The Right to be offended

Being part of the YouTube generation I have enjoyed watching foreign comics perform different forms of comedy right from monologues to improvs and wondered when will we get to watch this stuff in India. Slowly yet steadily the Indian comedy scene exploded with the likes of AIB, SnG, East India Comedy and even a few video shows like The Viral Fever. Stand up shows, YouTube shows, handful of podcasts followed in the years to come but one thing I eagerly awaited was a 'roast'. Having seen the likes of Charlie Sheen and James Franco getting insulted like no tomorrow I kept dreaming of the day that Indian society and Indians learn to laugh at themselves. And finally it happened. The AIB Knockout was that morning cup of tea which the Indian comedy scene desperately needed. The group managed to get Bollywood to laugh at itself. The same Bollywood which threatened to launch their legal eagles for a stupid trailer spoof. Bravo AIB but wait...

There was just one big, massive, gigantic problem(not Tanmay)...some people (not the people who got roasted) didn't like the manner in which the tea was prepared and the government which has always turned a blind eye to everything from rape to riots suddenly decides to investigate. Just like the Dhoom 3 trailer spoof the 3 course meal served on YouTube was taken back.
Yes, AIB is known for their brash, slightly crass style of comedy which incorporates youth lingo (which is actually quite filthy) with a range of current affairs with no room for flattery. Just a few episodes into their podcasts and you get what I am talking about.
Is the roast something out of the blue for AIB? NO. Are the topics something we don't talk about?? Again..NO. Did the people who got roasted have an issue with it or felt defamed or hurt?? Surprisingly, NO.
Honestly speaking, everyone reads Bombay Times just to catch upon the weekly filth being flung on our celebs whom we all love to hate. The criticisms ranging from their sexual orientation to their physical appearances are something we have all made in the privacy of our homes. Yet the concern we show for their reputation when it comes to the roast will bring a non-glycerine induced year to their eye.

'Yeh hamare sabhyata ke khilaaf hai' is something we often hear when it comes to the Indian context.
What exactly is your sabhyata?? The same sabhyata which tells a wife to jump in her husband's pyre or that which tells you marry your daughter off to a dog or even a tree. There are many dark sides to our culture which would make the roast seem fairer than Rohan Joshi. (Tired of all the black guy jokes on Ashish Shakya)

Then there were many of my friends who asked me to look at it from a parent's perspective which is equally obnoxious. I have never seen a roast as a child but I have clearly understood everything being said in the manner it was to be interpreted. My point being kids will learn such Shit anyway no matter how hard you try to stop them.

Then come the 'apeing the west' accusations. There are so many thing which come from globalization and the exchange of culture, pop culture being one of them. Just because we adopted certain aspects it doesn't mean we are blindly copying it. Entire movies and songs are copied from the west (in some cases even east. Ask Pritam) but no one bats an eye. Right from Who Wants to be a Millionaire to Big Brother we have copied formats of shows and what offends you is a roast. Maybe if MTV had made it as a show called Roaster it may not have drawn so much flack. I am so glad shows like the Simpson's or Family Guy are not so mainstream. There are many shows and events which should warrant such attention (EDM concerts for one, kids taking drugs which destroy their brains which they seemingly lack since they are at an EDM Concert) but in my opinion AIB has paid the price for going mainstream.

In a 21st century democracy, we still like to play the man with the remote. Censorship is the single biggest slap to freedom of expression and till society doesn't grow up nothing is going to change. The people who didn't like the roast or found it distasteful could just stop the video and forget about it. Who gave them the right to decide what offends the sensibilities of others. They are like a peeping Tom with only difference being they have an opinion about everything and worse, they shove their opinions on the people they peep on.

Our constitution has given us an entire list of rights and duties. The page about duties is a big blur and of the rights that we conveniently remember we sadly exercise the right to be offended.