Sonam Kapoor Condemned The JNU Attacks. And She Raised A Very Important Point About Sharing A Political Opinion
We ponder so much about human psychology and why certain people behave the way they do. And I think it’s great because you understand so much about your fellow humans and in a way, it makes things easier for you. This is one of the reasons I am so intrigued by matters of the mind and heart. But just sometimes, I wish in these great texts about the human mind, they would just put down one thing – that a lot of people in our society are just assholes. I don’t want a study to justify someone being an asshole to another person because it shouldn’t be acceptable.
As humans, we are the most restricted species ever. We have languages and a voice, but are we free to express them openly? The current political turmoil in India is a heart-wrenching exhibition of curbed freedom and once again, I find myself at a loss for words. The students and staff of JNU were brutally attacked by masked goons, while the police watched. What is this fuckery? Honestly, the way things are going, I don’t even feel like I am in 2020. This feels like pre-independence era except instead of the British conducting the atrocities on us, it’s our own people (if we can call them that!)
While a lot of us are speaking up, a lot us aren’t making any strong statements – at least not on social media. Those who aren’t are saying they are not informed enough, but I feel deep down people (especially celebs) are just afraid they will be trolled badly. You know how in school, even if you knew the right answer, you were kinda not sure of what to say and didn’t raise your hand to answer the question. Our voices have been quietened, opinions trolled so much that we don’t feel confident enough to speak up anymore. But that has to change because we are in dire need and we need people to use their voices.
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Thankfully, Sonam Kapoor and Rhea Kapoor decided to speak up in support of JNU students. Rhea had posted a few pictures of the incident and penned down her feelings on the same, and Sonam reposted the same on her feed. The post read: “Very rarely do I get into politics on social media because my first thought is who cares what I think? Am I equipped to give an opinion on a public platform about things that I may barely understand? But now I have to say that I know our generation and when we look back I’m afraid we may be remembered for things we didn’t stand for. I know this is not who we are. This is not what we believe. So then I guess for those afraid to speak up fearing they may make a mistake, this is the only way to use your voice. To say, I don’t know everything and there may be things that I do not understand. But I know this isn’t right. For everyone who feels pressure to ‘pick a side’ don’t. Say what you feel. Most good people I know react to the sincerity with understanding and empathy. Be sincere, use your voice and tell the truth.”
She further added, “What’s happening in our country seems alien and unrecognisable. I’m not sure how we got here. It’s always been a hidden truth that you may be punished if your opinions are too loud or unpopular. But now it’s there to see. And that scares the shit out of me. My thoughts are with the students at JNU you are so much braver than I could ever be.”
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I feel this is a great move on the sisters’ part and it encourages people to express without thinking whether their opinions matter or being afraid of getting trolled. It’s great to begin with; something is better than nothing. At least, it’s a good start and it will motivate you to get stronger with your speech.
