Dolphins and Twitter
I opened Instagram today and found a weird meme about Will Smith slapping some random guy. So the thing about me is that I rarely follow Hollywood and know probably nothing about it. I open Twitter to see what is the fuss about and why I am seeming some very strong competition to the Batman slapping Robin meme. I figured out that our Hancock lead had slapped Chris Rock because of the latter’s inappropriate comment on Smith’s wife. Before I can even spare a minute to think about the fiasco and make my opinion, I am flooded by thousands of tweets on Twitter that already serves me as an opinion. Some are so angry about it and some think it was perfect. What should I do? Simple. Shut down Twitter. Twitter never helped anyone to form an opinion. It is a toll gate. You pass through it and you lose some of your sanity. Oh wait, I meant a troll gate but you get the idea. Replace sanity with money. It seems similar.
What makes Twitter so popular? Is it free expression? Na. Kangana Ranuat disagrees. Is it the freedom to troll people? Rahul Gandhi feels indifferent to this idea as he is always trolled by pretty much everyone. Sometimes even a loud guy on a news channel. What makes Twitter indispensable is the quick reaction time and the swiftness with which things reach people there. It is the reflex system of the internet where one does anything and there is an instant reaction to it. Just like how Smith slapped Chris. Then maybe people think about if it were appropriate or not. Sometimes, it is even like a certain ban on a film in Gujarat where people tried to prevent it from being run in theatres and promised to cut the nose of a certain actress if it was released. Was there any logic in it? No. But is it a good idea to react instantly without much thought? Yes. That is what Twitter is.
It becomes a perfect balance of having a conversation with someone famous and also the perfect place to cyberbully and troll someone. Sometimes, it is the cause of a revolution that has helped the country to become a better place and bring about development. ( Read about the Arab Spring revolution if this sounds interesting to you) So that is Twitter. Another social media that is present to give you an opinion that might break or make you. Discretion is yours.
Oh wait. How on earth am I suppose to relate that social media site with these cute mammals who swim and dance in the sea? What probably connects Dolphins to Twitter? Maybe a random meme or picture that went viral once in a century or a smartass animal-like Paul the octopus who could predict the outcome of matches. As I try to connect these dots, let me just talk about Dolphins.
I have not really seen a dolphin. However, the idea of this creature seems so interesting. It is a big creature that lives in the sea. It gives birth and does not lay eggs. It is also said that Dolphins connect and converse with each other via ultrasonic signals. Aha! Maybe they are better at understanding each other and not trolling others. Also, the lack of words makes it really difficult to troll someone.
I remember watching a beautiful movie when I was working as a teacher. It was called Free Willy. The movie talked about the relationship of a boy with a dolphin named Willy. The plot of the movie revolves around an orphan’s relationship with a dolphin and how he saves the dolphin from trouble. It is a beautiful movie that says that friendship has no bounds and humans can be so kind if they wish to.
The life of a dolphin seems so simple. Hunt for food, sleep, reproduce, and die. But wait, there are so many troubles that these creatures face. Firstly, they come up to the sea to breathe. Their breathing does not take place under the sea as they are not equipped to breathe underwater. So they are constantly coming out of the sea to get air. This is also why we see them so much in the air. And yes, they sleep only in a half-awake state to not get drowned and also protect themselves from predators.
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Interestingly, Dolphins are very intelligent. They can socialize, talk to each other, grieve for their loss, play, and interact with each other. In fact, there have also been observations that Dolphins have the tendency to harass other animals such as birds by taking them underwater just for the sake of it and then leaving them. Oh. Now I know what is the connection between Twitter and dolphins- The tendency to bully. Cyber or aquatic, bullies are what define the species. Perhaps in a notorious way.
But still, they do not end up stopping someone from expressing themselves freely. Maybe they do but I have not heard about jails or courts for dolphins. Aah, they only believe in execution! Sounds similar to the judiciary of some countries… maybe.
That is all from my side! Read on to see Raj’s take on the same topic. You can also read previous newsletters like Gossip and Water Bottles, Travel and Movies, Chair and Footwear, Mental Health and Curtains, Fans and advertisements, Gardening and Economies of effort, Lights and Rejection, Bags and Batman, Doors, and Feminism, Driving and Friendship, or Humor and Instant Messaging!
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I guess that's it for this very difficult version. I picked up the topic by using a topic generator and challenged myself. Also, I could not make a podcast of it because I have shifted to Ahmedabad and we have not been able to find a proper platform to communicate online that also records our conversation for long. Would be great if you could suggest some and help us to do the needful!
Let me know how this edition of the newsletter was. You can comment or reply to this email! I would get your response in private!
Until next time,
Take care!
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