Of a deep sense of disgust about uncouth conduct
   Date :04-Aug-2019

 
 
By Vijay Phanshikar:
 
THIS issue is going to occupy collective consciousness all the time. It concerns not just a moral dimension but also a social angle -- of how some people offend people’s sense of decency and decorum in public places. This issue comes up fairly regularly in people’s conversation when they see some persons wearing clothes that seem to cross limits of decency, or behave in a manner that offends other people’s right to have a calm atmosphere in public places. After all, don’t we get offended when some people start talking very loudly among themselves or on phones in public places?
 
Don’t we get offended when too loud a music is being played at a reception or in a restaurant, making it impossible for us to have normal conversation in a hushed tone? Don’t we also get offended when some person wears clothes that are unnecessarily revealing? Don’t we get offended when some persons are going berserk while having alcoholic drinks in public places? These issues have troubled human society for ages. Yet, when we happen to see people from “good” families indulging in such behaviours, we feel saddened beyond limit. On many occasions, many of us feel tempted to rise, approach those people, and urge them to behave. But most of us refrain from doing that only because we are apprehensive about offending ‘those’ people. In return, however, ‘those’ people never feel apprehensive about offending the sensibility of other people in a public place.
 
To some, this may sound as too simple an issue to merit attention. But to me, this is a major issue that often tests the limits of patience of the larger society. For, when some people indulge in uncouth conduct in public, they offend not just the people around, but also the reputation of their own families. To some, expressing such views may be something akin to what they would describe as “moral policing”. To me, however, it is nothing but refusing to accept uncouth conduct in public places on grounds of my basic right to decency and decorum. If my sense of decency is offended by others in a brazen manner, I am going to protest and oppose -- as part of my basic right and duty as a citizen.
 
Of course, many elders have often advised me not to rise in revolt each time I happen to notice uncouth conduct by somebody. I agree with this wise counsel because my protest is not going to change the people indulging in uncouth conduct. Yet, I also cannot agree with the elders fully because I consider it my fundamental right to have decency and decorum in public places and also protect my sense of finesse. In the last few weeks, I happened to witness countless instances of bad conduct in public places -- by people from various sections of the society -- and have felt a sense of disgust. This piece is dedicated to all the people who share the sense of disgust and helplessness.