views
Novelist Chetan Bhagat came in for flak from netizens on Wednesday after he used the imagery of rape to describe the rupee's free fall.
"The rupee is asking, is there no punishment for my rapists," Bhagat tweeted after rupee touched a new low, inviting barrage of angry reactions from many Twitter users who accused him trivialising the gravity of rape crimes.
"When the Mumbai rape survivor is still recovering in a hospital, using the 'rape joke' was 'insensitive, crass and stupid'," a user wrote. Many users argued that the word "rape" should never be used casually.
"Let's get it straight. Currencies do not get raped," one said.
Bhagat, who has one of the largest followings on Twitter, deleted his tweet but defended it strongly.
"People are flipping out on using word rape as metaphor. Murder is Ok... Oh wait, chance to attack someone, Why miss?" he asked.
"Have people lost perspective totally? Can a word officially have several meanings and contexts? Or is twitter about looking for fight?" another of his tweets read.
However, the heat and controversy generated by the comments was enough to propel Bhagat into one of the top "trends" on the micro-blogging site. And he was not without supporters who defended the rape metaphor in the context of poor state of economy.
Another well known author Shobhaa De used a similar imagery in her tweet.
"Dumb questions: If the UPA government is forced to quit, does the Opposition possess a magic wand to fix the rupee-rape crisis overnight," she wrote.
I deleted the harmless tweet because my haters were cutting it up and reposting it out of context with implied meanings.Forgot they lurk.— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) August 28, 2013
But now as all of you hunt for that tweet realize that your economy is in a deep crisis. And do consider raising your voice about it.— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) August 28, 2013
Really. I am trending now? Surely reforming me must be the most pressing issue. Economies crash everyday.— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) August 28, 2013
Don’t miss the core big issue. Solve economic crisis. Seriously.— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) August 28, 2013
Comments
0 comment