A couple of decades ago, when dial-up modems prevented rabble rousers from rapidly getting their knickers in a twist, there were fewer incidents of outrage directed at the world. Stray events filtered down to us slowly, of vegetarians being appalled by the presence of meat products in their French fries, for instance. I look back at those protest with nostalgia, comparing them to the presence of meat products that now casually leads to murder. It-s also important to consider that these acts of murder are routinely recorded, shared on WhatsApp, and sometimes dismissed by courts as insufficient evidence with which to hold murderers accountable. It-s a far cry from taking a fast food company to court.

Look at the past three months alone for a surprisingly large list of what has been threatened with a boycott. There have been all kinds of websites, as always, along with a number of apps, which have been installed and uninstalled, rated poorly and abused, for doing things that have been considered offensive by people who wanted those websites and apps to conform to their way of thinking. It-s sad that apps generated more outrage than acts of bigotry and hate by people, but that-s a topic for another day that will never come because dissent isn-t patriotic anymore.

Poll

Who will win the Punjab Elections?

BJP 32.79%

AAP 42.62%

INC 24.59%

Submit

View All In Poll

Two years ago, the CEO of a popular social media platform allegedly happened to say that he had no intention of expanding to poorer countries like India. That comment triggered a massive outpouring of rage, because nothing angers some Indians more than the truth that they happen to live in a poor country. There could have been a positive response there, on our ability to showcase how we manage to do things despite our lack of resources. What happened instead was 48 hours of chest-thumping involving advertising the assets of rich Indians — a classic example of what an inferiority complex looks like. I came across a petition filed online that month, addressed to the Prime Minister-s Office no less, asking for a "ban and boycott" of the app because the comment had "hit us in the heart" and we could not accept something negative said "about our mother". The petition had 1,253 supporters and was only one of many doing the rounds at the time.

There are all kinds of ways in which we choose to engage with a point of view different from ours. Unfortunately, we appear to have turned into people with blinkers on, refusing to compromise on any view that deviates from our own. It-s why celebrities, common citizens, and even social media accounts that dare to question that view are now targets. We can choose to use criticism to better ourselves or shut it all down to live in a deluded world where everything we do is always right. Unfortunately for our children, we appear to have picked the latter.

When he isn-t ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He tweets @lindsaypereira

Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

The views expressed in this column are the individual-s and don-t represent those of the paper

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates