Can We Really Call Ourselves Role Models!

Monitor Editor | Monday February 24, 2020 15:09

It is not uncommon to hear traditional leaders of different villages complaining about the behaviour of youngsters.

In recent past, there was a video of a student disrespecting and attacking a teacher, much to the amusement of other learners.

The video went viral on social media, with almost all social media users who came into contact with it condemning the act. Many of those who had seen the video expressed general concern over the behaviour of students in schools, and that raised the issue of the safety of teachers in schools. While rascals have always been there in schools from time immemorial, the situation now seems to have taken a wrong turn. The video in question was not an isolated event, we have heard many stories of teachers being insulted and beaten by students, and the government is yet to give the issue the attention it deserves.

Equally, last week there was yet another video making rounds in different social media platforms of a man being violated by other men. Surprisingly, grown men who should be acting as role models to youngsters did the barbaric act.  The video shows a naked man tied up with a rope being questioned by other men on why he was visiting a particular person. The men shamelessly continued to question the man who seems to be scared and shaken, while ensuring that the video exposes every part of his body.  It is clear that the perpetrators wanted to humiliate the victim, which they managed to do. Is this what our society has become? And did these men, who found it fitting to undress another man and make a video of him naked to share with the world, find it to be an exemplary thing to do? How did we as a society get to this level of moral decay? At this point, it does not even matter what wrong these grown mischief-makers suspected the victim was doing, the fact remains their actions violated the victim and humiliated him. 

The victim is rumoured to be a schoolteacher, and in this day and age where parents buy their children mobile phones, it is likely that some of his students came across the video. Is this the example that we are showing our children that a group of men can bully another man, undress him, and expose his nakedness to the rest of the world? Can we really deal with the moral decay we see amongst youngsters if grown men go around acting like hooligans?  The comforting thing is that some who came across the video were genuinely disgusted by the actions of these grown men and those who assisted in spreading the video.