Jan-17Ehi

Question 1

Jan-17Ehi -Index

Answer 1

9. 1. Fake News and Media Ethics
10. 2. animal rights vs traditions
11. 3. Derek Parfit
12. 4. Molestation: Bengaluru Case Study

Question 2

9.1. FAKE NEWS AND MEDIA ETHICS

Answer 2

Why in News?
 Pakistan’s Defence Minister threatened Israel with a retaliatory nuclear attack, after a fake news report of Israelis alleging use of nuclear weapons against Pakistan if it sent ground troops to Syria.
Issue at hand
 Fake news is the deliberate creation of factually incorrect content to mislead people for gains
 It is especially on the rise with influence of internet and social media. It is a condition of “Post-truth”.
 Issue of Public v/s private interest i.e. responsibility of an authority with power to work for public interests and not self-goals.

Impact of False information
 Political Impacts
 Fake news hurts democratic ideals and principles. E.g. Washington DC pizzeria firing based on fake news of a child trafficking ring in the pizzeria linked to Hillary Clinton.
 It can cause problems in good governance. E.g. A fake story of GPS tracking chip in the new Indian Rs.
2000 note caused confusion in some people.
 Economic Impacts
 False information can cause market failures.
Eg. Some tweets have caused the decline of
stocks of some big MNCs.
 Societal Impacts
 False propaganda and news have been one
cause of the rise of terrorist radicalization.
 It hampers spirit of common brotherhood
and raises intolerance. Eg. 2012 mass exodus
of Assamese from Bangalore on false online
threats.
 It can erode the foundation of trust that
underlies the human civilization.
What needs to be done?
 Define fake news legally.
 Heavy punitive measures for whosoever violates the said definition.
 There should be grievance redressal mechanisms and arbitration spaces to resolve issues.
 In UK, Lord Justice Leveson gave recommendations on media self-regulation like-
 Formation of independent bodies to regulate the content.
 Rigorous internal editorial and advertising standards.
 Duty of government to protect media freedom.
 Whistle blowing hotline for journalists.
 Self-regulation is important to balance freedom of speech and autonomy of media with the objective content regulation.
 Digital media literacy among people to increase scrutiny and feedbacks of the content.
 Technical solutions that assess the credibility of information circulating online are also needed.

Box–1-Post truth
It denotes circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.
It is mostly seen in respect of politics. E.g. Recent American elections.

Box–2-Other ethical problems in Media sector
Cross-media ownership - Corporatisation across segments like print, radio, TV creates conflict of interests. It also gives rise to monopolistic practices. Eg. SEBI probe on Reliance Industries indirect investment in Eenadu TV group createing a cross-media empire.
Paid news creates biased viewpoints and propagates false propaganda. Eg.ECI monitors paid news during elections for fair elections.
Yellow journalism/ sensationalisation of the news done only to boost viewership. Eg. Live recording of Mumbai terror attacks by media.
Trial by media interfering in the fair justice delivery. Eg. SC acknowledged that media trial interfered in encounter killings case.

—–TABLE—-
Ethical Questions involved
What Ought to be done
1. Right to freedom of expression v/s responsibility of generating ethical information.
 Press is the fourth pillar of a democracy. It has the fundamental right to express its views.
 But it also is a responsible institution. It should not compromise its public duties over its private goals.
2. Fake information is against the moral duty to develop a scientific temper, humanism and spirit of enquiry and reform.
 Information spread by press reaches a large population.
 Therefore information ought to be objective and of

Question 3

9.2. ANIMAL RIGHTS VS TRADITIONS

Answer 3

Why in news?
 Supreme Court (SC) stayed Andhra Pradesh High Court’s order allowing joint police and district administration teams to seize roosters primed for traditional fights.
 The fights are conducted by farmers as part of the Pongal/Sankranti celebrations in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Background
 Instances of animal abuse in India are on the rise lately. Eg. Killing of Shaktiman Horse, throwing dogs from roof etc.
 Animal Welfare Board of India and PETA have been active proponents of animal rights in recent times.
Issue at hand
 Whether animals have rights of their own or are they subservient to the human rights.
 “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” - Mahatama Gandhi
Other cases of animal cruelty
 Circus animals tortured in name of livelihood.
 SC questioned the caging of exotic birds and advocated their
fundamental right to fly. SC focuses on pet animal’s rights
here.
 Animal experimentation, hunting animals etc. are also an
act of cruelty on animals.
Analysis of Animal Rights
 Arguments why animals rights are not independent  Animals don’t think like the humans do.  Animals were put on earth to serve human beings. Eg. Animals seen as a means to livelihood especially in poor economies.  Under the Convention on Biological Diversity and intangible heritages, it is customary to leave ancient traditional practices as they are with proper regulation.  The tradition gives an incentive to raise native livestock.
 Arguments why animals have independent rights
 They have their own conscience and can feel love and pain like humans do.
 The humans have a moral duty of compassion towards other living beings.
 International community is now becoming considerate on animal rights. Eg. Catalonia State has banned bullfighting
 Animals cannot be exploited by virtue of tradition. If tradition is supreme then even practice of sati was justified.
 It is science rather than tradition that promotes biological diversity.
Way Forward  A greater regulation of animal cruelty is needed rather than standalone ban that shifts the industry underground. Ban does not solve the root problems. In a multicultural society like India a solution will emerge with a balance between tradition and the animal rights. Awareness programmes can be the first step.

Box–Judicial decisions on animal rights vs tradition
Animal Welfare Board of India vs A Nagaraja and others (2014) - SC struck down the Tamil Nadu Jallikattu law and banned it. It extended Article 21 to include “every species” both animals and humans.
Gauri Maulekhi case of 2014 – SC banned the illegal transport of cattle to Nepal for cattle sacrifice in Gadhimai festival.
SC warned the temple managements of Kerala with criminal prosecution, if captive elephants were tortured.
Karnataka coastal districts are demanding to lift the ban on 1000 year old traditional sport of Kambala - the buffalo racing. Karnataka had banned it after Supreme Court order on Jallikattu.

—-TABLE—-
Ethical questions involved
What ought to be done
1. Right to promote own culture v/s promoting animal’s rights.
 Culture should be promoted but not at the behest of animals being tortured.
2. Moral Duty to promote compassion towards animals
 Humans should show empathy towards other living being.
3. Farmers breed animals as a means of livelihood and so exercise control over animals for their survival.
 Art 19(1)(g) - Right to avocation – gives right to choose any occupation. So humans can choose any means to livelihood.
 But the ends of the livelihood should also be justified.
 The breeder should ensure that the person buying the animal is not buying to torture it.
4. Violating the rules and laws like Prevention of Animal Cruelty Act in the name of tradition.
 Law is universal and promotes equality. Tradition should not be a reason to violate laws.

Question 4

9.3. DEREK PARFIT

Answer 4

Why in news?
 Great philosopher and moral thinker – Darek Parfit, who has written Reasons and Persons (1984), and On What Matters (2011), has passed away.
 His work was significant as his nature of reasons and the objectivity of morality re-established ethics as a central concern for contemporary thinkers.
His thoughts
 On personal identity: (very close to Buddhism): He concludes that – identity is not what matters,” “What matters is … psychological connectedness and/or psychological continuity, with the right kind of cause.”
 Triple theory: Support for universal morality: Parfit tried to reconcile three competing theories of morality — one based on the idea of a hypothetical contract (Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau), another based entirely on the consequences of action
(Utilitarianism, Hedonism, Karma theory etc.,) and yet another based on Kant’s conception of duty (Deontology).
 Philosophers of all three schools, he argued, were actually “climbing different sides of the same mountain”.
 Support for Equity: what matters is average well-being, not total.
 Supported Well off’s moral obligation to give back:
 He participated in the effective altruism movement. It argues that people have an obligation to do what they can to improve the world through actions like adopting vegetarianism, donating at least 10 percent of your income to effective charities etc.,
 He also argues that: It is the failure of rich people to prevent, much of the suffering and many of the early deaths of the poorest people in the world.
 The money that is spent on an evening’s entertainment might instead save some poor person from death, blindness, or chronic and severe pain.
 It is not your wealth to give: (Close to Indian thought of person is just a ‘karta’ by whom ‘action’ is being done, as destined by his ‘karma’)
 He also argues that a person wrongly assumes that it is his wealth to give. This wealth is only legally his. But these poorest people have much stronger moral claims to some of this wealth.
 Supported multilateral and collective action at world level:
 He argues for the importance of staving off existential risks that threaten the future of humanity, risks like global warming, pandemics, nuclear annihilation etc.,
 What now matters most is how we respond to various risks to the survival of humanity. We are creating some of these risks, and discovering how we could respond to these and other risks. If we reduce these risks, and humanity survives the next few centuries, our descendants or successors could end these risks by spreading through this galaxy.
 Life can be wonderful as well as terrible, and we shall increasingly have the power to make life good.

Box–Derek Parfit’s famous thought experiment:
Parfit asks us to imagine that he is fatally injured in an accident, but his brain is mostly unharmed. His two brothers are also in the accident, and emerge brain-dead, but with otherwise healthy bodies. Doctors then split his healthy brain in half, and implant a half in each of his brothers’ bodies.
“There will be two future people, each of whom will have the body of one of my brothers, and will be fully psychologically continuous with me, because he has half of my brain,”
If identity mattered, then this result would be just as bad as death, since both erase his identity. But this clearly isn’t as bad as death; his psychological being gets to keep on going, twice! So identity isn’t what matters.

Question 5

9.4. MOLESTATION: BENGALURU CASE STUDY

Answer 5

Why in news?
 Women party-goers were molested on New Year’s Eve in Bengaluru, India’s IT capital despite elaborate
security arrangements.
Reasons
 In patriarchal society like India, men are conditioned to think that women are at their disposal and hence treat them as objects that can be used by a man for pleasure.
 The fear of what people at home, the workplace or peer groups might say acts as a wall between the victim and her pursuit of justice.
 Fear of repercussions like assaulters might come back and cause more damage, which could be as severe as acid attacks in some cases, holds women back from reporting cases of abuse.
 Even if a victim musters enough courage to go to the police station and file complaint, they are often discouraged by the indifferent and hostile attitude of police.
 Yet another reason is worrisome and lengthy legal procedures which play a hindrance.
 Even today getting bail is quite easy as the bail amount is often nominal. This brings forth a very lackadaisical attitude among men.
 Lastly, in India having a trend of cult personality, irresponsible statements by the leaders of various political outfits tend to reinforce the power psychology among men
Challenges
The elements of patriarchy are reinforced by:
 Political attitudes for example: Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara’s effort to blame the violence on “western culture”
 Media/ Cinema: objectification of women (for ex: item songs etc.,)
 Promoting gender biases (for ex: emphasis on the strength of men and the corresponding emphasis on timidity, fragility and submission of women clearly indicate that violence in any form whether physical, verbal or attitudinal must be accepted by women)
 Economic disempowerment:
 Workforce: women appointed at lower salaries, appointments at lower ranks etc.,
 Glass ceiling in corporations related to service and manufacturing.
 Men disproportionately occupy top leadership positions in politics and government services.
 Structure of traditional family: The traditional family, with men as the ‘heads’ and women as the “nurturers,” is still prevalent. Removing authority and any decision making from women dis-empowers them.
 Woman suffers all this because she is taught to remain silent right from the beginning.
Other concerns
 Administrative ethos: for ex: Insensitive police. Empathy, tolerance and compassion towards women and necessary sensitization is required.
 Social mores: If a woman wants to seek justice for her, she is frowned upon and viewed contemptuously for infringing traditional norms. For ex: In Bengaluru incident, almost no cases were filed or registered.
 Moral attitudes: for ex: judging a woman who drinks, smokes and/or wears skin revealing clothes as immoral and/or looking for men
Solutions: Increasing surveillance and security through more CCTVs, police, mobile apps etc., all are preventive steps. But the real solution lies in changing the mindset of youth (both men and women):
 Emotional Intelligence: Teach boys and men how to authentically communicate their emotions and listen
empathetically to others. This makes them more sensitive to situation and plight of women.
 Tolerance and inclusiveness: should be respected especially in regard to women who are living by western standards.
 Implement comprehensive sex education: More with knowledge and value of women’s consent, contraception, and sex in general, understand what rape actually is then there is much more potential for healthy relationships.
 Information and Education Campaigns.
 Our society (For ex: in various movies, young men stalking women) to make them fall in love is quite accepted. Because of lack of consent
 Create collective accountability systems for handling sexual violence.
 Naming and Shaming method for serious sexual
offenders
 Community policing
 Train men and foster the attitude that men should be proactive in addressing patriarchy. Men need to challenge other men on their patriarchal and sexist ideas/actions.
 Change family’s mindset by empowering women. A boy who sees the daily that no respect is given to his mother, may learn that women need not deserve equal respect. This can only be changed by educational, social (for ex: SHGs like DWACRA) and political empowerment.
 It is the youth that has the onus to build a global, progressive, inclusive and tolerant society.

Box–1-Additional information
Indian penal code have certain specific provisions to deal with crime related to molestation like:
IPC section 354 deals with assault on woman with intent to outrage her modesty.
IPC section 509 deals with crime related to insult to the modesty of woman.
As per 2015 National Crime records Bureau (NCRB) data more than 25%(increase of 0.2% over previous year) of the total crimes against women in Indian were under IPC sec 354 and 2-3% (decreased by 10.8% compared to 2014) under IPC sec 509.

Box–2-To change attitudes, the core attributes of patriarchy have to be targeted: Holds up the traditional male qualities as central, while other qualities are considered subordinate. Dualistic and gendered thinking of roles. (For ex: till recently Indian Armed forces did not allow women in combat roles) Protection of traditional patriarchal social structures. (For ex: through Khap Panchayats, moral policing, love jihad etc.) Men believing they should be silent, instead of challenging other men on patriarchal and sexist ideas/actions.