Emergence of the Radical Right

THE WORLD AS WE HAVE CREATED IT IS A PROCESS OF OUR THINKING. IT CANNOT BE CHANGED WITHOUT CHANGING OUR THINKING

ALBERT EINSTEIN

The world has always been a divided place, the differences between people has always been there, but we have by and large found ways to co-exist and prosper. Politics has always been the art of delicate balance between right and left which has led to the ship always been in the center as the two forces have always been in equilibrium. But in the recent years that trend is changing.

The populace in general has been dissatisfied with the perceived inequality between the masses. The rich or the well off have all the opportunities while the poor struggle to meet ends and are more or less are destined to fade in the sunset without a peep. The politics of entitlement and sops has contributed to this in a large way. 

The mood of sullenness and resentment is visible and the cracks in the society between the have and have-nots has never been more deeper or wider than it is now. Social media has made things worse with news traveling from one end of the world to another instantly; the sense of instant gratification and entitlement has peaked like never before. Fake news and memes seem to be the new normal with instant messaging apps and Facebook becoming the new sources of news.

A section of politics namely the radical elements of right wing politics have found a way to tap into the lingering resentment of the people by using the aforementioned media tools and have by and large been very successful.

The success of Trump in USA and Modi-Shah-Yogi combo in UP has set the trend firmly towards the emergence of radical right in the center stage of politics. Conservative thoughts have a role to play in the mainstream politics, but it should be taken with a grain of salt or pepper. The weakness inherent in the leftist thought have also had a contribution in this. 

Politics has shifted from ideology, party policies and agenda to more people centered thought process which has seen the emergence of personalities like Trump and Modi who have a larger than life image and a hardcore section of supporters both online and in person who drum out any opposing thought or dissent as an assault on the principles of the nation. This has by and large worked for them.

Already USA is in a state of disorganized chaos with news coming out from left, right and center with nothing clear, the rhetoric of Donald Trump struck a chord with the populace of the country left behind in the growth and landed him the presidency, but it has also left the immigrants, the minorities a bit insecure about their futures. The attacks on Indians in the past few days has also been a bit of a surprise, since the community is known as the one of the most law abiding ones in the country.

Similar scenes have played out in UP where the the right-wing policies of BJP have got it a thumping majority in the state. With the elevation of radical right wing ideologist Yogi Adityanath as the CM of UP the minority communities are feeling insecure. 

It is easy to spread hate in this world, but it is very difficult to spread peace and love among the populace. The blazing in your face 24 X 7 coverage in the form of Media, social media had made it difficult to weed out the facts from fiction. While the emergence of Radical Right cannot be disputed, it shouldn't be left unchecked, the cooler heads should prevail.

The fact is that the world has shrunk. We are now a tightly knit global community rather than disparate nations. While no nation should sacrifice it's self interest in protecting its own people and interests, they should make sure to carry all their populace not just a chosen few with them while protecting the interests.

Only time will tell how this saga will play out but it can be predicted that turbulent times are ahead of us without a shadow of doubt.

Comments

  1. A beautifully written post. Media these days is a joke they make anything news. It's a wait and watch game in UP/USA. Maybe give the leaders time.

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