When we go through posts or Twitter threads on social media, we will often come across those crooks who will take offence in every post, meme or video saying that it’s offensive or sometimes taking offence in the name of someone else or a religious group.
Unfortunately, this horrible behaviour has doubled over the past years. It is realising its power and getting organised, where people come together to attack someone who makes any such posts.
Of course, an increased reach of the internet means that people get offended from anywhere, Twitter and Facebook get people connected to things they couldn’t reach earlier to get offended. You can also invite others to the party to troll hell out of the person.
I have to tell the people who don’t want anyone to make jokes on religion, is your faith in your Gods so fragile that a joke on the Internet hurts it? God is a stand-up comic himself; his favourite joke is people who take offence on his behalf, without consulting with him first.
If you are confident and resilient about your Gods, a joke shouldn’t have the power to shake them up. By rushing to their defence, you expose their vulnerabilities.
Let me give an example. Sometime back, there was a meme on Facebook about Ganesha Chaturti. Scroll through the comments, you can see people taking offence and being abusive, saying the same thing – ‘Don’t make jokes on god.’
When you make such jokes, in every civilised sane society you can expect two reactions; you could laugh or you emit a small groan. But of course this is not a sane society, so you can’t expect the above reaction.
Fortunately, the above meme is not mine. If you are planning to file an FIR, you can send it to the original owner of the meme.
Really, how democratic is India, especially where free speech is concerned? Does it depend on a person’s good fortune on a given day? Instead let’s all tell comics, comedians and artists not to make any jokes or art related to religion, who knows someone might point out something offensive.