I recently watched the latest Harlen Coben series, Run Away, on Netflix. In the series, the father, while searching for his young runaway daughter, accidentally meets her in a park. While he is chasing her to get her back and see sense, her boyfriend stops him, and in a fit of anger, the father punches the boyfriend, whom he feels is responsible for getting his young daughter into drugs and away from her family.
This act goes viral because a woman, a stranger at that, without knowing the background, takes a video of the whole punching incident and puts it out on social media with a hashtag: rich man beats up the poor homeless. Wherever he goes, his actions precede the broken father searching for his lost daughter.
A few weeks back, a middle-aged man committed suicide in Kerala because a young influencer posted a video of him inappropriately touching her in a crowded bus. Whether the whole scenario was true or blown out of proportion is anybody’s guess, but the fact remains that people on social media were quick to play the Police, prosecution, and judge based on one video. The X platform was abuzz with people taking sides and demonizing both the man and the woman, depending on which side you were on. The truth was lost somewhere in the whole outrage, for the investigation is still ongoing.
The above two incidents helped me decide to revisit my column from two years back on the etymology of words, and what better word to begin the journey than the word taking Umbrage?
The term “Etymology” is the study of the origin of words. The practice of etymology is uncovering the truth by tracing the root of a word and its evolution thereafter.
The dictionary meaning of Umbrage is:
1. a feeling of pique or resentment at some often fancied slight or insult—usually used in the phrase take umbrage.
2. shady branches: foliage.
3. shade, shadow
4. an indistinct indication: vague suggestion: hint
b: a reason for doubt: suspicion
Umbrage is a word born out of shadows. It comes from Latin umbra, meaning “shade, shadow,” and retained its meaning when it was first used in the 15th century. Milton, while writing Paradise Lost in 1667, wrote, “highest woods, impenetrable to star or sunlight, spread their umbrage broad, and brown as evening”. He obviously meant it to be shady foliage. In her 1849 novel, Charlotte Brontë describes how the titular Shirley would relax “at the foot of some tree of friendly umbrage.”
But then Shakespeare wrote in his Hamlet, “his semblable is his mirror, and who else would trace him, his umbrage, nothing more.” He alluded to umbrage as a vague suggestion or hint. The word has undergone a few changes to incorporate other uses, including the “feeling of resentment or offense,” like in sentences: “many took umbrage at the speaker’s tasteless jokes.”
The word’s early literal use is not often encountered, though it does live on in literature.
Reels and videos on social media are making this concept of taking umbrage all too easy. Joining the bandwagon without knowing the facts and jumping down someone’s throat has become the norm in the world of sensationalization, with no compunction to stick or even search for the truth. The rage-bait content is consciously created to elicit hateful responses, which in turn boost their interactions, and influencers resort to it consciously to keep their posts active. We are encouraged to remain angry, and we tend to fall for it. So we have people posting videos of working on their laptops while driving or posting videos and reels, which infuriates rather than calms. Negative emotions last longer than positive ones, and hence keep one’s adrenaline pumping and engagement with posts active for a longer duration. In the quest for engagement and viral posts, the truth can often be lost somewhere in between creating the post and making it viral.
I often wonder if people keep recording themselves constantly while working on their laptops, while driving to showcase how terrible their boss is, or to egg someone for a reaction, or intentionally to post it later? I, for one, have my fights offline!
Speaking of this urge to take umbrage over social media posts, I came across a rather hilarious article on how we are taking umbrage over so many things that the author of The Wit’s Guide to Umbrage says, “we’re decisively in the era of ‘I was just swinging my fists around, and your nose got in the way.’ “
Maybe, it is time to not succumb to rage-bait and instead think through before reacting …good for our blood pressure and heart!
This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Cerebration – Think with body, mind & soul.
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Cerebration – Think with body, mind & soul.
Negative emotions last longer than positive ones, and hence keep one’s adrenaline pumping and engagement with posts active for a longer duration…. This is the most powerful line of this article which i can relate too.
What an interesting take on the etymology of umbrage! Loved it, Chandrika. I loved how you connected the origin of the word and led to the present times, human emotions, and how we deal with it. Unique way of etymological analysis with some moral lessons thrown in for good measure!
I loved the mix of voices and ideas here — it feels like a gentle reminder of how diverse and meaningful creative expression can be. Thanks for bringing this together!
The connection between present-day incidents and the word Umbrage is interesting. There are lots of incidents popping up on social media, with reels getting viral. Now there is no way to believe whether it is true or fake. If the Kerala guy committing suicide is true, I cannot imagine what the world is coming to. Many are going to great lengths to garner likes, even putting their own lives at risk.
I totally get what you mean. I too started noticing how quick people are to get angry online without knowing the full story. Your explanation about, umbrage makes so much sense now. Social media really spreads anger faster than the truth.