[Reader-list] P. Sainath :Where India shining meets greatdepression (The Hindu)

[Shivam]

There has been some debate on these images in the blogosphere and
shockingly, some people said they are not objectionable at all, that
to see them as objectionable is to make poverty 'holy'.

Brand Equity, SBI and Fair and Lovely - I think I am not comfortable
clubbing all three and putting them under one framework - like the
acceptance of capitalism, for instance. (For many that would be a very
legitimate framework anyway.)

I think the Brand Equity ad amounts to making fun of poverty. That
does not sound as gross as its Hindi equivalent: "Kisi ki garibi ka
mazaak nahi udana chahiye." The ad does not use any words to tell you
the social status of the 'models', and the copy writer seems to be
aware that he is doing something politically incorrect: "Now, we don't
mean to be disrespectful to anyone. This is a mere reminder to
marketers that a focus on customers with stronger potential does
help."

The problem of poverty then becomes a problem merely of marketing: it
is a problem insofar only as poor people can't afford designer tan or
Monte Carlo. Poverty ceases to be a social, economic or political
problem to be solved by state policy.

I am not sure if I am able to answer Jeebesh's question fully. Why
don't you tell us what you think?

S.