Box out that idiot box

Recently, I had been asked to contribute my two cents on what's bugging me for the local YMA newspaper/newsletter. I would like to share the same on my blog. I wrote a short article on two topics which I feel needed to be addressed among the kids and young people of today's generation, especially those growing up in Mizoram.

1. Television viewing habit: TV is here to stay. So, let's try and tame it before it controls us (to a great deal, it already has for a good number of people). An American study suggested that kids spend around 22-26 hours each week watching the idiot box (and now they have the even idioter box- yes, the computer. That is a bout a day each week. Personally, with the lack of extracurricular and sport activities ,I think these hours may even be more for the Mizo children. TV hours for children should be restricted. I think each parent should take it upon himself/herself to regulate how much and what kind of programs kids view on TV. And, the youngest member of the family in NO WAY should be made dictator of the TV remote.

2. Fashion for Kids: Of late, I noticed that the new generation parents are obsessed with trying to dress their children up so that she will be the prettiest or He will be the smatest looking in church or any other social gathering. It is no longer uncommon to hear about kids' clothing or footwear costing more that a thousand bucks or even two. And the manner in which they are being dressed up can be quite an eyesore for many. "KIDS" are not "small adults" and neither should their dress or attitude or manner of talking (or how they dance on TV) be. Parents of other communities (like the western countries) are not obsessed whether their kids look good or not. They are more concerned whether their child is achieving something in life or not; or at least taking the initial steps towards achieving that. Instead of focussing on the child's dress and trying to instill a sense of fashion in him/her, a kid should be helped bring out his talents; be it playing certain sports, music, singing, writing, composing, painting, drawing, dancing, acting etc etc.

Why have I chosen to write about these two mundane things? Because I feel, in Mizoram than anywhere else in India, that our priorities have been screwed up- for a few people in the past, and now for a good deal of the general mass. I can bear the idea of a girl selling her body to support a drug habit but not for buying new clothes (it's sickeningly sad but true).