The “lie” heard around the world

It was an awful August in the US. Just as last November had brought out the best in the country with the election of the first black president, the month of August brought out the worst with the opposition to the healthcare proposals. In November people rejoiced at the country’s ability to go beyond race, but just a few months later, the world was shocked at the naked display of racism in the healthcare debate. It was depressing to see old people waving posters about socialism and wanting the government to get out of their lives, all the while subsisting on social welfare and Medicare – both signature government initiatives. Even more depressing was to see the bellicosity and ignorance of these crowds that ostensibly came out to oppose the proposed healthcare reforms but were really driven by their inability to accept a black president as the head of their government. Some yearned for older days when all was controlled by the whites- in particular the southern whites – in their plantations while the “uppity” niggers were kept in their place working in the cotton fields. All of this culminated in a white congressmen from south Carolina shouting “ you lie” during a presidential address to the joint houses of congress- an egregious display of bad manners and loutish behavior never seen before in the US congress. All the gains of the past ten months seemed to count for nothing as this obscene display of overt racism took to the air ways egged on by supine and spineless republicans and greedy radio talk show hosts. The problem of how to deal with a small group of vociferous opponents and racists has passed through the strategy of ignoring them, to downplaying them and perhaps at some stage confronting them.

It reminds me of our conflict last year when a small group of fundamentalist politicians in Bangalore went into bars and pulled young girls out shouting that they were demeaning Indian womanhood and national character by their behavior. At that time, there had been a major public outcry against attacks by the fundamentalist’s – on the women in the pubs of Mangalore, immigrant workers in Mumbai and on the Muslims in Gujarat. Most newspapers were quick to editorialize on the them as a pernicious evil in the body politic – indeed Outlook went so far as to headline its weekly edition as “The Talibanization of Karnataka”. Others, more moderate like Vir Sanghvi, wanted us to learn lessons from Mangalore, suggested asking questions of all the politicians as to who gave them the right to define Indian culture and realizing that underlying many of these attacks were an unease with the emergence of women in the workplace—remember the pubs were not attacked when only men patronized them. In all these depredations, there were three common elements – they were led by a small but vocal minority, these were done in the name of religion or culture, and they became violent in the presence of the media to heighten their cause. Many commentators compared these outbursts to a virus whose causes have varied – anti Muslim in Gujarat, anti women in Mangalore, anti immigrant in Mumbai, anti Christian in Orrisa. But the intelligentsia were at least agreed on one issue, this was a dangerous virus that needed to be stamped out. Unfortunately few had any specific actions to recommend on what we could do.

After all these BJP louts displayed the same anger and defiance as their counterparts in the US and perhaps it originated from some of the same insecurities. After all BJP represented the majority Hindu community and by extension, the nation. A nation which was now represented by a Muslim President, a sikh prime minister and a roman catholic leader of the congress party. It was their policies that had led to globalization which in turn had provided women with equal rights and jobs in the market place and the ability to drink in bars with their male colleagues. Women, according to these BJP fundamentalists, needed to stay at home to look after the children. These small groups, too, were egged on by ambitious politicians whose leaders refused to condemn them. It took a spontaneous movement, spurred by the internet, started by a girl to send “pink chaddis” ( underwear) to shame the movement and its leaders into silence and retreat, at least for the moment.

The behavior and actions of these goons put me in mind of adults who have to deal with the “terrible two” tantrums of children. There too the tantrum is brought on by some deep seated psychosis and an apparent minor ( at least to us) issue like someone denying them a chocolate treat. The ensuing wailing and crying are out of all proportions to the issue but no amount of love and cajoling will quiet them. Any sort of reasoned discourse is, of course, impossible at least during the tantrum, which needs to run its course. Of course there will be some damage as the child throws anything within reach to the ground or hurls them to the one trying to soothe them. But the tantrum will eventually pass and life resume its usual rhythm.

But in the case of the adults having these temper tantrums, the resolution is not that simple. For one, the response is emotional, springing from deep insecurities and unlikely to yield to rational discussion. For another, the things they hurl are not childish things but guns!