One of the things many b-school professors say, including one who incidentally now teaches at IIM K, is that it's the educated that really needs to be educated. We can defend the right to freedom of speech of film-makers and artists to death. But the moment we are confronted with the same question on our own choices, we lose all objectivity.
So a disgruntled sportsman from IIM B
wrote an article about how he felt Sangram was mismanaged this year by hosts, IIM K. Pretty standard stuff right? It's not for the first time in the history of sports that someone has felt cheated and written about it. Even the Bangladesh Cricket team has complained about India's authorities showing bias in big tournaments. Indian cricket team, in turn, has complained about Australia. This happens every single day on the football pitch during the Premier League.
But now the media committee of IIM K has been building pressure on us for taking down the article written around the incident and threatening to boycott the platform. A possible ramification of this boycott could also be that the students of IIM K who intern with us might be asked to resign by their Media Committees.* Makes one wonder whose loss would that be, except the IIM K student team members', who will have to bow down to mob pressure.
We are so easily offended. If a man has given his version of events and made judgements on them that you disagree, engage him in a debate. Why ask for a takedown of that opinion. What sort of society do we live in where we want any opinion that we disagree with to be taken down, rather than engaged with?
And what's with banning the platform where the opinion has been shared?
Tomorrow if you dislike something on Facebook, will you boycott Facebook? Here is a sample of memes circulating on WhatsApp which IIM K guys have created for their IIM B brethren.
Now should IIM B boycott Whatsapp for it?
To the Media Committee at IIM K - People don't come to InsideIIM because we beg/pay/plead them to. They come because they think there is content here that is worthwhile for their studies and their careers. Go ahead and enforce a boycott on your campus. How will you stop a student from accessing the portal when he needs help?
To the Student Community at IIM K - Come together to take down poverty or hunger or apathy. This cause of taking down a small website, a lone writer, a measly article is just not worth your time. You must have done some great work in School, College and Workplace to get to IIM K. Now don't waste that precious talent in being part of a mindless mob. Also, even if your media committee 'boycotts' InsideIIM, you guys are always welcome here. We promise we won't tell them, lest they boycott you as well.
To the Author - Don't get bogged down by pressure. None of these guys are going to determine your future. But if you show courage, tomorrow the people who are dissing you will reach out to you for collaborations and gigs. Because a boycott is easy, cheap, commonplace today. Courage isn't.
*This article was edited on 24th November 1:27 pm.