December 15, 2009

Making a mockery of miseries

How many of us mechanically and promptly click 'Delete' the minute we see a new email that begins with FWD:. Very often we don't even bother to read the subject line. Many of us, however, find joy (and surprisingly) the time to go through each of these fwds. Be it chain mails that threaten to cause you misfortune if you dare to trash it, or clearly morphed images of people of buildings that is said to be a wonder or miraculous creation, or the more entertaining sardar jokes or blunders, etc. We too quickly add half the names in our address list and spread the Fwd around. At times it hurts to see people being hailed or abused in the name of 'online humour'. Some dismiss it saying: "Hey, it's just a fwd". But is it? I received this fwd yesterday about an actor who had failed marriage. any of us, it's their personal matter and for them to sort out. The fwd was a disgustingly derogatory one, almost amounting to virtual rape. Some may think I am over reacting (so did the person who sent the fwd to me), but I think we could do our bit my at least trashing it from our inbox and not being a carrier of such junk. Humour works when timed rightly and in the right measure. Mocking at a disabled person isn't humour, finding fun in someone's misery isn't harmless entertainment. Recently there was another Fwd doing the rounds: An image of a palatial house that was said to be owned by a prominent political figure of the state. It turns out the house belongs to some other lesser known person, and a magazine has even carried an article on the house owner and the grandeur of the house. The politician made light of it saying "Oh yes, I will visit the house some day, after it's now my home too!" I am all praise for people who use their time and creativity to come out with immensely entertaining laughs, jokes, stories... but equally disgusted with perverts who make mockery of people and their miseries/lives. Of course, such things cannot be regulated. The filtering should happen in the minds of each individual. But once a pervert....always a pervert.

No comments: