The employment generation bogus bogey

You hear this almost on daily basis, the talisman of Employment Generation that is expected to bring all the goodies, the ideal world that justifies all incursions –ethical/environmental, by the moneybags in the name of development. All kind of sociopaths morph themselves as avuncular evangelists of better ideas for a tremendously inviting world. So you have the economists coming out with compelling statistics while moneybags appear with magic wands of investment that we are told will generate more employment, the market media and its manipulators see these as enactment of high truths that we common people are meant to bow for our own good and everlasting happiness that comes with this acquiescence. The politicians and elected representatives are hence meant to implement these without questioning, indeed their say on these matters are much reduced with international pressures in the increasingly pernicious world of brand globalisation that definitely doesn’t encourage knowledge sharing on the contrary these critical matters that is part of humanitarian progress have become much inegalitarian and exploitative as money gets accrued into smaller and smaller cliques.

I have worked in different places across the country (that include long list from Chennai, Delhi, Pune, Trivandrum, Ernakulum, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Mysore, Bellary, Mangalore etc. to the jungles of Kanha, Munnar, Ooty, Coorg  etc. as also travelled and stayed in different places as iterant vagabond from Rishikesh to Gangtok and as a tourist intimately connected to the places like Udupi/ Pondicherry/Talashery, and as cycling environmentalist to wide areas of the country and so on, while studying tribes/birds/nature of religion/water exploiting corporates so on took me to remote regions in the country that includes days of enchanting walk through Narmada valley)  in different profiles as trainer, naturalist, copywriter, journalist, salesman so on, thus my understanding does carry some credibility of an acute entrenched observer. The significant one being that there is no dearth of jobs in India. Again and again you come across people ruing the fact that they cannot get the right kind of people with requisite competence. Even the people who are in the job almost always (ofcourse with rare exceptions) are not up to the mark or are generally lackadaisical in their dealing and approach, significantly and damningly these amazing irresponsible nature doesn’t even scratch their conscience. It is as if job has become extension of entitlement, and being careless comes easily as part of the legacy from crude nature of society, it really gets worst in government jobs. There are ample numbers of jobs but not many competent people around is a sad fact of mediocre nature of Indian reality. We also have millions and millions of people stuck in jobs that they have no liking, inclination or talent what sustains them is probably the available option are much worst or a match of nepotism, habit or opportunity/good fortune or parasitic family/pride. Indeed those in the job are exploited too and are mostly not adequately compensated or taken care. This particularly true where the physical nature of jobs is on priority whether salesman, labourer, or in the lower levels of service industry -even in luxurious hotels or resorts. I have seen sights where guests are served gourmet platter while across the wall the lower level staff don’t even have proper space to sit to eat. It is that horrible and it is undoubtedly lack of intent than anything else, a mindset that is a strange mix of crude feudal ways and entitled world of squatter that gives wonderful vision of grandeur in slimmest of competence. It is part of nature to be exploitative and domineering with slenderest authority. The reason why majority in this society crave for authority than anything else, ditto why dumb jobs like army, police so on that even diminishes human being, as they are reduced to uniformed entity taking/executing orders are elevated and celebrated. The hierarchy, in particular, nourishes the parched souls used as they are to the crudest nature of society hinged on deviant ways, the world of superior and inferior, the pure and polluting fancies. The reason why oppression and sycophancy becomes the defining nature of job, as patronages are distributed on compliance and nepotism replaces professionalism.

In recent times, as moneybags look out for easier ways to double their godforsaken money, newer and cruder market friendly strategies are being sought, hence an exploitative and extremely systematised aka professional ways are explored. So we have people who are qualified and competent but end up as conduit in the exploitation. Where they could have contributed in a meaningful ways they are now reduced to multiply money as efficiently for richer people to get much richer. In the process they get adequately paid but have no qualm being a participant of exploitation of people/environment/culture. It’s an ethical vacuum created by greed filled framework that spreads rapidly into other spheres of life. Hence fertile ground for Trump like figures, it is but natural evolutionary process if one is successful in corporate. It is the reason why we are at the crossroad of cataclysmic environmental events. It is also the reason why despite enough evidences why market cannot be bothered. It is a framework of deception that has capacity to negate fact in clever manipulations.  

Meanwhile as market spread its tentacles, the degradations are set into motion. Jobs are created that suits these and appalling type of people thrives while reason and common sense loose. With market choices regret gain prominence and occupy space of aspirational mobility. It gets belligerent and raucous, so the crudest type spread across and set alight to redefine all that we value. They pose as social leaders/artists/media while genuine people and valued thoughts and expressions are side-lined. The lowest denominator and posers haggle for spaces that critically define freedom and its expressions. The possibilities of latest technological marvels are reduced to crass and crude, as commodification sets in. Ideally with absolute understanding of freedom these have space, and that is precisely has been the case in West/USA, but simultaneously there are also some amazing and spectacular people working at the cutting edge that stretches our understanding of life and human progress. Unfortunately in a mediocrity thriving and entitlement driven society like India with effete elite and traditional ethical/moral vacuum is stuck forever at the lowest and crudest base. The values of rigor and deeper involvements that forms basis of competence and excellence are shunted to lackadaisical and irresponsible ways as the society suffers while neo liberals and corrupt have free run.                                 

I am the King

 If there was a king then it was Muhammad Ali. When we were kids he was the guy to watch out for. I recall my favourite T-shirt used to be one with colourful picture of Muhammad Ali ‘I am the King’ written over it, and I used to wear it almost every other day. Muhammad Ali was beyond boxing, he transcended borders and barriers, race and religion. He was a legend and will remain one for a very long time to come. It was truly sad that he couldn’t articulate for last three decades, his thoughts would have added to the enchantment that he was and to the increasingly bleak world we live in.   

When facts and argument becomes irrelevant: The neo liberal disaster

Neoliberalism sees competition as the defining characteristic of human relations. It redefines citizens as consumers, whose democratic choices are best exercised by buying and selling, a process that rewards merit and punishes inefficiency. It maintains that “the market” delivers benefits that could never be achieved by planning. Attempts to limit competition are treated as inimical to liberty. Tax and regulation should be minimised, public services should be privatised. The organisation of labour and collective bargaining by trade unions are portrayed as market distortions that impede the formation of a natural hierarchy of winners and losers. Inequality is recast as virtuous: a reward for utility and a generator of wealth, which trickles down to enrich everyone. Efforts to create a more equal society are both counterproductive and morally corrosive. The market ensures that everyone gets what they deserve.

We internalise and reproduce its creeds. The rich persuade themselves that they acquired their wealth through merit, ignoring the advantages – such as education, inheritance and class – that may have helped to secure it. The poor begin to blame themselves for their failures, even when they can do little to change their circumstances….

…Freedom from trade unions and collective bargaining means the freedom to suppress wages. Freedom from regulation means the freedom to poison rivers, endanger workers, charge iniquitous rates of interest and design exotic financial instruments. Freedom from tax means freedom from the distribution of wealth that lifts people out of poverty.

…”The words used by neoliberalism often conceal more than they elucidate. “The market” sounds like a natural system that might bear upon us equally, like gravity or atmospheric pressure. But it is fraught with power relations. What “the market wants” tends to mean what corporations and their bosses want. “Investment” … means two quite different things. One is the funding of productive and socially useful activities, the other is the purchase of existing assets to milk them for rent, interest, dividends and capital gains. Using the same word for different activities “camouflages the sources of wealth”, leading us to confuse wealth extraction with wealth creation.

A century ago, the nouveau riche were disparaged by those who had inherited their money. Entrepreneurs sought social acceptance by passing themselves off as rentiers. Today, the relationship has been reversed: the rentiers and inheritors style themselves entre preneurs. They claim to have earned their unearned income.

(George Monbiot’s How Did We Get into This Mess?)

It is this ecosystem of fake and perceptions hinged on selling and consuming that has become the defining aspect of human transactions and indeed the source of warped development. It has enveloped all the mediums that we seek to understand and know the world. It acts as arbitrators sourcing itself as model that insures prosperity. The crassness spreads and we have role models emerging with products and brands. The society that had dubious moral values to start with, ethics cleverly contextualised to the situation and aggregated as values, really doesn’t have a chance. The alarming degradations is but expected. There are people like Trump who become billionaires in this nourishing ecosystem that has completely and effortlessly acquired into Indian ways. Some even try Bhagavad Gita to feed the frenzy, like any ‘holy book’ this one too has some amazing crap is now taken to fit modernity, indeed brazenly suited to science too. The crudest and illogical claim to be rational and scientific, it all is reduced to perceptions and subjective. The crude ideas of success and market dexterous ways of life are now established as meaning of better life. There are millions of minor Trumps in this part of world who now guide us, and Indian society lacking ethical bearing and functioning on moral vacuum gravitate effortlessly meanwhile the squatter camaraderie have consensus on ‘great and ancient culture’. The worst of US is constantly pushed as aspirational frame in this part of the world, and they supplicate to these as if of some great value. Trump’s obnoxious were regular fixture on Indian TV (indeed they even had dimwit Palin) and part of entertainment that is fed by mediocre elite seeking to multiply money, the lack of mind is amazing.

In this degrading milieu therefore it wasn’t surprising that ‘learned’ judges -in consonance with elite sanctum, thought defamation was a criminal offense hence should be dealt severely. Clearly only the elites are meant to have reputation, it’s an entitlement, the purity of which needs to be fiercely protected from any polluting influence. The garb of modern ethos and well placed quotes (in itself a high art) is what makes this playact compelling. Meanwhile on the other end of mainstream narration the crude progenies aka demographic dividends are fiercely dredging freedom and expression. With characteristic mediocrity and entitled impunity they crass the reputation of well-respected people that is built on lifelong efforts. Not that these need to be always put on pedestal they have grievous short coming and that is what was to be focused and shredded. But in the crass competing fueled by market (‘bania’) media these craps are now quick packaged as new era champions of freedom, meanwhile very cleverly subverting real issues in the element of crude and tasteless low calibre fun that is set to grow among the entitled progenies and a new means of hedonism that market favours. As it is the muck will excite muck, hence they are now threatened by extreme groups. And like always we have the armchair view of low brow haggling as immense opportunities of democracy stunted and stuck in minimum denominator of possibilities. This is constant Indian narration while champu (in market driven sickening good nature) give us ways to whiten skin and gulp coke, all sacred part of development while India languish at the bottom end of human indices. The unearned income that too by the least of competent is what sustains the growth as also art. Hopefully racist Indians are taken to task by African nations at international forums.

We had a brief respite of ‘vendetta’ politics but unfortunately it fizzled out. The elite coterie had momentary breakdown and the dirty linens were being taken out but truce was called. The debauched framework of sanctum is what instigates camaraderie, they also fashion these cleverness as diplomacy (Mukherjeejis are known to be high on this art). There was an indication of politicians misusing judiciary. Aren’t we aware of this? Aren’t we aware that everything is misused, entitlement is always a blessing! Months after retirement a CJ of SC was appointed as the Governor, ideally the fellow should have turned it down, basic propriety, indeed decency, demands it but not our fellow he saw it as divine blessing (and went all the way for thanksgiving and gratitude –a characteristic that is precursor to humble ways. The pic herein). The deal was sealed with debauched blessings of golden gods. Incidentally the first citizen of the country dealing with gold inside the sanctum in the presence of golden gods was a defining moment of this crass society. It’s a deep pit, and thank the golden gods for small miracles of modern gadgets and choices of market that showcase us as liberals. This fertile space is where the elite section pupates for higher intentions.

Back with con couple: ZK was showing pics to assert their credentials as icons “sab janthe hai humlog iconz log hai” CrudeWoman nodded vigorously, “madamzee isko godh me bita ke desi ghee ke laddu khilathi thi. Ekdam pure desi ke laddu” It was clearly photo-shopped pictures this one had CrudeWoman face on a baby being fed laddus by mother Theresa –whose face was replaced with that of ‘Madamzee’. It was hilarious but con couple seriously held that they could pull this one. It was their servant (not domestic help ‘we don’t need help. kissi ki himath nahi hai hamko help karne ki’) who pointed that it was not laddu but golgappe. Clearly the shoddiness was beyond reason. ZK had already slung back from the upset and tried his sanskrit that he has been practising to influence the changing realities, the one that Senbabu tried so very subtly, “madamanaam budiyanaam golgappeyam toosanthi”