In the social structure media is considered as one of the pillars of society by definition, be it entertainment, information or opinion making. As per the famous German philosopher Marcuse; the advanced industrial society has created false needs through a culture of advertising and mass media. But the lack of rationalization seems to have spread out like a virus and no one dares to question it. The study in itself proved to be torturous as like nomophobia (the fear of being without your mobile phone), this TV drama phobia must have effected people adversely. To start off the research, I took a random beginning from a TV drama; the woman cladded in white and red saree was shown in a deep state of regret as she took the decision of continuing her career. Now as per the theory of mediocrity it has to be shown that her kids are ruined. So it was successfully shown that way. Her son became an addict, the daughter was unhappy with her marriage. Her husband’s role was not of a father taking full part in parenting rather it appeared to be some referee showing warning cards to her. He kept asserting that she is responsible for the disaster but never recognised his own role. I will suggest parenting should be named as mothering, as the typical father shown in our dramas just sits on a chair and give sermons, whereas real life struggles of parents is absolutely different. On another channel, an over dressed mother was asking her son to teach his wife a lesson, after all he is a man. The wife was shown as the Cinderella of the house running around trying to keep everyone happy. Whereas except her, all the women in house are very nasty. The mother in law was the villain while the father in law was the savior. Her husband was an idiot, and the sister in laws literally seem to be possessed. The media is one of the structuring forces of society and not a micro element I wonder if there is any substance in this centuries old plot, why the misery has to be portrayed to be a “good woman’s” best friend. A miserable poor girl only, such an image can be the epitome of eastern values. Where the problem solving, wisdom oriented and strength based art of living skills? I wonder if a bucket full of tears can help any person or why is it needed for socially approved images on the din. So moving on to another channel, where a fully contoured made up girl was shown in the depth of misery. Since she is a good girl so she cries most of the time, the other is a bad girl so she is smart and plays tricks, plus she doesn’t cry. Of course good girls wear shalwar qameez, bad girls wear western attire. The story goes like the villain invites the girl’s ex-boyfriend for a farewell meet-up, the trick was to trap the good girl to make her husband be suspicious and doubtful of her integrity. Anyway she succeeds and the good girl was not able to utter or communicate a single word, the senseless aggressive response by husband was portrayed as justified. A passive participant in the entire social setting was the central character of the” poor miserable girl”. Anyway her makeup stayed perfect throughout the ten minute crying scene, so full marks to the make-up artist. The other channel portrayed a family with three girls who always dressed up just to impress the boys in neighbourhood. As if there is nothing better in life than to seek attention and approval from men. It was literally nauseous to watch it all, the thinking skills and the TV remote are reversely attached to each other. Rather my hypothesis comes out “the minute one turns on the TV the mind needs to be switched off”. As no amount of sanity is prevalent. The poor coughing mother, the vamp mother in law, the remorseful workingwoman, the miserable housewife and the always crying lead female role in our dramas. In these episodes of typical gender roles; that a mother needs to quit living her life for better parenting, the father is just to go to office come back and sip tea, the vamp mother in law, who has no other activity in life then making her daughter in law’s life hell, the crying lead role shown ultimately happy as ‘crying has a reward so all good girls cry’. Don’t forget the God sent handsome millionaire angel who pulls the good miserable damsel out of all the mess, because she herself cannot solve her problems.These plays are a further re-endorsement of a culture of irrationality, where manipulation, power struggle, roles and discrimination are already ascribed by the society. The struggles need to be real, if the non-stop wrestling talk shows, wedding morning shows, jugat baz night shows and here is the proud production of family politics drama shows, if this is the media policy and PEMRA policy is to keep on talking about baseless assumptions, a non-direction oriented criterion then I wonder at the fate of my students studying journalism. I wonder will they just be part of the circus, this makes me literally shiver. At my part I try to teach them critical logic, thinking skills and undoing the stereo types. What violation of societal rules PEMRA found in these dramas one wonders? What societal rules and norms PEMRA wants to be projected? Societal rules that put entire onus and burden of earning on man, masculine means emotionless and feminine means senselessly emotional, mother can only raise kids by being miserable, and self-pity and misery is ultimate virtue. Ironically it’s the stereo types that needs to be undone, by the media houses. It’s the mindset that needs to address and our real life rolemodels needs to be there. Divorce should be discussed to wade off the taboos attached with it, undoing manipulative gender roles, and multi-tasking, happy working woman managing the work -life balance, co-parenting and less ascribed roles they need to be introduced. Struggles of aging parents, the issues of parenting, workplace crisis, handling depression and positive viewing. Don’t blame masses that they want to watch it as masses are not a tool, media is a tool and pillar of social structure. PEMRA and the media housesshould really look into some progressive content as utopian portrayals expectations by PEMRA and emotionally distressed productions by media houses are literally just another brick in the wall. There had been some really good additions talking about child abuse awareness and incisal abuse. At the same time few plays break some good barriers but if these plays will be banned, facing restrictions then only rubbish topics are left behind. Leading to thinking pattern lacking logic and rationality, keeping in view that Europe came out of the dark ages by following in the fundamentals of logic and rationality. Marcuse mentioned “the means of communication, the irresponsible output of the entertainment and information industry carry with them prescribed attitudes and habits, certain intellectual and emotional reactions which bind the consumers to the producers and, through the latter to the whole social system. The products indoctrinate and manipulate; they promote a false consciousness which is immune against its falsehood… thus emerges a pattern of one-dimensional thought and behaviour.” Thus anyone sitting in a media house talking about change, please be mindful that the media is one of the structuring forces of society and not a micro element. Writer is a sociologist, child right activist and teaches at the University of Punjab Published in Daily Times, February 4th 2019.