My facebook page, my quora page, my twitter page, everywhere I see, there is AIB. There are people supporting them in every way possible. They are making videos, promoting campaigns, signing petitions, writing slogans and don’t know what else. I have a little issue (just like everyone else) regarding this.
Though I had a really good laugh watching the hilarious roast of our two very famous celebrities, it didn’t go well with many others. Action was taken against the AIB guys, and they had to take down the video. Now, why did this happen?
Instead of trying to understand the reason behind the action, everyone is busy ‘raising their voice’. Death of free speech, creativity getting lost, the society cannot take a joke on itself, hypocrite people and things like these are doing the round on the internet. Just in the name of being ‘cool’ we are trying to help out AIB, without even understanding the depth of the matter. I am not here to discuss whether the content was offensive or not, I just want to tell that we are missing something here.
When people like Akbaruddin Owaisi, Praveen Togadia, Raj Thackerey, Niranjan Jyoti and Tapas Pal gave hate speeches in front of live audience, it was this very law (what we are cursing right now) which forced these people to stop, and strict actions were taken against them. At that time we didn’t have a problem, they were also exercising their right to free speech after all.
Just because if someone is funny, it shouldn’t give them the leverage to cross all boundaries. I am not saying that what happened in the show is wrong and it should not happen again, it’s the way we are reacting to it is what looks problematic to me.
If we make freedom of speech an absolute right, in future there will be no law to protect us against people like Raj Thackeray who steps up on the podium and then doesn’t give a damn about what he says. At that time if he offends our culture or state or community, we will want immediate action to be taken against him, so why are we making such a fuss if this is happening with AIB.
Members of AIB are telling that all kinds of disclaimers and warnings were put up, people watched it out of their own wish, no one was forced, internet is a free medium and all such things to support what they did. But they are ignoring the fact that even internet is regulated to a great extent.
Why do you think the government takes down those websites which promote the ideology of jihad? Isn’t their freedom of expression being sacrificed here? I know I am comparing them to an extreme thing but the logic here is, if ever there is a need to discard something which is offending the masses, the government can go ahead and do it, and they should do it. Because they are protecting the people, it may not look obvious but in some way they are. They are ensuring for us that in future our thoughts will be safe.
AIB tried something very new for the first time in our country, it got a great response but not from everyone, and that is okay. Bashing out at the government and the concept of democracy in whole is just going ahead too far. Maybe there shouldn’t have been any complaints against them so that the video wouldn’t have to get scratched down from youtube, but we do need to realize how self preservation is bringing a greater good here.
Supporting AIB and backing up everything which everyone is saying to bail them out of trouble is something which I feel needs to get modified a little if not stopped.
