Friend and moderator of Shakespeare and Co. Pragya Mishra Thakur has this excellent piece of wisdom in Shakespeare and Co. discussion board. Titled "No more multi-tasking, please" it struck a chord with what most of us are doing these days. We are surrounded by an information overload. We are inundated by information, most of it unfiltered for quality, reliability and credibility. The old system of editors filtering information is gone. These days articles are written by public relations agencies and the editor just proofreads what's given him, "Hey you, publish that or else…." It is said that the old filters of having a book read and recommended by a critic no longer applies. In fact the world has done away with critics and editors and replaced them with someone with a vested interest – like a rival writer – who can put forward his/her own opinion and even generate interest in his/her own book. Most publishing companies are staffed by masters in arts literature writing their own deathless novels. Guess that's why I can't bring them to read my manuscript.
Watch any news cast these days. A few days ago, I found myself watching a prime time news channel and, you won't believe this, it was showing "amazing videos" with a bored-looking presenter standing before the screen and explaining what's going on. "Dekhiye ab kya hota hai, blah, blah, blah." (See what's going on, yack, yack, yack….) Come on, give me that much-needed break. Is this some mindless program like "The World's Most Amazing Videos?" This was going on on prime time and I guess they didn't have anything better to show.
Times were when, well, forget it….
In a comment on the same article Mahendra Rathod says, "I see around me the zealous pursuit of excellence has often come at a dehumanizing cost."
do away with a publishing house, go online!! and we have become a race of jack-of-all-trades, the news channels also advertise products, air excerpts from other sister channels (comedy show/fashion show/daily soaps highlights). they don't need an anchor or newsreader, their tv time is full of 5 second segments, designed to give every viewer ADD and cause seizures (all those flashing lights and screaming presenters). john, every one on the tv news channels is redundant!! we only need them for updates, then their recorded earlier process takes over!! even ole friend rajdeep sardesai is reduced to repeating the last few words in every sentence up on the screen during his slots!!
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