"...you are a criminal for doing this to all of us!! The Indian army should use you as a weapon!" Sir exclaimed, prompting laughter from the entire class.
It was sometime in the 5th or 6th grade, in the early 90s. We had a teacher who enjoyed mocking students. One fateful day, as he entered the classroom, he wrinkled his nose, indicating a foul smell. "Which one of you released this poisonous gas?" he inquired, scanning the class. Amidst the laughter, someone pointed to a student (let's call him Sameer), saying, "Sir, it's Sameer, its always him!" A few others joined in, and Sir, convinced by their accusations, directed some harsh words towards Sameer before beginning the lesson.
A few days later, Sir made a similar face. This time, without any inquiry, he looked at Sameer and remarked, "Gassy, you are at it again, aren't you?" The class erupted in laughter as usual. From that day on, Sameer was known as "Gassy" in the class.
Thereafter, it became commonplace to witness Sir mocking Sameer. "Gassy, you're banned from entering my science lab; you'll cause an explosion there." "Gassy, why don't you sit on the last bench next to the window so we all don't die of suffocation?" He made many such derogatory remarks, some of which I can't mention here. This continued for months, perhaps even longer. Each time, the result was the same: the class would burst into laughter at Sir's punchlines. Sameer was a good-natured fellow who always took it in stride, smiling through it all, his cute dimples hiding the embarrassment each time.
Although we were all school kids, what made this socially acceptable was the fact that the teasing came from Sir. A teacher, whether liked or not, is always respected. So, regardless of their behavior, their words carry weight and are widely accepted, even if they shouldn't be.
As one grows older, there is always someone to look up to, whether at home, among friends, or at work. When someone you admire engages in casual banter, repeatedly putting someone or a team down, it risks influencing the minds of those around, especially juniors. The fact that these remarks come from a leader or influential figure makes them more acceptable than they should be.
If we look up to leaders, we need to be mindful of what we laugh at (accept and internalize). If we know people look up to us, we must be aware of the power our words hold in shaping opinions and biases.
A couple of years ago, someone in our school WhatsApp group shared a news link. It turned out that Sir was evading the law as he was charged with a criminal offense by one of his current students. The word used by Sir in poor taste had now boomeranged back. It was criminal to label Sameer as "Gassy," and perhaps all of us in the class owe Sameer an apology for our stinky behavior.
