How Western TV Shows Are Impacting the Mentality of Youth in India About Patriarchy?
Reach of Western TV in India
Western TV shows are outstretched across India. Let it be to look cool in front of their friends or just for personal knowledge, people of almost all age groups are obsessed with western TV shows. Netflix is a part of their lives. It isn’t just about passing time anymore. Everyone is obsessed and it is having a great impact on Indian minds. If you run out of topics to talk about at a party, there’s always a trending TV series to talk about. Well, introverts are in luck to start a conversation.
Why Is It Important for the Indian Youth to Watch Western TV Shows?
The first and most important reason would be learning English. I think it is a modern world and at this point, knowing English is a must. If you can read, write and speak in English, you will not only survive in an English speaking country but also in a non-English speaking country because everyone there knows English. Countries like Sweden, Denmark, Norway, etc are not English-speaking countries but you can survive by just knowing English. English is a part of our everyday lives and TV shows are a great way to get better at it.
The second reason why youngsters in India should watch these shows is to broaden their minds and accept the real world. We cannot deny how narrow Indian minds are. Even today, girls are taught not to wear revealing clothes (fearing rapists), not to stay out late (same stupid reason), and how can we forget the patriarchy running in our blood? By watching these shows, men will understand why a girl wearing a low cut dress is NOT a hot topic to talk about, why wearing short (or revealing) clothes is not the reason so many rapes happen around us, and why a woman is as important in a house/society as a man.
Why Western TV Is a Blessing to India?
I think it is a great way to teach men that dirty minds cause rapes. Women are equal to men and they are not obliged to do every chore around them. I think normalizing women wearing short clothes would reduce the number of rapes because after watching Rachel wear short skirts on FRIENDS numerous times, we know she isn’t “asking for it”. Today’s generation must learn western culture and embrace it because this is our chance to end patriarchy in India without having to protest or fight. This is the generation of social media, word spreads fast and TV shows are in trend.
After watching literally hundreds of western TV shows and Hollywood movies I realized it’s okay to not get married before 30, it’s okay to not want to have children, it’s okay to move out of my parents’ house to live in my own space, it’s not unmanly of my dad to help mom in her daily household chores. I was astonished when I was exposed to western culture. We don’t even know how different the world out of our country is. Many western countries themselves are also struggling with gender equality and whatnot but at least it is normal when a single woman makes her own decisions. There are numerous points I could list out here.
This would help stop patriarchy in India. If young men and women are exposed to western culture via TV, if they grow up watching them, they will be taught how much equality is important, they will be taught how patriarchy is a “real thing” in India and how much women have suffered all these years without realizing it. This generation would embrace equality, freedom, independence much more than the previous one. This would bring a drastic change in the Indian mindset.
There’s Always a Downside, Isn’t There?
As much as these shows and movies are a blessing, some of them could be harmful to young minds too. Although there are many better things western countries do than India, Indian society teaches some things that will never go to waste. Indians are crazy about respecting their elders/parents. I think in this department India does better than most countries. I’m not saying western people don’t respect their elders or parents. But it is more incapacity in India. This may be because Indians live with their families for most of their lives and it increases their sense of respect and attachment towards their family members. Many of them have lived in the same house as their grandparents for most of their lives. This could be one of the reasons why Indians are more affectionate and considerate towards elders or old people. I’ve not seen much in western culture.
Also, young men and women out there have to be very careful about the shows/movies they choose to watch. Many western TV shows have spread negativity in young minds. They have spread depression and a sense of self-hatred in the young or immature minds. Some have led to suicides. Some shows also show sensitive stuff (substance abuse) on the screen which can lead to harmful effects in a person’s life. One just has to be careful. Otherwise, exposure to western culture is the only effective way for Indians to change their mindset about women, equality, patriarchy, etc because an average Indian consumes more than 300 minutes of media every day.
End of My Rant
Let us all take every measure we can to end patriarchy in our country. Suggesting good western TV shows or movies to a friend, or perhaps watching some family shows with parents would be a strong step to broaden our minds and make our country a better place to live.
