Ritika Ruminates

Image source - India Today  With what recently took place in Iran- beating a woman named Mahsa Amini to death for "inappropriately wearing the hijab", it yet again brings the grave issue of inability to practice basic freedoms and the morality police into picture. This incident was followed by the President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi refusing to get interviewed (outside Iran) at the last minute because the journalist/interviewer declined his condition for her wearing a hijab/headscraf, which his aide described as "matter of respect" and as it was the holy month of Muharram and Safar.  This enforces the morality police that people often impose on others, women often being the primary victims. "Dress like this..", "Sit like this..." and "Don't laugh loud.." is xxxjust some of the examples of moral policing women face in daily life. Unlike Mahsa's case, morality police may not take someone's life, but it is often subtle...

Image Source - Vox Cancel culture, a term thats getting quite frequently implemented upon this days.  Be it a new book or authors, blogs, movie/series or part of it, stand-up comedy or anything form of art or expression, cancel culture always comes to show its ugly face to boycott or censor something. Even if the art or content piece is not offensive or spreading any kind of hate in any way, people get offended at slightest of things and ask for boycotts. This makes me wonder- if this continues, will this bring a end to creative careers? No professional in creative careers will want to be threatened of their or their family's safety, abuses, or threats of boycott over something that doesn't even spread hate. In season 3 of Amazon Prime's Comicstaan, during the topical comedy round, Kusha Kapila had asked standup comedian Sapan Verma that can you perform a topical comedy set without getting an FIR (filed against you) to which Sapan Verma awkwardly laughed, indicating a big n...