Should Indian Bloggers Vote as a Bloc?

How many times have you heard the following either on blogs or in blog comments?

  1. Freedom of Expression is not a priority for most Indians
  2. There are simply not “enough of us” to make the government care
  3. India has more important problems than Freedom of Expression
  4. Our voice will never be heard

I hear statements like this all the time. And over the past five years or so, my rights to free expression in India have been steadily eroded. The recent IT amendments allow anyone to take down content if they find it “blasphemous” or “offensive”. We bloggers have not been silent  of course. We blogged about it. We’ve tweeted our hearts out. We’ve created Facebook pages and signed petitions.

But we have never… ever… made it an election issue.

Never once has anyone ever stood up and said “I will vote for the party that supports unqualified freedom of expression in India.” Note how many communities support freedom of expression as long as it is directed towards someone else. Recently, when Salman Rushdie was intimidated against visiting India and when the Jaipur literature festival wasn’t even allowed to have him on video conference, everyone seemed outraged. “Muslim fanatics are taking over the country!” “Freedom of expression is under attack!” Yet these same individuals lent their support to the thugs and goondas who hounded MF Husain out of the country for paintings that were “offensive to Hinduism”.

So I’ll just say what needs to be said. I will vote for the party which openly supports freedom of expression regardless of whom it offends.

I’m aware that my voice is small. I’m aware that I’m not a priority for politicians. But this is the least I can do. I have a voice – and I’m making use of it. By itself it will mean nothing. I know for a fact that many Indian bloggers agree with me. I have met several wonderful individuals who share my views on a wide range of topics ranging from equality of women, to freedom of expression. This interaction is made possible ONLY through the Internet. A medium which has no boundaries. For me, it goes much deeper than that. I rely on the Internet to earn my living.

I see no reason whatsoever why bloggers should not get together and vote as a bloc. But we must keep one thing in mind. We are INFLUENCERS. Our strength does not lie in numbers, but in AMPLIFICATION.

There are two examples of this. Remember the Nira Radia tapes? There was a complete media blackout of that whole affair. But the collective outrage of Internet citizens like us forced the media, the government, and the courts to sit up and take notice. More recently, Kapil Sibal’s idiotic statements about prescreening comments on social networks also drew our collective outrage. We forced him to take back what he said and the next time he will think twice before spouting such irresponsible nonsense.

In both cases, the absolute number of people engaged in discussing these issues was miniscule compared to the population of India. We didn’t organize any dharnas, strikes, or agitations. But we talked about them. We blogged about them. We tweeted and used hash tags. And we were noticed.

Bloggers, and Internet citizens need to take an electoral stand. For those of you who feel that there are more important parameters on which to choose a political party, consider this. There is no material difference between the Congress and the BJP. They have no economic ideology. Each repeats the actions of the other when they are elected.

“Freedom of Expression” on the other hand is an attitude. It implies tolerance. It implies open-mindedness. It implies maturity. Intelligence. Equality. Courage. It implies that one has control over one’s mind. Qualities that we as a people and our political class are sorely lacking in. Surely that is something worth voting for?

We need not have the numbers. We have the tools necessary to make our voice heard loud and clear. I repeat – our strength lies in AMPLIFICATION. For this reason, we cannot merely become “just another number”. For we will lose the numbers game. In terms of sheer votes amassed, we might not be able to match the traditional vote blocs. We cannot win a pure numbers game.

But here’s the secret – neither can the hardliners. THEIR power stems from being able to influence other people too. You really think those protesting against Salman Rushdie have even read his book? No. Someone else read it and told them how to react and how to behave. The hardliners also rely on amplification and not just numbers.

THIS is a battle we can win.

So how do we amplify our voice? We have to prevent ourselves from becoming “just another number”. For this reason, we avoid strategies which represent us as just “one more”. Such methods might leave you feeling satisfied that you done something, but I doubt if it’ll get us very far. Strategies like this include:

  1. Creating a Facebook page and asking people to “like” it (just click the “like” button and you do your good deed for the day!)
  2. Creating a petition asking people to sign it (I’ve never heard of anything come of these things)

Moves like the above reduce us to mere numbers. That’s not the game we want to play. In order to AMPLIFIED, we have to:

  1. Blog about our support to a party that promises unrestricted Freedom of Expression
  2. Post comments on articles, news items, and other blogs about this requirement
  3. Post your preferences on your favorite social networks. Encourage your friends to share it
  4. Use the #indiancensorship hash tag to consolidate our activity
  5. Many people like my mother still share using e-mail. Make use of it to reach those who don’t use social networks.

There would probably be other innovative ways to amplify our voices. Remember the pink chaddi campaign and what a massive impact it had? That was because the act of physically sending a real world object has an impact which the virtual world can’t compare with. Perhaps we too need to send a fitting representation to our political leaders :)

It’s time we stood up to defend the medium we all use, love so much and take for granted every day. Who knows? We might even get the ball rolling towards finding a viable alternative to the Congress and the BJP! That would be a huge boost for our country.

So what do you think? Is it time for Indian Internet citizens to vote as a bloc and demand that our chosen candidate support unqualified Freedom of Expression in India and all that it implies?

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37 thoughts on “Should Indian Bloggers Vote as a Bloc?”

  1. I agree with you but suppose you were a person living in some obscure village earning Rs.10 a day…Would you vote for a party which supported unqualified freedom or expression or one which ‘promised’ employment, food and clean water? I would vote for food and employment even though I may not get what was promised…

    Unfortunately, the economic situation of the vast majority of the Indian electorate is so dire that freedom of expression or the lack of it is not even on their radar…The lack of education doesn’t help as most don’t even know that there is something called freedom of expression…

    For me, freedom of expression and access to information especially in a poor and corrupt country like ours are vital to promote honesty and prevent unjust enrichment…

    Most politicians in India are in the ‘game’ for power and financial enrichment, so why would they support freedom of expression?

    Reply

    • In reply to Sraboney

      I would say they would support it only if they know that a large number of people view it as an electoral issue. It’s true that a poor person in an electoral village would vote for the party that promises them employment food and clean water. But don’t all parties promise that?

      For me, it’s not an “either or” situation where villagers can get either clean water or have unqualified FoE. The two can well (and should) go hand in hand.

      FoE can be a differentiating factor. But politicians will adopt it as one only if they know that it will swing a few votes in their direction.

      It might well be that they pay lip service to FoE only to go back on their word later. But at least then we can hold them to their word and condemn them for it. Right now they don’t even pay lip service to the idea.

      Reply

  2. I just want to add that in no way am I saying that freedom of expression and political freedom are not important to the poor (the elections after the Emergency prove that they are)…

    Reply

  3. Yes. Please start a campaign. And do direct it to FTI which is the ONLY POLITICAL FORCE in India that will meet your expectations on this matter.

    On other matters on which you prefer to coerce people who you thin are not doing the “right” thing, you might not get the same satisfaction from FTI, and so you might need to start a “Confused Party of India”.

    On a serious note, I trust you will become a dedicated classical liberal upon more reflection, and join FTI to actually deliver the freedom for India that you rightly seek.

    S

    Reply

    • In reply to Sanjeev Sabhlok

      Come Sanjeev – just because I insist that parents have no right to put their children in dangerous situations doesn’t mean I’m taking away their rights as humans.

      Let’s restrict that discussion to your blog and not get into it here :)

      Reply

      • In reply to bhagwad

        I agree with Sanjeev. The current proposal would basically mean that all parties could essentially ignore the free speech bloc. Free speech partisans must support a concrete political movement (which also has other planks to appeal to a larger populace). Only when the existing parties actually fear losing seats will they attempt to change their direction.

        Reply

  4. Bhagwad, I think the reason political parties do not include basic freedoms like FoS and political freedom on their agenda is because they don’t want the electorate to be aware of these…To them, freedom means exposure and that they can’t support…

    Reply

  5. Bhagwad, I have read you for a long time. I agree with what you write sometimes and I disagree most times. But beyond whether what you write is agreeable or not, I just wanted to tell you today that this is the most measured and matured piece of work that I have read here. I believe that you have grown as a commentator

    Reply

    • In reply to Sakthi

      You know, right until you said “wanted to tell you today that this is the…” I thought it was gonna end with something like “most ridiculous piece of crap you have ever written!”

      My thanks and blushes :) . I hate to say it, but knowing me, I’m going to write something in the future that will continue to piss you off :D

      Reply

  6. Earlier today, I saw on You Tube, Sanjoy Roy’s formal announcement that Salman Rushdie would not make a Skype appearance at the recently concluded Jaipur Lit Fest.

    I was really moved when Sanjoy Roy broke down towards the end.

    All these days, I’ve blamed the festival’s organisers for pusillanimously chickening out; for sending such a powerful message to all those wannabe goons and thugs out there.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6028CuaRXvQ&feature=related

    I still think that the organisers were wrong to cancel the video conference. However, I understand their doing so for what they thought was “the greater good”.

    It’s really become quite simple in India. If you wish have your way, all you need to do is to either be violent or threaten violence.

    If you wish to prevail, all you need to do is to take the law into your own hands and do as you damn well please.

    You disapprove of women drinking? Why, drag them out on the streets and beat them up.

    You disapprove of MF Hussain painting Hindu godesses in the nude? Why, take to the streets, disrupt public order and destroy public property.

    You disapprove of Salman Rushdie? Why, play the religion card, warn omionously of violent reprisals and your wishes will be granted.

    BJP, you talk of supporting political parties. All of them are full of people who have no integrity, no conscience and no convictions of any kind (except that they should win elections).

    Do you really think the average Indian politician is capable of doing anything that does not lead to immediate electoral gains?

    What power does the Indian state have? I cannot remember a single instance in the past twenty years when state power was used effectively, for the right reasons.

    State power is used very effectively to hound Anna Hazare and his peaceful agitation.

    Yet when a handful of religious fundamentalists decide to impose their will on the rest of the country, this very same state loses it’s will to impose the law?

    How very convenient! I came over from Sangeeta’s blog and she’s absolutely right.

    We ARE a banana republic!

    Reply

    • In reply to Bad Indian Woman

      Do you really think the average Indian politician is capable of doing anything that does not lead to immediate electoral gains?

      No.

      That’s why it’s high time we made Freedom of Expression into an electoral issue!

      Reply

      • In reply to required

        Sorry to bring this to your notice, but I have a vote that is just as “real” as anyone else’s. Universal franchise and all that.

        We (other bloggers too) get to choose what is important to us. And I for one choose Freedom of Expression.

        Reply

      • In reply to required

        Perhaps you should reflect that those “irrelevant issues” separate India from China and Saudi Arabia. They give India her identity and are the most important issues before anything else.

        Reply

      • In reply to bhagwad

        Actually, these do not really separate India from China and Saudi Arabia, a lot of other things do. Funny how these things always come up near election time. Nobody is bothered about freedom of expression in a non-election year..Rushdie doesn’t get invited to events if elections are not happening….Looks to me like a neat way to focus attention from issues which should matter. At the end of the day, your freedom of expression should not take away my legal right to sue you for slander, libel or obscenity. Sounds like a fair deal to me.

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      • In reply to required

        If Freedom of Expression doesn’t separate India from Iran, Egypt, and Pakistan, can you tell me what does?

        Economic development is meaningless without the freedoms that form the soul of our country.

        Sidenote: How can anyone have the right to sue for obscenity when it doesn’t hurt them?

        Reply

      • In reply to bhagwad

        Maybe the tree of freedom needs the sunshine of lawyers fees from time to time…what is wrong with that? Overreacting every time someone sues someone is really not going to stop people from suing someone.

        I think the thing that separates us from Iran, Egypt and Pakistan is our overarching sense of cynicism. ..In which other country would ministers watch porn in the state assembly like the ones in bangalore recently did?

        Reply

      • In reply to required

        Youll’ll be surprised at how many other politicians all over the world have been caught watching porn when they were supposed to be working.

        That doesn’t separate us from other countries like Iran and Pakistan. What separates is is freedom of expression. That is the TRUE soul of India.

        Reply

  7. Bhagwad,

    This would be a welcome move. Attempting to influence and amplify your opinion is the first step to trying and winning over the opinions of others. This ship will sail fine as long you are only talking to ppl who already think like you on this topic. When you try to influence undecideds to your camp will come the test.

    Even with those who already think like you, I imagine you will find it necessary to use speech that does not offend them. this will be even more necessary as you get to the undecideds.

    Thus your campaign for FoS will make you mindful of other’s sentiments :-) and more likely to speak in a way that is “free but not really free” as long as you care for their vote.

    You may give up and go back to free-expressing from your blog absolutely uncaring of what anybody may feel about such expression, and get closer to absolute FoS.

    The campaign may help in one way: you could build a cultish following and get their accolades. You could settle for this and actually get more offensive with the undecideds or the opposed to get more fanfare from the already converted. Thus you get more like-thinking readers as a result of the campaign, and probably a more polarized environment with the undecideds or opposeds driven away or staying away from your blog. Kind of an echo chamber.

    thanks
    Jai

    Reply

    • In reply to Jai_C

      Not trying to personally start a movement here Jai :) . My hope is simply that people read what I say and realize how important FoE is.

      I really don’t think the language on my blog can be offensive to anyone…the fact that I desire absolute FoE doesn’t mean I go around abusing people. I reserve the right to do that, but also the right not to.

      Reply

      • In reply to bhagwad

        Sure. Its not abt your blog or language (which is pretty mild). Just making a larger point :-) about why most speech is NOT offensive. It is so because its the best and perhaps only way I think to “influence” and “amplify” opinion (even in debates when you are pointing out errors in the opposite poV). Advocating free speech to ppl who are already agreed on it is rather pointless IMO so I thought you would aim at the undecideds.

        I imagined this would take the form of sincere, non-abusive communication by post or mail on FoS.

        Follow that up by sending them copies of speech that abuse or offend their beliefs. This would be a real test of the success of your amplification and influence :-)

        Check up on them, and try to restart the sincere non-abusive defence of FoS.

        If they are still onboard, you *have* increased your count. Congratulations!
        If they have *failed* the test and joined the other guys instead, well you still helped them find out and now know not to waste your time on them. good enough I guess.

        thanks
        Jai

        Reply

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