Selfie and Good Manners ~ Learn from Kate Nash

Good Manners are important or not?

The views of song writer Kate Nash about Selfie has ensued a fresh debate about good manners versus modern manners.

 There are already well defined set of manners for all occasions. We are taught Table manners, bathroom manners and Bed Room manners. There are well defined manners for host and guest, children and elders, for male and females for every activity under the sky.

When net became popular netiquette were formed, when Social media became popular more rules and Do's and Don’ts were imposed upon users not only by society but by websites also. Many accounts were deleted on account of violation of terms and condition, by many social media websites. All those manners were later enacted by society so that violators can be prosecuted. It is called the Information Technology Act 2006, in India.

Other manners were codified but not enacted, since they were not dangerous to society. If you do not say Good Morning to your teachers or parents, they could mind it and may rebuke you, but they can’t compel you to do so by law. If a soldier or constable does not salute to his superior officer, disciplinary action would be taken against him.

When any activity becomes popular and it has some dangerous side effects than people show their concern and a caution is issued. This is what happened when Kate Nash condemned the selfie taken at memorial service of Nelson Mandela.

Selfie is now an obsession. There is nothing wrong with it. A fine way to show self dependence. But something wrong has also happened. Some people have died while taking a selfie. They were drowned in a lake or sea, crushed by passing vehicle or fell down from the roof. Some young teenage girls were blackmailed by ex boyfriends for private clicks. Society needs security. They want to find out a way to stop the misuse of selfie. Many countries have imposed the ban on use of selfie stick. It is a metal rod which can take selfie from forty inch distance. Mumbai Police does not find it appropriate that unmarried men and women should take selfie. They think that their closeness to "fit in" the picture is immoral.Belfie or bottom selfie has been banned by many social media websites. Instagram has banned women buttock selfie or belfie causing some uproar in feminist. What would be next, is anybody's guess.

The celebs have played a great role in promoting the craze of selfie. Prince Charles did it with 12 years old school girl and seasoned politician like Barak and Modi also do it frequently.

Selfie is Narcissistic phenomenon. It shows extreme selfishness and self centeredness of society. There is no doubt in last few years we have become that.

W.B.Yeats in his poem “The Second Coming” says

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.

T.S.Eliot in his long poem The wasteland has depicted a vast panorama of futility and anarchy, for which Yeats says “Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold”. The present age of emotional sterility, void due to lack of purpose and fear due to advancement in technology is shaping our future. The Third Wave or The Second Coming is expected.

Dangerous Selfies are killing people every day. In the picture below all of them died because one lost his balance while getting up and pulled others. Sa

In another similar incident at Murud Beach 14 students drowned when a big wave carried them away while taking Selfie.

 Why Good Manners? Does manners makes a man ? Or man makes manners?. We created God who created us. How simple? Egg or Hen?

OK, take selfie, but be little less selfish. Think of less privileged from you and don’t take selfie with them, if really you don't have any compassion for them.

© Vipin Behari Goyal
Advocate, Rajasthan High Court, Jodhpur, India