So, there is this new K-Drama that just went on air titled The Witch. For many of you who are fans of Korean shows, I’m sure that you probably know about it already. So far, only two episodes have been released and the next set of episodes will be dropped by next weekend. During my break on Saturday, I decided to watch the first episode of the show, using it to kill time while resting my head a little.
And it turned out to make me think about things in a way that I hadn’t before, I was forced to consider issues that usually I didn’t allow myself to think of simply because I wasn’t in such a situation. Yet, this show placed me in that position and I was forced to ask myself; will I also do this?
The series is about a girl who is rumored to be a witch. Now, while there was no evidence to support that claim, there were freak accidents and deaths that happened to the men and boys around her. When this happened for a long time, people called her a witch and she was basically ostracized in her own community. She was an outcast who everyone avoided like a plague, and she herself avoided people too, which also played into the stereotype.
People stayed away from her because they were scared of getting too close to her and getting into some crazy accident. They believed that they could end up dead or even disabled if they so much as even speak to her. That was how bad it was. Note that many of them had not actually seen the freak accidents happen, they only heard it and that was all the conviction that they needed.
Now, my question is, if I’m in such a situation, will I be like the neighbors who isolated the girl and called her a witch? Now, it might not really be a witch hunt, but there are many situations that can bring about such an issue. If I hear a rumor that my next-door neighbor is a kidnapper, will I believe it and immediately start taking action to protect myself? Or will I ignore it until there is irrefutable proof to back it up?
I guess this will become a question of common sense and ethics. Common sense will tell you that you should also suspect him because others are suspecting him. But then, ethics will tell you to give him the benefit of the doubt simply because you don’t know the full story. What if you believe the rumors and it all turns out to be a lie? You would have helped turn an innocent man into an outcast. But then, what if the rumors were true and you inadvertently got kidnapped?
How do we strike a balance here? This is why rumors are a powerful tool and those in power will always use it. No matter how outlandish something is, as long as the seed has already been buried in your mind, there will be a tiny bit of acceptance. And with time, once there’s enough to support it, it’ll blossom.
But then, let’s make it more personal. If your brother is rumored to be a rapist, even though there is no evidence and no victim has come forward to accuse him. But the rumor is going around and messing up his reputation. It might not change the way you feel about him, you might be ready to work your ass off to get to the bottom of the matter and find the truth. But then, before you get to the truth, will you be able to trust your brother with your young daughter? Will you feel comfortable to do such a thing?
This is the effect rumors can have, and it’s the same way that homes end up getting broken and people end up with broken lives. Because one person somewhere gave a theory without any fact to back it up. Some people will never recover from it.
So, this is what the show made me think and till now, I can’t still form a clear thought about it. Will I be ethical or will I be logical? Which way will I go? I guess until I find myself in such a situation, I will never know. And I pray I never find myself in such.
Posted Using INLEO
