I saw the I’m Offended videos on YouTube and suddenly it was all clear. Yes we are offended, We, us, all of us. There is no discrimination of gender, caste or religion here. We are all offended the same. We all have zero tolerance to things that are not even directed at us. Years and years of conditioning are to blame. We can’t even take jokes and yet we laugh at comedy shows but when it comes to us, are we ready to take the same joke on ourselves? It is very easy to laugh at others but when it comes to us we step back. Everything that can be even remotely offensive is Banned in our country. Is this the nation of diverse cultures? Are we really secular?
All of us know the curse words and a majority of us uses them. But when someone uses them in a youtube video, we suddenly remember our cultural values.
Even a rickshaw-wala considers being called ‘Uncle‘ by a young girl offensive, because clearly he is not that old but what about the young girls he objectifies?
We feel the worst when someone from abroad comments that India is so dirty and all like we are whole heartedly working for the cleanliness of our surroundings. I am ashamed to see the educated youth-the leaders of tomorrow, the students of our universities littering all around when the dust bin is just two steps away.
We are offended even when a guy in a crowded bus accidentally touches us when he has no intention of teasing. Why aren’t we offended when someone tries to kill our dreams and views by saying ‘It’s for your own good’. Why are we afraid to take a stand when it comes to our hopes and dreams and our philosophy of life? Why can’t we say NO there?
