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| Monday, 10 March 2003 |
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Teaching potentials of TV commercials Small girls and boys are increasingly used in TV commercials without due care about the dangerous impact they have on them. Presentation of live action through real people may be a more compelling medium in transforming fantasy into reality but getting children to tell lies is sure to have an adverse impact on a young person's view about truthfulness. Various advertisements in which growing children and adults join hands in presenting fantasies as truth are repeated throughout the day and the child dramatising the fantasy as well as the children viewing them, are though unintentionally, trained in the language of lying and are also driven to believe that lying for a purpose is part of one's life. A girl comes running to her mother, complaining that her sister pushed her down and injured her hand, whereas it has not happened and her hand is not injured. Then the mother washes the child's hand as if she is washing a wound, explaining that the brand of soap she is using is capable of effectively protecting the wound from all infections. This fiction is good enough for promoting the sale of a product but the lesson is too bad for the child. The mother is the foremost teacher and protector of the child. The child's tie to its mother is a deeply biological one, that no mother can condone lying in whatever form by her child but give it total protection from bad behaviour and dishonesty. It is a responsibility of human beings share with all mammals that protect the growth of the young organism even while in the womb. So how can a mother join with her child to present a fantasy as a truth, however good the product involved may be? Can a child trust anyone other than its mother and under such circumstances how can she share pretences with her child in such a grand way. Of course, it is important to teach the children that the use of water alone is not sufficient to remove the greasy dirt on the body and something capable of removing the dirt must be used. Such a substance is soap. But in marketing a brand of soap, it is not at all advisable for a small child to be employed to make pretences and utter lies with its mother. It is the responsibility of those who tailor advertisements to think twice before vulnerable children are used to dramatise lies. Nearly five hundred years before the Christian era, Hippocrates urged his disciples to "strive to know what man is in relation to the articles of food and drink" because the human animals is the only one which is "unable intuitively to select suitable food". Since then, parents and teachers have been telling young ones to be careful about what they eat and about when and how they should eat. In another TV commercial a girl is seen sucking an ice cream and dancing in a torrential rain as if nothing could harm her health. She ridicules her mother's advice against exposing herself to rain and eating an ice cream while doing so. She proudly claims that she has total protection because she daily takes a brand of medicine blended in her cup of milk. This episode blatantly belies all the lessons of elementary hygiene taught to the child at school as well as at home. Further no child will hesitate to imitate it regardless of any advice against such behaviour because it has been shown as harmless even on the TV screen. Further every child will demand for that phenomenal protection so that they could do anything without the risk of illness. TV commercials over a period of time also give practically every child impulses to desire the remedy of medicine instead of observing the rules of preventive health. A child who is a regular viewer sees different commercials which appear to him as real social attitudes. Thus the cumulative effects of TV are likely to be much more impressionable than any other media. Induced by these attractive commercials, our children begin to choose lifestyles inconsistent with personal and national values. Just because a product like a hair-drier sells well in a cold country it does not mean that a distributor in this hot country should try to sell it for the same reason. They induce children to acquire behaviour patterns seen within the screen world and make generalisations about the rules and regularities of human behaviour which have no real basis. The important part of children's social reality is their role as consumers. TV has an obvious impact on children as consumers because its advertising becomes an important part of children's exposure to the medium. These commercials are heavily visual, action-oriented, quick-paced and repetitive and use catchy jingles and forceful language. All of these are features that catch attention and learning even among quite young children. TV commercials tend to teach that eating is more than just a way of nourishing our bodies. Children are being stimulated and taught to be delighted by the texture of food, the colour and shape, thereby making them eat with their eyes as much as with the mouths. Let us be under no illusion. Trying to change children's traditional eating habits by these powerful commercials is a great danger that no one should ignore. About five decades ago, all ill-health was attributed to physical causes and not to our eating, as at present. Children are encouraged to go beyond their need to provide nourishment and whatever the impulse, the net results is dangerous. If knowledge is power, TV has the potential to help redistribute this power more meaningfully in society. It is an instrument that has reduced the advantage possessed by the elite and privileged people in education, by reaching all people, rich and poor, educated and illiterate. A. R. M. T. B. RATNAYAKE
The existing mosquito problem in urban Colombo is being exacerbated by the actions of some careless and ignorant residents. For example, I live in the Rajagiriya area, where stuffing rubbish down drains is common place. The resultant blockage of the drains provides an ideal breeding place for mosquitoes, as well as smelling unpleasant and no doubt harbouring much dangerous bacteria. When heavy rains come the stormwater runoff has nowhere to go but up, bringing with it a lot of the rubbish and effluent which the blocked drains contain. Additionally, the flooded streets further add to the city's already hazardous driving conditions. There are also the people of one house on my street who regularly put their rubbish out at noon, when the (perfectly adequate) rubbish collection takes place at around 7.30 a.m. daily. The resulting mess not only further encourages mosquitoes, but is unhygienic, unsightly, and above all, unnecessary. I appeal to everyone to dispose of their rubbish in a thoughtful manner, at the correct time, and in the correct receptacle. Lastly, fines for littering and for not eradicating likely mosquito breeding spots around premises (domestic or commercial) should be increased to reflect the serious nature of the problem. Perhaps the city council could also undertake more regular mosquito eradication campaigns, and to better educate the public on the risks of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever. A concerted and cooperative effort on mosquito control is the only way towards eradication of this vector of disease, discomfort and suffering. So come on Colombo, get together and make the city and environs a better place for residents and tourists alike. N.E.S. Rajagiriya Shame Warne So little Sri Lanka will have the last laugh! Whenever Murali went out to bowl in Australia, the Aussies were shouting their voices hoarse-"Chucker" - and that too most unfairly at a bowler who had been cleared by no less an authority than the ICC and also by all renowned umpires in the world except their Aussie counterparts. With Shane Warne's notorious past scandals his version of being a very obedient little mama's boy obliging his mama by popping pills in to his mouth to keep a trim figure, holds little water. Just like the Australian Boomerang the injustice done to a wonderful sportsman like Murali, boomeranged on the whole of Australia, their spectators and their most illustrious bowler. DR. CHARITHAL SERESINHE
So little Sri Lanka will have the last laugh! Whenever Murali went out to bowl in Australia, the Aussies were shouting their voices hoarse-"Chucker" - and that too most unfairly at a bowler who had been cleared by no less an authority than the ICC and also by all renowned umpires in the world except their Aussie counterparts. With Shane Warne's notorious past scandals his version of being a very obedient little mama's boy obliging his mama by popping pills in to his mouth to keep a trim figure, holds little water. Just like the Australian Boomerang the injustice done to a wonderful sportsman like Murali, boomeranged on the whole of Australia, their spectators and their most illustrious bowler. DR. CHARITHAL SERESINHE Etul Kotte Oh hangman! You are welcome Whatever people say about human rights, that no person has the right to take the life of another, the need to call the hangman to attention has become the greatest necessity of the time. If a criminal kills another, he has violated the code of human rights, requiring deterrent punishment over the seriousness of the crime, i.e., the death penalty, in conformity with the law of the land. In Sri Lanka, the last person to hang was Embilipitiye Dharmadasa alias Chandradasa in 1976, and thereafter no one was hanged, but the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, as the next equitable punishment of murder. In view of this suspension of death penalty for homicide, the rate of killing has increased rapidly, calling for immediate attention by the government to reimpose death penalty. The previous government looked into the matter as a pressing need, but did not re-impose death penalty due to political reasons. We now realise the urgent need to call upon the hangman, and the Justice Minister is said to be taking immediate action by ordering a special kind of rope for the gallows. So we have some assurance that the present Government will go ahead with executions without being influenced by politicians and men of authority, who on the pretext of human rights, condemned death penalty as an uncivilised anachronism in the execution of justice. In Sri Lanka prior to 1976 executions were carried out in prisons at Welikada in Colombo and Bogambara in Kandy. It was carried out in conformity with the rules and regulations in force. A criminal must be hanged on the appointed day and at the fixed time, and any failure cannot be made good by repetition, and it is illegal to carry out a second attempt. If death penalty is in force, most people who commit the grave offence, will refrain from doing so, to save their lives from the gallows. Since this does not happen now, murders take place under the simplest provocation. So many people, today, weep over their death, under the hands of the criminals, who have no fear that they would be punished with death. Under the law, murder and non-negligent manslaughter includes all wilful felonies, as distinguished from deaths caused by negligence. Let us, therefore, as a trial period, re-introduce death penalty for a period of five years, and see the result in the increase or decrease of homicides in the island, before considering an overall suspension of the penalty. No political intervention should be tolerated but allow justice to prevail. ARYADASA RATNASINGHE
Private hospitals fleecing patients The stories one hears of Private Hospitals fleecing patients are numerous, but being patients they have no choice except perhaps recount their unhappy experiences to others. Here is one more story which to say the least is extremely shocking. Recently I had a mammogram done at the Cancer Institute Maharagama, an ultra sound scan was also done. As they felt an FNAB test was needed to exclude any malignancy I was instructed to see my doctor with this report. My doctor in turn referred me to a doctor who works in the evenings at a private hospital in central Colombo requesting her to do this test. Armed with this letter I saw this doctor - a lady that very same evening. She promptly ordered another US Scan for which I had to pay Rs. 750 and she only repeated what was said to me at the cancer Inst. That very morning and gave me an appointment three days hence for the test. She, however, told me to bring two syringes and needles which she 'specified' "otherwise they will charge you for it", was her explanation. On the appointed day I was asked to pay for the test and even though I had brought the syringes the cashier said I had to pay the normal charge for the FNAB test which is Rs. 1500 - Rs. 1000 for the doctor and Rs. 500 for the hospital. And the test was done using my syringes. The strange part of this story is that after the test I was given a plastic bottle. I was surprised and asked what it was. The doctor asked the nurse to tell me and the nurse said "take this to the Lab". I had to ask where the Lab was and was shown a counter where a girl was seated in front of a computer. This was certainly no LAB. She took the plastic bottle and asked me" cash or card?". Imagine how shocked I was when I was told I had to pay another Rs. 730 to the Lab to get the report! Having paid Rs. 1500 for the test I expected them to give me the report as other hospitals do but not here. If by any chance I did not have more money with me I would have had to take the sample and go home. No where have I heard of a test sample being given to a patient to take to their Lab. This seems to be another ruse to charge more money by making it appear as though a sample has been brought from home for testing at their Lab. Later I checked with another Private Hospital and found they charge only Rs.780 for this same test with the report given. While one would not grudge paying for a test or any service for that matter can one just ignore this kind of robbery? But this is exactly what one has to do if one is a patient these days. A de S
Who said the public service is in a mess. There are a few black sheep in every fold. I went to the postal banking unit to get interest on my wife's account. The former manager and a lady a neighbour of mine have both gone on transfer. A smart young lady took the pass book and what do you think, she had entered the interest and returned the accounts book in ten minutes. I was taken by utter surprise. There are good and honest workers too. They need to be appreciated and praised. Such people are rare and few. Let others in other public service sectors emulate this shining example. CARL NANAYAKKARA
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