Democracy
Someone once said, democracy is not utopia but its the best we have! Reading about the ME upheaval and another article in the Crest about the West's sudden disappearance from public support for the people of Egypt throws up some interesting questions.
Let's take the current situation. ME is going nuts (One can say so is the rest of the world but thats another story). You name the country and someone in there is gearing up to protest against the current reigning monarch/despot/crazy fucker/ruler/dictator/leader depending on your point of view. The medium of organising protests seems to be FB and Twitter (and they need ads to stay alive? they are changing worlds!). But in all the mayhem and noise, the silent democratic torch bearers are causing even more noise. Why is that India (the world's biggest democracy), the US (the Commissioner of Police of democracy), arbitrary once upon a time important but now holding on to the skirt tails of the US pro democracy countries in Europe are all silent?
Islamic fundamentalism taking over is the hushed reply. But then isn't that the very thing that democracy tries to protect? Isn't it not about majority or being part of the 99% but being part of that minuscule 1% and still being able to do what you want to do that is the fundamental pillar of democracy? It used to be about adapting and accepting those points of view what is not in sync with the "majoritarian" view. Even if it is not your accepted way of life, it is someone else's. But somewhere down the line, it changed to being about the accepted way of life rather than the individual way of life.
And that goes for all the supposed democracies. In the US you cannot question the war because "their" children are fighting in it to protect their shores. In India you cannot question customs because you would be bowing to the cultural monopoly of the West and doing things "un-Indian" and so on and so forth.
So much for democracy! Up yours!
Let's take the current situation. ME is going nuts (One can say so is the rest of the world but thats another story). You name the country and someone in there is gearing up to protest against the current reigning monarch/despot/crazy fucker/ruler/dictator/leader depending on your point of view. The medium of organising protests seems to be FB and Twitter (and they need ads to stay alive? they are changing worlds!). But in all the mayhem and noise, the silent democratic torch bearers are causing even more noise. Why is that India (the world's biggest democracy), the US (the Commissioner of Police of democracy), arbitrary once upon a time important but now holding on to the skirt tails of the US pro democracy countries in Europe are all silent?
Islamic fundamentalism taking over is the hushed reply. But then isn't that the very thing that democracy tries to protect? Isn't it not about majority or being part of the 99% but being part of that minuscule 1% and still being able to do what you want to do that is the fundamental pillar of democracy? It used to be about adapting and accepting those points of view what is not in sync with the "majoritarian" view. Even if it is not your accepted way of life, it is someone else's. But somewhere down the line, it changed to being about the accepted way of life rather than the individual way of life.
And that goes for all the supposed democracies. In the US you cannot question the war because "their" children are fighting in it to protect their shores. In India you cannot question customs because you would be bowing to the cultural monopoly of the West and doing things "un-Indian" and so on and so forth.
So much for democracy! Up yours!
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