Trolling based on Skin Color – Kalas views featured on Deccan Herald
Trolling is a form of online bullying intended to upset, intimidate or humiliate the victim. This usually happens under the cloak of anonymity, that allows the person to get away with it or not face any consequences.
In a country where fairness of the skin is given a lot of preference, (though not officially), it is very desired. Even in this day there are parents who give preference to the fair child, relatives put down the child with darker skin, and it happens even in adults. Hence it is not surprising to see that getting reflected in frequent trolling of people with respect to skin color, and celebrities get trolled more often.
Any kind of insult, shaming based on skin color is discriminatory and is not OK.
Let us ask ourselves a question.
When we see a friend or acquaintance engaging in a banter of such sort, or talking about some one’s skin color in a disparaging manner even as a joke, or forward a similar (alleged) joke, what do we do?
a. Keep quiet
b. Enjoy the joke
c. Pretend to enjoy
d. Get annoyed but pretend not to have heard it
e. or Call out the person’s behavior right there (in a safe way)
The first 4 choices indirectly encourage the person to indulge in such behavior even more. Speak up. When that person can show discrimination openly, we also have a voice that we can use. We can empower ourselves by speaking up rather than feeling powerless and helpless.
Inner Dawn counsellor Kala Balasubramanian’s views featured in Deccan Herald on 8-Jan-2020.