The video that went viral last week was that of a popular TV news anchor Faye D’Souza calling out one of her panel members, a maulana, for his gross sexist remarks. The topic of debate was the recent controversy that erupted after Bollywood actress Fatima Sana Shaikh uploaded a picture of her in a swimsuit. Gone are the days when Watergate was the real controversy. We have, as a society, settled for hunting down women’s dresses which ‘hurt our feelings’. First Deepika Padukone’s photo shoot, then Priyanka Chopra’s legs when she met Prime Minister Modi, and now, the Dangal star’s swimsuit.
Sana Sheikh was massively trolled first on Instagram, and then on other social media sites because her picture offended the sentiments of some of those observing Ramzan. During the heated debate in the news channel, a maulana, who was one of the participants, had angrily shouted at the anchor saying, “I am telling you, wear an underwear and come. You will become equal to men. Wear an underwear and come to debate. There will be equality between men and women.”
The anchor, who was calm all this while, silenced the whole panel and shredded the maulana’s sexist comment, word by word, in one of the boldest comebacks on television. She ended with a powerful line, “Maulanaji (still with respect), this channel is run by a woman and I am not threatened or rattled by your threats!”
Tell me maulanaji, are you saying that women have to wear underwear in public to be viewed as equals in your eyes? Is that what you have been imagining?
I fail to understand how the society feels it absolutely easy to compare men and women as and when they feel comfortable! Let me tell you what equality in this situation means: Let the girl have her own freedom to choose what she can or she cannot do. Just how you let your boys be, right!
Do you know Sana Sheikh personally? No. Were you sitting next to her, or sharing a meal when she was at the beach posing for a photo shoot? No. Do you know of any members of her close family or her friends being offended by that picture? No. Then, why are you, and all those anonymous commentators offended?
Let me end by explaining the meaning of trolling, since that is what will save all of us. It is the art of deliberately, cleverly, and secretly irritating people. The most essential part of trolling is convincing your victim to 1) Believe in what you are saying, no matter how outrageous it is 2) Give your victim malicious instructions, under the guise of help.