There is something nasty in the air. And it is
catching! I am not talking about Coronasura or its continued depredations
against humanity. It is hate and hypocrisy, swelling up from a bottomless well
of relentless rage. Not a single day goes by without people posturing on social
media to constantly express self - righteous outrage over myriad issues that
are occasionally serious but mostly stupid without bothering to modulate the
pitch of their infernal wailing, fully convinced that their shrill voices,
affected shrieking and the almighty clamour will change the world, ridding it
entirely of injustice. All I can say to that is a big BAH!
Nowadays, social media denizens feel it is their
national duty to lose their minds over the myriad offenses helpfully trotted
out by the click bait media. And of course, no day is complete if you have not
participated in or voyeuristically ogled an ugly shouting match featuring
death/rape threats, blocked trolls who made unfounded allegations about your
mother’s sexual history, unfriended former friends who disagreed with you and
friended the like – minded who would be a welcome addition to the echo chamber
you have chosen to inhabit.
It is no longer fashionable to simply look at things
be they big or small without passion or prejudice, so that we can see it for
what it is. Rather, everything has to come down to fickle feelings which leads
to a massive outpouring of overheated emotions and little else. It is fun to
feel disgusted and vent your fury on what is perceived to be a just cause,
before moving on to the next loaded topic, till you are trapped in an endless
loop of expressing aggression that achieves nothing and damages sensitivity to
the point where you are permanently benumbed to real evils.
Who even remembers the events that trigger this
outpouring of overwrought grief and fury anyway? Will people remember George
Floyd’s name a few months from now? Or the pregnant elephant that was fed or
fed on a pineapple stuffed with crackers? That J.K. Rowling was mercilessly
trolled and accused of being transphobic because she put up a tweet protesting
a headline that was being politically correct and referred to ‘People who
Menstruate’ instead of the more obvious ‘WOMEN’?
Unfortunately, it is this ‘just anger’ which is
constantly incentivized with favourites, likes, retweets, follows, and umpteen
shares which prompts more and more bellicosity. Let us not kid ourselves.
Hashtag activism does not lead to tangible victory against oppression. All it
does is distance you from real issues and people outside of the virtual space
who can be helped not with runaway rage but with your willingness to actually
lend a helping hand.
This article was originally published in The New Indian Express.
