Celebrity Courts and Kangaroo Justice

Ref Salim_Chauhan #8

[.... I have always been careful not to buy products just because of the sexy peddler is slouched all over whatever it is that they are trying to make my buy.]

I, on the other hand, always ask the salesman whether that sexy model draped on the hood of the car is standard equipment or optional!

PS. The answer I got in Bangkok was a surprise. I was told that if I bought the car, the salesgirl would probably spend a couple of weeks with me, and that given the option of walking the streets to make ends meet or making the sale, she would prefer the latter as it pays better.

You never know until you ask!

PPS. Talk about ``Turkish delight`` in Bangkok!

There are a number of loaded questions thrown around within the body of this article which distracts a reader`s attention from the issues raised within the article. FV, you need to make assertions and put forth arguments without putting all those `` ? `` as if the reader knows the ``obvious`` answer to them or assumes that the author`s charges and accusations have been proven because these questions are left unanswered in the article!! For example:

``Did he join any agitation to get water for those people then and in the intervening years? ``

or

``Do they know about boys who are exploited by the cops? ``

etc etc.........

#28 saminasha writes ad Misericordiam arguments.

My response: Veni, Vedi, Vici!!

Aside to Delhiwala: Please dont worry. Me are having a scholarly discussion in Latin.

PS to saminasa: Quo Vadis

Aside to Delhiwala: I just asked saminasha in a scholarly way

PPS to saminasha: and dont dare Ad captandum vulgus

Aside to Delhiwala: This is how we scholars talk. In Latin. :-)

Re: # 32: On a side note...your comment about inherent cynicism reminded me of a comment my uncle made when I was going for a walk with him in a newly deeloped colony in trans Jumna, delhi. Looking at a much larger koThi that was being built right near his 6 bedroom, driveway, marble foyer meagre accomodation, he sneered and mutterd..``sab kay paas saalon ka black ki kamai hai..`` Now the neighbor was an accountant whose entire resume was posted on the plaque in front of house. It read``

``Prem Bhavan
Res of Mr. Satish Bhatia
CFA, MBA, Charter Member Delhi Association of Accountants``

Kaaley ki kamai indeed. :-)

We got Bono of U2 as a example who has `attracted attention` & helped millions in Africa - if he gets publicity from this , its a very small price to pay -
again my question remains unanswered ,
Does the case make the celebrity or does the celebrity make the case?

as chatahai described in his post that in a media age where there are so many options available - one listens to whom he could relate too - now as a Pakistani , I would listen to someone like ( hate to admit ) Abrar-ul-Haq more then lets say a politician - reason being is simple that I could relate to him -
in our society ( India / Pakistan ) we somehow are in a hibit of criticizing no matter what - atleast someone is doing something - contributing , raising a voice - let him / her to it - atleast he // she is better then us that they are doing something practical not nothing b.shi*ting in our drawing-rooms or typing it on this forum .

On a macro level celebrity causes are prone to the postulate proposed by #1. If celebrities are giving a voice to causes that require needed attention, what is wrong with that? If they are benefitting from this symbiosis, what is wrong with that? In an age where information and image can topple governments and corporations, it is only good that celebrity personalities are being used or the personalities are using their celebrity to bring attention to worldly causes.

We see this in the west all the time. An actor somehow feels that he has the right to adopt a cause to rail against Bush`s or Clinton`s policies. He gets media attention, uses the celebrity, his celebrity is used by orgs that cater to his thinking to further promote and prepare entire agendas around the celebrity. It`s all good....

#25

``...that`s so typical of the FV/LM kemps corner type of people who use flyovers all over bombay...``

If I had any doubts left, this proves for sure you are Bandra kid :)

Re: # 26
Mr Hamzaad,
Not every piece of written workmanship is perfect in all the senses and angles. Neither it is meant to please every chowkie.

Farzana is writing of her own free accord what she pleases. There was plenty of clarity in her message.
Now let us talk specifically about your point.

You are a man and so am I. However, I am also a proud father of 2 yr old girl and I certainly know how to nurture female energy.

Have you ever seen an Indian woman going to Thana in India reporting a rape?
First thing that happens is her FIR is rejected and she is asked to prove that SEX was not censenting. Then the Father and Mother`s statement is recorded, all this happeneing while the whole crowd is watching the drama with crocodile tears.
From a woman`s perspective it is very important that rehabilation physcial+emotional+social be on top of Radar screen then the stricter laws.

What is so difficult to understand?

As far as two women whose names you have referred, everybody on Chowk knows what they are capable of...

Re: # 27

please spare us the ad misericordiam arguments, thank you.

This was such a sad article and look at which direction it went. It makes me very sad that www.chowk.com is probably the only forum on the WWW where we can discuss such like things and fanatic Pakis and Indis steer them away to suit their agendas.

Among al the things Farzana has mentioned in this article the most sickening was the one where a 14 yr old girl was gang-raped and then Zahira`s case in Gujrat.

Are`nt we all ashamed to be Indians or Pakistanis, if not then aren’t we ashamed of being humans?

Why is nobody even discussing this openly?
I can understand that Fantasywala thread could be made fun of as it was very fluffy and not serious. But why this thread????

You all are Namards!!

Nobody has to even ban me from Chowk, I might even leave on my own accord, if things do not change.

I am very emotional today after seeing some disturbing stories from Delhi about a Widow-Village(where Sikh widows were condemned) and now this article had made me lose my faith in DESI-Land.

I would rather be with Cold Gora-Log`s company and discuss baseball averages and which beer is good versus being in the company of Chowkies who have nothing else but to pull each other`s legs.

Laanat hai tum logo pai!!

`Case: The cop who raped a teenager on Mumbai’s Marine Drive has got 12 years’ imprisonment. Good. They are demanding more. Who are they? Mostly, the residents of the posh locality where the police chowkie was located. Have they done anything for the girl? Isn’t that more important?`

What kind of objection is this?? If some people want tougher penalties for crimes, why is that being compared with `social sympathizing` with the girl? If there is a random rape 5000 miles away, should kaka be calling the girl or supporting a tougher stand on crime in future? Why not both? How is one better than the other?

Versey, you have to learn to think clearly. Despite admonishments about your `whiney analysis`, you have failed to improve on your argument making skills. This results in saminasha et al chiming in about your lack of thinking skills and making general mockery of your editorial abilities. kaka does not like that at all!

#23 by ballukhan on April 18, 2006 10:15am PT


Amir has voluntarily associated himself with some public cause.


Yes..absolutely..and a cause that isn`t self-serving...unlike Lata Mangeshkar, who is threatening to leave bombay if they build a flyover on pedder road....that`s so typical of the FV/LM kemps corner type of people who use flyovers all over bombay but when it comes to flyovers in their area: NIMBY...

Re: # 20

I am pretty sure, this Muslim footpathia`s hindu neighbor must have pushed him in front of actor`s car.

Amir is in the news for all the right reasons................Salman is in the news for all the wrong reasons................I do not find any justification in juxtapositioning the two....Amir has voluntarily associated himself with some public cause....Salman with his haughty swagger kills endangered species and poor men without any remorse........and we find an article where Salman is turning into a poor victim and Amir into a scheming publicity hungry celebrity.......this is absolutely unfair...........

Now what has Amir Khan done wrong..........is he saying ``please put some camera on my face because NBA is the latest news and I am sponsoring it``.....Isn`t it the same charge which every celebrity from Richard Gere to Angelina Jolie has to face.........come on, he is probably trying to associate with a few causes that every `celebrity` should be associating..........may be he did not associate with the Polio drop campaign and now wants to promote some public movement.......may be something about the poor villagers inspired him to speak for them...........and you cannot expect one person to speak for every cause because it is physically and intellectually impossible to devote one`s time to every other cause , if you were to blame other celebrities for not raising more such causes then blame it on other `celebrities` like Salman Khan and his gang for driving in drunken rage like frustrated mawali and killing innocent people........... blame it on celebrities like Salman who talk nonsense about being the contact person of the mafia in Mumbai..Blame it on these `celebrities` and not Amir Khan who has atleast shown the truthfulness to say that he does not know the dertails of the issues behind the dam`s height but he is concerned about the lack of proper rehabilitation of the villagers.............

Salman Khan is Hindu as was the buck. In fact the buck stopped there. The footpathwalla was an ISI agent - that is why Salman got off so easy in the case of the dead Paki.

Re: # 16

Urstruly
Are you claiming the buck was Muslim? I thought he belonged to the LJA (Large Jungle Animal) vanishing caste of Hindus? -)