{"id":2712,"date":"2010-08-01T19:57:59","date_gmt":"2010-08-02T02:57:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bhagwad.com\/blog\/?p=2712"},"modified":"2010-08-28T16:09:27","modified_gmt":"2010-08-28T16:09:27","slug":"exposing-right-wing-extremism-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bhagwad.com\/blog\/2010\/politics\/exposing-right-wing-extremism-in-india.html\/","title":{"rendered":"Exposing Right Wing extremism in India"},"content":{"rendered":"

A dispassionate person is confounded by right wing extremism. It’s not what<\/em> they say, but their overall behavior. Whether it’s in India (with Saffron, or Hindutva right wingers), or the US (with Republicans and crazies like Glenn Beck), they all share a few common traits that the rest of us simply can’t comprehend. IP had written a brilliant post<\/a> on this, but I want to go further. I want to understand why<\/em> people who are intelligent, educated, and economically well off indulge in this kind of behavior and why they’re so different from the rest of us. But first, here are a few common characteristics:<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Shrill Right wing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. Racism.<\/strong> Saffron right wingers in India claim that Hindus are the most tolerant and peaceful people – and then smoothly go on to proclaim that all other religions are are evil, especially the “Abrahamic Religions”. They also vent their fury on Atheists and “Intellectuals”. Muslims become evil slime balls with green goo for blood and “Urban Elites” are weak-kneed party goers who’ve lost touch with reality and only get knowledge by thinking in armchairs. The “West” is also a favorite whipping boy.<\/p>\n

2. Conspiracy theories<\/strong>: Right wingers have a talent for picking “clues” here and there which betray a “larger scheme”. When the rest of us see coincidence, or at best incompetence, Hindutva types behold a diabolic ganging up of media, politicians, Muslims and corporations to suppress Hindus who make up over 80% of the population and to destroy “Indian culture.”<\/p>\n

3. Vitriol, Hatred, and Innuendos<\/strong>: By themselves, the first two points are not really damning. We all associate ourselves with certain groups (For example I club myself with Atheists), and we’re all worried about threats (such as threats to Freedom of speech and expression). But Right wingers have an additional quality. They’re shrill<\/em>. They happily use ad hominem arguments<\/a> and sling mud at even those who speak politely to them in order to understand where they’re coming from. My disastrous experiment in talking to them<\/a> resulted in a kind of witch hunt that left me dumbfounded.<\/p>\n

\"Racism<\/a>
Racism is a critical component<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It’s actually an amplification of the last two points. If you’re racist enough\u00a0and fearful enough\u00a0you start believing that everyone who doesn’t agree with you is an evil threat. But what causes this? Why are these people so different from those of us who, though we may disagree with each other, manage to keep a clear head and avoid abuses? What makes educated and economically sound individuals go over the top? I’m not sure, but I think I can identify a few underlying causes.<\/p>\n

The need to feel superior<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/em>There’s clearly a huge need for the right wingers to feel special about themselves. That’s what racism really is after all. When someone feels worthless, they can get back their worth by identifying with a group and then deifying that group or demeaning the others.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is also why they “demonize” other groups. <\/span><\/strong> Recently, this is what Narendra Modi said:<\/p>\n

“The war between nationalists and anti-nationalist demons<\/strong> has started in Gujarat”.<\/em> — Narendra Modi.<\/span><\/p>\n

I couldn’t have found a better example. QED.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This makes sense because if you view everyone as equal human beings, then you can’t be racist anymore. One can’t view Muslims as regular humans like you and me<\/strong> and<\/em> claim that Hindus are superior to all others. So it’s easy to view them as less than human. As demons. As “the evil ones.” Not as people who have feelings and who love their children.<\/p>\n

The problem occurs when the rest of us don’t agree with the right winger’s view of themselves. So when we don’t treat them as anything special, they take offense the way Murali Manohar Joshi reacts in this 30 second clip.<\/p>\n

The Interviewer is asking him why the BJP supports Sai Baba in spite of the allegations of crimes. Instead of answering the question, he exhibits classic paranoia and the feeling of privilege described above.<\/p>\n