Tanishq’s Brand Manager was hunted down on Linkedin, dragged to Twitter, and bombarded with death threats.
News18.com
Last update: October 14, 2020 11:59 am IST
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An ad showing an interfaith marriage of jewelry brand Tanishq has become the talking point of desi internet. However, there is nothing golden about it.
In case you missed it, here’s a rundown. On Monday, a Tanishq ad went viral. In the ad for the jewelry brand, a Hindu woman who is married to a Muslim family is ready for her baby shower. It has been shown that her in-laws did everything they could to make their daughter-in-law feel comfortable, performing Hindu rituals.
What on the surface looks like an ad about family unity, the cancellation culture brigade turned into something else: “Love jihad.”
Love Jihad or Romeo Jihad is a conspiracy theory that alleges that Muslim men attack women belonging to non-Muslim communities to convert them to Islam by feigning love and marrying them.
The commercial is part of Tanishq’s ‘Ekatvam’ current holiday season collection.
People started trending #BoycottTanishq after the outrage.
Also read: Indignant Indians on Twitter want #BoycottTanishq after it shows Hindu-Muslim couple in new ad
Tanishq finally withdrew the ad on Tuesday, amid much speculation and many people protesting the removal of the ad as a backward move and giving in to trolls.
Also read: ‘What is happening to us?’ Tanishq withdraws ad about Hindu-Muslim couple after outrage on Twitter
Also read: Twitter is upset with Ratan Tata’s silence after Tanishq took out an ad for Hindu-Muslim couple
But it didn’t end there. While many wondered why the ad celebrating love was considered problematic, the response they received was: ‘If the roles (a Muslim bride married to a Hindu family) are reversed, it would result in’ Charlie Hebdo.
Also read: Tanishq Ad protesters are using Charlie Hebdo to defend outrage over the story of a Hindu-Muslim couple
Late Tuesday night, for the first time since the controversy and the withdrawal of the ad, Tanishq issued a public statement on why it decided to withdraw the ad.
In the statement, they explained that “the idea behind the Ektavam campaign is to celebrate the coming together of people from different walks of life, local communities and families during this challenging time and to celebrate the beauty of unity. This film has provoked divergent reactions and severe., contrary to its own purpose. We are deeply saddened by the inadvertent shock of emotions and are withdrawing this film in light of the hurt feelings and well-being of our employees, partners and store personnel. “
Tanishq’s explanation started a new wave of hatred.
You are using a Hindu festival to normalize heinous crimes
WELL SIMPLE OF THE MATTER? – Have you ever thought about the welfare of Hindu women who were killed and packed in suitcases?
This is not an apology, it is the victim’s fault. #BoycottTanishq https://t.co/T0aanbIoUI
But Tanishq mentioning the safety of his staff was heartwarming, because online trolling wasn’t just limited to online trolling.
A report in Ready to melt He highlighted how people confidentially approached the author of the opinion piece to report that “a Tanishq employee, and his family, was mercilessly controlled and threatened with death.”
There are also reports revealing that Tanishq’s Brand Manager was hunted down on Linkedin and bombarded with death threats. He was forced to delete his account after the threats.
Tanishq’s Brand Manager received life threats from tolerant people. He was even forced to delete his linked profile. His mobile number was circulated. This was what forced the brand to withdraw its ad. pic.twitter.com/6YEWtC7Sk3
When canceling the culture or ‘boycotting’ a brand starts to have real life consequences on the people who are associated with the brand, and not the brand as an entity unto itself, it is no longer simply ‘canceling culture’. It starts to turn into a hate movement, where one individual is the target and in turn becomes the scapegoat when the world of online trolls turns into vigilantes. The Tanishq boycott appears to have delved into that.
