The Three Languages of Politics by Arnold Kling

Now that I think about it, it is not at all surprising that I picked up and read this book.

• I have been intrigued by language (so much so that getting machines to understand language is my day job!) for as long as I can remember.
• Observations that change how I see the world intrigue me.
• How people perceive, understand, decipher and involve themselves in politics has fascinated me over the years. (Go read any of my posts from yesteryears.)
• For the last few years, the breakdown of communication between myself and my family and friends who hold contradictory political ideologies has bothered me.

‘The Three Languages of Politics’ is a short book that I got through in under 2 hours. However, it is an insightful book. Within the first few pages, Arnold King introduces a rather simple framework for interpreting any political argument around you, and boiling it down to a probable set of bases that the person making it is coming from.

In the couple days between when I read the first half and the second half, I started breaking down opinions I saw floating on Twitter, in email newsletters, on blogs and in articles, into not just the ideologies of the person, but in a way that helped me make better sense of what was being conveyed.

Buy it, read it. There isn’t much to lose, but a lot to gain. I’ll leave you with a precious quote:

The only person you are qualified to pronounce unreasonable is yourself. You are qualified to tell other people that they are wrong. You are just not qualified to tell other people that they are unreasonable.

P.S.: I listen to Amit Varma’s The Seen and the Unseen voraciously and this has been recommended across multiple episodes.

What Narendra Modi Should Fix

A few days ago I posed a question to Twitter asking people what their tipping point for supporting Modi was? To put it in a different way, if you support Modi today (and / or have for the last 5+ years), what is the one thing, that if he does it, would make you cease supporting him.

It is not a very difficult question (but it can be). If you are someone that does support someone, anyone, something, I think this is a question you should ask yourself. I often ask the same of myself, and it helps me in understanding why I prefer something or someone over the other.

When it comes to Narendra Modi, though, while I was neutral about how I feel about him governing the country pre-2014, over time I have definitely grown to be more critical about his policies, style of politics and opposing what India has and is becoming, under his governance. I think he has made grave mistakes and strayed from the path of serving the country, while further dwelling in the arrogance of power.

So with this, I wanted to share a little bit more about what I would like to see done, which would make me feel more ambivalent about him.

1. Stop systematically disseminating communal disharmony: Our Constitution enshrines and holds secularism as a founding principle. Be an embodiment of the principles encapsulated in the book you swore on. Unite the country, stop dividing it.
2. Don’t treat the economy like sandbox: Accept the mistakes incurred in the past (demonetization, implementation of GST, ba../11.data-scienceSUs, etc.) and move towards fixing them. Mistakes in economic policy do not live in their own walled environments, they have far reaching effects on just every aspect of life in the country. Enough has been said about each aspect of the economy, and there are definite mitigation steps advised by many eminent economists.
3. Put an end to systematic disinformation: One thing that is fundamental to me and my understanding of the world is data. The lack of reliable data from the government to independently verify its claims on a multitude of things, in every area, (be it GDP, jobs numbers, electrification, cleanliness efforts, etc.) is a problem. The lack thereof creates ripe ground for a vicious cycle of potential lies, that deepen the cracks in a society. This would work two-fold: 1) Leave no room for confusion, criticism or fake news, and 2) Add trust in the government.

That’s it. Not a long list, aye :)?

India & Politics

Indian politics is one of the most complicated and divided in the world, and it is amplified by the diversity of the country. I came across this forum discussion about why self-driving cars remain and will probably remain a dream in India for the foreseeable future, while the developed world inches towards policies and laws governing such vehicles. Much of the blame with a lot of India’s problems starts with the polity, but fairly trickle down to the people who put them in power.

“We get the politicians we deserve,” they say and I concur. Indian politicians have been obsessed with power and ruling, not working. And despite that, Indians have elected the same politicians. The fault does lie in our electoral thought process and the choices we make. Despite being a democracy, more often than not, Indians choose their local representatives based on their affiliations with a national outfit. This choice that does not account for representative’s local performance or policies is detrimental as it voids the importance of local issues. The PM will not fix the potholes in your lane; your local corporator, MLA, MP will. A politician who wants to work towards the progress of the constituency will also want to work with superiors at the city, state, country level and lead to progress of the country. But a representative who only wants to accumulate power will try to stay in power for the next 5 years by hook or crook.

A democratic entity functions successfully only when it works as a ground-up, and not top-down. There are some fundamental problems with the country and the only way to fix it is accountability. Our politicians need to be held accountable for every promise they make, every word they say and every policy they advocate for.

Ground realities change governments, not extravagant unfulfilled promises. Or so I hope.

P.S.: I wrote a similar, longer post when the 2014 Lok Sabha elections were approaching: The Dance Of Democracy.