Tanmay’s Video: Conspiracy Theory of sorts!
The latest Tanmay’s Snapchat video scandal which apparently turned more heads than droughts, floods and the likes combined together, got a lot of us wondering whether our sense of humor and common sense has really taken a turn for the worse. Can we really take offense if a comedian (and not a politician, whose opinion should really count) so much as takes a jibe at someone famous? It’s definitely hard to believe that we, who do not take offense at our countries poor gender inequality index (we ranked 127th in the same) or corruption index (76th out of 168), can take offense at something so insignificant.
So the question is, did we REALLY get offended in this whole thing or is it just another over-hyped “news” circulated by media houses over and over again?
What got me thinking about this was my FB feed. None of my friends seemed to care or have any sort of opinion on this matter. They definitely DID NOT get offended by the video. So I began talking to random people about this and they were of the same opinion. It struck me that most of us have not lost our mind as is being projected to us. We as viewers/ readers are just reacting to a piece of information which truly holds no significance. And mind you, we are not reacting to the video, in essence we are reacting to each other’s apparent reacting to the video as claimed by the media. So when I post on social media that “it’s ridiculous how people are taking offence”, I am assuming that people are in fact taking offence when I have no proof of the same, beside articles on the issue of people standing for or against Tanmay. My point is, it’s a conspiracy theory of sorts. Allow me to paint a little picture for you.
So Tanmay posts a video. Some nutcase saw it and got butthurt. Tweets all sorts of abuses and files a complaint (because, Jobless). Now imagine a few hundreds of this nutcase. Soon their friends start noticing the tweet and react to it (commenting on how intolerant the country is) and voila! It’s trending. Media houses got the best masala and with some fabrication they’ve got a breaking news! It’s everywhere, in debates, news-hours, print, social media, scooppoop, you name it! So you see, apart from a handful of over sensitive I’m-offended-and-you’re-responsible-for-it people, everybody else is just commenting on everybody else, who, in all probability have the same opinion. If you Google the issue you’ll only come across articles on “why” people are reacting rather than “how” they are reacting.
Come to think of it, nowadays every insignificant incidence is over sensationalized and made a national issue which quickly takes the place of more pressing problems, that the government and a responsible citizen should think about and take action. The problem is acute and unrelenting because discussing a funny video is more engrossing than murdered Africans. Its gossip and people love it. And before you say it, I admit, I am a part of it. Guilty as charged.
