God, guns, gays

Trifecta of mantras that were on everyone’s tongue from the90s on as Reagan’s win lionized America’s conservatives, televangelists,home-office entrepreneurs, rebels, the left, the right, to get entrenched ina  new world order, which, paradoxically,deepened and expanded beliefs of all sorts, promoted by the Web, itselfexpanding faster than the universe.  Freespeech produced imagination such that Obama could tell what was happening inIran’s nuclear reactors before he played masterly ‘ Olympic Games’ with thosereactors, via the Web.  How, what and whyof all this is another story.  For ourlimited purpose this all happened after Iran’s leitmotif took to wings againchanting the rant…Death to Israel.

God Delusion created Creationists who say earth was formedat 9 ‘0 clock in a Hollywood version of their story, Inherit the Wind.  Agnostics and heretics have one question: Wasit 9 AM or 9 PM? Legendary lawyer, Clarence Darrow’s question about AM and PMof the State witness is razor tongued humor as he simultaneously mocks judge’sdecision to appeal the decision saying his client that doesn’t intend to payeven a dollar’s fine for teaching scientific evolution and not thecreationist’s mythology about it.  One ofthe most famous trials, Scope’s Monkey Trial, is appositely enshrined inliterature forever despite the trial’s self-mocking title. Thank heavens itsurvived the derision and emerged as the biggest trial both in literature andlitigation techniques.  “Fine is fine”defense lawyer pursues, “the amount of fine is not important because we do notintend to pay a single dollar after we have appealed your decision.”

   

National Rifle Association (NRA,) the gun lobby, in the USwas gung-ho and couldn’t care less about gun-possession laws.  2nd Amendment with its Right to Bear Armstook care of any apprehensions of hobbyists, sportsmen, and ‘guns forself-defense’ advocates. But the aftermath of numerous mass killings stillleaves parents of toddlers killed in random gun violence across Americainconsolable; and lawmakers, guilt-ridden. NRA, after all, is a major donor and it makes lawmakers happy everyelection cycle.  Politicians must stayingratiated with moneybags. 

What can you say about third leg of our famous trifecta:Gay. It’s the kind of love that dare not speak its name. The guy who said thisalso said at his press conference on his release having served a jail sentencefor homosexuality and he begs the journalists to quote him saying this:  I am going directly from this jail to awhorehouse.  That will restore mycharacter.  Even the translation of thisWilde witticism doesn’t dim its spark, after more than a century.

Such constitutionally challenging issues that occupy highestechelons of intellect seamlessly embraced by our trifecta are the staple of thefuture communication; short, punchy and between the eyes.

Trump opens a new era of politics with his off the cuffspeech.  He cuts it down to the bone,say, from Plato to C P Snow, clergy to nobility, and from nobility to robberbarons, to proletariat.  He shoots fromthe hip like Ma Baker.  Left or Right,conservative, Tory or Whig, Congress or BJP. BS or NC or PDP.  Nobody laughs atthe acronym BS anymore in Delhi or UP. Bullshit is ubiquitous and pandemic and almost true. Even if Trump, knownfor mendacity, says so.

The slogans as God, guns and gays, staple ofless-than-literate politicians of the pre-Obama US, kept Delhi’s editors andopinion meisters busy with the alphabet not the language. They know to playjust one game with the same deck always because the same jokers pop up, howeveryou cut the deck.  I assured you the deckis not usually rigged,  Look at Times ofIndia last Wednesday.  Latest variationon campaign oratory…the same old hat… corruption, dynasty and terrorism aretheir pet peeves.  These guys are led bytheir noses and everyone follows everyone else. Why is thinking never even tried? The same old whimpers without an ounceof new energy, without a bang ever.  So,let it be said once more, politicians of all hues deserve this patchworkdemocracy because Mayawati and Yogi must approach their constituents throughancient prisms, religious symbols, viewpoints so adroitly copied by the saidopinion meisters as they strut around with their puffed up chests on nationalstage. Same failed politics of the past, wouldn’t you say?

Little wonder Sidhu, the newest member of circle jerk,thinks Muslims must vote this way or another undercutting an aspirational,homogenized polity that good politicians struggle to accomplish. And liftpolitical debate above heresy and apostasy. Shame!

The itch to be on a cricket field isn’t cured by adisinfectant just like you can’t catch butterflies with a tweezer or shoot amosquito with a gun.  No siree.    It ain’t happening.  Your narcissism doesn’t excuse your need tobe a bride at every wedding or a corpse at every funeral you are invited tojust so you are the center of attention. Please desist.  Cricket is is importantpublic entertainment but not public service. Grow up quick. 

An incompatible duo of Rahul Gandhi and Mayawati acting aseach other’s band aid to splice the wound they share but their response is ashort term quick fix.  And it’s beenshort term for 7 decades.  Whimsicaltreatment of India’s foreign policy by an

Entertainer and his ilk makes politics a clown show.  I insist, please desist.  Upgrade your political arsenal in other waysand augment vocabulary to usher in a new left and right, if we, yet again, mustfollow the western definitions. India never had a left or a right but it hasacronyms aplenty.  Remember CPI(L) CPI(M,) CPI(ML) based on ‘ to each according to his need, from each according tohis ability.’  On the other hand Westernmodel insisted on maximization of personal potential instead of harangues onpolicy best left to experts at Ministry of External Affairs. Capitalist modeldiscouraged putdowns, squelches, sloganeering and worship of poverty.  Fortunately, Russia chose to draw inspirationfrom oligarchy, aped with a difference by the Chinese. Chinese and Russiansgave up their gods but West Bengal continues its idol worship of commiegodheads. Leninists and Marxists thrive belatedly in West Bengal even thoughthey should be the first ones to embrace Age of Reformation, Reason andRenaissance  best expressed in Englishfirst introduced by Brits through St. John’s college in India,  first English language newspaper, theStatesman,(in an earlier incarnation as well 1854 AD vintage)) in the country.The Left and the Right didn’t exist back then. Dogmas and isms can’t find aplace to land anymore anywhere in the world unless a new Industrial Revolutionis happening.

India’s new generation of academia needs a new landing placefor its sociology and political science starting first and foremost, withethnic mergers, both cultural and social. Let it begin.  Kashmiri Muslimwould never get a better chance to change the world. Embrace it with all yourmight. Forget the ghost of the past and Seize the Day! 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

six − 2 =