We are a generation of Avoidants!

I have an opinion on our CM calling AQI a “temperature”, dealing with the issue by banning tandoors. I have an opinion on the Rupee hitting the lowest of almost 91 vs dollar, on the worst people and the government not finding it worthy of being a propaganda. I definitely have an opinion on aviation woes and IndiGo’s stance on the whole. Lastly, definitely on our PM who didn’t find it worthy of address but ended up giving a long ode on Vande Mataram, to “inspire future generations”.

At the same time, over the years, I’ve found myself withdrawing from deliberations and public discourse. A deep-seated frustration with the government unsettles me, while much of digital media reporting irritates me; perhaps because I come from a print journalism background where seriousness, accountability, and responsibility in reporting truly mattered. Instagram led news, in particular, completely puts me off; I’ve deactivated my accounts multiple times because of it. 

And yet, I know this too: I haven’t done enough. I have become complacent in even voicing up my opinions. 

I wasn’t always like this! I never wrote to be read or heard, but to do my bit; something I still hold myself accountable for, given the background I come from.

But the politicised nuances shaping how we live, think, and react first disappointed me, and over the time, transformed me into a familiar figure in any democracy: a citizen told, “You’re free to have an opinion, it’s a secular country,” while quietly being assured that no one is really listening.

And as psychology tells us, repeatedly banging your head against the wall of being unheard doesn’t make you louder for a long run; it makes you complacent, almost without your noticing.

Looking back, I wonder if this is the most effective hegemonization the government has achieved: not through force, but by slowly teaching us that disengagement is easier than resistance. 

And that is the real victory: not silencing dissent, but exhausting it. 

We still think. We still judge. We still disagree. 

We just don’t show up anymore!

I don’t show up anymore!