So all the hoopla around Sania/Shoaib marriage is abating. How can I tell? Far away from India, my daily dose of news comes from good old Rediff and TOI. Logon to any of these sites, and you'll find multiple links for this kind of news. Back home, all the controversy unfolding on the news channels must have been pretty entertaining to watch. Oh how I miss that! The excited high-pitched analysis, the silly re-enactments/ visualizations, the annoying voice-overs! Yellow journalism at its best!!
Except that why do we care so much about what goes on in the lives of celebrities? Marriage is such a private thing; why do we expect anyone to consult the whole nation before deciding on their choice of future mate. Questions about patriotism being raised, politicians spouting venom, fatwas being declared left-right and centre, effigies being burnt, I hate Sania messages floating around in cyberspace. That's what breaking news is made of these days! Ever wonder why Tiger Woods has to apologize to his fans for cheating on his wife? Sure the guy cheated on his wife with who-knows-how-many women. Do we really expect celebrities to be perfect? Or are we happy when we can see the holes in the illusion of their perfect life?
We are living in the age of voyeurism. How else would you explain all the tabloids, reality shows, sting ops, gossip mags/shows? You say - "I don't watch/read any such thing". Oh, but the next time you click on someone's profile page on Facebook/Orkut, going through their profile page/wall/photos; be aware that the voyeur in you might be taking over. The line between being genuinely interested in someone's life and obsessive stalking is pretty blurry! You never know when you might cross over to the other side.
Is this a holier than thou post? Hell no, I need my dose of gossip. It doesn't matter if the gossip comes from celebrities or from people I know. But as long as my life doesn't revolve around just that, I see no harm in indulging myself once in a while. So, excuse me, I am heading over to rediff to do just that...
