Let Them Laugh!
Have you ever been laughed at? If yes, then you would know very well how it feels like. It definitely does not feel good. It affects us very badly especially when we are children. We try our best that we never get in such an embarrassing situation ever again without even asking ourselves this question, Were we doing something ACTUALLY wrong? Or is it just one point of view that has been widely accepted by the society that we contradict?
Here, I will recall an incident which we can also call a very funny joke, but at the same time, it represents a very dark side of our society.
After the arrival of Covid-19, we were advised to make every possible effort to prevent the spread of this disease. Similarly one day, I was listening to the precautions of this disease when I flashbacked an old advertisement. In 2013, Lifebuoy India had released an advertisement for their soap. But the story of their ad is the ironically funny thing.
The scene starts at a camping site where school children have come for camping. The instructor asks the students to wash their hands before starting the meal. The students run towards the washing facility where a fat boy named Bunty (I am describing him as a fat boy because a fat boy was chosen for this role on purpose) says to the student washing hands next to him, “My mother says you should wash your hands for one minute otherwise germs are not completely killed.” He starts singing, “Keep washing, keep washing…” when he sees that now another student is washing his hands on the place of first, and then another and then another. Four students have one by one washed their hands, while Bunty is still singing, “Keep washing, keep washing…” And then the fourth student, a girl, asks Bunty; “Bunty! Is your soap very slow?” And then the scene turns where the whole class laughs at Bunty. The girl tells him that Lifebuoy handwash just takes ten seconds to kill all germs. Then an apparent doctor validates the girl’s statement that where other soaps take one minute, Lifebuoy handwash takes just ten seconds to kill all germs.
The reason behind writing a whole paragraph for describing a 30-second ad is just one scene — When the whole class is laughing at that boy who believes in what her mother tells him. This may not seem very displeasing in the ad. But in actual life, it hurts a child very badly. Here, I am not criticizing the producers of the ad, or the company. They are just representing what the society actually is. And in fact, it is just the same.
What happened in the end? Probably, the boy returned and was upset with her mother. He told her, how the whole of the class was laughing at him and how embarrassing it was?…. Wait a minute…It was just an ad. Right?
But still, the laugh turned reverse as it happens in most cases. Time proved that Bunty was right. His soap was not slow. Everything his mother said was just very true. At the end of 2019, a deadly virus was discovered that soon spread globally, and the superpowers were the worst affected economies due to this virus. And among the precautions was this: Wash your hands properly with fingers rubbing along each side of the hand and …….. wash them for at least 20 seconds. But if the correct procedure is followed, it always takes more than 20 seconds.
I wonder where is Bunty now? What does he think when he sees the post-covid world? And what do other cast think? The producer? Do they feel ashamed of themselves? Maybe not. It was just an ad! Right?
THIS WAS NOT AN AD! This was a representation of this society. And our society is in fact just like this. The difference is just that as we grow old, our way of laughing changes. We don’t burst out in laughter. We laugh at people in a slow voice, but still loud enough that the other person can listen. We tease them. We make fun of them. We make them embarrass. And one more thing, as we grow older we don’t laugh at someone just because of his choice of soap. But we laugh at things less important than soap. Hygiene is still important!
Now for the person who’s laughed at, the story is clear. We know what happened in Bunty’s case. Just don’t feel yourself let down. And don’t even feel the tiniest of embarrassment. Just think of what you are doing. Is it actually wrong? Or wrong from just one point of view. If you feel your point of view is right, then stick to it. But just make sure one thing that your point of view is actually your point of view and not a point of view fed by someone else. If it is yours and you feel it is right, just let them laugh!
As I searched for the same ad on Google, before writing this article, I realized that other people have also noticed this ad after Covid. And it has also been a part of some memes in India. But the funny part comes here, when I came to the video of the ad on YouTube uploaded by the official Lifebuoy India Channel, I saw that the comments were turned off. Here’s the video.
