Long gone are the days when someone actually has
to commit a crime to get arrested. There is cyber-crime where one need not
commit it physically. But, how will you feel when you get arrested for a status
update in a social networking website? If you have been following the news, you
will know that am not just contemplating.
A week back, one of the polemical Indian politicians
passed away. The city of Mumbai was shut down throughout the day of his funeral.
A young woman expressed her unrest in the form of a facebook status update. We
know what happened next.
India boasts as the biggest democratic in the world
and its people enjoy certain basic rights and amongst those comes the freedom
of expression and free speech. The actions which took place seem to contradict
the above stated rights.
Within a day of the arrest, there was a lot of
criticism directed towards the police and the government. Also, the woman’s
account was hacked, several fake accounts were created along with fan pages
under the woman’s name. I am wondering if these are methods of showing support
or exploiting the situation. Bottom line – The public or more specifically the
Virtual Public felt that the police action on the women was harsh and uncalled
for.
“Respect is earned, not given and definitely not
forced. Today Mumbai shuts down due to fear and not due to respect. People like
________ are born and die daily and one should not observe a bandh for that.’’ These
were the lines that lead to the subsequent events. Let’s forget the laws and
the rules. Does it lie within human morals to defame a person who had just died?
While I strictly condemn the arrest made, I believe the woman could have shown
her dissent in a different way without directly attacking the deceased man.
Even before this incident, there has been a raging debate
going on about the increasing number of hate speeches that are alleged to
happen in this world. On one hand, freedom of expression has given a loud voice
to a lot of minorities who fight for their cause and on the other hand, it has
been used intentionally to hurt and insult the sentiments of certain
minorities. Where to draw the line between free speech and hate speech?
Certain countries have laws against hate speech. Even
our Indian government spearheaded by Kapil Sibal tried to censor the contents
of social media. If it does happen at any point of time, it will have a good
start for sure. People with heinous intentions will think twice before posting
dubious content. But, on the longer run it has the potential to be used as a
tool to curb or silence the critics and oppress the minorities.
Decades back, only the writers and orators had the
power to reach the masses and convey their ideas. Now, thanks to social networking,
everyone with access to the internet has become a proponent. It’s a good thing that
people have found a way to voice their opinions but, they must also realize the
power of ideas. When someone gives an opinion about you, it’s going to stay in
your mind for a very long time; also it’s going to have an influence on your
actions henceforth. Ideas have the same effect when it reaches more than one
person.
Laws and censorship are not the answers to the
problem of Free Speech Vs Hate Speech. Ethics and moral values should be
realized by the humans themselves. If we have to protest against something let’s
voice opinions for our own cause and not to insult or hurt someone. Free world
and free speech doesn’t mean that one can take everything for granted.
Swasthika
Sang
