Ours is an era of exploitation. We live in a society where people get exploited at every stage in one form or the other. From cradle to grave we experience and feel it.
Children get exploited at the hands of their parents even before their birth; their gender determines, whether they will be allowed to open eyes in the world or are unwelcome.
This chain of exploitation starts at individual level and becomes diversified in family and at the subsequent levels of societal hierarchy.
For most of us, exploitation has become a daily routine. We witness and experience it individually as well as collectively. Every primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary or quinary sector of economy exhibits the character of exploitation.
Our offices (governmental or non governmental), educational institutions (public or private), trade organizations, business units, insurance companies, hospitals and health centers, local and national markets, weaker and backward sections, press, police, courts and even bureaucrats are the prime witness to this social evil.
We have seen bosses exploiting the subordinates, professors exploiting research scholars, managers and chairmen exploiting the junior staff, permanent employees exploiting the contractual or ad-hocs, big and strong players exploiting the market, upper caste people exploiting the lower ones, men in uniform at the helm exploiting the petty officers and the steel brass at the top dictating the terms to the lower ranks and making them to dance as per their whims.
What breeds exploitation?
At the center of this widespread and complex social evil is the idea of either the satisfaction of an individual or collective ego or the attainment of some sort or power, prestige and wealth or maintenance of status quo.
An individual exploits another individual to satisfy his/her ego at any cost. One may also be exploited when it is a matter of other’s power, prestige or attainment of petty gains. As man is selfish by nature, he can do this. Likewise exploitation may also breed, if one wants to maintain one’s dominance or decorum over others by status quo.
Consequences and remedy
The consequences of exploitation are widespread and multi-dimensional in nature. Those who exploit may enjoy for the time being, but those who get exploited are the worst sufferers. They face mental, psychological and emotional breakdown.
This is associated with moral turpitude. It may also result in their non contribution for the development and progress of their society. They may lack interest in their daily life which in extreme cases may end up in suicides or social delinquencies. All this makes the process of social control more complex.
What is the remedy to this social ill is a million dollar question. The remedy lies in providing the basic moral, ethical, cultural and religious values to our children and guiding them to live by those etiquettes.
Not only this, but also the ideas of universal brotherhood, cooperation, coordination, mutual respect, live and to let live should be inculcated in every being at every stage. Government of the day should also come up with a suitable policy framework wherein exploitative culture is discouraged, and culprits penalized. Instead, the honest, dedicated, laborious, cooperative and submissive beings should be encouraged and honored.
Then and only then we would be able to get rid of this menace and dream of a free and fair society.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.