In the wake of her public and private reconciliation with young actor Alizeh Shah, host Juggun Kazim has taken some of her followers to task by demanding to know why trolling is their go-to response to celebrities.
“Even though Alizeh and I have settled our differences, the sad thing is that the trolling is still ongoing. What is our problem as a nation, as human beings?” began Juggun in a 10-minute video aptly titled ‘Why Can’t We Stop Trolling?’ on her YouTube channel. “Why do we find comfort in inflicting pain on others? I just don’t understand it.”
Juggun’s video comes against the backdrop of an apology she issued to Alizeh after the latter called her out for causing public humiliation in the past. Juggun offered a public video apology to Alizeh when the issue came to light. However, Juggun added that amid the congratulatory messages from her followers came the inevitable series of negative comments.
“I thought this was the best way of dealing with the matter,” continued Juggun. “It is so simple. A person makes a mistake and they apologise for it […] why has this become such a big deal? Why are people still going on social media and discussing whether or not it was the right thing to do and whether or not it would make any difference to Alizeh?”
In addition to lamenting that even the simple act of issuing an apology can be deconstructed for additional meaning, Juggun stressed that she would not share her private conversations with Alizeh over the matter, despite requests from followers for screenshots.
However, what angered Juggun even more is that repeated trolling Alizeh continues to be subjected to. Noting that she had received a “beautiful” response from the young actor, Juggun delivered a scathing takedown of cultural response to trauma.
“Alizeh is upset! Her heart is broken, but in our society, when someone is going through an emotional trauma, instead of giving them love and support, we start trolling them instead. Please, guys! She’s a young person dealing with memories of being mistreated in the industry – of which I, too, played a part. She’s dealing with PTSD!”
Having acknowledged her own hand in Alizeh’s past trauma, Juggun once again urged viewers to “please stop trolling people.”
“How much free time do people have that they find someone to follow online and then leave negative comments on all their posts and humiliate them on their own social media?” wondered the Morning With Juggun host. “Is insulting celebrities our only entertainment left? If we don’t protect our own people, who will?”
