Every morning seems to bring a new sense of horror, given the kind of incidents that are reported. It’s 2022, and we constantly come across people being discriminated against, based on their caste, religion or gender. For no good reason, and solely because of our prejudices, some of us think that coming from a place of privilege means that we can go on and exploit someone else’s basic human rights.
It’s like this privilege goes straight to the head and messes with the mind. Sadly, these incidents prove that it isn’t really a good time, after all.
1. When employers abused their house help in Delhi.
Rajni, a 48-year-old woman who used to work at house in West Delhi was dropped off at her placement agency by the couple she was working for. This happened after they had reportedly abused her, which according to Rajni, was not the first time — they had even chopped off her hair, in one incident. The cruelty, however, crossed all limits when the couple told the agency that they were dropping her off because she had fallen ill. Imagine the audacity.
2. When casteist slurs were hurled at hockey player Vandana Katariya’s Family.
Often, our actions are a result of the prejudices and stereotypes that are deep rooted. And, some people went on to use it as a means to demean Vandana Katariya’s family, after the Indian women’s hockey team lost a match against Argentina. The team put their heart and soul, and instead of appreciating them, people thought that they had the right to say illogical things like – “the team lost because it had too many Dalit players.” Her brother had mentioned:
Suddenly, right after the match, we heard loud noises. Crackers were being burst outside our house. When we went outside, we saw two men from our village, we know them and they are upper castes, dancing in front of our house.
3. When a woman abused a guard, because of a delay in opening the gates.
Stooping to a new low, a woman named Bhavya Rai who lives in Noida, shouted at, handled, and abused a security guard. This was after there was a slight delay in opening the gates, while noting down the number plate. To think that a person was abused for doing his job, is beyond comprehensible. She was also arrested post the incident, and eventually received bail.
4. When a Dalit boy died after being beaten up by a teacher for touching a drinking water pot.
The nine-year-old Dalit boy was beaten up by his teacher, because he touched a drinking water pot, which was apparently, ‘upper caste water’. After being rushed to the hospital, he unfortunately died during the treatment. Clearly, nothing has changed after all this time, and it’s too much to register that after all these years, we’re just becoming more regressive as a society.
5. When a man abused and slapped a guard, who helped him after being stuck in a lift.
Today, the internet came across CCTV visuals of a housing society’s resident, manhandling and slapping a guard, because he was stuck in a lift for a few minutes. After several security guards held a protest outside the society, Ashok Kumar (the guard) was able to lodge a complaint. This incident was just another proof of how people lack empathy, and the basic sense of what humanity means.
6. When a woman lied to her domestic help about losing a ₹500 note.
Some people also resort to sick and sadistic methods to get work done, just because they think that they’re at a position of authority. A woman from Noida lied to her house help about losing a ₹500 note under the bed, just because she wanted her to clean the entire area. After she put all her effort, the woman went on to laugh about it, telling the house help that she was lying. To do this, and somehow find it funny is just deeply messed up.
7. When a man complained about a woman’s cooking on Twitter.
Let’s just say, it takes a lot of ignorance to be a self-absorbed human, who has the guts to share his regressive opinions on social media. And this man is full of it. During a meeting, for ‘potential’ rishta, he went on to crib about the dosa that the woman had cooked for him. He clearly had no information about the fact that it isn’t her duty to ‘feed’ him good food or do his chores.
8. When Sara Ali Khan pushed one of her staffers into the pool, as a prank.
The actress had shared a video, where she was seen pushing a spot girl into the pool. While this might come across as an ‘innocent’ prank, here’s why it wasn’t – had the roles been reversed, the spot girl could’ve lost her job. This is exactly why it was more insensitive, and hardly funny.
The bar for humanity is set so low, it’s six feet below the ground.