Trump’s Rise: Lessons for Liberals

What could we have done differently to prevent Trump from capturing the white house? Unfortunately, liberals are responsible for this mess we see in front of us today. The situation could have been defused long before it reached this point. Hopefully, we will all come away from this election cycle, a little bit wiser. So that this doesn’t happen again.

Can We Please Stop Over Glorifying “Our Soldiers”?

It’s high time we stopped over glorifying the military in India. Yes, they risk their lives while doing their job. But so do others in thousands of equally important professions. Not everyone joins the armed forces out of patriotism either. Moreover, a soldier is trained to follow orders. They have little choice over whether or not they think their actions have any meaning.

Why “White Privilege” Doesn’t Make Sense

White people do not have “privilege” in the US because the absence of that privilege will not make their lives worse. What matters is improving the lives of people of color – not resenting the benefits that white people have. Because it’s not a “privilege” to be treated as a decent human being. It depends on what you consider to be “normal” behavior in a society. So on which side of the fence are you?

Raghuram Rajan – Some People ARE Indispensable!

The classic Indian mantra of “No one is indispensable” reveals an ignorance about how valuable good people are. They are RARE to find, and unless organizations and companies struggle to retain top talent, they will only achieve mediocre performance. Can the RBI survive without Raghuram Rajan? Of course it will! The building will remain. The organization will still exist. But it won’t be as EFFECTIVE.

Smriti Irani – Classroom Sanskrit is Useless

Fluency in a language requires immersion. You can’t learn Sanskrit sitting in a classroom if no one around you speaks it. You need constant exposure and hundreds upon hundreds of hours of listening time. Sanskrit is a dead language for a reason. You cannot just revive it for over a billion people out of thin air, no matter how badly you want to wax nostalgic over some imaginary glorious past.

You HAVE to Engage the Right – Not Dismiss Them

When someone challenges your ideas, don’t just brush them off. Decades of dismissing the right wing, calling them imbeciles, idiots, racists, and bigots is what has led to this sudden outburst of “nationalism” in India as well as the Trump phenomena in the US. You have to engage, argue, and debate. Defend your opinions and attack theirs with logic. If you act condescending and superior, you’re only creating more problems down the line.