talk shows

                             Talk shows or break shows?

Talk shows are becoming popular among the television viewers. Those who are fed up with too much cinema events found them interesting. The success and popularity of a talk show depends on the anchor’s efficiency in leading the discussions, without losing the thread of the thought process which revolves around the theme of the talk show.   Usually they are conducted on topical issues. The general practice adopted is to divide the participants into two groups, holding opposite views on the topic   of discussion so that the viewers are able to understand the different perspectives of a particular problem. But the recent trend in talk shows seems to be the analysis of the relationships   between the family members such as, husband and wife, siblings, parents and chidden, mother and daughter in laws, fathering laws and son in-laws or between the teachers and the taught, employers and employees and girls and boys.

 It is agreed that talk shows can’t be conducted all the time on serious topical issues. We need relaxation to the mind through discussions on lighter topics too. But three is a danger when the strength of close relationships are tested before the television camera and telecast to the world if the anchor or the director is not careful. Human relationships are built more on sentiment and emotion than on practicality. Once it is cracked it is difficult to mend it. In a bid to make the show vibrant an anchor may encourage participants to reveal more and more of private matters in public and during such times the person who was thus exposed may feel humiliated and hurt and there is a chance that hurt turns into anger and spoil the relationship between the victim and the offender?   When family members participate in  a  talk show, get into a mood of uncontrolled talk for the sake  of 5 minutes popularity or just because he/ she was goaded by the anchor a danger likely to happen.  After the end of the shooting they have to back to the same home and face others about whom they exposed in the talk show. Not every one will take the exposures lightly. Even the adverse comments made liberally in such talk shows about relatives and friends might destroy human relationships

 Every talk show is has a theme. It starts with simple exchange of ideas related to the theme .  But as the discussion proceeds, the two groups become like war groups vehemently opposing each other. Sometimes,   the limits of privacy and decency are violated. Both the parties are goaded by the questions thrown by the anchor that compels them to articulate about their innermost opinion about family members seated in the opposite group. Sometimes they are coaxed more and more to come out with even actions or words done or said in the privacy   of a home. When such private matters are discussed in public by one party, the other party who was exposed in public is very embarrassed. The viewers often wonder how a wife or a husband after humiliating in pubic each other will go back home and continue to live with harmony. After describing the relative' behavior in the worst manner possible before a huge audience how it would be possible to continue the social intewrction with them?  Daughters expose freely the behavior of restrictive mothers and mothers expose the defects of daughters without any hesitation.  In one of the talk shows a mother was asked to   talk about the action of her married son which has caused her utmost distress. She started telling about an incident related to a personal help rendered by her son to his wife when both of them were getting ready to go to office with that she stopped. But the anchor didn’t leave her and continued to push her to reveal about her mental turmoil at that time. She was unwilling to talk further, because her daughter in law was seated opposite to her and was sitting with an shocked expression because she couldn’t belives that her docile looking mother in law will state before TV camera a simple act of help which her husband did to her with in the four walls her home as the act which has caused her mother in law maximum pain.  The camera focused on the mother in law for a long time until she broke down. It was very clear to the viewers that she had been driven to that situation and was afraid of thinking of the consequences on relationship with her son. All the viewers would have felt sorry for that mother, the daughter in law and the son.  When talk shows proceed in this manner there is neither information nor entertainment.  It only creates uneasy feelings among the audience

 Some young members talk uncontrollably in their anxiety to become more articulate in a talk show. We also find that boys are more restrained in expressing their views than the girls. In the name of liberty of expression the youngsters convey their opinion on every matter with least regard to values of life.  Al present   India is facing social crisis. The joint family system has  disappeared ,  gender conflicts are rising, the divorce rate is increasing,  respect towards  elders is dwindling , family bond  has weakened , the  in laws are always viewed as outlaws  and  there is trust deficit among relatives and neighbors ..  In short, the social and community harmony are weakening, for which India was so famous until a few decades ago. Let not the talk shows conducted only with an eye on TRP rating with least regard for breaking up of   human relationship.