Business, Market & Future
17 Jan 2013: We are turning out to be economic copycats
I realized this when shrill horns and bumper to bumper traffic surrounded the Oberoi Mall’s ‘50% off on 50 Brands’ sale.
Our great Indian middle class dream comes true when our hard earned money buys twice as many Jockey underwear(s)…even the food court was 50% off and the ‘Bombay Wada Pav’ hit an all time low price of Rs.45
The danger lies in the possibility of 1.2 billion Indians rushing to malls after being bombarded by advertising in ‘Entertainment Promotional Features’ and between intellectually stimulating Saas Bahu soaps.
Deeper in that danger is the possibility that many of the 220 million young people joining the workforce will blindly choose degrees and professions that plug them into this very same machinery, thoughtlessly. They will aspire for things just because they are supposed to be aspired for — because they saw their favorite star endorse it.
Of course this will mean working very hard — possibly raking up personal loans and credit card debt. It could mean longer commutes and lesser time for the family. It could mean less exercising and no time to reflect.
Just like the West….without looking at the mess that reckless growth and irresponsible spending creates….and before we know it, our ‘emerging market’ nations become nothing but people waiting to buy twice the Jockeys at the same price.
Nobody at school copied in exams from the boy who failed. Why are we?
**
31 March 2013: Money is a way to motivate humans to do things — it is an incentive system to channelize effort.
When one country can endlessly print money, it can literally motivate humanity to move in a certain direction. By consuming and paying with its dollars, the US can motivate China to go on a manufacturing overdrive, it can motivate millions of Indians to become engineers and code.
It can also pay its own war bills, splurge on intelligent minds to research new weapons (and sell them), it can buy media to let its own voice be heard.
On one end, this has generated innovation, it has attracted a huge portion of highly talented humans to the US. On the other end, it is also creates a warped system of incentives which do not represent real needs and demands.
This needs a collective rethink — perhaps, driven by the UN, to re-look at our global financial system, our indicators of growth and our priorities as humanity. It needs humility and graciousness on the part of nations already in power and growing, to accommodate other members of the global family.
It is probably stuck at the level of a few thousand people who are greedier than they should now be.
Till then, the least we can do is recognize the immense power of money to distort our true priorities and our inner voice, as much as we acknowledge it as an enabler to enjoy a lot of that which is beautiful in our lives
**
2 April 2013: For every intelligent Google programmer sitting in California, there is an equally intelligent spammer sitting in some obscure location in the world (many point to Nigeria!)
While Gmail tries to filter out spam through constantly improving filters, our spammers also constantly stay a step ahead of the filters and manage to sneak in at least a few mails here and there.
Whenever I read that I won a billion pound lottery or inherited a fortune, I can’t help feeling bad for that person who is trying this crooked way of conning people.
Did that person get a fair shot at employment? Did he get equal opportunity?
Or did restrictions visas and access to education condemn him to doing what he does?
Surely, the Google programmer is lucky. And the spammer too probably is — because he is managing to not get caught and still in business.
But what is unlucky is humanity — the world. Because it could have had two brains solving some new productive problem rather than working against each other.
**
2 April 2013: There are 2 places where highly intelligent people are unconsciously blocking what is good for Life
One is places where there is scale and centralization (Government, Large Corporations).
There is an intelligent minority with a vested interest in keeping things centralized and “scaled up” because it justifies their pay packets, consulting fees and maximizes their power.
The other is in professions where there is incentive misalignment (Judiciary, medicine, academia)
Here, the intelligent minority benefits from making things complicated and more incomprehensible — as a result we have endless pending cases (or litigation), a focus on disease (rather than health).
A side effect of keeping things this way (centralized + expert dependent) is that those professions become way more rewarding than the true value that they create. Which in turn drives young people to dream of becoming that (MBAs, Doctors, Lawyers) — often not because of the joy of doing (they mostly have no clue what the job entails) but because the degree gives them a membership to the club that upholds this system to benefit them.
Instead, the fraternity of each profession would benefit from asking and reflecting — are they truly serving their purpose? Are doctors creating more health, lawyers more fairness and accountants more transparency? And are our MBAs and government truly empowering decision making and being inclusive in their approaches?
They will have to do this themselves, sadly, because the other majority is not ‘intelligent’ enough to comprehend the facade of complexity that has been created (however innocently it may be) to keep things this way.
Innovation in language precedes innovation in the physical space.
Specialized language lets us comprehend reality in unique ways, and hence lets us influence it more effectively. When such language is shared, the speed of communication becomes faster and quality more nuanced. That’s how we have ‘experts’
Without pegs and containers of words, concepts and feelings can’t be held or shared. Which means, new words can open up new possibilities for us.
And yet, as we all have experienced, words can be extremely reductionist, diluting the purity of our experience — but then again, new words can perhaps capture them more richly.
Where are the language scientists then? Those who create new words and propagate them? Are we doing deliberate linguistic innovation to further our evolution?
**
24 April 2013: Innovation in language precedes innovation in the physical space.
Specialized language lets us comprehend reality in unique ways, and hence lets us influence it more effectively. When such language is shared, the speed of communication becomes faster and quality more nuanced. That’s how we have ‘experts’
Without pegs and containers of words, concepts and feelings can’t be held or shared. Which means, new words can open up new possibilities for us.
And yet, as we all have experienced, words can be extremely reductionist, diluting the purity of our experience — but then again, new words can perhaps capture them more richly.
Where are the language scientists then? Those who create new words and propagate them? Are we doing deliberate linguistic innovation to further our evolution?
**
18 Oct 2015:
Our current economic paradigm is rooted very strongly in consumption of ‘goods’ (which strain our finite resources) and experiences (which mostly require paid labour to create)
Which means, to create a ‘better world’ and ‘development’ we will have to step up both — resource consumption and the amount of labor we put in (the latter actually may be desirable to combat unemployment)
However, can we rethink the very anchoring of our economics (and therefore the way we live) to make it about experiences that do not require such effort and paid labor, and yet are immensely enriching.
Like reading — since no media advertises reading the classics, we deprive ourselves of immensely satisfying experiences that cost very little (and even lesser if you share books). There are hundreds of artists who are dying to perform — but where are the mehfils and street parties? Where are community kitchens and spontaneous acts of kindness? Or a hike on the hills?
The void that we create in absence of such satisfying possibilities is filled by more work, television-films and mall-i-fication (shop n eat). None of which are bad, in moderation.
But it almost feels like a mass hypnosis — we can surely manage with lesser ‘work’ — like this movement is pushing for (http://www.4hourworkday.org/). In spite of all our progress, we have such little time to enjoy (and when do do, we have such limited modes and interests to enjoy).
Of course if we are the fortunate few who find deep meaning in work (hint: state of mind on Monday morning) the metrics cease to matter. But for most of humanity — an option to work lesser (while earning the same) will be happily welcomed.
So are we (as India and as the world) going to continue our GDP obsessed growth that relies on more and more efficient resource ‘exploitation’ and ever powerful marketing? And are we going to base our social ladders on material acquisition alone — celebrating our diamonds, luxury cars and pent-houses?
Or are we going to pause — to rethink our economics and ways of living? Where our energies are not directed towards whipping the entire world into a frenzy of workoholism just to stay afloat, but towards a life of more meaning, more enjoyment and more contribution? A world that has the possibility to let each one live a life of dignity and fulfilment?
**
22 April 2014:
At the heart of our challenges lies our economic system — here are some issues that we need to engage with:
- First, most of us do not fully understand the woking of the money-system and yet are so tied into it, it doesn’t let us see what is wrong. Even the economics graduates from the best schools have a very incomplete (and often one sided) understanding of economics
- We are on a infinitely resource-fuelled, debt funded growth model, that requires us to keep growing and consuming at higher rates (hence making us consumers before anything else)
- That banks can make money out of almost NOTHING except just issuing IOUs creating debt out of thin air. And large portions of humanity keep on plunging into debt spending the rest of their lives repaying it
- And the Fed is pumping in money every quarter (backed by nothing — its just paper we agree to treat as money) that keeps the economy going (we are on drugs and don’t have too much of a choice anyways)
- Most countries have a monopoly over currency i.e. only the government can issue currency (it anyways also imposes a tax, so it is tough to opt out of the currency) but there are parallel currency systems too
- And globally we are locked into the USD which lets US keep on consuming and lets the world keep working to serve it. Very little effort is being made by governments to move from the USD denominated world (AFAIK).
- We are obsessed with financial capital, at the cost of other forms of capital : social, natural and even spiritual capital. This obsession is costing us our deep ties with each other and with the planet.
- Finally, most of us are making choices of what to do with our lives solely based on what the monetary system rewards which in turn redirects a lot of talent and energy into the continued perpetuation of a fundamentally flawed system.
We are educated for it and then absorbed in it — more and more of us need to ask questions and explore other ways.
The starting point of which perhaps, is to acknowledge that there MAY be a better way of organising our resources and work — it is just waiting to be discovered :)
17 June 2016: Let’s have unlimited maternity leaves, super pay hikes on rejoining and recognition for the long list of expanded skill set including (but not limited to)
- Patience and perseverance
- Tolerance for ambiguity
- Deep empathy and emotional intelligence
- Hope, optimism and energy
- Collaboration and agile development
- Crisis management
Leadership including motivation, setting task boundaries and learning & development
**
16 Nov 2016: Yay! I am feeling rich — one of my banks just wrote off Rs.48,000,00,00,000/- of bad debt!
But does the corporate sector as a whole make money or lose money?
If we add only 3 things : tax breaks, loan write-offs, environmental costs, we may find that corporations in their current form may not be the best way to organize our activities.
69 of the top 100 economies are now companies and their donations to political parties make them hard to regulate.
What are we gonna do now?
**
27 Nov 2016:
There is a zone where money behaves like a bro. It’s around when you need it, but isn’t imposing or overly distant.
This zone happens for each of us at a certain amount of money.
Any lesser money and life becomes rough to navigate, the absence of money causes suffering.
Any more money than this zone and it becomes the focus, often a proxy to hide fears, mask greed and run away from dealing with other issues (like relationships)
Like a real bro, money at the bro-zone level lets you do what you want to do, supports you in doing it and adds to the fun rather than taking away from it.
So the 3 questions I hold are:
1. Can I find my bro-zone with money?
2. Can I bring its threshold lower (arrive at the ‘bro-zone’ with lesser and lesser amounts)?
3. If money starts becoming a bully in my life (robbing me of my time, vitality or creativity), can I ask it to back off? Or after a bloody fist fight with it, settle once again with it in the bro-zone?
12 Dec 2016:
May I have your attention please?
How about saying no to this request?
Because, at the moment, there is an intense competition for your attention.
Everyone wants it.
Facebook wants it. So that it can sneak in an Ad. (did you watch Ishq Aha — the amazing musical by Jhoom?)
Ads keep getting sexier to succeed at grabbing your attention.
Your work demands it and so does the junk on television.
It’s the ‘attention economy’ — everyone wants your attention.
But so does your child. So does every relationship you tend to. And so does your body.
In this spiralling competition for attention, we have ended up fragmenting it, diluting it and giving just the bare minimum needed.
Then we wonder why kids misbehave and why relationships don’t work. Because we don’t nurture them with the nutrition of attention, perhaps?
Why isn’t the world getting ‘better’? Cos we are too busy attending to other stuff as it continues to get more heated and violent.
This is a bad idea because the most ‘profitable’ use of your attention currently is to sneak in a message or two to your subconscious about consumption.
No doubt then, there are entire industries and subjects dedicated to it. To grab your attention and to convince you to consume.
In a world where everyone and everything seems to be asking for your ‘attendance’, who you are is shaped by what you choose to bunk.
**
29 Dec 2016: Research and development in Artificial Intelligence must be paused for some time.
We can always resume it.
But before that, we must confront our inability to co-exist in peace. We must re-instill our capacity to love and empathise. We must heal the baggage that humanity has accumulated over centuries of war and aggression.
Do we need technology to mask our unprocessed issues? To keep maintaining the illusion that we have ‘figured it out’?
Left to the hands of the Wall street cowboys and Silicon valley tech-hippies alone, technology will create consequences that we will find hard to deal with.
In a world with increasing complexity, this will only amplify humanity’s lack of virtue.
On the other hand, a pause may let us regroup, reflect and really inquire into where do we want to head as humanity? What is the hurry to solve some questions before others?
What is this quest for greatness that blinds us to the lessons of history, to the effects of what we have already invented and to our smallness in face of the Universe?
**
19 Dec 2016: Meet my new enemy — HyperCap
HyperCap started as a cute little baby (most villains do).
In 16th century England, it first hit agriculture, consolidating land for a small group.
Then, 18th century, it helped merchants colonize the planet.
It hit the Industrial era in the 19th converting men into extensions of machines. Then it went truly global with the ‘Neo-Liberal’ stage in the 20th Century.
At its “Lifetime achievement award” ceremony, HyperCap admitted that it was a very well intentioned journey that brought us stuff we considered ‘good’ (and hence called goods?).
On the way it even defeated the Marxism-Socialism-Communism gang (it was settled over a street fight on a cold night). This was no doubt a formidable achievement.
It helped us organize our affairs, move us from gross savagery (to a subtle form).
Today, over 400 years old, it has turned into Hyper Capitalism (HyperCap). A tottering, old, evil, sick and insensitive being trapped in its own habits.
It is trying to reinvent itself as more ‘Conscious’ and ‘Ecological’ but its roots itself make it unsuitable for our times.
As we look for options to replace it, we need to give HyperCap some palliative care.
It needs no fighting, because it will self-destruct. And this is it’s biggest fear.
**
29 April 2017:
What would happen if corporations would also age and die, the way humans do?
Our pre-occupation with prolonging life (and seeing death as a problem to be solved) is most visible in the way corporations (and nations) are designed.
Everything ‘natural’ grows and then shrinks till it dies.
So what would happen when a corporation dies?
It would wind up operations, return its money to shareholders and liquidate. It’s IP could return to commons, allowing a whole new set of enterprises to be born, using that.
Its brand could be remembered but now make space for new entrants.
At one level this is ‘value destroying’ in that we are letting go of something that serves needs and works so well. People also lose jobs (though they know the company is nearing its end).
But at another level, this creative destruction opens up the space that is stale and crowded. It allows first generation entrepreneurs a kind of a level playing field that is not available in most industries except tech.
In some ways, this tilts the balance towards the future generation (particularly those who won’t ever inherit the shares). It tilts the balance towards the small business.
And it brings a certain limit into an artificial structure that at the moment doesn’t seem to obey the laws of nature.
**
30 April 2017:
We need a U-turn in the way technology is being developed.
Silicon valley cowboys have stories in their head about how they will save the world. Awesome!
Except, that almost all the technology currently being developed promises to compound the already accumulated privilege of the economic elite.
Just as Wall Street has no conscience keepers, nor does Silicon Valley. How will technology affect the fabric of human relations, how much does it honour virtue (vs exploit a psychological loop hole) are questions seldom answered.
Morever, we now have technology that is more and more out of our control and ends up controlling us.
Can we have human-scale technology that can help us reclaim control over our lives and our livelihoods? Can we re-design technology to primarily serve our most underserved FIRST?
And can we let the gains from technological innovation be shared by communities and commons rather than usurped by individuals running corporations or governments?
**
29 April 2017:
What would happen if corporations would also age and die, the way humans do?
Our pre-occupation with prolonging life (and seeing death as a problem to be solved) is most visible in the way corporations (and nations) are designed.
Everything ‘natural’ grows and then shrinks till it dies.
So what would happen when a corporation dies?
It would wind up operations, return its money to shareholders and liquidate. It’s IP could return to commons, allowing a whole new set of enterprises to be born, using that.
Its brand could be remembered but now make space for new entrants.
At one level this is ‘value destroying’ in that we are letting go of something that serves needs and works so well. People also lose jobs (though they know the company is nearing its end).
But at another level, this creative destruction opens up the space that is stale and crowded. It allows first generation entrepreneurs a kind of a level playing field that is not available in most industries except tech.
In some ways, this tilts the balance towards the future generation (particularly those who won’t ever inherit the shares). It tilts the balance towards the small business.
And it brings a certain limit into an artificial structure that at the moment doesn’t seem to obey the laws of nature.
**
23 July 2017: every software ‘upgrade’ from our dear and well intentioned Silicon Valley is actually a downgrade
it requires more space (and hence new hardware) which in turn hurts the planet….
may I request that future upgrades consume increasingly lesser space and processing power to do the same or better things, so that our devices may last several decades rather than a few years?
given the level of brightness that exists there, I’m sure you guys can crack this ….. if you want to :)
we could find another way to pay you / acknowledge you / reward you for this work…..
how does that sound?
1 Aug 2017:
How can our tradition of sharing knowledge freely co-exist with the copyright-patent regime?
For example, today, I see yoga being practiced all over the world — including sessions right after breakfast and other variations that may make yogacharyas cringe.
These are delivered in fancy Yoga studios around the west coast without any “royalty” to Patanjali (the author of Yoga Sutras)
Similarly we celebrate Google and Facebook but not the people who wrote the TCP/IP protocols and created the open architecture of the free internet.
We do not acknowledge the US taxpayer money that, while fuelling the war effort created the first origins of the internet.
TM to me feels like a bug, like an insect that reminds us of our sense of scarcity, as if there is not enough, there is no trust in each other and we have to enforce virtue.
Which is partly true, because we have forgotten our values of acknowledging, of giving credit where its due and honourably rewarding the inventors based on our capacity.
Maybe there is a ‘copy center’ (creative commons comes close to this) where we pay what we can for the use of IP, acknowledge its latest variant (knowing that ALL ideas are derived eventually) and use it freely….
**
2 Sept 2017: We’re heading for an employment crisis — nationally and globally.
Where are the jobs?
We’re automating things on one end and fuelling aspirations on the other.
As the largest ever generation of educated people walks into the job market, they find that their expensive degrees aren’t worth much in terms of relevant skills.
Not everybody is an entrepreneur — and so we have jobs like pizza delivery boys and construction workers that are available in cities.
Over time, frustration is going to be built — at being cut off from our roots and being cheated on this deal.
Are there answers (apart from denying that a problem exists?)
**
2 Sept 2017:
Farming is an answer to our job crisis.
Currently, being a farmer basically sucks. It’s so tough that people choose to die rather than farm.
But, it need not be so.
We can increase support prices of food. We can add a rural tourism component to make farms viable. We can transition from pesticide-fertilizer farming of GM crops to local, indegeneous and organic farming.
And, we can shift the ‘collective consensus’ on farming, that currently looks at it as a very unsexy option.
If a young person can learn from his parents, stay connected to nature, make an honourable living while staying close to his or her roots (and not migrate to slums in already polluted and over-crowded cities), we have a chance to generate large scale employment.
Moreover, it translates directly into good food on our plates and restoring the farmer to his rightful place — that of a true provider of the society.
**
4 Oct 2017: A system that responds to money is dangerous simply because it can be controlled by those who have money.
Since money is unequally distributed and not always “earned” this puts power in hands of a certain class of people
This group can literally manufacture consent and put up a show that engages us all, creating an illusion of change while real power is still hoarded
If we start moving towards a system that retains the free market spirit but also looks at moral power and virtue, we will have a healthier system — one that won’t make us all dance to its tunes but instead be in service of the highest good of all
What this looks like is elections financed by people not only corporates, media funded through subscriptions n not only ads and so on….
Are we ready for it.
**
24 Nov 2017:
With every step we take towards technology, it is learning to dance with us better and better.
As we write each post, Artificial Intelligence is munching on delicious “BIG DATA” and starting to get a sense of one aspect of your persona.
It is then sending you ads that hit your deep subconscious at a timing that is subtler than your conscious mind is aware of.
In doing this it simulteneously shapes you and understands you…..and in this it is being born as we speak (and as I type this post, as you read this itself!)
— -
The earliest worded description of what is being recently called “Singularity” for me is evoked by the Nasidiya Sukta
The Wikipedia reference talks about the trippy sentence “not the non-existent” *
The best way to experience the mystery and wonder has been to listen to the opening and closing chants of “Discovery of India”, the TV series that came on Door Darshan**
**(in early days of TV, we in India actually called our national channel, quite litereally Tele (door) Vision (darshan)!
You can find plenty about it on youtube — it references to the ‘creator’ — and asks several questions, both mysterious and playful, that ‘trip’ me…..
Like wondering whether the Creator knows everything or even he has forgotten!
I think similar questions come for me when it comes to Singularity — the birthing of the “akash” tatva in greater proportion on the “bhoomi” where the elements including us are dancing…..
— -
The beauty of this situation is that there are no answers, and one has no choice but to walk in honesty and deep trust into the future….there is a dark tunnel being seen by each ‘side’ (us humans and post-human intelligence)….
What’s this mysterious meeting going to be, this blind date is yet to be revealed….
Thats the joy I guess….to be on a blind date with “Singularity”
**
10 June 2018: Being a consumer is awesome!
You get deep discounts (and that dopamine kick!). You’re treated like a celebrity and thanked repeatedly for ‘giving us an opportunity to serve you’. You’re heard and valued — you matter.
All of it is because you’re spending money.
Being a citizen on the other hand sucks.
It is just a reminder of how powerless you are against the system — it stands there as an unresponsive giant, turning a deaf ear to your cries.
No doubt then that most of us choose to engage much more in the consumer identity — and consume our way to feeling good about ourselves.
If all of us do this, we’re gonna wreck the planet and get even more overworked.
It is a bad idea — a choice that we’re forced into, coerced into and seduced into.
The system wants you to do that, and leave the ‘governance’ and big matters to them — which is precisely what must not happen.
A vibrant civil society is the key to making meaningful change — and that won’t happen if all we’re doing is busy earning and consuming.
**
22 June 2018: Money can cross borders freely if it is travelling to fund corporations or political parties.
However, if it is development work being carried out by an NGO, it is subject to much closer scrutiny.
And if foreign money comes anywhere close to funding dissent (protests), it is blocked immediately.
This simply means that someone sitting abroad can influence who we elect and what we eat but when it comes to raising questions and opposing wrongs, we are left to ourselves.
So we have political parties and companies which are very visible, vocal and strong. We have a token presence there as one-time voters and customers.
The civil society on the other hand needs much more support — and there our presence at the moment practically adds up to nothing.
I would ask for some degree of fairness in these rules across the three entities.
**
12 Dec 2018: It is becoming clearer to me that farming, micro-entrepreneurship and small scale enterprises are the way out of the current job crisis.
None of these may be ‘economically viable’ or even the most ‘efficient’ way of getting output. But, they create jobs, they give things for people to do and gain livelihood out of.
It is really the case of production by masses rather than mass production that will really rescue us.
The current thrust on skill development is only going to create a limited number of jobs, most of which will be very low end and alienating. They will be vulnerable to being replaced by technology too.
Instead, if we as a nation actively relook at our model of development, putting farming back to the centre, we may just be able to find meaningful work for many.
**
10 Sept 2018:
The petrol price debate misses the whole point — that we have discovered more oil than we can afford to burn, without heating up the planet.
And yet we are continuing to drill for more oil and finding more and more harmful ways of doing it (like fracking and tar sands).
The price of petrol doesn’t represent its actual cost to the planet — we are enjoying the free subsidy from Earth (cos we are paying only for drilling and refining — the actual stuff itself is just taken for free)
We’re again getting pulled into a political gimmick that will polarise us and distract us from the core issue — that this model of development is unsustainable!!!
One is to look at our hunger for energy, not all of which may be bad. But the other is to look at our ways of meeting that energy requirement — even solar cells end up creating pollutants in terms of metal mining etc.
Why aren’t we finding better alternatives faster?
There is a clear reason I see — that oil companies have a greater incentive to stick to oil rather than shift business models mid-stream (when they still have lots of oil reserves left to drill). Their shareholders want the profits and many of us are also shareholders (through our investments directly or in mutual funds).
Its quite warped and cyclical — but my basic point is that this debate (and the bandh) on oil price is really childish and limited.
**
12 Dec 2018:
It is becoming clearer to me that farming, micro-entrepreneurship and small scale enterprises are the way out of the current job crisis.
None of these may be ‘economically viable’ or even the most ‘efficient’ way of getting output. But, they create jobs, they give things for people to do and gain livelihood out of.
It is really the case of production by masses rather than mass production that will really rescue us.
The current thrust on skill development is only going to create a limited number of jobs, most of which will be very low end and alienating. They will be vulnerable to being replaced by technology too.
Instead, if we as a nation actively relook at our model of development, putting farming back to the centre, we may just be able to find meaningful work for many.
**
31 Jan 2019:
This picture captures both the beauty and ironies of modern day capitalism….
Social is a nice chain of restaurants (for those who can afford it) etc etc.
This specific one is at the heart of the financial district in Mumbai, the Bandra Kurla Complex.
It is named “Social” (which can be interpreted in many ways like ‘social service’, ‘social sector’, ‘social media’ but for now let us say pertaining to society and people)
This one happens to be in a building called “Capital” (now that’s interesting!)
And to top it, it has successfully usurped imagery from the socialist-communist movements and converted it (almost making fun of it I’d say…replacing the worker’s hammer with the fork)
Outside are valets and inside waiters who can’t afford to eat at the place they serve. Question of being a union isn’t even in the imagination.
So here we have almost a memorial to the failure of socialism and free market capitalism celebrating it by taking the colours and symbols and putting it at the centre of the financial capital, selling expensive food, calling it “social” and staffing it with staff from the lower economic strata (paid salaries that are “fair by market standards”)
Waah capitalism waah….maan gaye!
5 April 2019:
I propose a new currency unit called MAD (Mgnrega Average Day-wage).
It is what someone would earn for a day’s labour under MGNERGA.
Currently we could peg it at about Rs.300.
At Starbucks, when I buy my chilled Tahitian Vanilla Latte I could pay 1.2 MADs.
It will remind me that someone has to work more than a day to afford this cup of coffee.
Sometimes, it may even remind me of this madness that I so willingly participate in.
**
22 April 2019: Moving towards voluntary taxation
One of the directions to take is to make as much taxation voluntary as possible.
People donate to religious and charitable causes that they believe in. There is no reason why they won’t contribute in the cost of running the country as well.
We still do — but the way of ‘making’ us do this is through force and legislation. Law creates law-breakers. Our own money then is used to enforce our compliance to this system.
Instead, if we move towards a joyful contribution, as a part of our national family, how would that look like?
There may be many who don’t want to pay but I am sure there are many others who will start chipping in….eventually a system designed assuming ‘good’ in people will also produce good (in the long run)….
Imagine a country where citizens pay as much as they would like to — and that is enough to run the country and even have a surplus with the government….
Forget about others — would you chip in if it would be voluntary?
