man’s mouth with mangoes which was enjoyed greatly by the audience. That portrays our insensitivity as a nation together and the inhumane behaviour of the hosts towards the public.
Game shows: Who is the real life winner?
Why do you think all the expensive brands would be giving away all their products away so freely? What is their true motive behind it? Generosity or their hidden benefits?
Well. It should be clear enough. Distribution of gifts at game shows helps the companies to cut down their costs on advertisements which are far more costly. Furthermore, this helps them develop their brand image and public dealings.
TV channels, on the other hand, earn millions in revenue through these game shows. Geo revealed how it made $760,000 of extra income previously when the game show, Inaam Ghar aired.
Overview on Ramzan transmissions
Ramzan is a sacred month for Muslims in which they fast and give up all their pleasures for the sake of attaining happiness of Allah. Previously, Ramzan transmissions used to be full of religiously informative content but the over the period, game shows replaced them.
Looking at how games shows are used to make fun of people, watching such shows in Ramzan, in reality, causes the beautiful essence of Ramzan to be lost. If we are obeying Allah till dawn, but we are still following our lust for money and greed, are we achieving a genuine essence of Ramzan? If we are laughing at people after fasting and prepared for our entertainment, we are losing what Allah wanted us to learn from fasting.
Another disappointing fact is that the ratings instead of dropping down, rise to their highest levels in the month of Ramzan.
Besides the viewers, the audience is seen ready to give up their religious duties as well as other responsibilities on Ramzan transmissions just to be there to win gifts.
Hosts, too, portray extreme hypocrisy where they could be seen being as an Islamic scholar before Iftaar and afterwards, they are viewed humiliating people on their game shows; taking the example of Amir Liaquat.
Lately, Ushna Shah highlighted the same issue on social media that gained a lot of attention. She stated how “people make off millions of rupees through Ramzan transmissions by preaching the word of God on Iftaar shows and become tuttifruties later on.”
The sad truth: We are the ones to blame.
Yes!
It isn’t the producers of these shows or the hosts. It is us who should be blamed for all this. It is time for us to stop the blame game and accept that we are the cause behind all this. Who is the one who promotes these shows by giving such shows high ratings? Ones who line in the queue or so many hours for a ticket?
We!
If people never wanted to see such game shows, they would never broadcast in the first place.
Still. It’s hard for us to admit this sad reality and we need work to bring a change; together.
What can be done?
Well. There are a couple of steps that can be taken to control the impact of game shows on our society if we work together as a nation.
Regulatory bodies such as PERMA should play an active role and keep a check if appropriate content broadcast.
The society should open its eyes and see beyond what is shown to them. They should realise the influence of media and how it has adverse effects on them gradually without even knowing.
Like Umberto Eco said:
“If you want to use television to teach somebody, you must first show them how to use television.”
It is not television which causes harmful effects on society but how we use it and what content we are willing to see.
It is high time for us to realise how game shows are creating greed among our people and deteriorating their self-respect. Not only this, they are portraying hypocrisy of the hosts during Ramzan.
It is our wake up call us a nation. Are we ready for this?
Recall Ali Abrar, drowned in River Jhelum over a bet?
Drowned in River Jhelum on 20 August 2017, Sunday, Abar with his five friends placed a bet to cross the river; for a reward of mobile phone and Rs15,000. He jumped into the river aiming to win the chance but little did he know this would take away his life.
Some viewers would say that it was just a random unfortunate incident that cost a life but if we see this carefully and think deeper, we can notice how this is not just ‘another’ incident. It has many different perspectives that need to unfold. It shows how the psychology of our nation’s teenagers is infected and how we need to take a stand before it gets too late.
Teenage is the part of human life where a person considers him/herself to be intellectual enough while this is not the reality. It is the age of growth and the part in life where they are sensitive to people around them and changes. The behaviour of teenagers is naturally risky as they enjoy taking risks because they think it can be fun for them but they don’t take into account the realistic outcomes that would affect them and the people linked to them.
But besides critiquing the behaviour of teenagers, we should also try and identify the causes behind it. A question needs to be raised that why the teenagers of our society would give money more importance over their lives? What brings them to such point where they would consider indulging in such activities?
Looking at this incident, we can see how money can influence a teenager to put his life at stake. That indicates the mindset of the teenagers in our society who want to earn money through shortcuts and are willing to go to any extent to achieve them. Life is now considered as a lower priority in comparison to money, and even if an individual needs to perform a dangerous job for money, they would do so.
One of the most triggering reasons behind the nature of such teenagers is that they have seen live experiences of how people’s efforts didn’t pay off. That makes them look for more short cuts to earn money rather than work hard for it.
Also, in some circumstances, teenagers who come from uneducated or low-income families are taught to value and prioritise money before anything else which develops their thinking abilities in a certain way as they grow up. Over the years they start to consider money as a precious thing through which they think they will be able to buy anything; even happiness.
Our game shows are nurturing a nation who believes in winning loads of gifts and prizes just by doing useless activities and by making fun out of themselves.
All of this also increases greed in the teenagers who then are willing to fall at any level to win money through easy means.
Proper attention and mentoring, as well as careful regulation of the content shown to the children and teenagers by elders of the family, is one of the most efficient ways in which they can help develop healthy mindsets of their younger ones. This would reduce chances of such saddening incidents, and many Ali Abrar saved.
Will we?
