Where do we start?

Everytime, I watch a TV documentary or debate; read a newspaper editorial or an article of general interest - I see a trend. No one seems to be interested in the issue or its solution, pros and cons, alternatives etc. The focus seems to be exclusively on eloquent gibberish. Recently, a leading anchor asked a doctor the following question while dealing with H1N1 issue. His line of argument was something like this. Why are we even trying to diagnose the illness ? Given that H1N1 is prevalent in Pune, should the doctor not directly start Tamiflu administration. Since doctors did not, they must be culpable for the deaths in the city." Some such gross nonsense is the thread of argument of an obnoxious strident anchor in whose opinion debate means shout and out shout. And, if you run out of logical basis for continuing the debate - you come back to the ultimate punchline - "We have got to take a break". The fixation of the problem solving process seems to be in identifying a scapegoat in 15 easy seconds. This is not purposeful action.

For starters, I would like to see us move away from debates into the world of a meaningful discussion - anchored on various points of view. We need a steering team to identify potentially good inputs and help synthesize a integrated world view and offer this as a perspective on which the viewer and reader can introspect. Shaping public opinion is not about being disrespectful and condescending. The people know the stated positions of Congress, BJP and the Left. There is very little left to the imagination of the viewer.

IMHO, it would be a serious differentiation in our TV programming, if we can get the people from across the political spectrum - for example and have a lively discussion with a few ground rules.

1. Its not one party Vs another.

2. "You did this before" is not an OK argument to justify why we are doing a similar thing today. In other words, let us accept that all communities, societies and groups - political and non-political - have aberrations. There is no purpose in rehashing the obvious. We know the screw ups of all parties since independence and before. And we all do have strong opinions. That is not the point.

3. Given the morass that we are in; we will have sub-optimality as we commence our problem solving process. For example, if we agree to fix the roads across the nation, something else will have to given in. If we plan to handle three things together, we will make progress in these to the extent it was planned and there will be others that will have to wait for their turn. Unless we have a King Croesus in our nation - infinite resources for solving all our problems instantly. Else, we simply have to accept this as a working constraint and do the best we can.

4. Let all the wise men in the discussion, focus their energy on a "Wisdom Vs the Issue" discussion. One man Vs another makes for a waste of time. The debate is people Vs issues. The outcome must be solutions, perspective and viewpoints. Every political ideology has a valid world view. They must be heard.

5. Let a citizen's jury capture and stratify the inputs and evolve a working consensus.

Let us hear this for the sake of the nation and the generations to follow. Can we move from the age old paradigm in India - louder means righter ? Can we practice active listening and hear the quieter and more mature ones. They do have something to offer.

May be this is a good place to start.