Thursday, August 29, 2019

freedom to offend.


“a book is a version of the world. if you do not like it, offer your own version in return.” salman rushdie. 

freedom is like a drug, and i gotta say i’ve been on a trip this summer. with absolutely no old friends visiting from india i had time to drive over to visit my lovely ex-wife and mom-in-law near peterborough a few weeks ago, just returned from tadoussac where i visited some whales and i’m going to perth this weekend. 

the situation’s like this: the amazon rain forest’s burning, puerto rico keeps getting slammed by tropical storms, racial intolerance is on the rise... and my little book, ‘unprotected sects’, is being burned, metaphorically speaking. 

i’m actually amused by the collective response of my old friends in india to the book. especially since these are the same folks who i wrote in that same book are ‘good, intelligent and highly aware people.‘ although i suppose it was somewhat predictable, i certainly feel it’s somewhat unfortunate. however, i’ll briefly explain why their disdain also doesn’t somewhat upset me. 

aside from it having been kinda nice not being inundated with guests this summer, not having to entertain, support or drive people around, my phone and ipad have been incredibly quiet. they’re not dinging or ringing, they’re not pulling me outta meditation or sleep. as well, this is some throw-back medieval ignorance going on. and so how could i possibly get upset by losing such ‘friends’. for the most part, keep in mind, they haven’t even read the book. apparently, when asked recently if he’d read the book, one of that group stated that nobody there has any intention of ever reading it. 

to understand the full significance of their collective response, you gotta understand that these are folks i’ve supposedly been friends with for over forty-five or fifty years. these are folks i’ve lived with, tripped with, hosted, defended and in some cases supported. some of these, up until the shoe dropped, would send emails, whatsapp messages or texts on a daily basis, for years. 

make no mistake: i absolutely knew and know that there are aspects and parts of my book that folks may not like, parts that may be offensive to some. i have never been under any illusion about that. and, in spite of all the good feedback i’ve received, i knew and know it can precipitate other reactions as well. that’s not what i’m talking about. 

i’m talking about deepa mehta causing outrage among hindu fundamentalists for her film ‘water.’ when once asked if films can cause change she responded: “what a good film can do is start a dialogue and provoke discussion.” in fact she faced death threats and was thrown out of varanasi where the filming was taking place.  

“what is freedom of expression? without the freedom to offend it ceases to exist.” salman rushdie. 

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