So, Shobhaa De just shot herself in the foot. And then shoved the foot in her mouth. And made an utter hash of everything you could throw at her.
What’s new?
Riding the crest of utter bizarre-o this year – ever since she dropped her two cents on something as cardinal to the country’s politics as Kate Middleton’s lack of derriere, her latest tweet on the Indian contingent at Rio Olympics comes as little surprise. De wrote, “Goal of Team India at the Olympics: Rio jao. Selfies lo. Khaali haat wapas aao. What a waste of money and opportunity.”
The inevitable happened. The world stopped spinning on its axis, and the Twitterati brought out their weaponry (in what may or may not become a seasonal tradition) and told her how stupid she was. Olympian Abhinav Bindra himself attempted to nudge her towards the light when he said – “That’s a tad unfair. You should be proud of your athletes perusing human excellence against the whole world.”
We’ll say this – Bindra certainly sounded gentler than the rest of the social media fraternity, and that’s saying something.
Why the Disparity Between the Cyber and the Real?
Here’s our simple injunction: can we stop being surprised already? Can we stop responding to her like we would to a veritable authority on the subject of either Sonam Kapoor’s cinematic choices, an English duchess’ wardrobe or an Olympian’s hopes and dreams? Can we not put every celebrity (don’t quibble now – De is one, by the same parameters that Messrs KRK and MSG are) on a pedestal – merely to be able to tear down every nonsensical argument they make?
Also Read: Abhinav Bindra, Jwala Gutta Lash Out at Shobhaa De’s Olympic Tweet
The physical reaction to most things that Shobhaa De says or does is usually one or all of the following: a slap of the palm to the forehead, a quick roll of the eye and the all-encompassing resignation in “So, what’s new?” Why can this not translate to the digital space?
Why do we have to care? And care enough to respond and fan the flames?
Olympians will still fight it out and people like Shobhaa De (and there are many) will donate little or no energy into scavenging resources for the same athletes she insulted once the hullabaloo is over. She (and many many others) will spend little time in researching the discrepancies between rural talent and urban academies, packed cricket stadiums and near-empty shooting ranges, generations that deify cricketers and cold-shoulder most other sportspersons till such a thing as the Rio Olympics occurs.
(Also, Kate Middleton is alive, derriere or no derriere, generally ‘duchessing’ it up. Sonam Kapoor has gone on to become a brand ambassador for feminism, speaking her mind always, oblivious to ill-informed chatter and any nature of sexism.)
So, here’s a revolutionary alternative – live your life (cyber and real), irrespective of Shobhaa De?
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