There was a gentleman who used to outrage a lot against corruption. One day I wrote a tweet – “I am immoral. I lie, cheat, bribe, exploit. Destroy nature. I steal. I discriminate. I’ve hate. I’ve violence. But I am lonely in this world full of moral people.” This gentleman trolled me a lot and shamed me. Few days later, the same gentleman sent me a DM and asked how did I get the strength to write that tweet? I said one doesn’t need strength to speak the truth. One needs it to build a lie around one’s life. And that’s when he confessed that he was caught in some corruption cases and sought my help. I was shocked that just few days earlier he was outraging against the government on corruption issues.
A lot of people hide their socially unacceptable traits behind a facade of fake outrages when someone else gets caught with their pants down.
With the advent of social media, we have started living in an age of extreme Political Correctness. It’s no longer about protecting the weaker section or minorities. It has become a political weapon to persecute others either to settle scores or just for fun. Don’t you dare say or think the wrong thing, or a twitter mob of angry villagers will come after you with digital torches and metaphorical pitchforks.
I remember reading somewhere which I wrote in my notes – no matter what you do, no matter what you say, someone out there will proclaim how outraged they are, because they think it’s their job to be offended by every god damn thing. It makes people feel important. It makes them feel powerful. It makes them feel like their opinion is relevant. It’s the Yelp effect. Every halfwit who eats food suddenly thinks he’s a food critic. And don’t get me started on people ‘reviewing’ books they don’t read and ‘films’ they don’t see. Who needs information when you can have uninformed opinion? Who needs morality when you can fake it in 280 words?
Plus claiming to be offended or taking a high moral ground is a great way to elevate yourself at the expense of others. “Look at me! I’m a much better person than you! I judge you, I condemn you, I shame you…. Shame…. shame…. S.H.A.M.E.!” Look how good it feels.
These media-shaming bear an uncanny resemblance to medieval witch-huntings. If you were accused of being a witch back then, you were shit out of luck. Being accused was all it took. Forget, “innocent until proven guilty.” Nobody bothered to prove your guilt. Nobody dared to speak up on your behalf for fear of being called a witch-sympathiser. Because if you were seen as a friend of the witch, you were the next one to be accused of being a witch. If you don’t like your neighbour because her dog keeps shitting in your lawn, accuse her of being a witch. Problem solved.
‘He’s communal… he is a bigot… he is a racist… and above all…. He is a sexist…. That simply means that you are neither of the above… you are not a sexist yourself. More outraged you are, more shaming you can do to the other person means you are a really really good person. Shaming someone else automatically gives you a character certificate…. Till the time someone doesn’t shame you.
In Bible Jesus said “let he who is without sin throw the first rock.” But a lot of people seem to think he said “if you throw rocks at others, it proves you are without any sin.”
So my friends, be correct. Not politically correct. Be #IAmBuddha
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