The Spectator Syndrome

 I am sure that you, too, have noticed the  "have a mobile, will shoot" phenomenon. It was okay so long as it related to the selfie craze which, too, has often led to most damaging consequences. Sure, one felt utmost pity for the survivors of such fools whose daredevilry during the selfie-time led to disastrous consequences. 

The other half of the "my mobile, my sho(o)t" mania, however, is indeed incredulous. Have you realised that a majority of the population is forever filming via the mobile something or the other? One could say, "well, his forefathers must have left him a huge fortune to thus splurge!" Actually, it is never ever so. All such characters are submerged in debts. 

That apart, you could say that at least the data pack serving companies must be very happy that such creatures repeatedly buy their stuff whose rates are actually getting steeper by the re-charge! 'All is thus well, why are you grumbling?' Is that your question? 

Well, my submission, humble but heavily horrified, is that such constant reel making is desensitising the 'janta'! Let me give you an example or two to prove my point. An accident takes place. Mobiles are fast busy shooting! Instead of helping the victims, instead of calling the police or an emergency ambulance, they SHOOT reels! 

These days, if a woman is riding a two-wheeler, whether or not as a pillion rider makes no difference, there are any number of creeps humiliating her by putting their paws under her floating tee! Any number of onlookers would 'shoot' such a scene instead of confronting the culprit!

What must they be doing with so many reels on the road? Sure their mobile must have a huge storage capacity! Yet what exactly is achieved by shooting some sight, extremely ugly or gory?

The next objection that I am putting forth is truly worrisome in my opinion. Due to such heartless, senseless, soulless shooting, people merely shoot-n-store. They never feel the rawness of the moment. Such dehumanised desensitisation is the real issue.

 A person who can calmly watch-n-shoot a dying person is a psychopath! Absolute danger to self and the society! The misfortune today is that so huge is the number of such 'citizens' that one feels like saying, 'Lord, save them, but not their data, because they perfectly very well know what they are shooting, eh, doing!"

Pratima@ Why is the spectator syndrome so worrisome? Let me quote Martin Niemoller, a  German priest cum holocaust survivor.                 He writes, "First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Socialist.                                                              Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Trade Unionist.                                                              Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Jew.                                                                                                     Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me."

Quote of the day:                                                         "In life be a participant, not a spectator," asserts Lou Holtz. 

Word of the day: spectator syndrome                       The idea of “spectator syndrome” generally refers to the psychological habit of scrolling, observing, or standing by instead of actively participating in life.