This is an outpouring from deep within my heart and mind. Many may come
down heavily on me. But certainly I would like every thinking person to
think about it and act according to their convictions.This is a truthful analysis with malice towards none and appeal to all thinking persons.
The Closing of the American /Indian Mind
The habit of reading
the morning news is a two edged sword. It makes you come alive as the newspaper
provides you a sense of companionship with the rest of the world through its
communicative power ; it makes you depressed reading about murder, rape,
accidents, burglary, acts of inhumanity, political abuses , word duels and
acrimonious statements, specifically intended to harm the reputation of
statesmen and leaders who no longer hold office. If you are over sensitive, the
blow is far too hard to drive away the morning blues; if less sensitive, the
smug satisfaction of being connected to the whole world gets the adrenalin
going.
I belong to the first
category- for which I am constantly criticized and advised. “Don’t think you
carry the burden of the world on your shoulders” (a statement that drips with
sarcasm, given my slender frame) - a constant refrain from everyone in the
family, from the old to the young, from male to the female. Even the puppy that snuggles close to me to
get caressed feels left out and sulks looking at forlorn me. Often I decide not
to lay my hands on the newspaper first thing in the morning but the resolution
does not last even as long as the dew before the morning sun. I cannot resist
the fresh smell of the newspaper and lunge for it like a cat at a rancid
butter.
Whenever I experience a
day of depression, I comfort myself with Samuel Beckett’s searing comment: “The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new” as the newspaper has nothing new to offer other
than stories about fatal accidents,
murders, burglary and the usual political acrimonious exchanges among contending political parties. But two
days back, on the page marked for
International news, I came across this sensational comment by Chelsea Manning
whose sentence was commuted from 35 years imprisonment to just another three
months- a fine gesture by former US President Obama one day before he demitted office. She
had been found guilty and sentenced for being
a whistleblower providing the Wikileaks secret
and classified data from Pentagon and the White House. Obama felt that the
sentence(35 years of imprisonment) was far too harsh for a crime that, in
comparison, was less harmful than many of the lethal crimes perpetrated almost
on a daily basis in the country. When I read
about Obama’s noble gesture, I was delighted as it reaffirmed my faith in good
and gracious leadership that Obama exemplified.
But Chelsea’s statement shook me
to the core. While serving out the next few weeks in prison before being let
out, she commented that despite his intelligence and erudition, despite his
generosity and grace, Obama was never accepted by his opponents during all
those eight years he was in office. “The one simple lesson
to draw from President Obama's legacy: do
not start off with a compromise. They won't meet you in the middle.
Instead, what we need is an unapologetic
progressive leader." (italics
mine.) I was devastated over her judgemental comment on a magnanimous Obama,
but more, over her advocacy of ‘an unapologetic leader’. Her advice was meant for the new President Trump-
who does not need anyone’s advice and who is more like a bull in a china shop
going merrily on his ego trip. But my
anguish was more because Chelsea Manning’s voice didn’t seem to be a lone voice,
but the voice of Americans who had catapulted Donald Trump to the White House.
On sober reflection
after the initial shock, I understood why America voted for Donald Trump. He
appeared from nowhere and with his bombast and bluster, narcissism and arrogance
showed himself as a strong no holds-barred man for whom there existed no norms
of speech and behaviour other than what he chose to observe. His bluster and
boast, swagger and superciliousness, his excessive finger-pointing Obama as
‘the worst President US had’ came as a shock that gradually muted to passive
acquiescence for a large sizeable majority of Americans who had always stood by the unwritten codes and injunctions
of societal behaviour. Trump’s comments on the Clintons were vulgar, indecent
and in bad taste. Trump was different and was all that was un-American. Hence his
appeal, ‘America for Americans’ and ‘Make in America’, ‘America First’-made an
impact on Americans who felt that a new Messiah had arrived with the Promised Land
that would rightfully restore them their jobs and prosperity that had been
hijacked bythe immigrants. Trumps’
speeches had the uncanny ring of Indian Prime Minister Modi’s thunder about ‘ Make in India’ and his
rhetoric to nurse back the s(i) cular, modern( West oriented) India to
the ancient India of the Vedic ages, to nurture Indian tradition, culture and
Hindu religious sentiment. Like the latter’s appeal that made Indians feel they have got a
new leader who can bring manna to their parched lives, Trump succeeded in his appeal to the White
Americans who harboured a genetic dislike
for immigrants, especially for Muslims
and refugees from Muslim countries. This is what Chelsea meant when she gave
President Trump the gratuitous advice to be “an unapologetic progressive
leader”. We in India have had a two and
a half years leap over America having elected “an unapologetic, progressive
leader”, who has created a huge selfie
image of himself picturized in Chelsea’s phrase, though Trump’s projection of
himself is far more aggressive, arrogant and irreverent than that of the Indian
PM.
What disturbs me( and I
am sure disturbs many others) is the sheer ignorance of the vast population in
the two great democracies of the world in respect of this Chelsean aphorism.
What is the meaning of being progressive? What is the meaning of being
unapologetic? Broadly ‘progressive’ means three things”
1. Being ahead of current trends
or customs
2. Not narrow or conservative in thought,
expression, or conduct
3. Favoring
civil liberties and social progress
How far does Trump( and Modi) subscribe to the definition of
‘progressive’ in their attitude and outlook? Even at the cost being reviled as
a fossilized liberal, I certainly hesitate calling them progressive. The world
has suffered immensely ever since the turning of the millennium at the hands of
IS and other fundamentalist forces. The
brutal massacre of the innocents has united the world to seek liberation from
the terrorist forces and forge interfaith unity to restore peace and order and
save the world from wanton destruction. Both Trump and Modi talk of taking measures to defeat terrorist
forces and among the slew of measures available to them is to ban entry of
Muslims in their countries. Trump has already done it while Indian PM is
mulling over issue of visas to Pakistanis, forgetting the presence of Pakistani
cricketers, singers, actors who have won many Indian fans. Trump’s strong
pronouncements with a nationalistic fervor such as ‘ America for Americans,’ ‘America
First, and PM Modi’s ‘India for
Hindustanis’, ‘India First’ go counter to their visceral hatred for Jihadis
because they sing a similar tune like
the IS and Jihadis who want the world for the caliphate and for the Muslims. While
it is logical that US and India seek to place their individual nations centre
stage and prioritize and protect their interests, they have unleashed a fear
psychosis among the people that has peaked into hysteria in the name of
nationalism. There is a slow attrition of liberal voices that believe in the
multiplicity and pluralistic
character of the two nations. Both US and India have thrived due to their power
of assimilation and tolerance. Trump’s
current attempt at cocooning America from outsiders is almost to the point of
negating the rest of the world as of no consequence. In a different way the
intolerance that one witnesses in India towards art, culture, literature
,cinema that do not subscribe to traditional and conservative values points to lack of respect for and acceptance of
differences. In this respect, both leaders have fallen way behind the progressive
trends and customs that have changed the
world to value a more catholic and liberal outlook. They hark back to beliefs
and traditions that were rooted in the traditions of those times when nations
defined their sovereignty by uniting all its citizens or subjects by factors such
as language, religion, culture and common descent. The nation states in the past derived their political legitimacy to rule
by combining the political entity of the state with the cultural entity of the
nation. The concept was that of a political organization under
which a relatively homogeneous people inhabited a sovereign state as opposed to accommodating several nationalities. This is cultural
atavism, that has been made into new aristocratism of the masses. The new
craving for national and cultural identity in place of assimilating other
identities has been given legitimacy by both Trump and Modi. Trump’s ban on
immigrants and refugees and in particular the ban on entry of Muslims from
seven nations(Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Libya, Syria, Sudan and Yeman), his clipping
H1B visas are regressive steps going back to the ancient concept of closing
the boundaries to those who do not subscribe to the original homogenous group. Anti Globalization is not a progressive step as
it breeds isolation and insularity. All talk about US getting world numero uno status is empty rhetoric as
US withdraws its involvement in global affairs. It is a conservative move
almost incarcerating the Americans within its boundaries because the backlash
of the US ban of immigrants will result
in other states banning entry of US citizens into their land. Iran and Iraq
have already announced ban of US citizens in retaliation. The closing of
American doors- though now limited to the seven nations- will in the long run
escalate into intolerance, violence and war which would be a global disaster.
Trump’s views on abortion, trans
gender, gay liberties, genderqueer , LGBT,
are deeply conservative and do not take into account human rights and
concepts that are beyond the traditional binary concept of male and
female. His opposition poses a serious
threat to the fundamental rights of the lesbian, gay, homosexual, bisexual and
transgender individuals. This goes against UN declaration (2010:)
"But let there be no confusion: where there is tension between
cultural attitudes and universal human rights, rights must carry the day” Again
this underlines Trump’s regressive mentality.
Merely using twitter does not make anybody a progressive
person. Again the innumerable gaffes of Trump during his election campaigns
show his lack of knowledge and understanding of history and world order. Trump
has said a lot of gross stuff about women showing himself to be a misogynist.
He is unapologetic for what he had said and what he continues to say in defence
of his unspeakable and unpalatable comments.
Both leaders have indulged in hyper accusations- one speaks about seventy
years of misrule and misgovernance when no development took place; the other in
his address on taking over as President charged all the past Presidents of
letting down America for Americans. These accusations are not borne by facts.
All governments succeed in their efforts to develop the nation; they also fail
in certain aspects. Democracy is all about punishing them for their failure.
But to say that nothing noteworthy had happened and they are the true messiahs
to lead the nations to new heights of glory is sheer hyperbole that bamboozles
the audience..
But America is veering towards Trump even as he enters his
second week in office. His executive orders from stopping refugees and banning
Muslims , his reversal of Obama’s Trans Pacific partnership, and his stand on
Climate change reveal that he is a new President who will do what he wants to
do as a part of his nationalistic fervor- that is- for America, by America and
of America.
America has suddenly closed all its mental shutters. What was
once a dreamland, a melting pot of all cultures, civilizations and nationalities,
a nation that attracted men and women to be a part of its openness, a nation
that rose to great heights because of the collected wisdom and intelligence of
people from all parts of the globe converging there, is slowly turning itself
to a cloister. The world sees in Trump a strong man, a decisive man, a man with
a mission to build America, an unapologetic, progressive leader where his
concept of progress is unfortunately to regress into insular America. This is
very much true of India. Though unlike Trump, our PM is silent on issues that
threaten hyper nationalism, freedom of speech, LGBT rights, intolerance of
those who are outside the Sanghparivar ideology, he is vocal to brand everyone
opposing any of his plans as anti national. For him also there is no meeting
with people having a different view or ideology. The return of jallikattu as
homage to culture and tradition ( who has laid down that a sport that causes
distress to voiceless animals is our culture?) is a throwback to barbarism and
animality and that is done keeping in
mind the applause of the people. How many more sports of the jallikattu will be
endorsed in the future as a part of our culture is a nightmarish thought. But
is this a progressive order or is it a regression to banal and beastly sports
of men and women? But Indians applaud Modi because of the same reasons the
Americans applaud Trump.
It is pertinent to quote GopalKrishna Gandhi
who in an open letter to PM Modi says: “
Remember, please, Asoka’s admission
and his remorse which he called, in Magadhi Prakrit, anusaya . Your own
exquisite language, Gujarati, has another sublime word for it, anutaapa .
Atonement and compassion do not betoken weakness, they betoken nobility which
is a leader’s sign”
What we now see is just the opposite of all that ethicalness
in politics had stood for. Ethicalness has been superceded by a leap of faith
to an uncompromising, unapologetic progressive leader. There is no time, no
will and no effort on the part of many thinking individuals to tell the truth
that both US and India are moving towards
strong men who are far from being progressive leaders. Trump gags the
press; our PM gags the voices that speak against his decisions. Let them not
believe that the President of US and the PM of India shall do no wrong. No one
person can be all wise and decide the fate of a nation on the basis of his
wisdom.. If US and India are true democracies (as they have been all these
years), it is salutary to open our minds
and not keep them closed. The social and political crisis in US and India is
really an intellectual crisis. This is an article addressed to every thoughtful
citizen of both the countries. It is s an article meant to challenge all to open
up their minds.
