The Glittering and the Glitterati
I recently watched a movie based on the rise and violent end of a rural pop singer, who rose from absolute poverty to dizzying heights of adulation and success, only to be an eyesore for many.
That’s the story in a nutshell. But it got me thinking about a lot of things.
The reason for the rise was the kind of songs which were written and popularised.
Tacky, Garish, Loud, Trashy, Filled with innuendos, to say the least.
These songs were the reflection of his observations. So in a way it was reflection of life of the social strata he belonged to. A major chunk is more concerned with the wages and to keep the hearth glowing than the dignity of women or society in general.
No wonder it appealed to the masses, who could only claim glory by suppressing a more vulnerable gender and finding entertainment in the most carnal lyrics of the songs.
It struck me as to how someone’s social positioning and life affects the experiences, language, and perspective which is duly reflected in their language, and actions.
It is a fact that when such a person tries to rock the boat, the caretakers of society rein in the one not toeing the line.
Mind you, this was before the days of TV and much before the internet.
However, in today’s time, social media is filled with all sorts of filth with no filter in place.
Many times, it finds a place in the mainstream too.
What is astonishing is the fact that for the sake of novelty or in the name of entertainment, we all are consuming it, irrespective of age, class, or creed!
When did we lose our ability to discern, to reject or simply to shut out cringe worthy words?
So whether we have opened up as a society, we have modernised or we don’t care about these things anymore, take your pick.
But let me warn you: our overlooking, tolerance, or simple indifference is going to cost us big time!
Holding the standards is a hard task, but going in a downward spiral is easy and heady.
As language and expressions are intertwined, one should refrain from practicing freedom of expression with slurs, slang, or slander.
Usually, what we consume affects our thoughts and opinions and, in due course, our actions, too. For,
“Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.”— Rita Mae Brown
Hence, in this time and age, we can neither give a free run to language nor can we let it run amuck. We have to hold it up to certain standards.
As prominent linguist Noam Chomsky puts it:
“Language is not just words. It’s a culture, a tradition, a unification of a community, a whole history that creates what a community is.”— Noam Chomsky
