Page 55 - English Tehelka Issue 5 - March 15, 2018

column

Jokes on communities for a blanket ban on any kind of hu-
This, in a way, closed the door

have never been funny mour, even if it has a very negative
impact on the image of a particular
community. The litigant may go to
court on case by case basis. Thus,
lack of guidelines to regulate ill-
Humorous posts that are highly insensitive and offensive to race and intentioned humorous content on
The Way religion gradually hurt the social fabric. And they must not be shared both the social media has made indi-
online and offline
viduals and communities more
ForWard • Fun time vulnerable to online punny attacks.
Constant stereotyping, as per senior
Abdul WAsey umour — in all its formats mental health. Jokes that result from Humourous advocate Harvinder Choudhary,
including a cartoon, a video prejudice or purportedly humorous social media holds the growth of a particular
clip or an Internet meme – statements that are highly insensitive posts are community and affects it in the long
has become an integral part and offensive to race and religion can generally run. The only easy way out seems to
H of the social media. People result in dismissal, disharmony, distrust seen to take counter-respond the aggressor in
quite frequently and freely share jokes and even death. Practical jokes in the a break from the same tone.
on Facebook, WhatsApp and other form of fake news on the Internet may monotonous But that’s not the solution. After
mobile and online applications, often be funny to those propagating them but daily routine all, the Scheduled Castes and the
not knowing who created those humor- can end up wasting public resources Scheduled Tribes have a vigorous
ous items or initiated their transmission or causing serious damage in crisis law to protect them from insults. It
in cyberspace. Majority of the people situations. jokes’ promulgation both online and Dipak Misra, the current Chief can be done to safeguard the image
look at them as a small break from their This is not to say that the trend of offline. Justice of India.. of other communities too. The court,
monotonous daily routine, but some making fun of others is new in India. In 2015, a two-judge bench of the In another petition filed last as Justice Misra had then put it,
see it as serious business. These jokes, Stereotypes of ethnic, religious or caste Hon’ble apex court — headed by year, a student of Amity Law School cannot frame moral guidelines on
no doubt, influence us in ways beyond groups had been rampant even before Ex-Chief Justice TS Thakur — had complained of how the Gorkha how people should react to jokes.
having a good laugh. the advent of Internet and social media. agreed to hear the PIL. In the list of community is typecast with “a topi However, the Parliament has com-
A handful of people raise awareness People had always been making sweep- contentions drawn out by Shiromani and khukhri” on the Internet. “This plete authority to make legislations
about social problems and their solu- ing generalisations — and jokes — about Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee court cannot lay down moral guide- required to curb misuse of freedom
tions through these creative pastimes. compatriots from other communities (SGPC), issues like “racial profil- lines for citizens. People must have of speech and punish those who
But not everyone uses them for societal and groups. Bengalis, for example, are ing” and “bullying/ragging” were mutual restraint. The law is the same disrespect fellow citizens online
benefits. While corporate players use considered loquacious book lovers, all highlighted. It was welcomed by for all in this country,” an apex court and offline.
humour to promote their products and talk and no action. Gujaratis are believed the then chief justice. However, the bench of Justices Dipak Misra and R. At the individual level, social
services and beat their rivals, political to be shrewd business-minded people. March 2017 hearing in the PIL by a Banumathi had said last year. media users also need to act more
parties and social scientists utilise it to Parsis are treated as eccentric, with an bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra responsibly and should not fall for
strengthen their position among the unusually high proportion of unmarried dashed all hopes of a complete ban the hate, propaganda and lies spread
masses and spread negativity against men. South Indians are mocked for their on Sardar jokes. The apex court ob- on cyberspace. An army of sincere
their opponents. Some times, these strong accents and their dependence served that it had no right to frame Netizens may help curb rumours
social media posts are used to spread on coconut oil. The latest victims of the guidelines on the issue and asked Lack of guidelines and make the general public aware
lies about particular individuals or humour-mongers are Muslim men, who the aggrieved to opt for alternate about why and how they should
communities. At other times, they are are being accused of divorcing their mechanism like section 67A of to regulate ill- crosscheck every post and joke
derogatory and blasphemous in attempt wives at the drop of a hat and so-called the Information Technology Act, intentioned shared with them in the cyberspace.
to stereotype few people or a section love jihad, etc. 2000 or to seek justice under Smiling at the cost of someone else’s
of the society; more so, during election But the Sikh community, which con- the relevant sections of the Indian humorous content dignity may hurt the social fabric of
campaigns. stitutes only around two per cent of the Penal Code (IPC). “If anything is on social media has society. Responding and counter-
Most of the times, jokes among col- country’s total population, has been the surfacing on social media, anyone responding to a negative post will
leagues or friends taking aim at bosses worst target of these jokes, particularly can take a recourse under 67A of made individuals turn the whole activity into a vicious
or politicians are harmless. They may after the 1984 riots. Since late nineties, the IT Act or under the IPC. How and communities cycle of hatred. A witty, but graceful
even be downright hilarious with a posi- when the Internet became popular in can we, under Article 32, lay guide- and harmless, response should be
tive bonding effect for those who get the India, hundreds of websites dedicated lines and what kind of guidelines more vulnerable enough for any cartoon, video clip or
humour. But there are situations when exclusively to ‘<Sardar> jokes’ have come should be laid? We are not getting to online punny Internet meme aimed at you or your
such humour produces negative effects, up. The community, however, did not into concept of joke and all. Question community.
and these are not necessarily about find it funny and filed a public interest is what kind of guidelines this attacks
the impact on individual physical and litigation (PIL), seeking a ban on Sardar court can lay down?” asked Justice letters@tehelka.com

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