HyperActiveX – came up with that title on a conversatin thread on FB.
And, this was in context of Mr.Advani – the leader of the BJP – who has decided to use the net to reach out to audiences that extensively use the net. (‘younger audiences’ 🙂
In typical desi style, they have gone in for overkill. Have money, will spend – and will appear on every site you visit, at any point of time, with reference to any kind of content – omnipresent…
On Wednesday, i was up at 5. Was supposed to leave for Shirdi at 5.30 – but that has got pushed slightly. So i was catching up with news for the day. And bingo pops up Mr.Advani. at 5 in the morning. I almost choked on the coffee and then i saw the irony of it, and laughed
Somehow the advertising seemed to endorse Varun Gandhi … I am sure that it was not the intention. I am also sure that Mr.Advani and the BJP are fairly embarrassed by this immature and public outburst of what is the hidden philosophy. But that is not the issue. The issue is bad placement. It’s a bit like a Cola Ad appearing after a story on cola damaging the teeth or whatever, or a mobile ad appearing in a cricket match everytime India loses a wicket… it is bad media strategy. Very bad !
It is primarily bad, because it reminds people who are on the fence, the issues that make them uncomfortable with the BJP.
It kind of brought home all the one single reason why i find it difficult to consider the BJP as a party to lead the Government at the centre … despite my acute disenchantment with the Congress. The BJP attracts every psychopathic nutcase – and this kind of rhetoric thrives. Every time a church gets burned, a woman gets beaten up, silliness like purification ceremonies occur at temples because people of ‘lower’ castes have entered it .. check to see the State Government in power .. it is either directly the BJP or a party with BJP support.
There are a whole bunch of very eminent bloggers who have come out to endorse the BJP on account that the Congress has failed to guarantee our security. You know what, i am more scared of marauding hoardes beating me up because I fail to live up to their definition of “Indian Culture” than i am of nutcases planting bombs. Somehow, my main issue with the BJP is internal security, and their ability to hold back their saffron cousins.
And of course, do i really want the trioka of Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Singh and Arun Shourie handling the economy ?
And finally, the great Indian electorate does not elect a Prime Minister. It elects Members of Parliament. The largest party or the largest coalition nominates its PM candidate. Maybe, it is time that advertisers took their heads out of their colonised butts and realised that, thankfully, we don’t have an American set up for choosing either our representatives or our Leader.
you know there are so many people, educated people, who still are oblivious to this connection between the RSS and the BJP and the Bajrang dal and the whole lot of their offshoots. and these people just fail to see the connection between all the ‘moral’ violence and the BJP/RSS. (god how i hate this repulsive concept of moral policing!). you have hit upon a very pertinent issue, people need to start seeing this connection.
Reproducing my facebook comment on this post –
I believe we must have a left, a right and a center, because it promotes the dialectics of ideology in governance, which is a good thing. But with these people (i.e. our current politicians) embodying those ideologies? That’s the big question. We need an overhaul – not of ideology, but of the pseudo-ideologues and their jingoistic rhetoric.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmond Burke
colon-ised butts; hmmm…
The BJP, in my opinion, have no choice but to advertise like this because that’s the only way that they will get noticed. If you look at the last five years, barring Modi’s government (as much as hate to admit it), nobody from the BJP has done anything significant at all.
Secondly, they internet campaign is only for the people with access to computers, which probably amounts to 10-15 per cent of the nation. What about the rest?
The Congress for all its faults has not being grossly visible everywhere. However, considering what’s been happening off late, it still is going to be an interesting election. The Congress might take the center, but the state elections will be a different ball game
@ amit – Hindutva scares me. actually, it terrifies me. and, any party that supports hindutva makes me panic 🙁
@ hyperactivex – i belive in pluralism of thought, way of life. and, when i look at Hindutva — it seems to be antithetical to the pluralistic way of life. i don’t believe that there is any space for religion in politics. i have an issue with the Congerss’ policy of appeasing minorities. but, i am terrified of the BJP’s policy of playing to the gallery of the worst kind of nutcases… 🙁 Hobbsian choice we have before us … but, i believe that the people of Bharat will deliver. I am not so sure about the people of India 🙁
@RSM — true 🙂
@ jayadev- the internet campaign is a fund raiser for all the NRI”s who like to live in American comfort and support the Democrats there, but will want Hindutva here. I really want to know where all the parties are getting their campaign funds from !!