Clever Cockroach And Cancel Culture

I wake up with a start. There is a creepy sense of being stalked and a not-so-nice feeling of sharing space with someone I did not intend to. In the half-gloom of dawn (it is only 4.30am), I see a pair of waving antennae and suppress a scream. A cockroach is taking a merry morning stroll across the head board and will perhaps stop somewhere near my feet in hopes of an early breakfast! Before you think of jeering at my abysmal house-keeping skills, let me remind you of an obscure lesson I suddenly recall from my Grade Eleven biology class. Cockroaches abound in tropical climes in the months of March and September because it is breeding season for these critters and their exponentially swollen numbers result in household havoc.

Trying to keep a lid on the whole situation, I stealthily crawl to the small cupboard where I store my trusty can of ‘LAAL HIT’, (guaranteed one hundred percent to rid your home of all varieties of creepy-crawlies) and return at speed, holding the can like a shield. I point the nozzle and exult in the thrill of being on the verge of reclaiming my prized space, evicting the unnerving vermin, when the cockroach stares beadily at me and a cacophony of tinny voices echo, “Privileged Human, we deplore your infringement of cockroach rights. You have prov(w)oked the woke! You will know the ignominy of cancel and call-out culture.”

I have been given a talking to by talking insects! Before I know it, all manners of creatures are spreading my misdemeanors far and wide. Slumping in defeat, I capitulate by crawling away to a crevice (read the sofa) where I spend a sleepless hour, thinking black thoughts, about my independence being imperiled by an invertebrate. Defeated before even beginning to defend what was rightfully mine! All because of a ‘call-out’ by a cockroach at the crack of dawn, fueling that innate fear which lurks in most humans, the fear of being singled out in the tribe!

This rather unsettling episode has woken me to the woke (yes, I know, but I am a fan of ghastly puns). A new fever which has gripped the world, which involves involving oneself with a cause, fighting for a disregard of the rights of the downtrodden by anyone more powerful, the establishment, the government or simply a majority of the general populace. A higher purpose, which deserves a no-holds-barred support from the human race. And this must have held true in the initial days of this movement, which, to all intents and purposes began as a struggle for equality, against exploitation in general.

Unfortunately, there exists something called too much of a good thing. Much in the manner of the demon Bhasmasur trying to devour Lord Shiva who had granted him his special status in the first place, wokeism, which began as a quest for the greater good is now being looked at with skepticism, especially by those who have fallen prey to its twin minions of cancel culture and call out culture. Because, thanks to it, anyone can vociferously (read in a shrill rant) seek attention on anything which they perceive to be wrong, their actual and factual knowledge of the situation be damned!

Where there was one trial and one system of justice (whether the verdict was right or wrong is again a totally different story), there now exist two. The second, or rather the first trial which any misdemeanor warrants, is a media trial, and it is much swifter, and many a times much more vindictive than the first. It bases itself on the popular perception of any issue and thus can be far removed from facts. It involves setting the tone of how a situation is perceived by the general public, irrespective of the actual on-ground situation and literally travels like wildfire. A battle of ‘my truth is right and yours wrong, even if you are an expert in the field concerned’. And this is where all cockroaches cry out, for they have their spot of the limelight.

Calling out mistakes, especially if they are blatant and carried out with a misplaced sense of hubris or entitlement can help as a reality check at the time, but digging out those mistakes of the distant past, from where the person concerned has moved on, and/or is trying to better is simply a case of flogging the dead horse and serves no purpose! In addition, calling out something just to be seen as being with ‘it’ is simply wrong. It merely indicates a mob mentality and a need to be validated. Forwarding an opinion on an opinion on an opinion given by someone famous might seem very important, but sadly carries little value. On the contrary, if done irresponsibly, especially on matters of say, for example state policy, without understanding the finer nuances can be more of a hindrance than help. But alas, the wheels of social media run on the grease of the constantly churning opinion mill which, in turn is fed by the cat-calls of calling out!
Everyone likes to strike a blow for a cause and what better when it can be done safely cloaked under the blanket of ‘mass opinion’? Because, most of the times this is what the calling out culture is reduced to. Retweeting popular tweets, forwarding posts without verifying their substance, without trying to hear out the other side, without the formation of a balanced opinion in which the crime merits the punishment. It sadly finds itself in the quagmire of vicious name-calling, mud-slinging and personal attacks, defeating its own purpose. Cancel culture involves blanking out those people who do not share your opinion on any given subject. If ever there was a sworn enemy of a civilized discussion, this is it! Since people now lead socially active lives more on social media rather than actual society, this can serve as the proper tool to school those fools who do not toe your line.

The less said about the shifting goal posts for these social media marauders, the better. When you try to pin them down for a discussion or make the fool hardy mistake of questioning their motives (which were dubious in the first place), you are called out again for being an oppressor, for siding with the powers that be, who on occasion just might be right. We Indians, see this happening on a daily basis. It hits us in the eyeballs and in the gut whenever we switch on any of the news channel sponsored debates, leaving us with ringing ears and spinning heads.

In this day of instant opinions, where a hundred celebrities are made and marred at the drop of a hat, a fight for what is right has become a mere means to get ahead. It will do us good to remember to plumb any issue, whether social, political, or environmental (that’s another hot topic these days, literally, what with global warming and things) a little deeply, before jumping onto the bandwagon just because everyone else is doing it. Wokeism, cancel culture and calling out may have started out with the best of intentions but unless they serve their purpose honestly, they will be looked at with cynicism, which might turn into down- right revulsion. Because, pushed to the wall, people might choose to cancel calling out and cancel- culture itself!

Pretty much like me, who did not waste much time in rearming myself with my Laal Hit canister and did NOT call out before silently cancelling clever cockroach and other critters to reclaim what was rightfully mine!