Acceptance of hypocrisy is considered by a sign of maturity in many places. So curious is the logic of civilisation that while it pretends to accept hypocrisy in the first instance, a causal chain of hypocritical events (or a chain of events whose binding strength comes from the original acceptance of an unpalatable hypocrisy) is not acceptable in society. This leads to protest.
Let me elaborate. A typical politician in the modern day India is a much maligned person. A well-to-do socialite, for whom name dropping is commonplace, may actually being doing so about the politician as a matter of propaganda. Both characters feed on each others' reputation in the secure knowledge of each others' realities, while the world at large accepts their tacit agreement with a hypocritical silence. This passes for maturity in social circles and drawing room discussions.
However, when either the politician or the socialite, lose prominence, some dirty linen is washed, mostly in public, to signify the end of the tacit agreement. In a democracy when this tacit agreement is large scale, the fall out is similarly huge.We then have what is called the political nexus and accompanying token social protest. This in fact heralds an inflexion point in electoral dynamics.
It is this inflexion point that the knowledgeable in media watch out for. Add to this collectable statistics, interpretation of multiple variables simultaneously, and lo! psephology appears to be an astro-logical endeavour.
If what I have written is even remotely acceptable then we should have no difficulty agreeing that both psephology and astrological predictions of electoral results is a case study in modern day hypocrisy leading to mass entertainment.
Hmmm Naresh
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of a Mirinda ad sometime back. I am not too sure of the exct sequence but remember that there is a bottle of mirinda, and there are two persons; one is giving instructions to the other about how to enjoy Mirinda better.
It goes like this; the learner is asked to put one of his feet over his shoulder, and when with difficulty he does that, he is asked to repeat it with the other feet!!. While this fellow struggles, the other quietly takes the Mirinda bottle and enjoys it..... The convulsions of the learner is hilarious and entertaining.
The whole sequence of events narrated by you, till you come to the last stage is very similar; the common man perhaps is having a ball and enjoying the Mirindaaaaa. The politician, the media guy, and the so called "wise guys" who get a dekho for an analysis, have all an affected "role" to play, and the more crass their hypocracy, the better TRP the show gets, and they too are happy.
In this scheme of things however, there are some fools like me who have an insatiable "jignyaasaa" to find a purpose for this janma, and every day instead of getting to see a ray of "light", are exposed to this sham ad nauseum.....
Of course there are the puritans, who would question my earnestness or adequate eligibility criteria, which sometimes makes me laugh out aloud, like a man totally deranged!!!!!.
Hopefully my "jignyaasaa" is not jettisioned and I decide wisely to land up joining the vast crowd of hypocrites, and start enjoying.
Too tempting.......
Vichu