When I wrote sometime
in April this year that I’ve stopped reading the Newspaper, it was with a good
reason: These days in order to catch the attention of readers, it has become
customary to sensationalize trivia. The newspaper and magazine reporters have
come to believe that the message has to be juicy with lots of masala in it – it
doesn’t matter if it is not the truth. Afterall with so much being written in
this era of information overload, they feel the ordinary folks will not get to know
the real from the unreal as it would require verification with help from
alternative channels or online resources. Even if some of us did want to check
the authenticity of the news reports, it would require a lot of hard investigative
work and for whose benefit? So, we the people, just let it pass…and the
reporters go scot free.
On second thoughts
however, the so called reporters are doing gross injustice to their profession
through their exaggerated narrative that borders on the untruth. They are
supposed to report on the event that has taken place and not provide their
opinion. Did anyone amongst the readers ask for the individual reporters
personal opinion? I don’t think so. But, what gets dished out is only opinions,
opinions and opinions. Some say it quietly, some shout and scream, but most use
a liberal dose of sarcasm!
It pays to be
sarcastic, I guess!! It drives home the point and stirs up emotions which can
even make people lose control over themselves and jump into vociferous
arguments with friends and family creating a chaos and making themselves an
object of ridicule or land themselves into the eye of a perfect storm. At this
point it is natural to be labelled as outliers leading to a point of “No
Return”. The person could find himself or herself as a social media outcast,
ostracized from friends and family. Perhaps this is what “Sudden Death” is all
about!!
Did we digress? I
guess we did…returning to our reporters and bad reporting…these folks seem to
be plagued with a new disease – foot in their mouth. The best example that I
can think of is the news regarding successful containment of Covid-19 in the
state of Karnataka, particularly in the state capital, Bengaluru. Virtually
every newspaper reporter went gaga over the successful way in which Covid-19
had been contained when the neighboring states of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra
seemed to have merrily embraced the invisible enemy. The protein spikes looks
more like the tentacles of an octopus, eager to latch on to an unsuspecting host
from virtually all possible angles. Amazing how creative and adaptive these
tiny creatures are…making the best use of the tools available within its reach,
for its survival.
The entire state was
in a state of euphoria for having been successful in their act of containment! In
hindsight, the containment was just a fluke. As the saying goes, “Success has
many fathers and failure is an Orphan”, the political establishment took
immediate credit for the excellent planning and execution of precautionary measures.
But, did the reporters investigate on what were the measures taken and were
they documented? I seriously doubt if even notes were taken by the government
officials. A few well known surgeons also joined the bandwagon and endorsed it
in a very spirited manner by singing praises on the initiatives taken. Some
even went to the extent of stating that Bangalore would never go the way
Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai did. A few weeks later the tables seem to have
turned. Like the saying goes, They had eggs on their face! Or, should we say
Virus inside their nose? Almost the entire political establishment and their cronies
have had to eat their words.
We are now seriously
competing to overtake the neighboring states to get to the very top of the
table with most number of positive cases being reported on a daily basis! Why
the sudden surge? I guess this must be the burning question in each person’s
mind. We really don’t have to look far…just look within! Just the same way all
our spiritual Gurus tell us: Look within to know your true self – Aham Brahmasmi!
I am merely borrowing this logic to state what went wrong…we the people are the
culprits. One just needs to look within ourselves to know what went wrong!
Just a day or two ago
there was a WhatsApp article in circulation on “Optimism Bias”. It is the
belief that each of us are more likely to experience good outcomes and are less
likely to experience bad outcomes.
Daniel Kahneman is an
Israeli psychologist and economist, notable for his work on psychology of judgement
and decision-making as well as behavioral economics for which he was awarded
the Nobel Prize in 2002. Notable is his book, “Thinking Fast and Slow”
published in the year 2011 which soon became a Best Seller, worldwide. In this
book, the central theme is dichotomy between two modes of thought: System 1 is
fast, instinctive and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative and more
logical. And, you guessed it; We the people, 9 times out of 10, base our
decision making, on System 1. Kahneman and Amos Tversky introduced a term, “Cognitive
Bias” in the year 1972. This is an umbrella term that refers to the systematic ways
in which the context and framing of information influence individuals judgement
and decision-making. Yesterday’s WhatsApp message spoke of Optimism bias which
may well be the most significant of the cognitive biases. This bias generates
the illusion of control, that we have substantial control of our lives. This
has been the main culprit behind the new found Bravado amongst people in the state
of Karnataka which has led to a meteoric rise in the number of Covid-19
infected cases.
Rules made for Unlock
1.0 were simple and easy to follow. But, the one major factor was the need for
a strong sense of self-discipline. Wearing a clean mask each time one steps out
and maintaining social distance of 2 yards or roughly 6 feet. Everyone religiously
broke these two rules with absolute abandon…the optimism bias played in the
minds of all…each felt that tragedy would strike others and nothing would happen
to them. Wearing of masks has become a joke – it is either not worn or it is pulled
/ lowered to cover at the chin level and obviously does not cover the mouth
& nose. At the shops and malls, people stand so close that the virus can
virtually saunter across to the next person. The less we speak of the two
wheelers the better. At the signals, no distance is maintained between two
parallel standing vehicles. For the virus it is a very short hop from one bike
to the other. To make it crazier, three or four people cram themselves into one
bike and speed across the lanes and by lanes. They feel thrilled at escaping being
caught by the patrol cops. Cops at best would have given them a warning and
fined them…little do they realize that this action of theirs attracts a sure shot
death certificate by the Virus.
Then there are the
health and fitness freaks. They feel a compulsive need to stretch themselves by
going for a walk or a jog, although performing yogasanas within the confines of
their homes would have been much safer and appropriate.
While the number of
invitees for any family function has been restricted to 50, people have started
using resorts and other establishments in the outskirts of the city limits to
gather crowds upwards of 200. It is impossible to check who is a potential
carrier. Children below 10 and folks above the age of 65 are barred from
venturing out of their houses, but then who cares? Children below 10 are busy
cycling on the streets without any parental watch. The elders are creating a
wrong example in a child’s developing mind…how sad!
The guidelines were
given not as a punishment to the citizens, but as the only known inhibitor to
the rapidly spreading virus. By being extremely strict in the first three or
four phases of lockdown, both state and central governments demonstrated a path
for people to acclimatize themselves on the new norms of conducting their life
in the post Covid-19 era, but the Unlock 1.0 and 2.0 phases seems to have thrown the
entire learnings and practices into the drain. If there is one person or body
we can blame for this rapid rise in geometric proportions, it is squarely, We
the People!!
The final concluding
question or remark is, could we look upon our reporters to bluntly tell us
where we are going wrong and doggedly pursue to be the watchdog for the society?
Or, is this a huge ask?
