“Poor” Indian Common Man
- Raj
When one thinks about it, it is nothing short of amazing. Almost everyone aspires for the same thing - power, easy job, lack of accountability and loop holes in the system, but when some one achieves it then suddenly, rather than applaud his or her success, we turn around and blame them for our problems.
We evaluate the quality of our jobs based on how much we can get while working as little as we can. But the moment we think of/discuss someone else, we expect them to give their best for the least. Our Cricket team is a great example – we want them to be the best in the world else we will paint their houses black, while when we do our little jobs we just want to get by with the least we can do to keep our jobs. We all secretly desire the job with 100% security and 0% accountability. It is okay to desire that, but then why do we not accept it when others also aspire for the same and some smart and lucky ones get that?
We go ahead and vote for religion, region and short term policies (that job security, that rhetoric against a specific “enemy”) and then when the elected government gives us exactly that, we go ahead and blame them and want economic prosperity. It reminds me of the guy who just bought that pack of cigarettes and came home blaming the tobacco companies for spoiling his health. We get what we pay for then why this hypocrisy? Why don’t we have that sense of solidarity – where we agree and accept that we all have a certain value system and like any success only some people achieve the commonly accepted goals by being rich, being in power and being politicians. Why don’t we celebrate the successful and may be envy them but not really run them down?
Another thing that distinguishes us from other societies is our standard of honesty. We as a group are very understanding of the need for people to be dishonest as long as they don’t strike it big. We are secretly proud that we can find loop holes – remember the knowing smile that comes to our faces when we hear “naye-naye packet mein beche cheez purani, phir bhee dil hai hindustani”? The training starts early. Students in leading colleges are almost proud of their ability to copy assignments and bunk classes, but when it comes to people in power we want them to give their 100% and be fully honest. Why don’t we accept that we don’t really value honesty but we do appreciate the value of not getting caught? Why are we so ashamed of what we really believe in? If we really are ashamed then why don’t we change it?
Having said that, there are different types of societies and there are inherent cultural differences. It is ok. But popular media and a generally accepted view that the common man is exploited just spreads that sense of deprivation. It dilutes the fact that we are making our own choices- be it the choice to vote for politicians who promised a certain religious policy, or the choice to leave work fifteen minutes early because the boss is not in, or the choice to bunk classes – and instead allows us to feel cheated when the government fuels religious animosity or cricketers miss a net-practice session. The only feeling that overwhelms us is that those in power are out to get us. At some point we have to grow out of this anti-establishment mentality. We have to admit that the common man is part of creating the society – in fact the common man is society. Till we believe that, we will always look for a solution from the rich, successful and privileged, while the solution is right inside us - the common man.
