Why so serious??

I recently came across this video where Andy Roddick imitates Serena Williams, duly cheered up by the crowds. It made me think about the inevitable backlash had the same episode occurred in India.

So why are we such a sombre nation?

Every witticism seems offensive to someone or the other. The self-appointed moral police are always armed and ready to counter anything even remotely displeasing to any section. The most common argument in favour of curtailing open banters is that they hurt the sentiments of people and thereby breed contempt in the society, or they pose a threat to our culture and values.

But, is our culture and our values so fragile that they won’t be able to endure a joke or a pun?

We are obsessed with political-correctness at all times, more so if the people involved are public figures. Politicians, in particular, are expected to be poker-faced creatures with no sense of humour as is evident by the “cattle-class” controversy involving Shashi Tharoor. No wonder we don’t come across playful exchanges of insults as between, say, Winston Churchill and George Bernard Shaw. It also explains the dearth of good stand-up comedians in the country.

It is time for an honest introspection if we want to grow up as a nation because as the noted American author, Richard Bach, said- “The first prerequisite of an advanced being is a sense of humour.”