Plays of the day

In all, and especially, the industrial democracies of this world, the implementation of the decisions of the state as a discernible body on the functioning of the society is essentially a product of the great political debate. Even though a party has been elected to power, the basis of the presence of argument during the triumphant party’s tenure is contained in the fact that democracy does not halt at granting the citizen his vote, but at crediting him with having influenced the making of a decision in the senate. In fact, in a colloquial sense, democracy would indeed be perceived as the protection of the powers of the citizen on a national level at the very least.

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However, the strength of democracy lies not completely in the strength of this protection, but in the manifestation of these powers that have been safeguarded by it. The argument fosters the inculcation of discipline and morality amongst the most narrow-minded amongst us, and when it is that the future of a burgeoning nation of a billion depends on the decisions of a volatile oligarchy, agreement and opposition are both equally essential in the making of a decision.

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The decision of the citizenry in electing such and such a government is questioned in the senate when argument is used as a tool for decision-making. If the ruling party wins the argument, the investment of the voting populace is vindicated. If the ruling party (or parties) meets with formidable opposition that it cannot quell with sufficient conviction, our choices betoken due consideration

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Argument and power

In his ‘Language and Responsibility’ (1977), linguist Noam Chomsky asks only the following from any man who has an opinion:

1. A capability of facing the facts objectively,


2. A usage of a rational line of common sense,


3. A Cartesian sense of argument, per se, and


4. Some scepticism

Whenever there is some “breaking news” in the air, the various components of the mass media, especially the news channels on the television, turn to professionals in fields pertaining to the content of the news in order to extricate an opinion that is either valuable by itself or is made so by repeated broadcasts. Why this esotericism? Why can’t the chap behind the desk ask you and me if the country has to intervene anywhere? When the above factors suffice to define the good arguer, why is it that I must be in possession of compatible certification to but profess a one-line opinion? What must be discussed is the content and not my right to discuss it.

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The information we assess and digest everyday is dependent on the ideals of the local government, which governs the information that it thinks its people need to come into contact with, and the ideas and opinions of the people around us that constitute the populace in general. With a democratic government ruling the central aspects of the Indian economy, finance, industry, society and other aspects of living and development, the interests of each individual vested in it demands productive work every day. On the other hand, the ruling government, to carry out its wishes, needs people other than those who control its functions to fall in line with their solutions.

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In a large, immensely populous, and democratic nation like India, apart from the already very many number of television channels, there are many more being operated by political parties. Although this does not constitute any violation of any rule for that matter, using the medium as a method of propaganda is not suggestible. This violates the right to information because information is only when it is factual and neutral pre-interpretation. When you mess with it in order to get across a message that has been interpreted in a biased manner, it is a misrepresentation of the event that has occurred.

With specific ideas in the minds of the people, ideas can invariably lead only to a single conclusion. Furthermore political propaganda must always begin and end during the time of elections for the local or national government, and must be nonexistent at all other times outside of the senate.