The Aspiring Class, Social Milieu and the Demand for EmpowermentBy: Amit Bhushan Date: 27th Jul 2015The commercial news media is again starting to go abuzz about the upcoming 'make or break' elections as it likes to fashion nearly every event which is easily foreseeable, so that it manages to ramp up its viewer ship. And 'make or break elections' for whom- the party in power at the centre. As if some earth-shaking development is likely to be unleashed, if the party in centre or at the state wins or loses these polls in a state.
The fact is that elections are about people and the political choices available to them and these get exercised through votes. Instead the commercial news media remains engaged in promoting leadership, by making the elections solely a game of 'big name' leaders rather than policy choices and how it affects people. The election should result in some sort of an understanding on how to run the 'political piece' for which elections were called, rather than just who would run the show. The analyst however like to read/assess the larger 'mood' and try to influence policies basis that, although much of the policy discussions is still dominated by those behind the scene activists and those in commercial news media building waves/canvassing of apparent support or dis-support of policy choices by interpreting them being in the 'interest of the people'.
The commercial news media has recently come up with a new jumla i.e. the aspiring class. It is used to denote the new class of people like the author and other social media writers, who like to comment on public policy and thus attempt to raise questions some of which are of course not liked by the commercial news media which is unable to match up to these while pursuing their campaign. It then tries to portray that such people who get swayed by these sharp shooting questions are just a few while the larger masses do not really get swayed by these questions possibly on account that the questions or understanding is not reaching them as of yet.
This then is actually a reflection on the 'massive', 'multi-faceted' 'multi-polar' and 'aggressive' poll machinery being deployed by the polling parties who are still unable to 'educate' the voters enough about the policy choices and answers of relevance to them.One of the key reasons is because of the lack of the quantum of opportunities being available to 'all' or the majority of voters and prescience of this knowledge amongst voters.
This is actually voter apathy which then guides them to look at 'other' factors rather that policy choices and opportunities being available as they are not expecting much anyways. 'Empowerment' plans like 'Build your Own Toilet' or Education / Healthcare coupons or seeds/fertilizer coupons can be a big game changer if brought into policy discussions. Currently they such subsidies are structured, they actually yield little 'choice' for people and this translates into 'apathy' or 'involvement' with leadership or government.
If people are empowered to exercise choices such as allowing them to use education coupons to either join a government school or to join a private school by possibly using some of their own funds; this would be trigger to ramp up their involvement and bring out actual support. Presently the promotion of caste-ism in the commercial news media can go on since the 'political leaders' ain't rising up to such discussions or policy choices of delivering empowerment to common folks.
The fact is that elections are about people and the political choices available to them and these get exercised through votes. Instead the commercial news media remains engaged in promoting leadership, by making the elections solely a game of 'big name' leaders rather than policy choices and how it affects people. The election should result in some sort of an understanding on how to run the 'political piece' for which elections were called, rather than just who would run the show. The analyst however like to read/assess the larger 'mood' and try to influence policies basis that, although much of the policy discussions is still dominated by those behind the scene activists and those in commercial news media building waves/canvassing of apparent support or dis-support of policy choices by interpreting them being in the 'interest of the people'.
The commercial news media has recently come up with a new jumla i.e. the aspiring class. It is used to denote the new class of people like the author and other social media writers, who like to comment on public policy and thus attempt to raise questions some of which are of course not liked by the commercial news media which is unable to match up to these while pursuing their campaign. It then tries to portray that such people who get swayed by these sharp shooting questions are just a few while the larger masses do not really get swayed by these questions possibly on account that the questions or understanding is not reaching them as of yet.
This then is actually a reflection on the 'massive', 'multi-faceted' 'multi-polar' and 'aggressive' poll machinery being deployed by the polling parties who are still unable to 'educate' the voters enough about the policy choices and answers of relevance to them.One of the key reasons is because of the lack of the quantum of opportunities being available to 'all' or the majority of voters and prescience of this knowledge amongst voters.
This is actually voter apathy which then guides them to look at 'other' factors rather that policy choices and opportunities being available as they are not expecting much anyways. 'Empowerment' plans like 'Build your Own Toilet' or Education / Healthcare coupons or seeds/fertilizer coupons can be a big game changer if brought into policy discussions. Currently they such subsidies are structured, they actually yield little 'choice' for people and this translates into 'apathy' or 'involvement' with leadership or government.
If people are empowered to exercise choices such as allowing them to use education coupons to either join a government school or to join a private school by possibly using some of their own funds; this would be trigger to ramp up their involvement and bring out actual support. Presently the promotion of caste-ism in the commercial news media can go on since the 'political leaders' ain't rising up to such discussions or policy choices of delivering empowerment to common folks.