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From: debray@sbcs.UUCP (Saumya Debray)
Newsgroups: net.nlang.india
Subject: Re: Political maturity of the masses
Message-ID: <174@sbcs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 12-Mar-85 09:55:46 EST
Article-I.D.: sbcs.174
Posted: Tue Mar 12 09:55:46 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 16-Mar-85 02:44:56 EST
References: <2458@hplabsc.UUCP> <173@sbcs.UUCP> <413@crystal.UUCP>
Organization: Computer Science Dept, SUNY@Stony Brook
Lines: 38

>> [My article claiming that the Indian populace is not very mature
    politically, despite what is claimed.]
> 
> Does it occur to you that every one of your arguments applies equally well
> to this country and Reagan?

Rather irrelevant, isn't it?  I was talking about India.

> But that is no reason to say that this country is not democratic!

No, and I don't recall saying that India wasn't democratic either.  In
fact, a paragraph from my original article begins:
>> As an Indian, I'm proud of the fact that India is the world's largest
>> democracy, and a functioning democracy at that, despite all its poverty.

>  What about the reaction here to Jesse Jackson's candidacy?  Were you
>  not flabbergasted at the racist reactions that were so overt at times?

To be honest, I was.  But again, I don't see how relevant that is.

One big gripe I have about the Indian voter is his tendency to deify
leaders.  That happened with Indira Gandhi and MGR, and may very well have
been a factor in the landslide victories of screen personalities like
Amitabh Bachchan and Vyjayantimala (don't tell me about Reagan, he was
governor of California for a long time before he came to Washington DC.
What was Vyjanantimala doing before being elected to parliament - putting
makeup on before a shooting session?!).  The problem here is that since
gods are by definition benevolent, these people can get away with a lot of
shady doings with nary a spot on the escutcheon.  It's only in extreme
circumstances, as with Mrs. G in 1977, that the image tarnishes, and even
then often only temporarily.  This leads to a false perception of reality,
which to me doesn't smack of political maturity at all.
-- 
Saumya Debray
SUNY at Stony Brook

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