*Disclaimer* The following blog post strictly contains my opinions, and my opinions only. If any individual is to disagree with my opinions, then that individual needs to seriously get a massage or something. Chillax guys!
I debated with myself quite a lot before deciding to blog about this. What is "this" you ask? Well, since we all love to prioritize important events that we gather from the news, this = the AIB Roast and its buzzing/never ending appearance in the media. For those of y'all who have no idea what I'm talking about, open up Google and you will find endless articles and "expert" blogger opinions (yes, like mine) all bashing or supporting the whole debacle with the AIB group and its associated celebrities. It's ridiculously overwhelming. The end. But we being who we are, it isn't really the end, is it? So let me start from the very beginning.
I debated with myself quite a lot before deciding to blog about this. What is "this" you ask? Well, since we all love to prioritize important events that we gather from the news, this = the AIB Roast and its buzzing/never ending appearance in the media. For those of y'all who have no idea what I'm talking about, open up Google and you will find endless articles and "expert" blogger opinions (yes, like mine) all bashing or supporting the whole debacle with the AIB group and its associated celebrities. It's ridiculously overwhelming. The end. But we being who we are, it isn't really the end, is it? So let me start from the very beginning.
I'm not biased but I have been a fan of AIB since late 2013. While at work, I used to take great pleasure in listening to their hilarious and entertaining podcasts. They were great, informal and unscripted (I think). And how could I forget how awesome my Twitter timeline looked with their "punny" yet informative tweets? Their sketches were fairly decent too, although not entirely humorous & spontaneous at all times, they were just fun to watch. So when they decided to do a "roast" while partnering up with multiple B-town celebrities, I was looking forward to seeing some new material from the gang. Oddly enough, the day they released their video (in three parts), I watched them quickly after returning from class because I had this weird hunch that the videos might either be flagged or even blocked on Youtube- shortly after being uploaded. My verdict on the actual show? It was okay. Nothing too special. The jokes were slightly repetitive and yes, lots and lots of cussing mixed with plenty of inappropriate connotations. What impressed me was not the actual content, but the openness about the whole event. I mean, here were people willing to laugh at themselves to genuinely entertain the others in the audience (and let's not forget all their proceeds went to charity). Sure it was inappropriate and vulgar and crass but it was also a bold move in the comedy scene. And kudos to them for trying that.
The insanity that followed is however, distasteful. From FIRs being filed to apologies being demanded, AIB had to (and I'm assuming still is) face a lot of flak from various individuals. What bothered me the most throughout this whole thing was the fact that a comedy show, one in which consenting adults were involved while both participating on stage and watching the videos online, is such a hot topic and reason for police action, whereas matters of actual concern are completely being sidelined. Flagging the videos and maybe even putting age restriction blocks would have been okay but it went a step too far when the police got involved. The amount of time and effort that so and so have spent "taking action against" AIB could have been used to jail the real criminals in India. The criminals that give India such a bad reputation are frolicking on the streets because everyone else is so much more concerned about a comedy show that tried to make people laugh. So much logic involved that it's not even funny.
Closing thoughts: AIB, you guys are cool so I know you'll get through this madness. People of India, I've noticed that y'all either take things way too lightly or way too seriously and yes, you're focusing on the wrong things. Please fix this asap.
- Yours Truly
P.S. Here's an article that correctly addresses everything. It made sense on so many levels!
Closing thoughts: AIB, you guys are cool so I know you'll get through this madness. People of India, I've noticed that y'all either take things way too lightly or way too seriously and yes, you're focusing on the wrong things. Please fix this asap.
- Yours Truly
P.S. Here's an article that correctly addresses everything. It made sense on so many levels!