All of Monday and Tuesday discussions on national news channels and on the web have been on the Archbishop of Delhi, Anil Couto’s letter to priests urging the laity to pray as the country goes through a ‘turbulent political atmosphere’. Bishop Couto himself made an appearance on television to clear the air on the letter and in what spirit it was written since the letter seems to have hit out at the ruling dispensation at the Centre. The last time Couto made an appearance before this letter was circulated was when he celebrated the feast mass of Pentecost on Sunday at the 453-year-old Holy Spirit Church, Margao.
Let’s leave aside the controversy the Bishop is skirting and focus on the wrath and hate on social media. Today politics and opinion is not what is said by spokespersons of political parties at press conferences, at debates on national television or rather not what is said by political leaders and influential people on twitter. But rather, opinion today is happening and shaping live, every second and every moment amongst common people on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. And the problem is not that Goans are vocal on these platforms but rather every meme, every troll comment, every idea or ideology is scrutinised by the other users and everyone feels the urge to retaliate.
People obviously have no faith in the electorate or the people they elect since most of them have betrayed their manifestos. So they feel the only to vent their frustration at the administration and bureaucracy is through social media.
An interesting post on social media that was doing the rounds recently was ‘Forget Political Affiliations and the problems of this country but friendships are at stake on social media’.
This post is an awakening for Goans, where in the age of 4G internet and broadband connections, gone are the days when friends and neighbours sparred over poultry crossing each other’s compound walls, or tiles and window panes broken by falling coconuts of the neighbour’s tree that trespass a boundary.
Today neighbours in Goa’s peaceful villages are miles apart with one sailing the high seas and the other probably working in Europe or USA or even sometimes both neighbours live besides each other but have contrasting political ideas and comments posted by them on social media and are the reasons why they don’t talk and their families don’t talk to each other.
And these ideas clash on Facebook on the several of groups of villages, Niz Goemkar groups, Anti Dabolim, Anti Mopa, Anti Taxi and so forth and all the issues raging in Goa and the animosity on these groups are the new reasons of rivalry amongst Goans. Friendships and relationships are at stake with bitter words and filthy language traded and commented across posts relating to problems in Goa and often dirty linen is then washed in public and that too digitally on social media.
As peace loving as we are known to be as Goans at our places of worship, at our zatras and feast fairs, along our coastal belt and in the deep hinterland of Goa, similarly it’s time to restore that sanctity on social media. Let’s leave aside our political differences, our religious beliefs, our ideas and ideologies, our affinity to our political leaders and parties and let’s take a little advice from Pablo Neruda’s poem ‘Keeping Quiet’ and lets count till twelve and take a moment before we post, share and type a barrage of comments and hit out on what’s said on social media.
The animosity on social media is surely taking a toll on relationships amongst Goans and often we can’t revert or recall the words we say on social media and they’re on the larger public forum and become a reason of gossip, insult and hatred though we may delete these comments later in hindsight but the damage is done. Goan’s unity is more destroyed digitally on social media then the real physical destruction that we see around us. And each one of us is not just tech savvy but guilty for this animosity.
