Dilemma


News anchors are intimidating, newspapers disturbing.
Facebook and Twitter unsettling, Whatsapp is troubling.

Family and friends have chosen their sides,
Arguments, squabbles, even break-ups are rife.

Am I a traitor or patriot - I don't know myself,
Where's the guy who said ignorance was a bliss.

Wish life was simple and I could just live the personal,
But that now eludes me forever as the personal is political

Situating the ‘Discourse’ in the ‘Fair & Lovely Ad Campaign’

Television commercials have evolved significantly over the last many decades. They have been the catalyst and reflection of a society’s aspirations. In their endeavour to sell, they have created images and metaphors which over time have assumed strong socio-cultural dimensions. The physical images have indeed been very overwhelming. Television commercials have not only created the perfect images but also woven pressing narratives which make the desire to attain that perfection imperative. These images have somewhere got domesticated and appropriated over time. In fact these images have managed to build a framework of ‘stereotypes’ with respect to different constructs including gender, class, religion, sexuality, ethnicity among others. The ‘Fair & Lovely’ brand was launched in the Indian market in the year 1975. The very nomenclature of the brand has been indicative of its USP – fair skin and women as its target audience. I have done a preliminary analysis of four popular 'Fair and Lovely' commercials over the years. One of the earlier commercials featuring Juhi Chawla has the protagonist as a homemaker who gets approval from friends, relatives and her spouse only after a regular use of ‘Fair and Lovely’ which improves her skin. Another one tells the success story of a young middle class girl who has flair for cricket commentary. She practices her trade at home with a pseudo-mike which is replaced by a ‘Fair & Lovely’ tube by her mother. The next part is the girls’ instant selection as a television cricket commentator where her radiant skin tone becomes the center of attention for co-commentators and the television audience. Another one builds a story of a dance group where the choreographer chooses one artist over the other because of her fair skin. The selected dancer advises her colleague that despite talent, she would not be able to shine out as doesn’t have the physical charisma. The physical charisma is then brought in by handing over the ‘Fair & Lovely’ tube to the protagonist. The last shot of the ad shows the male choreographer being enamored by the dancer who he had earlier rejected. Then there is one that shows the ‘not-so-fair’ daughter of a priest being ridiculed by the staff of an ‘air hostess’ training academy for not having the physical beauty to even be in that space. The next scene shows the priest being hurt by the lamenting and using all his expertise in ‘ayurveda’ to develop something that will change his daughter’s skin color. The ad situates ‘Fair & Lovely’ cream to be that concoction. Once the daughter uses it and attains fair skin the air hostess academy not only trains her but she also becomes a very successful air hostess. The narrative of each of the discussed ads identifies following common narrative agents - - The female protagonist - Her abilities and potential - Her rejection - Dark skin as the reason for rejection - An advisor/friend who brings ‘Fair & Lovely’ into the protagonist’s life - The immediate success after the use of the product enhances skin tone and gives fair skin For details go to https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ruchi_Jaggi/contributions

Gender Construction in Video Games: A Discourse Analysis, Mass Communicator, International Journal of Communication Studies, Vol 8, Issue 1(Jan-March, 2014)

This study attempts to analyze gender construction and representation in video games and contribute to the literature on gender representation in video games. Research Design Sample This study will use the ten most popular games worldwide. This list has been drawn from the website gameratings.com which is an outfit of CBS Interactive (a division of the CBS Corporation, USA) - The rationale for this sampling was USA‟s position as the world‟s biggest video game industry at $18.58 billion in 2010 (NPD). The ten games selected as sample of this study are (1-10 in the ordinal sequence with 1 being the most popular( - 1. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 2. Super Mario Galaxy 3. Super Mario Galaxy 2 4. Grand Theft Auto IV 5. Soul Calibur 6. Unchartered 2: Among Thieves 7. Metroid Prime 8. Tekken 3 9. Resident Evil 4 10. Mass Effect 2 Methodology This study will use the Textual Analysis and Discursive Analysis techniques to interpret gender constructions and representations in the selected sample of video games. The Textual Analysis technique will attempt to recognize the themes using the right focal point and patterns in the games‟ narrative. This method will entail producing a description of the nature of gender representations established in and through the video games selected in the sample as a text. The computer game text will be interpreted as an instance of a referent social activity that gives the text its meaning. Discursive Analysis will be focused on understanding social interactions between gamers on topics of gender construction and representation on gaming sites, blogs, and chat threads. Textual and Discourse Analysis 1. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Majority of characters in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time are female, and most are multi-faceted and have deep purpose within the storyworld. The title character Zelda is the quintessential princess. Regal, poised, beautiful and submissive, she certainly is everything a princess rightfully “should” be by conventional standards. The second female character is Saria. Saria is a gentle, submissive, and innocent. Another female character introduced in the first half of the game is Princess Ruto. Ruto is stubborn, willful and even spiteful. She is the stereotypical high maintenance female character and embodies what might be referred to as a “diva-like” quality. The depiction of Princess Ruto in the game is possibly the most detrimental to women because she embodies many negative feminine stereotypes. Impa of Sheikah is portrayed very positively as a very noble character. She is a very good character to Zelda. Although she is clearly a female strong female character, she is also very masculine which could very well be the reason why she is presented so favorably. “The Great Fairy” reappear throughout the game are actually multiple fairies and are the most highly sexualized figures, depicted scantily clad with only strategically placed vines covering their bodies. Although they serve as good figures within the storyworld, they have minimal purpose and are the most overtly sexual figures in the game. As a blogger on the blog „A Video game Cannon‟ says that the only way Zelda gained any power was by becoming the manly Sheik. And the same goes for Impa, for the only way that she was able to seem strong enough to protect Zelda, was to be presented as a harsh, masculine being. As for most of the other women in the game, they were presented as just sitting there, waiting to be helped or rescued. “It seems that no matter how hard game creators try, women are always represented poorly, and never given the chance to be a good role model”. 2.& 3. Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 - It is a testament to Mario‟s branding that Mario is now the most recognizable video game character in the world. The game stars a male protagonist widely known as Mario. The sole mission and purpose of said protagonist is to rescue Princess Peach. Princess Peach has been featured in every mainstream Mario game since and continually plays the same role. She portrays the lone woman in the entire story, functions only as a “damsel in distress,” promoting the idea that women are weaker than men, powerless in the face of adversity, and eternally grateful for being saved. It is similar to the chivalry of fairytales, where women are meek and men are brave. The text represents the woman in a state of submission, and the man in the state of control. As a blogger Kadie Rosier on the blog „Game Design as Cultural Practice‟ says, “It (Super Mario Galaxy) is characterized by an adolescent male sensibility that transcends physical age and embraces highly stylized physical violence, male fantasies of power and domination, hyper-sexualized, objectified depictions of women, and rampant racial stereotyping and discrimination”. 4. Grand Theft Auto IV – It is an action-adventure video game. “Grand Theft Auto IV” has been hyped by its producers as an X-rated wonderland. It shows double lap dances at the local strip club, and also the option to pay a hooker to talk dirty and service the player in the virtual world. As Cortlney blogs on afeministresponsetopopculture.blogsopt.com, “I am angry about a 'game' called Grand Theft Auto IV. I am angry because this 'game' romanticizes, decontextualizes and glorifies male violence against women and against other men. It portrays women as the sex class (willing and available) and men as autonomous agents with full subjectivity (as long as they are hegemonicly masculine). I am angry because this is the result of living in a patriarchal, ethnocentric, xenophobic, homophobic and, yes I'll say it, woman hating culture. I cannot understand this 'game' as anything other than that”. 5. Soul Calibur – It is a weapons-based 3D fighting game. Rachael Hutchinson in the paper „Performing the Self Subverting the Binary in Combat Games‟ says games such as Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and Soul Calibur are complex in terms of their construction of stereotyped identity and in the binary structure of combative play. Further, the significance of the genre lies in the performative aspects of gameplay, which problematize accepted models of identification and immersion. Once the player is introduced into the superficial binary structure of combat, then that player's choice and agency become the primary factors in gameplay, ultimately creating space for the inversion of stereotype, the subversion of gender roles and the possible transcendence of the binary system. As Paul Tassi (a blogger) says in Jan 2012 post along with the following graphic says, Image Source: http://unrealitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/soul-calibur.jpg “The graphic above shows how exactly the series has changed its female characters over the last fight installments using fighter Sophitia as a model. Over time her clothes have shrunk and her bust has grown…I‟m not opposed to sexy female video game characters, but there is a line that crosses into pure ridiculousness, and fighting games like Mortal Kombat, Dead or Alive and Soul Calibur regularly step over it”. 6. Unchartered 2: Among Thieves – It is an action-adventure video game. The plot revolves around the doomed voyage home of Marco Polo from China in 1292. Elen Fisher is the female character and the love interest of Nathan Drake the protagonist of the same. Commentators have mentioned how unusually strong and resilient Fisher is for a female character, and GamesRadar UK called her one of the strongest heroines in video gaming. 7. Metroid Prime – It is a 3D game with a science fiction setting. Samus, a female, is the central character of this game. As a strong and resilient character who is the main protagonist, she portrays little signs of stereotypical female behavior and image. No features of her body can be seen because she wears a suit of armor that covers everything. She does not reveal weak emotions through her lonely adventures and her actions in the game do not strongly portray feminine behavior. Even though Samus counters many stereotypes, there are certain times when she does not, such as, in Metroid Prime II, when she strips down to only a tank top and underwear, and takes her hair down. As a blogger „Linearity‟ writes on the website Metroid Metal, “Now we have Zero Suit Samus, who looks exactly like every other game heroine: a supermodel body in a skintight suit, a blond ponytail, and a handgun. The endings of the recent handheld games, which naturally show Samus without her suit, have been stock glamour shots like I would see in an underwear ad”. 8. Tekken 3: The story in each game in the main series documents the events of the fictional martial arts tournament, recurring male characters were allowed to age but all female characters were kept the same age or replaced by their daughters. Though the women are capable of defending themselves and often kick ass, but are still hyper-sexualized versions of real women (see image below). Source: http://www.capndesign.com/archives/2003/05/women_in_games.php A very interesting discourse of gender is evident in the portrayal of a character named Leo in the game. As Wikipedia throws light on trivia like there were rumours before the game officially released, that Leo was a girl. Shortly after its release in Europe there were complaints because Leo was thought of as a transgender character. The production team of the game claimed that they wanted to create a character who would be loved by the fans regardless of gender, so they made Leo‟s gender ambiguous on purpose. However due to this design, Leo is rarely used in mature content. 9. Resident Evil 4: This game is built around the survival horror and science fiction genre. One of the characters Ashley Graham (the US President‟s daughter) is kidnapped and is the object to be rescued. She is unable to use weapons. Leon, the male character, must protect her as she is very vulnerable. While there is another lead character Alice who is shown as a strong and brave character as shown below - Source: http://sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92031 10. Mass Effects 2 : Mass Effect 2 is the futuristic story of Commander Shepard and how he must figure out who is destroying human colonies throughout the galaxy and put a stop to them. As a 2010 blog post on the blog Game Design as Cultural Practice discusses, “This game makes a very bold attempt at crossing the barrier and creating a game that both men and women can enjoy. They do so by allowing you to start the game by choosing whether or not to make Commander Shepard male or female, as an attempt to trump the stereotype that the protagonist on all military based games is a man. They also try to break the stereotype by allowing you to recruit a multitude of female companions to aid in your journey. However these recruits do not manage to cross the stereotypical feminine constructs. While there is Miranda as the genetically modified doctor, her role makes her seem no more than a glorified secretary. Jack, a tomboyish convict, is portrayed in this game so that it appears that a woman can be helpful in a combat setting only if is not in her right mind, that is not acting like a „woman‟.” For details go to https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ruchi_Jaggi/contributions

From 24x7 to 24 - Not bad!

I had no expectations from 24 (the new TV series on Colors). But I must admit that it has grown on me. The pace, the thrill and somewhere the very impressive integrity of a secret agent (with his share of personal issues) is interesting enough to keep glued to my TV screen for a couple of hours every week. I admire the production value which respects me as a viewer. A neat break from the pseudo, flamboyant and sometimes even in-your-face settings (like the very irritating spotlight on all the more irritable Navjot Singh Siddhu who bangs the table in 'Comedy Nights with Kapil' instead of the Assembly). I haven't seen the American version of 24, but I believe that the Indianization is slick! On another note, TV news are going from being moronic to schizophrenic - completely obsessed with two persons - Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi. I wonder what if none of the two becomes the next PM - will some anchors go to a rehab or commit suicide. However at the moment the more interesting part for me is to see the next PM's oath in 24! PS. By the way I got to know that people still watch 'Bigg Boss'!

Televised Mayhem

The last three months have been (un)eventful. Opinions are running amok on every possible platform - whether it has been patriarchy and its 'ill-will', the lost sense of jihad, or the irony of saffron terrorism. Television's discursive practices have been re-constructing and repeating the mayhem - staging dramas and pulling off performances with all the 'fifty shades of grey, black, green and saffron'! There is a misplaced sense of exuberance in the strokes on the televised canvas. While a young woman seems to assume more and more objectification, Kasab's baffled state of (un)being paints another hapless picture. The echoes of nationalism seem ironic in the fading poignancy of Guru's execution. As I get lost in this televised mayhem, the (in)sane voices of Arnabs and Barkhas keep resonating in my mind. I question - how much can television simplify for it is in this oversimplification that it is robbing minds of thought, argument and articulation. And then there shall be no mayhem...

Children's Television - Part I

There are some interesting stats available on children's television from the point of view of the market. According to the FICCI-KPMG 2012 report, the Indian TV industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17 percent over 2011-16 and will reach INR 735 billion in 2016. Interestingly, kids’ TV channels have the largest share of viewership in India after after GECs,movies and news. A Cartoon Network 2011 survey suggests that the media consumption of TV, expectedly, supersedes that of all other media among Indian kids. Another figure points out that the share of kids' genre which was 5.4% in 2008 has jumped to 7.6% in 2012! Even the ad market has become between Rs 200-250 crore. Good news or is it really? Despite the market moving swiftly and all possible dimensions around television swelling up figuratively, the growth in content is very restrictive. There is hardly any indigenous property in children's programming in India. A major part of children’s lore in India is still dominated by mythological stories. These stories have also constantly been the narrative of indigenous children’s television programming. While mythology does have some fantastic stories, kids also need shows with contemporary stories with which they can identify. The Indian TV content for children is so focused on telling a moral story. The lack of varied narratives is completely forgetful of the fact that the core of any narrative is about arousing basic human emotions! In my opinion, it is this indigenous, repititive narrative which has become one of the primary reasons for the huge popularity of imported content. Besides story themes, sophisticated animation and investment are other significant factors (but more on them later). Our children have grown, our stories still need to!

The First Outburst

I must admit I watch a lot of TV. But if someone asks what I like the most, I have to really think hard. For I watch things that I ususally dislike. I am entrapped and know that it's a trap! So I tend to get critical of everything that I watch. The fiction genre across Hindi GECs is indeed stranger than truth! The ideal Indian (and definitely Hindu) household lives in a joint system and an opulent setting. The attire is hyper-traditional, women are hyper-accessorized, men are hyper-patriarchs, and the narrative is hyper-melodrama. Excess indeed is hyper-excessive. And TAM says that this excess is hyper-popular (the tragedy of TV ratings!). Reality is scripted. So when a Himesh Reshammiya and an Atif Aslam fight it out in Dubai (Sur-Kshetra), it is even more pseudo than Sunny Deol's hyperbole in Border (remember J.P. Dutta). But the voyuer in me is waiting for our Sallu Miyan to kickstart the next season of Bigg Boss (the extra 'G' in 'Bigg' stands for gossip).. more catfights, some LSD..and yeah some catharsis! While all this is positioning itself, the T20 world cup (especially the highlights) are keeping many insomniacs occupied (Well some random survey in a newspaper said that 10 pm-1am is the new primetime!). Amidst this a SAB TV is strategizing how it can make all its sitcoms more slapstick and consequently more popular!