VULGARITY IN SOCIETY EVERYBODY’S CONCERN
Vulgarity is a senseless violation of the norms and standards established in society. In the recent years, it has been manifested in the many forms like, in our behaviour, in our language, in our dressing, and in our gestures to others people. A very crucial thing is noted in the present day fashion that vulgarity in fashion has become symbol of high status.
The new age fashion has hypnotized the new and young generation. A Chinese proverb defines fashion, as ‘fashion is a desire to expose but a compulsion to cover.’ Fashion has become a million-dollar industry. The frowns of an insignificant minority can be conveniently brushed away with a few sneers. It provides employment to a sizable people. It gives status of celebrity to the fashion designers and the models.
Fashion aims at making the society beautiful and it has achieved partial success in this venture. There is more husk than the grain. The fashion industry is busy in highlighting immodesty and sometimes ugliness in the name of presenting the natural beauty of the human body. The English Philosopher GEM Joad said, “Art lives and never gets old. It stands the test of time. Obviously few designs would pass this test. I don’t disparage fashions. I somehow find most attempts to create novelty simply unpalatable.”
How many of the parents would go and watch movies and countless numbers of kissing scenes of actor and actress. In some films, the rape or bedroom scenes look so realistic that they can’t be watched with family members without feeling embarrassment. This is just another kind of vulgarity in society. Cinema used to be an art, a serious medium with some message. It was rarely used as medium in pursuance of the idea of ‘Art for Art’s Sake.’ The modern day’s movies and TV serials have changed the meaning of principles in society. Who cares about the principles, everybody is busy in money making. They do marketing for the films without showing any regard to their social responsibility and lead to vulgarity in society.
The press, whether of local languages or English, can also be blamed with films and TV serials. One can find the daily newspapers full of pictures of semi-clad models and film stars occupying larger space than the space provided to news. The idea, which works behind the promotion of such pictures, is to boost the sale of the publications.
Children do not listen to the elders because of the generation gap and westernization of the society. The elders cannot stop from doing something odd when they themselves do such things in open. This is unacceptable to the new generation.
Most of us know that vulgarity is pervading the whole society but except shrugging our shoulders, we don’t feel the need of doing something to set matters right. The malaise is seeping into the roots of the society. It may damage the fabric to the extent that no remedy will work in future. Somebody will have to take up the cudgel. Everybody, who has had a hand in playing havoc with the moral structure of the Indian society, has a responsibility to join the task of putting the horse before the cart and reverse the damaging trend. It is the responsibility of everybody to check the deterioration in our cultural values and to control the vulgarity that prevailed in the society to such an extent that is being accepted as an essential evil.
However, we should admit one fact also that vulgarity does not begin with girl’s dress only and it does not end with it too. Today, most of the powerful politicians, administrators, policemen are engaged in one sort of vulgarity or other.
When one Parliamentarian hurls a hike to another one, is it not vulgarity? When one policemen beats a weak and a poor man in broad day light, is it not vulgarity Yes, these are the acts of vulgarity. So if we really fight against vulgarity then we have to take into account all sorts of vulgarities.