Healing a fractured State: Why words matter in Manipur
|
Dr Raj Singh
Contd from previous issue
The State’s Art and Culture Department, along with NGOs, can run multimedia campaigns (posters, radio jingles, street plays in multiple languages) under slogans such as “Watch Your Words – Build Harmony.” These can drive home the message that calling someone by a slur is not a joke but an act that causes real harm and shame. Inter-ethnic youth exchanges and peace clubs can be supported, where young people from different communities engage in dialogue and jointly pledge to avoid hate speech.
Analogous to anti-bullying or anti-drug campaigns, anti-hate-speech campaigns in Manipur could feature local celebrities (athletes, actors) from various communities championing respectful language. Over time, this can help reshape social norms so that using a slur becomes socially unacceptable among peers. The role of media is crucial as well: local newspapers and TV channels should be encouraged to produce content that explores the State’s ethnic diversity empathetically and shuns derogatory descriptions. A journalistic code can be agreed where media avoids printing or broadcasting slurs except in context of condemning them.
Social Media Monitoring and Cooperation : Given that a lot of hate speech now proliferates online, Manipur should strengthen its Cyber Crime Police Cell to monitor and respond to communal hate content in real-time. This unit can track public Facebook pages, YouTube channels, and Twitter accounts popular in Manipur for any posts that use explicit slurs or are spreading fake news targeting a community. In collaboration with tech platforms (who under Indian law must remove unlawful content when notified), the cell should rapidly flag and seek takedown of such content. The Government might appoint a Social Media Ombudsman for Manipur who can receive public complaints about online hate speech and coordinate with both law enforcement and platform moderation teams for action.
Additionally, community reporting networks can be fostered. Volunteers in each district who will circulate verified warnings about incendiary rumors or slurs being spread (to counteract them with facts and peace messages). The idea is not to censor genuine grievances but to ensure hateful language does not drown out civil discourse. Regular transparency should be maintained about how many posts were removed or accounts blocked for hate speech, to reassure the public that the effort is even-handed across communities. Importantly, authorities must enforce these measures impartially of any ethnic group otherwise, the effort will lose credibility.
Reconciliation and Dialogue Platforms: Finally, alongside punitive measures, the Government should facilitate spaces for inter-community dialogue where grievances can be aired without resorting to insults. Forums at the village, town, and State level–under a revived Manipur Human Rights or Harmony Commission–could bring representatives of diverse groups together to discuss issues like land, reservations, or drug trafficking, which often underlie the insults. Moderators can enforce ground rules of no derogatory language, keeping discussion respectful but frank. The State can also declare certain observances, like a “Communal Harmony Week,” each year, encouraging public events that celebrate all cultures of Manipur and explicitly renounce hate speech. Award schemes could honor those who work to promote inter-ethnic understanding, creating positive reinforcement. The goal is to replace the negative vocabulary in people’s minds with positive associations–to see each other as fellow Manipuri rather than through the lens of derogatory labels.
By implementing these recommendations, Manipur can make significant strides towards curbing the scourge of ethnic slurs. A combination of clear legal prohibitions, diligent enforcement, leadership by example, education, and community engagement can gradually but surely change the linguistic landscape. Ethnic slurs that were once weapons can be disarmed, making space for words of empathy and unity.
Conclusion
In Manipur’s delicate socio-political fabric, where mistrust between communities has led to violence, the language used in public life matters immensely. Ethnic slurs and derogatory epithets are not trivial semantics – they are vehicles of humiliation, exclusion, and incitement that have kept communities apart. This article has illustrated how such language reinforces social cleavages and can even fuel conflict. Yet, it has also shown that this linguistic animosity can be addressed through thoughtful policy and collective will. Laws in India already provide a basis to punish hate speech, and international examples demonstrate that even deeply divided societies can recover a sense of shared respect by outlawing and stigmatizing hate-filled words. For Manipur, banning ethnic slurs via legislation is not about censoring free debate, but about drawing a line between healthy disagreement and dangerous dehumanization.
If Manipur’s Government and civil society heed the recommendations – enforcing hate speech laws, guiding leaders’ conduct, educating the youth, and holding dialogues – the State could emerge as a model of communal reconciliation. Over time, Meiteis, Kukis, Nagas, Pangals, and others might still have political disputes, but they would hopefully contest them without insulting each other’s very identity. Discouraging verbal vitriol will help create an atmosphere where real issues can be discussed on their merits, and neighbors of different ethnicities feel safe and respected. In turn, communal harmony would be strengthened as mistrust ebbs.
Legislating against ethnic slurs is not a silver bullet for peace – economic, political, and justice measures are also critical. But it is a foundational step. It addresses the psyche and dignity of communities, acknowledging past wrongs and committing to a more inclusive future. Much like removing a poison from the air, curbing hate speech can clear the way for reconciliation to breathe. In the words of the United Nations declaration on equality : “Any doctrine of social superiority is scientifically false, socially unjust, and dangerous”. Manipur can translate this principle into action by ensuring that no community is made to feel inferior through slurs.
Through conscientious policy and the courage to change social norms, Manipur’s diverse peoples can script a new narrative - the only common language is the language of peace.
(The writer is a Manipuri expat settled in Canada. He can be reached at [email protected])
Contd from previous issue
The State’s Art and Culture Department, along with NGOs, can run multimedia campaigns (posters, radio jingles, street plays in multiple languages) under slogans such as “Watch Your Words – Build Harmony.” These can drive home the message that calling someone by a slur is not a joke but an act that causes real harm and shame. Inter-ethnic youth exchanges and peace clubs can be supported, where young people from different communities engage in dialogue and jointly pledge to avoid hate speech.
Analogous to anti-bullying or anti-drug campaigns, anti-hate-speech campaigns in Manipur could feature local celebrities (athletes, actors) from various communities championing respectful language. Over time, this can help reshape social norms so that using a slur becomes socially unacceptable among peers. The role of media is crucial as well: local newspapers and TV channels should be encouraged to produce content that explores the State’s ethnic diversity empathetically and shuns derogatory descriptions. A journalistic code can be agreed where media avoids printing or broadcasting slurs except in context of condemning them.
Social Media Monitoring and Cooperation : Given that a lot of hate speech now proliferates online, Manipur should strengthen its Cyber Crime Police Cell to monitor and respond to communal hate content in real-time. This unit can track public Facebook pages, YouTube channels, and Twitter accounts popular in Manipur for any posts that use explicit slurs or are spreading fake news targeting a community. In collaboration with tech platforms (who under Indian law must remove unlawful content when notified), the cell should rapidly flag and seek takedown of such content. The Government might appoint a Social Media Ombudsman for Manipur who can receive public complaints about online hate speech and coordinate with both law enforcement and platform moderation teams for action.
Additionally, community reporting networks can be fostered. Volunteers in each district who will circulate verified warnings about incendiary rumors or slurs being spread (to counteract them with facts and peace messages). The idea is not to censor genuine grievances but to ensure hateful language does not drown out civil discourse. Regular transparency should be maintained about how many posts were removed or accounts blocked for hate speech, to reassure the public that the effort is even-handed across communities. Importantly, authorities must enforce these measures impartially of any ethnic group otherwise, the effort will lose credibility.
Reconciliation and Dialogue Platforms: Finally, alongside punitive measures, the Government should facilitate spaces for inter-community dialogue where grievances can be aired without resorting to insults. Forums at the village, town, and State level–under a revived Manipur Human Rights or Harmony Commission–could bring representatives of diverse groups together to discuss issues like land, reservations, or drug trafficking, which often underlie the insults. Moderators can enforce ground rules of no derogatory language, keeping discussion respectful but frank. The State can also declare certain observances, like a “Communal Harmony Week,” each year, encouraging public events that celebrate all cultures of Manipur and explicitly renounce hate speech. Award schemes could honor those who work to promote inter-ethnic understanding, creating positive reinforcement. The goal is to replace the negative vocabulary in people’s minds with positive associations–to see each other as fellow Manipuri rather than through the lens of derogatory labels.
By implementing these recommendations, Manipur can make significant strides towards curbing the scourge of ethnic slurs. A combination of clear legal prohibitions, diligent enforcement, leadership by example, education, and community engagement can gradually but surely change the linguistic landscape. Ethnic slurs that were once weapons can be disarmed, making space for words of empathy and unity.
Conclusion
In Manipur’s delicate socio-political fabric, where mistrust between communities has led to violence, the language used in public life matters immensely. Ethnic slurs and derogatory epithets are not trivial semantics – they are vehicles of humiliation, exclusion, and incitement that have kept communities apart. This article has illustrated how such language reinforces social cleavages and can even fuel conflict. Yet, it has also shown that this linguistic animosity can be addressed through thoughtful policy and collective will. Laws in India already provide a basis to punish hate speech, and international examples demonstrate that even deeply divided societies can recover a sense of shared respect by outlawing and stigmatizing hate-filled words. For Manipur, banning ethnic slurs via legislation is not about censoring free debate, but about drawing a line between healthy disagreement and dangerous dehumanization.
If Manipur’s Government and civil society heed the recommendations – enforcing hate speech laws, guiding leaders’ conduct, educating the youth, and holding dialogues – the State could emerge as a model of communal reconciliation. Over time, Meiteis, Kukis, Nagas, Pangals, and others might still have political disputes, but they would hopefully contest them without insulting each other’s very identity. Discouraging verbal vitriol will help create an atmosphere where real issues can be discussed on their merits, and neighbors of different ethnicities feel safe and respected. In turn, communal harmony would be strengthened as mistrust ebbs.
Legislating against ethnic slurs is not a silver bullet for peace – economic, political, and justice measures are also critical. But it is a foundational step. It addresses the psyche and dignity of communities, acknowledging past wrongs and committing to a more inclusive future. Much like removing a poison from the air, curbing hate speech can clear the way for reconciliation to breathe. In the words of the United Nations declaration on equality : “Any doctrine of social superiority is scientifically false, socially unjust, and dangerous”. Manipur can translate this principle into action by ensuring that no community is made to feel inferior through slurs.
Through conscientious policy and the courage to change social norms, Manipur’s diverse peoples can script a new narrative - the only common language is the language of peace.
(The writer is a Manipuri expat settled in Canada. He can be reached at [email protected])