The Corrosion of Public Discourse
I read with concern the news that the Supreme Court of India is set to examine an animated video, allegedly released by the BJP, that is accused of demonizing the Muslim community. The report in the Times of India details how a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and S C Sharma will look into the matter, brought forth by petitioners represented by senior advocate Sanjay Hegde. That the highest court in the land must intervene to adjudicate on the basic tenets of civil political communication is a sobering reflection of our times.
This is not merely about political rivalry or electoral tactics. It is about the deliberate corrosion of our social fabric through divisive narratives. It brings me back to a theme I explored some time ago in my blog, "Sensibility is getting Smudged".
The core idea I wanted to convey then was about how our perception of reality is being warped by new forms of media. I had reflected on deepfakes and the blurring of truth. This animated video, while perhaps not technologically sophisticated, employs the same malicious principle. It manufactures a distorted reality, painting communities with a broad, hateful brush to stoke fear and division. It is a calculated smudging of our collective sensibility, replacing the complex, nuanced truth of our society with crude, inflammatory caricatures.
This trend is the very antithesis of progress. A healthy society, much like a robust AI system, thrives on diversity of thought and constructive debate. I've even explored this concept in the context of artificial intelligence in "5 LLMs are any day better than one", where a consensus among different perspectives leads to a more accurate and less biased outcome. When we as a society abandon dialogue in favor of monologues of hate, we are programming ourselves for failure.
While the intervention of the judiciary is a necessary check, the ultimate responsibility rests with us. We must be the guardians of our own social harmony. We must reject the poison of divisive rhetoric and demand a political discourse rooted in dignity, respect, and facts. The stain of hatred, once it smudges our collective consciousness, is incredibly difficult to wash away.
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
Of course, if you wish, you can debate this topic with my Virtual Avatar at : hemenparekh.ai
No comments:
Post a Comment