Re: Is India a model Democracy?

[Padmanabha Rao <kvprao@igidr.ac.in>]

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 On Thu, 4 Jan 2001 vamsi@siliconcorp.com wrote:
  Lack of information creates a "potential" or a "need" for more
  information, not less information!!

 On Sat, 6 Jan 2001, I wrote:
 Who or what decides the definitions of "data", "information",
"knowledge",
 and so on ? I wish I knew. The best assumption is to believe that
everyone
 does for his/herself. In which case, you begin to wonder if there's
 any such thing as a free press possible at all.

Besides also defining "lack" in the first place. I don't know what I
presently lack, even given all my desires. Those desires are born out of

what I have experienced and can be obtained with sufficient effort since
I
know how and where to get them. It's not a problem. But I don't know
what
I LACK. If while my FM is tuned, you come online to tell me that I lack
the information that six hindus are getting lynched in Dadar you are
trying to use my weakness for violence. If I truly desired such
information I would have long subscribed to the necessary systems and
not
depend on a universal medium to fulfil it, simply because I should not
expect my personal desires to be fufilled by a universally used media or

a public good. The Free Press is a public good and a model democrasy
should do everything in its power to ensure that the Free Press remains
a
public good, a FREE press. The problem lies in the multimedia press not
living up to this expectation and getting online with an agenda. That
makes them private and so naturally a society can be expected to curb
them
where their power is too inclined for abuse. A public good cannot be
allowed to have any power for violence. This last point is perhaps
debatable ?

Thanks.

Padmanabha Rao



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