Humiliation for the sake of entertainment is de rigueur in todays world.But when the consequences are severe even fatal its time to ask whether the current culture of casual cruelty has gone too far.Purvaja Sawant explores...
IT was meant to be a prank to get a few silly laughs.It went horribly wrong.The case of Jacintha Saldanha,46,the nurse at King Edward VII hospital,UK who hanged herself with a scarf in the wardrobe of her quarters on December 7,ridden with guilt and shame brings to focus an ethical question and a fiercely-debatable topic of our times: are we taking too many liberties with peoples feelings in the name of entertainment
Saldanha was guilty of an error of judgment.She,unsuspectingly,gave out medical details of Prince Williams pregnant wife Kate Middleton,after receiving a hoax radio call from two Australian RJs,Mel Greig and Michael Christian,who impersonated Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles,respectively,to get information and share a few laughs.They boasted about their achievements on the radio,and garnered the worlds attention.Saldanha,who was a righteous person,could not handle being the centre of the joke that made the world laugh at her mistake.She couldnt bear the fact that she let the hospital down.The mother of two killed herself just three days after the hoax call story was made public.The media blitzkrieg and the public outcry since has forced the two RJs to apologise publicly;but what can explain their cruel intentions to share a good laugh over someones mistake,and then brag about it without thinking of the consequences
Culture of cruelty
Sociologist Nandini Sardesai says Saldanhas case is a sad reflection of the times we live in.We cant condone the fact that a joke or prank can cause someone else harm;after all,some people are more sensitive than the others.Most of the time,we realise the repercussions of our seemingly innocent actions too late.By then,the damage is done. According to her,this is happening more in todays world because people have become desensitised.She adds,The depth of feeling is lost.We are sceptical,callous,and dont take anything on face value.In sociology,we call it a blas outlook,where people have an I-dont-care-aboutanybody-else-but-myself attitude.
Inflicting pain on others seems to be acceptable social even funny behaviour.Director Mahesh Bhatt feels this callousness is the result of a world where empathy is fast dissipating.We have become extremely self-centred as human beings.Its all about me.There is no room for anyone elses feelings because we are too full of ourselves. Adman and columnist Suhel Seth says,We are living in a soulless society where people arent generous with either their time or their kindness.We are becoming less and less compassionate as human beings.In fact,we are so cynical and voyeuristic that we are insensitive to the point of inflicting cruelty on others.We love to see other people helpless and being humiliated.
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche had once said,Humour is just schadenfreude (pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others) with a clear conscience. But there have been too many instances of casual,tacky cruelty for the conscience to be clear.Schadenfreude has become the driving emotion of our society.Popular culture be it reality TV shows where contestants are humiliated,radio pranks on unsuspecting people,or verbal outbursts on the social media reflects our brutal nature too well.Technology may have helped people connect,but most of it is used for sadistic pleasure by people.You have to see the vortex of verbal violence on Twitter if you write something contrary to someone elses views or beliefs.Its scary, explains Bhatt.
Sardesai,however,feels the problem lies within.After all,popular culture only reflects its current society.Even in their personal relationships,most people have become calculative and manipulative.Their actions are a result of their bitter personal experiences,and most often,these actions are negative.So if there is a person,who shows even a little compassion,he is instantly mocked at.
Life is a series of combat
Clinical psychologist Varkha Chulani believes we are living in one of the loneliest times,where we unleash violence onto one another simply because it makes us feel on top of the world,We have warped ideologies of happiness and success.Too much competition has driven us to a point of combativeness.Its all about survival of the fittest,the strongest.And how do you feel strong By virtue of bullying and making another person feel small.By having a good laugh at them, she says.
Social commentator Santosh Desai agrees with the viewpoint.He says,People derive sadistic pleasure when they see someone being made into a public spectacle because its a form of validation for them.It reassures them in some way that they are better than the person being humiliated,that they are superior than the victim of the joke.Think of it... we laugh even when someone slips on a banana peel and gets hurt.The tendency is present even on the simplest of levels.
Is it any surprise then that in a culture of cutthroat competition,the biggest casualty is empathy,and the biggest laugh is out of someone elses misfortune Instant comments on social networking platforms have a huge negative impact on youngsters.It is an alarming trend.The social networking platforms lead them to believe they arent answerable to anyone.Because of this,todays youth has become irreverent.
Kirron Kher,actor
As a comedian,I believe if you are playing a prank on someone,you should reveal it in the end.If youre taking potshots at someone,you must first have the ability to laugh at yourself.And never make fun of people who cant fight back,like young children or ill people.
Vir Das,comedian
There is nothing wrong in seeking humour,though there should be a limit to it.Humour is one way of dealing with grief.People take refuge behind laughter and mockery so that they dont have to deal with the dark and harsh realities of life.In this day and age,where you only get to hear about tragedies and heart-wrenching stories about suicide,murder or other natural calamities,people seek humour to deflect from reality.With so much negativity around us,people,to some extent,need to de-sensitise themselves,or it gets too much to handle.
Archana Puran Singh,judge,comedy show
I have two sons,aged 17 and 15.I can make out that their comments can be really mean and nasty at times.The child soldiers of Africa are known for their cruelty.Harmless pranks are in vogue,the meaner the jokes,the more kicks the kids get out of it.Its like they thrive on each others misery.My friends daughter was subjected to such bullying,and went into depression for a year!
Rina Dhaka,designer
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