THE NEW LEAM VIEWPOINT
A penetrating look at morning newspapers makes you feel the paradoxes of our times.
Editorial Team
Yet, another lynching…
Nothing matters. The Supreme Court seeks to intervene; the Prime Minister, as his supporters often say, does not approve of cow vigilantism or other forms of mob violence because, as it is added, he loves the heritage of Gandhi and Buddha; and our Parliament witnesses all sorts of theatrical performances -and everything in the name of the poor and the marginalized! Yet, there is no end to violence – the normalization of lynching: a brute form of mob behavior aiming at annihilating the ‘other’, or the projected ‘enemies’ of the nation.
Hence, accept yet another lynching in Alwar. Akbar has to be killed; the children of ‘Bharat Mata’ must save the nation from the likes of Akbar. This violence is sacred, heroic because our ‘sacred’ cows have to be saved from the gang of ‘beef eaters’.
The fact is that violence is normalized and sanctified because the ruling Establishment adheres to an ideology that breeds violence because it suspects and stigmatizes the religious minorities. The ethos of a hyper-masculine/militarized Hindutva is inherently violent. Aggression is its sub-text. Furthermore, we are living in a society that has generated a sense of powerlessness and helplessness amongst people. The widening gap between the rich and the poor; the alliance of corrupt bureaucrats, political bosses and corporate elites; and the intensity of everyday struggle for fulfilling the basic needs of life – these structural constraints deprive people of a sense of creative agency. This emptiness causes anger.
Communalism as a kind of ‘false consciousness’ taps this anger; and it is misdirected. The attention is shifted from the real enemies to the imaginary ones. It is sad that a poor Hindu and a poor Muslim would not come together and fight for their shared needs – safe drinking water, quality education for children, and jobs for the young. Instead, communalism as an ideology would erect a wall of separation and hatred between the two.
Moreover, when there is no meaningful education, no radical political sensibility, it becomes easier to corrupt the mind through the ‘rumor industry‘ propagated through the toxic social media, television channels and irresponsible speeches by the political class. Yes, lynching seems to be inevitable in this recklessly communalized society that transforms people into a mindless crowd expressing their anger and experiencing a feeling of momentary agency without knowing that the real villains are enjoying, and the likes of Akbar–poor, subaltern and oppressed– are dying.
Let the Ambanis and the Adanis prosper. Let ‘Hindu’ cows continue to eat plastic and polythene from the garbage. Let the the filthy rich loot our banks and leave the country. Don’t protest. Instead, raise the slogan – Bharat Mata Ki Jai; and kill a Muslim tailor, a Muslim weaver, a Muslim artisan! THIS IS DEVELOPMENT- A TOKEN OF TRUE PATRIOTISM.
Live happily ever after!
Lynching. So what? Our children are ‘settled’ .They move around America and Europe. We have ‘secure’ jobs. We love the idea of ‘smart’ cities. Let the poor fight and kill one another in the ghettoized slums, in dark villages, in the crowded streets. We should not waste our time and energy in thinking about these aberrations. We can live happily. The real estate companies are selling dreams–gated communities free from lynching, poverty, and all sorts of violence. Look at the dream a real estate company is selling:
You will love the beautifully laid out fresh green surrounds and the openness. With water features, sculptures and gazebos to create a wonderful atmosphere. The Heritage School and DPS are also close by.
Brilliant. No reason to worry. Moreover, you get “Jogging Track, Outdoor Gymnasium, Moon Garden, Amphitheatre, Podium for Yoga and Star Gazing, Paypen for Children and Rainwater Harvesting.” Money can buy everything.
[irp]
This is what life is all about. This is the paradox of our times, our ‘progress’. Let the likes of Akbar continue to be killed. And let the aspiring middle class book their apartments in these gated communities, and meditate in the air-conditioned “Meditation Room”.
