Rising intolerance - Reality or Political Gimmick?

Rising intolerance – Reality or Political Gimmick?

Introduction:

We are a country that has been developing and progressing despite our diversity in states and communities. We have overcome cultural differences that have been poles apart but somewhere between all the courtesies people share, lingers a feeling of intolerance over the beliefs of those different from their own. This is one of the major reasons for the outbreak of violence and clashes in some parts of our country. All it takes is a small instance or a moving speech full of hatred and people refuse to co-exist. Ethical and ideological differences between the beliefs of the communities is huge, no doubt, but we did live through it all these years. History can attest to the fact that whenever communal clashed over intolerance crept up, it was politicians that took advantage of the situation. Now that social media does all the work of spreading hatred towards each other, politicians spare the speeches and only react to blame each other. This makes us think if rising intolerance is a reality that bred from our irresponsibility or just political gimmick to take advantage.

Reality:

1. Social media is the new means that people have taken to in order to express all that they are doing and feeling through the day. That is absolutely harmless if it is confined to shopping, hopping or crying heartbreaks but when it comes to forming opinion on communal debates over beef or idol worshipping, people forget that their opinions could lead to spread of hatred and anger. Facebook pages formed by admins who are ruthlessly offensive of one religion or party are hugely liked and followed. Where is respect and tolerance for each other when every other person is busy posting derogatory remarks on other community?

2. Where writers are killed for speaking out their views and opinions that were against a particular community, we know what that sounds like – Bangladesh?

3. On one hand, we are going global. We are accepting traditions and fests of the western world and on the other hand, we are refusing to accept festivals of other religion that have been celebrated since times immemorial in our country. There was a lot of enthusiasm around the social media this year for Halloween. But the sad part is that there were also lots of posts where people have asked their friends and families to stay away from the “trick or treat” celebrations of any sort since that would wake up the dead whose soul they have sent to rest through prayers and rituals.

4. We are not just forming opinions easily just by looking at some biased posts and articles on the web but are also keen on gathering more and more people to agree with us even if it means hurting the other people we call “friends.” Intolerance is actually on a rise and that is evident when people of one religion are asked not to enter festivities and celebrations of sacred nature of the other religion.

5. Gone are days when people believed in co-existence. Call it the influence of hate mongers or the wrong notion of promoting a particular religion to reign over the other, people are joining hands to prove their superiority over the others. Self-satisfaction is no more needed. People get contentment in torturing and downgrading others.

6. The award returning way of protest started by scholars, filmmakers and scientists over rising intolerance is a proof of the reality attached to this scenario that is being avoided by many. These are neutral people who just want peace and freedom of expression. These are the people who see danger lurking in the atmosphere of intolerance that is being ignored in the name of political gimmick. These people see the consequences of ignoring and staying silent to the rising intolerance when innocents are killed.

Political Gimmick:

1. It is not that intolerance ever got completely wiped out from a country where people with poles apart differences lived together but politicians are the only people who take advantage of the situation and make it larger than life to shed lights on the evil doings of the competing party. Not that they have any real intentions of saving lives of people who are becoming victims to rising intolerance but an opportunity to blame the government is all that they seek.

2. Ask any party about the communal clashes that prevailed during their reign and the incident is termed “unfortunate outrage” while the one in opposition will cry crocodile tears, carrying slogans of sympathy for victims and anger for the ruling party on their banners as they march protests. When there is a flicker of anger amid public, a political party takes it upon them to turn it into raging fire only to stand aloof and watch innocents burn to death.

3. When someone disrespects an individual by blackening his face, other parties get all the reasons to cry. Trying to encash the situation is all opportunism.

4. Politics in India works not on the good deeds of a party when in power but on everything wrong that went wrong during the term of office of the other. Those crying foul over the rising intolerance have completely subsided the fact that they never did anything good or worth a mention during their term but would definitely like to taint the images of the ruling party so as to pave way for revenge. This is the ultimate dirty little secret of politics and the rising intolerance is yet another example of one party dumping trash over the deeds of another.

5. The biggest irony of the situation is that if the coins were reversed and if the ruling and opposition party were in reversed positions, the situation would have been no different. The only difference would have been that the party now crying foul would have been trying to act innocent and the silent party would have been at war cry.

Conclusion:

Rising intolerance is a mix of both – reality and political gimmick. However, intolerance was conceived when political powers began being misused. Reality took its toll and common men participated in the fight on social media, being utterly irresponsible of the outcome and the dirt laundry digging began to grow.

Politics of the other side saw the opportunity to pull back the vote bank and started caring about people all of a sudden.

All hopes are not lost! A large number of people, irrespective of religion and beliefs, are far more sensible now to fall prey to these dug graves.

Only if all of us could start being more human and less pseudo religious, tolerance and respect for each other is not the hardest thing on earth; not for a country that lived through slavery with its diversity intact.

Ensuring peace in the country is the responsibility of each and every citizen & irrespective of our religion, each one of us must ensure that whatever we say, perform or write doesn’t harm mother India.
Let us all be more responsible in our personal lives and over the social media while saying anything that might hurt our fellow citizens!