Of late I've realised that it isn't enough to simply want change. It needs to be followed by action. Simple enough, right? "Be the change you want to see" and things like that. Except, hard fact is that it isn't just about being the change. It's also about NOT being what you dislike. Again, pretty straightforward on paper, but not very easy to follow in real life. If you dislike something, or someone, most people find it hard to ignore it and move on. Or, at least, I do.
The recent Charlie Hebdo incident really shook me up. As a (struggling) creative person (because I can't call myself an "artist"), I found the killings and the cartoon bizarre. And I will leave it at that, because I am in no position to pass judgement on the issue. I can "condemn" the killings as much as I want, but fact is that no amount of condemnation will bring those lives back. In fact, me condemning things won't change the system at all. Now before this looks like a self-deprecating post to you, hear me out. I'm trying to be logical. Trying.
Here's another incident that is currently disturbing me. The President of Yemen is being held captive in his own home after rebels seized the Presidential Palace. But, hey, it's Yemen. Who cares about them? Who cares about the fact that a population of 2,38,33,000 are currently clueless about how they will function as a nation? It's not a religious debate there, it's a question of equal rights. But equality is tricky. Give too much equality and you turn into a dirty commie. Too little and you're a conniving capitalist. Meanwhile, we forget that 2,38,33,000 is more than a number. That number is made up of children and adults of all ages, from all walks of life, from all social structures. But who cares about eradicating injustice in the developing world when we're all more concerned about a caricaturists and policemen dying in the first world? Je ne suis pas Charlie. Je suis ordinaire. Deal with it. And now the BBC says that the US are sending a warship to sort things out. LOOK WHO'S ABOUT TO ACHIEVE FREEDOM GUYS!!! WOOT WOOT!
NOT.
Which brings me to the fact that unless you're famous, you can't change anything. Public memory is as short as a child with special needs. Internet rage is like a flash in the pan that causes more anger than activism. Twitter and facebook are turning into open platforms for venting personal problems that get polished, buffed and dressed up to make it look like the world is ending. I'm sorry, but here's fact for you, your world is not ending because someone said something mean to/about you. And if you expect condolences, using the internet for sympathy is a cheap trick. Learnt that the hard way.
So, with that, I have 10 more days of social media interaction left. I don't use twitter any longer and in 10 days I will no longer be using facebook. All in an attempt to purge myself of the easy way out of using public sympathy to make me feel better. In the event that you would like to contact me for some reason, leave a comment and I will get back to you. Hopefully, if possible, in person.
Though, I doubt that happening.
The recent Charlie Hebdo incident really shook me up. As a (struggling) creative person (because I can't call myself an "artist"), I found the killings and the cartoon bizarre. And I will leave it at that, because I am in no position to pass judgement on the issue. I can "condemn" the killings as much as I want, but fact is that no amount of condemnation will bring those lives back. In fact, me condemning things won't change the system at all. Now before this looks like a self-deprecating post to you, hear me out. I'm trying to be logical. Trying.
Here's another incident that is currently disturbing me. The President of Yemen is being held captive in his own home after rebels seized the Presidential Palace. But, hey, it's Yemen. Who cares about them? Who cares about the fact that a population of 2,38,33,000 are currently clueless about how they will function as a nation? It's not a religious debate there, it's a question of equal rights. But equality is tricky. Give too much equality and you turn into a dirty commie. Too little and you're a conniving capitalist. Meanwhile, we forget that 2,38,33,000 is more than a number. That number is made up of children and adults of all ages, from all walks of life, from all social structures. But who cares about eradicating injustice in the developing world when we're all more concerned about a caricaturists and policemen dying in the first world? Je ne suis pas Charlie. Je suis ordinaire. Deal with it. And now the BBC says that the US are sending a warship to sort things out. LOOK WHO'S ABOUT TO ACHIEVE FREEDOM GUYS!!! WOOT WOOT!
NOT.
Which brings me to the fact that unless you're famous, you can't change anything. Public memory is as short as a child with special needs. Internet rage is like a flash in the pan that causes more anger than activism. Twitter and facebook are turning into open platforms for venting personal problems that get polished, buffed and dressed up to make it look like the world is ending. I'm sorry, but here's fact for you, your world is not ending because someone said something mean to/about you. And if you expect condolences, using the internet for sympathy is a cheap trick. Learnt that the hard way.
So, with that, I have 10 more days of social media interaction left. I don't use twitter any longer and in 10 days I will no longer be using facebook. All in an attempt to purge myself of the easy way out of using public sympathy to make me feel better. In the event that you would like to contact me for some reason, leave a comment and I will get back to you. Hopefully, if possible, in person.
Though, I doubt that happening.
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