.Listening to Grasshoppers
Even if you don't, it's still a sobering (shocking even) look at how that sacred cow (ha ha) of Globalisation, the word 'Democracy', can hide a multitude of sins... and crimes.
The discussion in these essays, while specifically about how India's various warring religions, sects and tribal/racial groups are able to commit atrocities and gloss them over afterwards with 'an election', thus soothing international concerns, speaks of lessons not learned that could be applicable pretty much everywhere in the developing world; don't be corrupt, don't hate those you falsely see as Others, don't rape (gang-rape), pillage (historical sites) and burn (people), even if you can easily get away with these crimes against humanity, don't think elections are the panacea they are promoted to be by the globalisation buffos.
Democracy = two lions and a lamb deciding what's for dinner.
The lions have to be caged.
For example, despite (or because of) the alleged boom, the disparity of incomes in India has actually increased in recent years, and that is not only because of the obscenity of two of the world's 10 richest men being Indian, are shooting the top level so high, but also because the poor really are getting poorer and less well fed.
They have less access to grains and cereals available than they had in the Second World War. As those lions of industry Mukesh Ambani and Lakshmi Mittal dine on fine lamb cutlets in their private jets, "Forty seven per cent of India's children below three suffer from malnutrition... an average family eats about one hundred kilograms less food in a year than it did in the early 1990s." (Roy, p31.)
I've spoken about the Indian famine in Goa before, when million of tonnes of grain were in trains passing by the starving farmers who had grown it all, bound for the profitable markets of Europe and England. In the current situation, that grain is actually destined to feed livestock, which are more important than humans it seems.
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However, what are you going to replace democracy with? A benign dictatorship?
NNNNOOOOoooooooo...! Scary!
E@L
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14 comments:
I never dreamt it could all go backwards. I guess I was a fool.
I wish people would wake up - to the empty promises of a better life – and ask: “a better life for who.”
Indeed.It's a Truth Worldwide.Growth is Either Equal or not at all.Odd, If this happened between 2 people we would call it 'abuse'.Because it happens to a whole Nation ,we call it Democracy............!
This is a topic that should be explored in a lot more detail. And should be driven home to so many people here in America who have no concept of what real government thievery is all about. I'm going to borrow your post if you don't mind.
Bottom line: India is a buffer against China.
Or an enemy of its own-depending on where you sit. From a US perspective, neither nation is exactly our friend.
India is just chaotic. It can never be a real threat in my opinion until we evolve into a new species where greed, the urge to violence and tribalism (or race, religion, caste) are excised from our middle brains.
Arundhati Roy's book is a catalogue of horrors in fascism, kleptocracy and corruption.
Damn you! Yet another book I have got to read. :-)
There two things I think the average westerner doesn't consider: that every action or inaction has a consequence, result and cost; that what we as individuals do rolls up to what nations and the world does. The former is just lack of critical thought, the latter is more apparent but many choose to ignore it for personal gain.
The "powers that be" in the world want us to be greedy self-centered feckers because that allows them to retain power. It's the path of least resistance that appeals to our basal craving for comfort. It's hard to band together when everyone is worried about their own self interest first and foremost. That's what keeps Lee, the black hair dye set in Beijing and the Philippines running (okay limping along) in last place in SE Asia. It's also what keeps the status quo in the U.S.
Sheesh...I'm starting to sound like Che Guevara.
Jay: so true about "every action or inaction has a consequence" - what we exCatholics remember as "Sins of commission or omission - and then we burn in hell. Allegedly.
And even after all of this do you think that Lakshmi Mittal will open his wallet for Queen's Park Rangers football club?
Merry Xmas Expat.
Happy Christmas
Istvan: it all comes down to football with you people! Why is that?
Merry Solstice and Darwin's Day.
MM: ditto
just to irritate you:
- ambani is vegetarian
- mittal isn't really "indian", he's british in every way except the passport he holds
and just to please you: who says the dictatorship is benign??
and finally, an auto-translation of the elishaspam: "Money, the days bring you happiness, but does not bring you peace and happiness". pretty darn relevant to your post for a spam comment!
mmm maybe it wasn't spam after all???? OOps, lost another loyal customer!
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