Humans Spellbound by Colorful Screens!

While reading this article, take a moment to reflect on the reality of the world around us.

Right before our eyes, millions of people—including farmers, construction workers, and unorganized laborers—toil day in and day out just to sustain their livelihoods. For most of them, their labor culminates merely in a struggle to secure their next meal and fulfill the basic necessities of their families.

Dance Jodi Dance

On the other hand, even government employees and factory workers manage to navigate their lives post-retirement through pensions or savings.

However, the commercial world of cinema and television—which has already amassed lakhs and crores—demands that its revenue continue to multiply incessantly. For this very purpose, it sells countless shows and spectacles to the masses at exorbitant prices under the guise of "entertainment."

A Ladder for the Humble or a Cash Register for the Tycoons?

Dance and music competitions like 'Dance Jodi Dance', 'Saregamapa', and 'Super Singer', along with various reality shows, mega serials, and movies, are portrayed here as artistic platforms that nurture people's talents.

Those behind these shows proudly claim, "We bring out the talents of ordinary people and transform their lives."

But what is the reality?

Among the thousands of youth participating in these shows, only a very few secure lasting opportunities. The vast majority return to their old lives once the show ends. Some end up confined to local stages, temple festivals, or minor events to showcase their skills.

Meanwhile, the television channels and production houses hosting these shows earn crores in revenue through advertisements and viewership ratings. The dreams of the poor are turned into market commodities, but the massive profits reaped from them accumulate in the hands of a select few.

Political Plunder... and Cinematic Exploitation

Many opportunistic politicians, who claim to have entered politics solely for the people, exploit public tax money and government resources to amass personal wealth.

Similarly, the entertainment business—operating under the pretext of "nurturing people's talent," "entertaining the public," and "providing opportunities to the humble"—monetizes the time, attention, and emotions of the working class.

A politician turns people's votes into capital. Likewise, the entertainment industry turns people's dreams and emotions into capital. The form may vary, but there is no fundamental difference in the underlying process of converting people's trust and labor into profit.

New Stages for Old Faces

Look at those who sit in the judges' chairs delivering verdicts on these shows.

It is mostly actors, actresses, singers, and choreographers who have lost their market value in the film industry who are repackaged and re-marketed in this new format. They regain public attention under the new label of a "Judge."

On one hand, they claim to search for new talent, while on the other, market commerce continues using the very same old celebrities.

The Brain-Numbing Reels Culture

This world of entertainment has not stopped with television. Today, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and short video clips have become an integral part of our daily lives.

Some create this content continuously to earn a living, while others do it to sustain a luxurious lifestyle. While this is undeniably their profession, we must question how constructive it is from a social perspective.

Does people's intellect grow through this?

All the aforementioned shows are merely businesses they run to earn money. When you forget your own work and gape in awe at his business, it simply means you are falling.

• Does it contribute to any fundamental change that elevates the living standards of the working class? 

Barring a few exceptions, the vast majority of content is created solely to numb human critical thinking.

A New Form of Addiction

Just as an alcoholic cannot spend a day without liquor, modern humans have been pushed to a state where they cannot spend even a few hours without a mobile screen or a television.

Screens have hijacked every empty space, every moment of leisure, and every solitary interval. We are losing much more than just money. Our time, attention, thinking capacity, and social consciousness are being gradually eroded.

What Are We Going to Do?

Thinking from a Marxist class-perspective, the entertainment business is one of the most powerful tools used by this property-owning society to mask its exploitation.

This does not mean we should reject art, music, and cinema entirely. Rather, we must approach them with a critical eye: which of these nurtures human intellect, and which merely creates a toxic culture of consumerism?

True art makes humans think. Commercial entertainment mostly makes humans forget.

If we fail to realize this distinction and remain submerged in this world of colorful screens that numbs our intellect, nothing can stop exploiters and opportunists from ruling over us.

• Let us shatter the illusions spun by the screens! 

• Let us understand the world with scientific clarity and social justice! 

• Let us think with a core focus on the lives of the working class and real social issues!

Ooran @ Pon. Sekar