Guest guest Posted May 4, 2004 Report Share Posted May 4, 2004 Bal Ram Singh <bsingh >bsingh >Today's role models not model society members >Tue, 04 May 2004 08:03:09 -0400 > >Dear friends: > >My latest thoughts on modern democracy and society role models. I hope you >find it worth reading. > >Bal Ram > >India New England - Opinion >Issue: 4/15/04 > >http://www.indianewengland.com/news/2004/04/15/Opinion/Todays.Role.Models.Not.M\ odel.Society.Members-658822.shtml > >Today's role models not model society members >By Bal Ram Singh > >It seems the sense of the world's existence is nothing more than a >perpetual series of major problems and conflicts. And while solutions to >these conflicts mainly have remained violence and military, there is more >and more talk of alternatives - diplomatic and political. The dictionary >meanings of these words are "the art and practice of conducting >negotiations between nations" and "the art or science concerned with >winning and holding control over a government," respectively. Even if their >meanings sound innocuous at first, it is clear that a diplomatic or >political solution is anything but fair, just or virtuous. > >Most of the public, though, easily gets sucked into the alternatives >(military vs. diplomatic or political) provided by those in charge of >national and international affairs. It does not seem to matter if the >society is democratic or dictatorial. There is no difference in the tactics >of Saudis or Saddam on one hand, and Bush and Blair on the other. > >Dictators use their power to subvert any critical thinking by the public to >develop a just solution, whereas elected politicians use their craft to >manipulate the public into watching their political orchestra as the way to >world's nirvana. Rulers all over the world have been indulging in deceptive >actions designed to keep the public confused, unfocused and unrealistic. >Their weapons of mass deception range from whipping of religious passion to >democratic demagoguery. > >Much has been written in recent years about religious fanaticism, be it >Wahabism or Southern Baptism. It is perhaps time to look at the so-called >free world's trademark-democracy as a tool of public manipulation. The >concept of democracy for the people, of the people, and by the people, >makes a very fundamental assumption that the people have genuine problems >and their representatives must have real-life experience so that fair, just >and virtuous solutions can be attempted. > >However, what we have watched over the past 50 years or so appears to be a >slippery slide of basic human values in public discourses on economic, >social and family issues. Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen has said time and >again that democracy has been a major cause of avoiding famines like the >one in 1942 which killed millions of people on the Indian subcontinent. > >How is democracy then supposed to work so we are not marred with >acrimonious arguments over silly things, such as who is telling the truth >about the documentation on whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, or >whether the economy is improving. Stratfor.com, a global intelligence firm, >wrote on July 20, 2003, "We see that in a democratic society, politicians >frequently lie about their true motives. Instead, they invent acceptable >fabrications, so they don't have to state publicly what they think >privately." > >Therein lies the problem with modern democracy. The public is constantly >brainwashed about lies being standard operational procedure of the system. >It is perhaps easy to see some value in the arguments of each side, but it >is almost impossible to fathom the level of self-trained deception the >public encounters in politicians. > >We are in desperate need of leaders who can practice their own words - role >models for the public, young, old, everyone in between. Where do we get our >role models in the 21st century? Three major sources - sports, politics, >and the reel world. All promote personalities whose claim to fame is based >on fake, deceptive portrayals of life. There is a fundamental issue with >accepting of sports figures, politicians or film/TV stars as role models. >None of these represent the real life which we must encounter on a daily >basis. Each represents a mirage which needs to be understood and discarded >rather than followed. > >Sports figures practice and practice to play games. We must realize that >games are just that. No society can reasonably expect to evolve and make >progress following role models who are game players. However, sports >figures are the third most dangerous role models. Their actions at least >involve major physical efforts. > >Politicians similarly cannot become role models of real people, as they can >never tell the truth, nor keep their promises, and stage systematic >deceptions to remain in power. Politicians, however, are only the second >most dangerous role models, because at least they have to face the people >every few years, and thus are forced to face the real world to certain >degree. > >The worst role models are film actors and actresses, because they are not >even real sports figures or politicians, they just pretend to be. And so, >when we see political parties lining up actors and actresses as role models >in the upcoming elections in India (or Arnold Schwarzenegger's recent >election in California for that matter), it only reflects on the saddest >state of affairs in our society. > >Of course, the less said of their real lives the better. In the long run, >the public must search for real leaders, if global peace is to be achieved. > > > >Bal Ram Singh, director of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's >Center for Indic Studies, may be reached at bsingh. > > > > >Bal Ram Singh, Ph.D. >Director, Center for Indic Studies >University of Massachusetts Dartmouth >285 Old Westport Road >Dartmouth, MA 02747 > >Phone: 508-999-8588 >Fax: 508-999-8451 >Email: bsingh > >Internet address: http://www.umassd.edu/indic _______________ FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar – get it now! http://toolbar.msn.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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