Being dirty old men is something all young men can look forward to. Delightful and utterly respectful; non-judgmental and chivalrous to a fault, but thinking about whatever the hell it is that they want to think about. But this tribe of dirty old men should not be confused with another creed, the creeps.
The creep will mine the most benign of things for filth. And will do so with greater efficiency than a hormone-stricken 14-year-old boy (or girl.) The creep will find the smut in a passage about 16th century Mughal architecture. He will smirk lecherously, somehow, in a discussion about Ramzan food prices.
The acid test for a creep is that he will actually say what it is he is thinking about. It will almost invariably be dressed in the garb of upholding a certain moral construct. This righteousness will embolden his depravity, since he will think he is pointing out a wrong. The creep can be more dangerous than merely verbalising his creepiness and when that does happen, it will always be his victim’s fault, he will say. That there are lessons to be taught.
Because of certain similar traits, there might be a bit of a confusion between a creep and a killjoy puritan. Maybe because it’s not an either-or situation.
One wonders which category Orya Maqbool Jan belongs to.
Consider the following advertisement for Q Mobile (online readers only) that has the retired civil servant hot and bothered.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
What was otherwise an endearing tale of a girl overcoming the odds to play cricket for Pakistan professionally, winning over her father’s approval in the end, did not gel well with our man.
Was it because it endorsed, in a way, for kids to have their own minds and find their own paths? Well, yes, but no.
Was it because it endorsed that vocations hitherto before occupied by men should also open up to women? Well, yes, but no.
Actually, it is the protagonist’s run-up action to bowl that he finds vulgar (“fuhsh”). Censor authorities used to remove such scenes, he says. But kamaal ki baat hai that no one at Pemra had the decency to do this! It was from 3:17 to 3:18.5 in the video given above. A full second-and-a-half! How did that slip in the cracks?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
The fact of the matter is that the existence of women to begin with, is a vulgar act. Specially when she is doing something for herself. Like bowling. Or solving an interesting math puzzle for fun. Or having cake, alone.
If you don’t agree with this definition of propriety, then it’s a pretty steep downward slope to open debauchery in society. (Note to reader: stop imagining “pretty steep downward slope.”)