Entitled, Reckless and Cruel

Truth be told, I was thinking of writing this piece for some time now. Thanks to insensitive tweet of Shobhaa De, it has finally come out.

Off late, I have seen an alarming rise in culture of public bashing and slandering over social media. People feel entitled to make comments, observations and flaunt opinions over a wide range of topics. Interestingly, if one were to question these self-proclaimed experts over their knowledge and research behind the comments, it would either be ‘thorough research’ conducted on social media forums (read Facebook), or propelled by someone else’s comment (second hand arguments) or very simply the fact that they can, thanks to the great freedom of thought and expression. Mind you, this is the most popular phrase taken out of the beautiful, pithy Indian Constitution (the rest of which we have no clue about). More interestingly, the issues on which opinions are being thrown around have little to no real meaning or concern for the people writing them. Had they been driven by true passion for a cause, I would have been delighted. But when the comments are fueled by the need for a few moments of cheap publicity, it becomes nauseating. Further, it becomes worrisome when celebrated and renowned authors join this bandwagon, especially the ones who call themselves opinion shapers. Fame or reputation obtained by an individual in a certain aspect of life should not make them feel entitled to attack or demean the efforts or character of other individuals.

When someone throws around opinion, the point that is conveniently skipped is the impact that it creates. Given the mind-boggling reach of internet and longevity of content once it gets online, the potential of causing damage to someone’s reputation or morale is catastrophic. The recklessness of people is almost infinite. Sweeping statements, unfair generalizations, faulty extrapolations are commonplace. The World Wide Web has placed small nuclear weapons of mass destruction into the hands of everyone with access to internet. Sensationalism overshadows sensibility. Excitement overpowers rationality. If trial by media was not dangerous enough, trial by social media is becoming hyper trend. Let us say first and fact check later. The ability to comment on someone feeds our ego and somehow makes our own miserable lives a little better. My shortcomings remain private; rest of the universe is fair game.

And if just the ability to recklessly air opinion is not enough, it has to be cruel too, just for good measure. There has to be an extra grind. The cowardliness of hiding behind a screen while slaughtering someone would have been amusing had it not been so distasteful. The frustrations of our own lives can easily be projected on someone else, without even having to face them. There is a great perversity in this kind of confrontation. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on the side where one stands, when the damage is being done, the party who has initiated the assault is far away, shielded from any fallout that might have come out of their words. The shots are fired in the dark, without any concern for repercussions. Who it hits, how and when is not even an afterthought. If everything goes well, it attracts popularity and if it backfires, it was unintended.

The virtual world of the internet has somewhat eroded the fact that ultimately, there are real people at the other end too. People who feel, people whose lives and livelihoods can be destroyed, people who can get demotivated or even outraged.

As clichéd as it sounds, indeed, with great power comes great responsibility. We have been given tremendous power and privilege to express our opinions and it is propelled by amazing advancements in technology. At the same time, it has acquired a disastrous potential for causing devastation too. The responsible thing to do is to strike down this culture of feeling entitled to behave recklessly with cruelty. Let’s make our thoughts deeper, sincere and constructive.

Better things worth spreading are hope and happiness.

Thanks to Meenakshi Aggarwal for edits and inputs.