The largest democracy and a side order of free offence
Opinion
Offence is a free commodity and Indians seem to be buying it like there’s no tomorrow. Doesn’t matter if it is about comedians making jokes, celebrity divorces, someone’s clothing preference, content choice or anything else - there will be someone out there ready to take offence.
I believe this is because offence is free, easy and fulfilling (for most).
Agreeable disagreement is rarer than vibranium
There is no doubt that there are two sides to any issue and statistically, there will always be representation at each of those sides. But instead of having agreeable disagreements and healthy debates, people often resort to vocal vigilantism - that’s how common death threats and rape threats have become in today’s age.
What really changed?
Have we, as a society, suddenly become more polarised? Or have we just started acting on it more in the last couple of years? What has really changed?
Some would say it's been so since the BJP came to power. That may or may not be the case - let’s just settle this at “maybe”, and agree that each side is entitled to their opinion. What definitely has enabled this is the evolution of social media and the penetration of low-cost internet (Thank You, Mr Ambani).
Fearlessness of fearmongers
Enforcement of beliefs and depiction of power has become political currency. The power to be able to bend someone, teach them a “lesson” and simply get away without any consequences has risen drastically. Let’s just look at the instances of death and injuries related to cow vigilantes in the last decade - this is a clear call-out of when people got fearless enough to lynch people and then proudly wear it as a badge of honour.
Fragile egos or populist narratives
George Carlin put it beautifully “I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.”
But here, people often get offended by jokes, thanks to their fragile egos. Let alone actually crossing the line, comedians in India are put behind bars for thinking of doing so. Why do we create an environment where a comedian has more FIRs than specials, when all that they're trying to do is make people laugh.
Messiah mentality or political runway
What is really interesting to see is how people get offended on behalf of others. I like to call them “Messiahs.” Be it the Bangalore 2020 Riots, Family Man 2 issue, movie titles or anything else - it is always the messiahs coming to the rescue. In most cases, these events are either politically motivated or just a publicity stunt.
Food for thought
Opinions are not right or wrong and everyone should be entitled to one. Now I’m sure not everyone would resonate with my thoughts in this article which is fine and I respect your stance and would appreciate it if you reciprocate the same.
“To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.”- David A Bednar
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