Aug 17, 2011

Nothing beats a good protest

They are all talking about Anna Hazare and the Lok Pal bill...they are discussing fighting corruption like never before. It's all over twitter and facebook. For once, I'm glad to be spared the TV and newspaper coverage. But the drama is hard to miss. Almost everyone seems to be supporting Hazare.
Everyone has an opinion. Everyone should. Sign of a thinking society and all that. But (of course there's a but!), are we thinking? Or are we just jumping on the bandwagon? Is supporting the JanLokPal the new "in" thing? I was feeling kinda left out so read it up last night! This isn't about my opinion on it though. This is about me wondering what this is all about. Remember how, when the attack in Bombay happened, everyone was all gung-ho about making a difference...about preventing another such carnage. That more or less fizzled out, didn't it? Pardon me for being a sceptic, but I refuse to get carried away this time.
How about focusing on ourselves for a change? Yes, the political class is corrupt. But so are you. That does not justify their misuse of power. But neither does supporting Hazare absolve you of your responsibility. All I am saying is, if you think this is a cause worth supporting, stand for it by all means. But don't just follow someone blindly. What if he decides to call off the protest tomorrow? Will you call off yours too?

P.S. Just for the record, I'm quite uneasy about blackmail through fasting.

3 comments:

Runjoo said...

i am extremely cynical about using fasting as a tool; it seems extremely juvenile, and is total blackmail. i also dont think the lokpal is going to solve all the corruption problems facing this country- the problem is in our DNA, and we need to attack at it at the root to really make a difference. all this just seems as showbaazi.

one of your most powerful posts- loved it.

CRD said...

Awesome post! I second your thoughts..

Everyone is simply looking for someone to put the blame on..most of the people who're blindly supporting the Lokpal bill dont even know what points it contains...

THumbs up!!

CRD

creyzeee said...

thanx ranjoo, chris.