Responsible Blogging

As I stated in my blog yesterday, there is probably no bigger star in India than Amitabh Bachchan and if you don't believe that then you need to go to his blog and you need to go very soon. Bachchan has had a fan following almost as loyal or faithful as any organized religion in the world and with it comes a certain sense of responsibility, at least in my mind, and in seeing the way some readers comment on Bachchan's blogs, I would think (and hope) that he would feel the same way. Now before backlash begins on whether or not I think Bachchan is truly as compassionate or caring as he appears to be, I would like you to think about how his blog has been used in recent days.

Blogging is probably the easiest way for someone to get their thoughts or expressions out to the rest of the world whether other people want to read it or not. Next month will be three years since I began blogging and I can honestly say that I didn't think I would be doing it this long. Bachchan titles his blogs by simply stating the day number that it's been since he began blogging and by my count, he is nearly up to one year since he established his blog. In that time I think he's done a marvelous job of letting people have at least a glimpse into his personal life and it has probably made those who adore him love him all the more and those of us out there (like me) who knew only a little about him, learn a whole lot more. Still, being the mega-celebrity that he is it's not surprising that he has been the target of protests and spats himself.

Some of the comments or blogs he has written have sparked what can only be described as 'comments wars' in the comments section of his blogs. Take for example the time someone commented on his blog on his experiences during a concert series here in the United States last year. One of the commentors wrote about how he was disappointed in the fact that despite paying through the nose for an opportunity to meet Bachchan after the show he was not given the chance and held Bachchan responsible. Thereafter the counter comments began and by the end there were calls for this 'non-believer' to be forgotten and ignored for ever having doubted Bachchan. If you would read some of the comments that this discussion sparked you get a better understanding of how much adulation there is for Bachchan and how unhealthy it can be.

To consider someone a 'non-believer' smacks of religion. Is it wrong to question Bachchan or what he writes? If he has a problem with it then why allow comments in the first place? Take for example the recent posting he made where he simply took a comment on his blog regarding he and his family being recognized while out for dinner in New York very recently. Bachchan talked about how he was sequestered in an Italian restaurant in New York by international fans. A reader merely commented that Bachchan was full of himself for telling what he considered to be an egotistical story about how famous he and his family are. Instead of replying to the reader, Bachchan posted a reprint of the comment on his blog and then asked a rhetorical question to the rest of his readers as to what their opinion was regarding that comment.

Open the floodgates because here comes the comment torrent. Tons of people want to voice their opinions which is good but then there are some who take their beliefs a little too far. Take for example a reader who wrote that "Jesus was martyred and so was Gandhi-ji." Now I grant you that Bachchan is important for many reasons to a lot of people but to compare him to Christ or M.K. Gandhi? Please. Here is the perfect opportunity for Bachchan to step in and respond to these statements as well. He cribs about how he is often wrongfully portrayed by sections of the media (and right he is to protest) but then he also goes on to 'smear' others he doesn't necessarily agree with. Now it's fine for him to use his blog as a means of getting his opinion out to the people but when he sees comments like these comparing him to Christ, I think he has a responsibility to come out and tell people that that's not who he is. Yet there is silence.

Are we to then take this to mean that he doesn't have a problem with comments like that but if someone makes a negative observation they need to be publicly castigated? True the reader did question his integrity and sincerity by boldly stating that everything Bachchan wrote about the incident at the Italian restaurant was a lie but rather than responding in calming tones, Bachchan merely let his readers do the badmouthing for him. It's rather convenient for him that way. He can let others voice what he wants to say without fear of anyone in the media coming back and accusing him of doing anything untoward. In a way it strikes me as being an abuse of the power and influence he most certainly has over people. He shouldn't abuse it that way because as he always states, he is better than that.