For any given altercation between two
individuals or groups, this saying tries to impart responsibility on both of
them. It seems quite innocuous and impartial saying but in reality it is a huge
Pandora’s box overflowing with innuendos and insinuations.
For an example, a man
returning home from the office gets stabbed on the street and is critically
injured. When
given this news, some people will use this saying " ek hath se Tali Nahin bajati", thus assigning some blame on
the victim.
Most benignly this is used by lazy people who do not wish to work their brains to think rationally or think at all. They just want to say something sounding cleaver.
Most benignly this is used by lazy people who do not wish to work their brains to think rationally or think at all. They just want to say something sounding cleaver.
Then there are Humpty-Dumptys who always sit
on the fence. Never take a decision for the fear of offending one or the other
party. They are cleaver but pusillanimous.
Some dislike the person
stabbed will use this saying much less benevolently and say it with some
emphasis on the words “one hand” apportioning quite a bit of
blame on this poor victim though
still sounding neutral. This is the beginning of the slippery slope of
hypocrisy.
On the other hand if the
person you are talking to is a great supporter of the mugger then he/she would
repeatedly and loudly say this proverb trying to convince you and whoever is
prepared to listen that the victim was if not solely, equally responsible for
his misfortune. These people hypocritically project themselves as righteous,
knowledgeable and unprejudiced commentators.
Recently President Trump used this while commenting on the shameful and blatantly racist supremacist atrocities in Charlottesville, USA. He denounced the violence and mayhem quite rightly but in the same breath implied that the peaceful antiracist demonstrators were equally to be blamed. What? The woman killed by the car driven in reverse by this thug has contributed to her injuries by being on this road? Lots of people all over the world, many from his own party saw through this conceit. They were very indignant and justly denounced him.
Recently President Trump used this while commenting on the shameful and blatantly racist supremacist atrocities in Charlottesville, USA. He denounced the violence and mayhem quite rightly but in the same breath implied that the peaceful antiracist demonstrators were equally to be blamed. What? The woman killed by the car driven in reverse by this thug has contributed to her injuries by being on this road? Lots of people all over the world, many from his own party saw through this conceit. They were very indignant and justly denounced him.
Many a times a lot of unscrupulous leaders get away with it. When the opposite party does
something wrong they are blamed wholly and solely but when it is clear as a
daylight that their own party or personnel are responsible then they very
cunningly invoke this saying that clapping cannot take place.... This is repeated by their followers so often
that it becomes an reason to exonerate the culprit.
Some times it is true that both the parties are responsible and the commentator is right but he should have real facts to back up his statement. Using this saying as if it is a universal truth is never justified, at best it is a smokescreen for intellectual laziness, at worst a disgusting hypocrisy.
Some times it is true that both the parties are responsible and the commentator is right but he should have real facts to back up his statement. Using this saying as if it is a universal truth is never justified, at best it is a smokescreen for intellectual laziness, at worst a disgusting hypocrisy.
