Gaming the system

 

"When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure." Goodhart's Law

This is precisely what education is reduced to, it is no longer about knowledge or creating understanding through awareness instead passing exams. To be fair exams are an important evaluation mechanism to check the progress. But when passing the exam itself becomes raison d’etre of education then it has failed. So is the crave for certificates from ‘prestigious’ colleges and PhDs. If the reason is to gain validation through certificates and tags of prestige rather than the pursuit of knowledge or nurturing deeper insight then it is a sham. An insecure immature society creates such situations where people are desperate for upword mobility and seek validation by whatever means. Standards of evaluation get reduced to markers of status among shallow people. Money and power are also used to seek such status marker for ego satisfaction and social positioning. These mindset thrive in primitive insular societies. Lack of investment in research is reflection of collective consensus as is insane sum on crude crass low calibre entertainment.

When education is valued to pass ‘entrance exam’ it is beginning for worst possibilities wherein it was meant to be joyous search, excitement of connecting to others and wider world. I have come across many people with doctorates in crazy topics that is only meant to get the PhD -essentially gaming the system, there is no genuine interest and the topic of research is altogether forgotten once motive achieved. Imagine the amount of time and investment wasted. Years back I was taking a session at ‘prestigious’ Stella Maris college in Chennai, and was interacting with one of the teachers, who had a doctorate in a topic that was quite interesting with possibilities but really couldn’t pursue it further as a researcher. So, either you game the system or you get trapped in the system. Most of these tags are meant to jostle for higher position, as if having this tag indicates competence in the present occupation -that most likely they may not be and are inflating to posture, and on the contrary it should be a disqualification since it shows lack of sincerity, an opportunist mindset that demeans the idea of education and passion for pursuing knowledge. When you see young people deciding areas of interest for further studies based on prestige hence easy access to money and power then it is failure to understand education, it thrives on beggar minds that evaluate on worthiness based on narrow gain. They are not motivated to learn but to please. If the core of education is reduced to this misplaced crave then it is indication of deep rot in society. It nurtures superficial beings wandering for next opportunity, very soon they detach and money becomes the only motivator, this then leads to slipping into deeper ethical morass. It also reduces complexity that nurture best of minds instead increases possibilities of lazy unthinking binaries and polarizing fixes.

Learning thrives in open minds. Nothing is preconceived as worthless or quantified as waste. Mind expands when not confined and see interconnectedness instead of silos of subjects. Education gives deeper meaning to life. Education is important for human progress, and specialized training creates skills that equips to probe deeper into matter.

                  

Hear the lament

Clouds stomp in

Smear the day in shades of grey

Trembling trees in deafening wheeze of the possessed

See the arrival of tremendous will

Shifting shapes clanging the sky

As if this tilting landscape is new home

For brief lament for all vanishing lives

Pray. Pray.

Offensive cartoons!

 

The intention of political cartoon is to ridicule, insight as caricature, generally to lighten the situation but not reduce the gravity of the matter. They can be offensive, indeed in the context of things they are meant to be offensive, to eviscerate power and entrenched systems. It is freedom of expression that is lynchpin of democratic civilized society. It is expression of freedom and liberty. Vulgar and crude can also be expression, so is what is considered as blasphemous by few. Nothing can be banned. What restrains is collective awareness as also aesthetics. An evolved society will self-edit or else it is ignored by aware population and will not sync with collective sensibilities.

The controversy regarding cartoon of Indian prime minister as snake charmer titled 'sneaky slightly annoying man' in mainstream Norwegian newspaper is interesting. I studied it quite closely. The stereotype of Indian snake charmer (or rope trick) is quite dated cliché, a 19^th century colonial british creation -though not out of context, when we were children, these were quite common in north India. It doesn’t exist now. It seems to continue to exist in western mind. Also, Mr. Modi’s skin is darkened to easily match the Indian stereotype in western mind. Offensive yes but necessarily an expression of political cartoon that should have its place. There though is the issue of asymmetry of power which is meant to belittle the other, mystify the other as exotic so that they are reduced to dehumanized stereotype. It is not meant to give insight or humor but belittle, a stereotype of condescending western gaze. Not that Indians are enlightened or carry heightened aesthetic sensibilities, indeed worse than these are normalized in this part of the world, most significantly in everyday cringe of mainstream entertainment. However western gaze, essentially white western stereotype of other, is embedded in feudal structures and neo-colonial systems that overwhelm and undermine democracy. Anachronistic reverence for feudal institutions nurture mindset of ascriptive delusions. It evaluates and infantilize the other as continuation of historical typecast (dark “sneaky”~“thug” – you see the pattern), incapacitated to have any agency or self awareness, and categorized as it suits and asserted with asymmetry of power. A society claiming to be civilized should’ve self-censored any hint of racism or worked something better but equally offensive! (I am for offensive…institutions of power should be ridiculed). Historical wrong cannot be evaluated from contemporary context, we don’t live in the same world. But if references seek to revive or replicate horrors of past then it must be objected. More than people it is feudal institutions and entrenched systems that need to be eviscerated. More entrenched the idea or institution more is the need for blasphemy. 

 

Reincarnation

And suddenly like a crack on furnace door

History flares out on to the street

From books and myths of religion

Faceless sneers in anonymous space

Crafted legacy in obscured heritage

Interminable tectonic of blessed land

Consciousness snuffed as herd

In their assigned role

Entitled role

The reincarnations

Clash to claim self

In every wound inflicted 

  

Withering moon

You don’t need to look to see

between the unlikely duet

of barbet and flameback in dimming light

a sigh

an intonation of incarnated voices

search evening mist

fireflies light tenebrous brook

stretch synapses in coherent syllables

trace the path of a billion stars

and withering moon

Transactive and Performative binary politics

 

While neoliberal capitalist value system has nurtured and fueled transactive politics the conscientious binary is consolidated as performative politics. The performative posturing that seeks to protect the marginalized as also idealized values that strive for equitable society. This binary is taken to extreme in countries like USA where transactive value finds opportunism in majoritarian backlash against performative posturing that is reduced to parody. Crave for power by elite section is the common factor. These extremes get into tight compartment offering no space for common people’s aspirations and long term consequences that matter while fractures widen. Mutative politics of Trump played the extreme, or else, devious play of politics shifts from transactive to performative as the opportunism presents. 

Check what is happening in Britain -erstwhile colonizer that had embryonic influence on democratic aspirations of many countries across the world, and continues to have significant influence due to its exaggerated post colonial influence and reach. The absolute contempt for common people (the latest being Starmer -Schrodinger's cabbage!) can be traced to feudal values and regressive institutions on which its so-called democracy is built. Performative and transactive politics work on this foundational framework. This unfortunately had debilitating impact on fledgling democracies across the world. Feudal values influence blatant nepotism and wanton corruption, and general disregard for democratic institutions further incapacitated by egalitarian norm’s incapability to percolate into primitive society. Democracy is reduced to performance suffused in predatory transactive values celebrated as success.

Transactive value system consolidate as market professionalism of ruthless objective deal, therefore competence, hence seen as engine of development and prosperity. The lack of complexity easily sides with majoritarianism as opportunism, finds fertile ground for consolidating success with majoritarian right and conservative concerns. Value system primed in market greed locates easiest available pattern for gain. It just has to trigger collective primal fears and grander claims and aspirations mostly based on fiction of religion and exceptionalism of mythical past -carefully constructed exaggerations from redacted history manipulated into contemporary context. Performative value system meanwhile exaggerates the identity of beleaguered to gain traction to represent as egalitarian idealized force -hence align strongly with left or secular socialist concerns. Instead for genuine involvement -that needs long term understanding, the posturing search for easy collective, the performance therefore becomes pernicious with lowest denominator to gain attention. Worst kind of people pose as minority to usurp benefits thus weakening institutions further, as also negating crucial issues like racism, gender and environment. While these historical injustices still embed institutions (as feudal institutions are normalized) and left to fester and used as showcase for empathy, the possibilities of democracy leading to better world is thwarted. With the rise of social media, and with it general superficiality, the binary gets consolidated into extreme, and therefore becomes easy for majoritarian values to consolidate and gain traction. This is happening in democratic societies all across the world. Meanwhile performative idealism is easy to expose, and are viciously reacted upon. The backlash creates worst situation for vulnerable and marginalized. So not only democracies are becoming less vibrant but also alarmingly withering from seams. Transactive values fueled development lack percolation of democracy leading to extreme gap in prosperity and poverty further accentuated by feudal values that nurture corruption, nepotism and exploitation. Performative politics is now a parody that has severely impacted democratic institutions, with it the possibilities for better future. The promise of liberty and freedom stands diminished in binary politics of posturing. Restricting feudal institutions, deconstructing regressive systems, its normalizing through transactive politics, while nurturing grassroot democracy and protecting individual liberty and freedom of expression. Transactive and performative values have short shelf life when reality strikes.

 

  

El nino is shifting for worse

 

Brace up people climate is shifting for worse. Strongest El Nino on record is brewing on the horizon. Human caused climate change is turbocharging it. This looks like shift is cascading in real time. Erratic and extreme weather pattern is set to become a norm. Indian subcontinent is set to face extreme temperature and drought as monsoon weakens- though with increased moisture western coastal region will see increased cumulonimbus formations that cause heavy windy rain in short period. Fragile region of western ghats impacted by deforestation and mining will increase probability of flash floods and landslides as also increased intensity of cyclones along eastern coast. Nature nurtures life but is neutral to human concerns. “If there is mother nature it’s b*tch of a mother!” that’s inimitable Slavoj Zizek -quite popular contemporary philosopher.

Evolving words: choice of words evolves with increasing awareness. Earlier I used to use words like truth now I prefer understanding (hence little change in earlier blog). Another word I stopped preferring is 'hope'. Hope is an irrational emotion associated with irrationality but it goes very well with context of the last poem on pi instead of 'thought'.   

Pi of the matter

Prodding and prodding a plodding eternity*

Pi loops in to anchor

Einstein’s birth, Hawking’s death

To hold heaven and earth

And measure the distance hope can take

Arrange and rearrange the matter

In poached eggs and salted pepper

In time’s eternal presence

Past, Present, Future

And set the sun and rise

* from Szymborska's poem Pi 

100 well lived years!

"We are at a unique stage in our history. Never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to the planet, and never before have we had the power to do something about that... The future of humanity and indeed all life on earth, now depends on us.”

-David Attenborough 

Iterating…

 

These days after I write something I iterate it with chatbots for insights and corrections. Only when I am convinced, I post it. It is kind of self-editing without really changing the core or the emotions connected to it. Even after I have posted I read it again and again, also iterating with different chatbots for varying insights. I gather I was not entirely right on Amartya Sen while referring to Idea of Justice -a book I read long back, and I vaguely recall not being satisfied with the intellectual play. The reference of caste was sideshow (or probably not even mentioned, chatbot says it was mentioned…I have well passed likes of Sen to go back and re-read, there is nothing there of interest in the rear mirror), and is a serious lapse, indeed mischief, when discussing idea of justice while grandly hinging ancient India as source. His reputation becomes pliable instrument for sinister forces. To consolidate narration of exceptionalism, and ground work for nationalism. Right from Ayodhya to sabarimala you see the footprints of castetva degradation that is now passed on to hindutva. This depraved section created the ecosystem to nurture and feed dubious people as intellectuals and narration controllers, who took pole positions as writers, artists, columnists, journalists etc. The depravity is deep rooted and elois in the West are thoroughly taken in by balderdash of spirituality, diversity, cosmos level conjurers of peace. As anti-science deceit gets hardened among western herds the writers and artists are expected to be perceptive to understand the seriousness of slipping contemporary context. India seriously lacks tradition and culture of critical thinking. It is held by low caliber blessed seeking desperately to justify their entitlement. They have the capacity to do anything but are limited by their own woeful limitations.  

This obfuscation of religion driven balderdash into science to claim exceptionalism is a project of all religions, and you will see herd litters spread across social media in this wasted occupation. Or else, the Hegelian anti thesis binary of better native understanding than 'western' science. Critical thinking is important so is empathy (I use this to include subjective frame, words like spiritualism are too misused, indeed degraded). So, I have corrected my earlier post. Iterating with chatbot is quite interesting and the sub reference and questions can fractal and loop into something entirely unexpected. Not that I take all the suggestions by chatbots, but yes give serious consideration.