The Pahalgam attack and India’s response to it bothers me.

Granted it’s only been 6 days, but Sanghis creating hype for some imminent grand military strike, making memes and engagement farming without any sort of inside information whatsoever is super irritating.

As irritating as tone deaf liberals and celebrities making beeline for Kashmir to promote tourism at the worst possible time. The Ratna Pathaks, the Atul Joshis, incorrigible fucktards. Almost as if it was the victims’ fault that they chose an unlucky day to visit - we are a-okay! Safety in strictly statistical terms is all that matters, feelings of solidarity don’t. And while we’re at it, Aman Ki Asha Up Top and what have you.

And then there is news of us purportedly resorting to bringing about floods in PoK or some such, when I’d much rather see shit blowing up very fast. I know the US took about a month to respond to 9/11, but that was 20 years ago. This is the age of instant gratification. Lots of people die everyday but these specific ones, and the manner in which that they were killed, makes one feel… violated.

I’m not sure what will sate this void in our collective hearts. Ten times the number of terrorists killed, a hundred, maybe? Hatred begets hatred and all that jazz but a spot of revenge right about now would really hit the spot. Will we be willing to settle for a roundish 3000? Maybe. It better start soon.

“Good morning,” said Deep Thought at last.
“Er… Good morning, O Deep Thought,” said
Loonquawl nervously, “do you have… er, that is…”
“An answer for you?” interrupted Deep Thought majestically. “Yes. I have.”
The two men shivered with expectancy. Their waiting had not been in vain.
“There really is one?” breathed Phouchg.
“There really is one,” confirmed Deep Thought.
“To Everything? To the great Question of Life, the Universe and Everything?”
“Yes.”
Both of the men had been trained for this moment, their lives had been a preparation for it, they had been selected at birth as those who would witness the answer, but even so they found themselves gasping and squirming like excited children.
“And you’re ready to give it to us?” urged Loonquawl.
“I am.”
“Now?”
“Now,” said Deep Thought.
They both licked their dry lips.
“Though I don’t think,” added Deep Thought, “that you’re going to like it.”
“Doesn’t matter!” said Phouchg. “We must know it! Now!”
“Now?” inquired Deep Thought.
“Yes! Now…”
“Alright,” said the computer and settled into silence again. The two men fidgeted. The tension was unbearable.
“You’re really not going to like it,” observed Deep Thought.
“Tell us!”
“Alright,” said Deep Thought. “The Answer to the Great Question…”
“Yes…!”
“Of Life, the Universe and Everything…” said Deep Thought.
“Yes…!”
“Is…” said Deep Thought, and paused.
“Yes…!”
“Is…”
“Yes…!!!…?”
“Forty-two,” said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.

No other socialite disgusts me as much as Shobha De, but quite honestly the backlash against her because she fat-shamed a cop is quite beyond me.

I’m hardly the hallmark of fitness myself but, it’s not as if I’m proud that I’m out of shape. Its up to me to get my health back on track, and it’s a goal that I’m trying to work towards.

That said, what’s reprehensible is the culture of ‘safe spaces’, which actually encourages people to remain in an unhealthy state of being and be damn well proud of it. Instead of encouraging fat people to get in shape, you quite simply redefine fat as beautiful, so that nobody has to do anything. That’s lazy.

While I agree that 'shaming’ and being deliberately hurtful to someone is not necessarily nice, subject in question wasn’t shamed personally, but was called out for being out of shape in his capacity as a cop.

Did you even see that picture? The entire department is taxpayer funded and I would imagine a part of their role involves being physically fit in order to carry out their duties efficiently. Would the Army tolerate someone so morbidly obese, let alone defend them? Why must cops of all people get a free pass?

Maybe I’ll join in the hate on Shobha De, because why not? Now if only taxpayers in general would be a little less accepting of government employees that are unfit for the job. 

‪Over the past couple of years I’ve come to miss what qualified for social media in the years gone by.

I was an early adopter, inasmuch it is possible to early adopt in India, of course. 2004-2006 were the happy years.

Without Facebook or Twitter, blogs were the only avenue for political or sociological discourse. The discussions were meaningful, civil and thought provoking. Outside of broad ideology, most people were open minded about evaluating counterpoints to their arguments purely based on logical merit. Whatever rudeness happened then, most of it was in the comments sections of blogs which could be easily moderated.

Political parties and brands were themselves clueless about the medium. Nobody was actually driving an agenda. There was relatively no toxicity and hatred was non existent. The people conversing were ordinary ones who cared enough.

Blogger meets were forums where liberals and alt-right libertarians could share a cup of coffee, have a beer, enjoy some food and then some banter. Political orientation meant a lot less.

People united in a way they do not today. The blogosphere as we called it then was diverse, yet cohesive. Two events that I remember - the online agitation against IIPM, or the protest of Government censorship on blogs, the numbers were quite minuscule considering the Internet penetration in Indian then and now, but boy did those collectives transcend boundaries!

Back then it was hard to understand when anyone spoke about the ‘good old days’ - whatever the topic. What mattered was the here and now. But that certainly isn’t the case in this age. The US election was won based on the promise of making America great ‘again’. While greatness can be argued upon, there is proof of perception that the world was better off before.

Every decade someone makes a point about how Aldous Huxley was right all this while. You can consider this mine.

I’ve begun to sound like I’ve grown old. It’s actually true and I don’t enjoy it.