The thousand-yard stare

I was watching the movie 'Full Metal Jacket' yesterday. The movie sparked the issue about violence in my mind. Why did authorising state take its stand more violently against dissidents than democratic states? The contents which authority is unaware, that is treated as treasonable due to fear of the losing power by unknown. There are attempts to de-legitimize and criminalize all dissent and opposition to its policies. Bounding of law to maintain order without even hearing voices of dissidents create havoc situation in the society.

Christopher Hitchens summarises dictatorship governance as : The true essence of a dictatorship is in fact not its regularity but its unpredictability and caprice; those who live under it must never be able to relax, must never be quite sure if they have followed the rules correctly or not. Thus, the ruled can always be found to be in the wrong. The ability to run such a "system" is among the greatest pleasures of arbitrary authority. The only thumb rule is: whatever is not compulsory is forbidden.

Fear, Paranoia, Suspicion and Desperation are common in the dictatorial state. State believes that it can control the citizens by blocking the information flow and shutting down counter state views. The outmoded bureaucracies of state put iron curtain on the people movements, migration and information flow. And, There comes a tipping point where ripple turns into a tidal wave, a wind into blizzard and a movement into a revolution.

Common people unaware of situation try to explain way crisis as conspiracy theories or playing the blame game on external factors, the relationship between solution and problem becomes a distant one. And by ignoring this, thus state and its citizens allows a crisis to fester. State of Pakistan is the prime example of this phenomenon.

There are two persons who inspired me for this discourse : Che Guevara [an Argentine Marxist revolutionary and major figure of the Cuban Revolution ] and Aung San Suu Kyi [a Burmese opposition politician and ex- General Secretary of the National League for Democracy]. They represent two opposite ways in the fight against tyranny of the authorizing state. I strictly stand on the fact that it is never easy to convince those who have acquired power forcibly of the wisdom of peaceful change. Aang San Su Kyi is doing non violently same in Burma and Che Guevera had opposed American interference in Latin American countries through violence.

In both of these struggles, injustice and anarchy are condoned by those who hold official responsibility for protecting the citizens from acts of violence. State tends to act as guardian of the citizens like the morality police, legislating on modes of behaviour they considers harmful to their citizens. When normal human urges are suppressed, they all too often express themselves in violent acts.

It is necessary to cultivate the habit of questioning arbitrary orders and to stand firm in the face of adversity. Political awareness can be blunted by the state but the natural instinct that led an individual to seek justice and freedom can't be suppressed. The root of discontent that is in protests of the young reflects general malaise of the society. State fails to recognise the reality of human behaviour, an instinct for freedom. Humans are not animals that are driven by hunger and mating behaviour only.

Here it also reflects that economic power is built on the ability to access information and resources asymmetrically. Economists have pointed out the link between the presence of huge energy reserves in a country and political instability and human rights abuse. The reason many suggest for this is that countries rich in energy reserves don't need the efforts of citizens to raise revenue, and consequently such states usually become (and can afford to be) undemocratic like Burma and Saudi Arabia . The price of economic development always comes through exploitation of many. Its not the justification of the act but basic flaw of top - down model of economic development.

I wanted to write about state and violence initially. But ended up at different shores in completion. I realized now that deeply held convictions are always on trial in the fight against arm repression. Today is ours independence day, 15th August. The political and economic changes had put India out of crisis, but there is a little intellectual tradition to support social change. Each youth generation should seek for new model or improvement in existing process for evolving, and today its mine responsibility.

PS: Read more about Authority: I don't walk Left and Irrational Faith -3.

I don't walk Left

Question- How do society cope with its problems ?

Answer- In the first step, Intellects of the community discover the malpractices going in the society. They are noticed by all but not viewed as problem in the general conscious of the group in the authority (monetary and political in charge). Intellects present the problem so that its long term ill effects can be understand by the individuals. Then in final step, they modify or replace the practice with the new one. Hence, society moves from one processing system to other till the existing one corrupts. But this minority of intellect of the society breeds in the environment where rational voice is not suppressed by the fear of violence of authority or extremists. Thus how society evolve and their idea of justice expands. All human rights & social equality movements have given value to this freedom and democracy of the human life.

The basic condition of the peaceful co existence in diverse society (each group is diverse in the nature) is the free flow of the knowledge. The society barred from the information flow is doomed to rise in confusion and paranoia. Conspiracy theories arise in the closed community and dissent is taken as disloyalty. The state will try to push only single voice with false propaganda through news network, intelligence agencies and rewriting history books. The environment of fear soon spreads epidemically and vociferous supporter of new propaganda theories become associated with the party.

The reality will collide with the narrow closed assumptions of state and religion. A state governed by too much closeness wants to avoid terror of 'globalized world under capitalism' in name of protecting the weakened. The deep belief that everything—especially anything pro western (capitalistic)—is already and by definition an intervention is part of the very identity and ideology of the Communist and Islamic theocracy. So even moderates are regards as corrupts and betrayer in their own society.

An abolished censorship, tolerated artistic freedom, eased travel restrictions and allowed new civic movements to come into existence, they merely created a virus that threatened the communist system. The absurdity of the ruling system could be counted on; what was necessary in the meanwhile was the refusal of the lie and the willingness to display civic courage. Theocratic or communistic regions are absolute in the nature. Communist regimes become oppressive with the time. The gradual transfer of Bolshevik revolution into Stalin's dictatorship regime destroyed the spirit of revolution in the name of itself. And in theocracy, Iran is the prime example of progressive society and stone age thinking political authority.

There is a deep link, not only of shared experience that people share a view of the world, the commitment to social equality and freedom. Leftwing intellectual mafia still hangs on the theoretical aspect of communism instead of falling to see why communism fall in the trap of dictatorial type governance. Unfortunately, loyalty to an idea rather than its purpose is a recipe for disaster. And that's why the Communism fail to solve the problems. Communism is an institution works best in opposition. It checks the absolute concentration of capital in the hands of few individuals. It is an instrument of distribution of wealth but not the generation. That's why It fail to generate money or to encourage entrepreneurship skills in the people.

I think that it's the responsibility of those writers and intellectuals who are still alive to talk about the past openly so to avoid the dangers in the future. The tendency of outside analyst like me should not be to focus excessive around state sponsored person or religious clerics, rather than consulting the writers and poets of the country. Analyst has to learn and avoid sensationalism in reading the issues. And the issues should be seen as an happening phenomenon to observe and re mediate the problem in the society.

Irrational Faith -3

Note: [You can read my view points about religion hereto get the grasp of my thinking. ]

There is a film named 'The White Ribbon' directed by Michale Haneke. He expressed his views on the themes of the film: " I was interested in presenting a group of children who are taught absolutist values, and the way they internalize this absolutism. My point was to show the consequences – that is, all sorts of terrorism. If absolutism is applied to an ideal, then that ideal, either political or religious, becomes inhuman. I had considered calling the film "The Right Hand of God." These children believe they are the right hand of God: they have understood the laws, and follow it to the letter. This makes them become the punishers of the others, who do not obey the same ideals. This is how the terrorism originates. The film should not be considered as a comment on fascism alone." [Source]

These lines cane be source of brilliant debates for any society ready for introspection. Still unconsciously, I put this line in real life analysis in the case of 'Islam' only. One line discussed about this movie will make my point clear. 'The seeds of deadliest emotions are there in a society that allows for nothing except goodness.'

This tendency of looking to absolute and abolish all badness through strict punishment exist in Islamic countries. Any liberal act in art, dance , woman rights and minority rights is highly condemned by priestly clan in the power. Middle class in any Islamic countries are not strong enough to adopt the modern political ideologies of west like democracy, secularism, religious diversity and liberalism at a national level. Hence, the Islamic state has lost its authority to challenge the semi-literate & close minded maulvis who do more harm than good.

Excessive importance to religion and its principles is a hindrance in the expansion liberalism and tolerance, where individuals do not give undue importance to religion. It is not easy for any nation to contend with religious bigots and fundamentalists who are forcing on imposing the socio-religious ideology of middle ages on the society in 21st century.

Let us take few countries in analysis. Iran is a more democratic in all Islamic countries at grass root level with power held by clerics. Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey have military backed secular state model. Saudi Arabia is feudal state divided between tribes which does not hold any respect to human rights. And, such Islamic countries are way ahead in corruption index despite of imposition of laws based roughly on Sharia laws.

Ataturk tried to change his country through dictatorship but it shows wrong signals across other countries. Military approach can't solve the civil society problem. The days of revolution are gone. Unless you know how to govern a country, you cannot bring about peace in a country. The failure of Islamic countries on free voice is the major cause of their degradation in cultural and scientific fields. The failure to learn from our past mistakes and “blame India, Israel, America or West” mindset deny them from doing something constructive. And they fall as a pawn in the world politics.

The lack of progress in science and democratic values depicts the mentality of ruling class. Force, however strong, cannot and should not have the last word on any general consensus of the people. For the empowerment of democratic forces in any nation clear cut demarcation between religion and politics is necessary.

To give up power to majority is not easy task, it requires moral courage. Other countries with Christian, Jewish and Hindu population were able to do that because there leaders choose liberal values and democratic reforms for masses. I always admire J.L. Nehru despite of all controversies surrounding him. It was his autocratic rule without becoming Cesearian type that makes India what it is today. He saved us from becoming Hindu Pakistan.

Cast off Caste

I was talking to my flatmate yesterday. We had a small argument about intercaste marriage. He will not do intercaste marriage due to his family and community background. Thats, ok reply for me. Then, I fired next shell on him, " What about your daughter in the future?". He replied that he will go for intracaste marriage if the girl does not opt for the love marriage (consider it against his wish). I was astonished by his reply and blaming his impotency to stand on this issue on his family and community. I can imagine the upbringing of the girl (daughter) in that environment very easily. So full of prejudice and what more to say..

Most of the people who support intercaste marriage openly, they are not going to do that. They said that just to show people their pseudo open mindness. At the juncture point, they don't have guts to do that. And latter justify that he/she can't marry intercaste girl/boy because of there parents and relatives, community. The neutral accent of these people derail reforms more than brutal atrocities done by caste prejudices.

Rigid Stand of most people against inter caste marriage pisses me off and then on argument, they give bullshit theories of tradition, caste superiority and then fear of society. I believe them as the same people who suffer from white man syndrome. I was giving previous example from daily life to show you that educational degree does not reflect mindset of an individual . Its the broad mindset to accept and judge things rationaly on the basis of merit rather tradition or style which matters most in our life.

From 5 years, I am learning about new India and Indians strangely hidden by mass media from us. I am pretty sure that only few people reading this blog will be aware of the name of Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Rights movement in America. Strangely, But I am damn sure that none of my friends (Read: Hindutva follower) will be knowing about Self-Respect Movement started by Periyar in Tamilnadu a century above. Getting the youth involved is crucial in the process of social change against caste discrimnation. The root of this prejudice lies deep in our histories, but its impact is felt every day.

Will be updating more on this issue....

"It is not God that is worshipped but the group or authority that claims to speak in His name. Sin becomes disobedience to authority not violation of integrity." - S Radhakrishnan.