Thread by @Raja_Sw

Liberalisation created a lot of privileged Indians. Many moved into privilege, many were born into it (so had no idea of a life without privilege).
We've talked a lot about economic impact of liberalisation, but,
25 yrs later, we have an opportunity to assess its social impact.

In the West, much of the talk is about millenials vs pre-millenials.
In India, a far more significant social distinction is between the "fruits of liberalisation" Indians and those pre-liberalisation.
The latter, increasingly in a minority, not just in numbers but in everything.

In the 90s, jobs just exploded. While this is great for employment stats, it also meant many mediocre folks made loads of money. Right place at the right time. Remember Y2K?
Same folks would struggle in today's job market. Gravy train ride most certainly over.

Right till the financial crisis of 2008, there was this gravy train ride. Ppl were earning comfortably, spending comfortably. Future looked rosy. If you look at soc media of the time for Indians (e.g. FB, personal blogs), it was mostly positive.
Didn't see much hate at all.

This isn't to say there wasn't any around the world. There was plenty. 9/11 changed a lot of things. Esp for Muslims. They faced the backlash. Everywhere, not just at airports. In India too, there was a perceptible hardening of attitude towards Muslims. Innocent Muslims suffered.

To this day, that attitude has not changed. This anti-Muslim mindset helped bring Modi to power in 2014, and has only worsened since, as Muslim haters have got emboldened by a "favourable" regime.
Everything that was possibly suppressed earlier could now be openly expressed.

What does this have to do with liberalisation?
I think some of the hate today comes from "fruits of liberalisation".
While liberalisation pulled many out of poverty, it increased inequality. Those who benefited most were those who COULD take most advantage of it. Mostly UC.

The gap between UC privileged (old, or nouveau) Indians vs the poorest (many of them Muslims/Dalits) increased. With privilege, sadly you often also get blindness. Resulting in reduced empathy for those "not like us". Worse, increased contempt for those "not like us".

Now, as long as Indians were doing well (say, till 2009-10), their innate hate was limited, and suppressed. When you're doing well, future looks rosy, you tend to be less vicious.
When you're frustrated, you lash out more.
Normal human behaviour.

Since 2010, following happened:
1) RW folks began gaining ground, aggressively attacking UPA, esp Gandhi family. Scam stories surfaced, true or false. Nothing angers Indians more than "corruption", so they happily lapped up these stories. The anger was palpable.

2) As RW began gaining ground, its natural fallout was rise in hate towards Muslims. This wasn't too difficult - the growing latent hate had to be tapped into, and given a more concrete form. Positioning Modi as PM candidate dispelled any doubts on this front.

The easiest thing to do was to not just paint Congress as dynastic and corrupt, but to accuse them of "minority appeasement".
The contrast with Modi couldn't be more obvious.
For the majority community, THEIR appeasement wasn't an issue. But "minority appeasement" was.

By 2014, with BJP convincingly winning elections, hate-mongers were in full form. Bullies revel in not just tasting power, but also brazenly displaying it.

In Modi 1.0, we saw ugliness in full display. Not just online (which was bad enough), but even on the streets.

3) And then the economy began going downhill.
If you've come into financial privilege, there's a chance you can live without it. You have, in the past.
If you've always been financially privileged, and suddenly get a jolt, it's harder to reconcile to.

When you're frustrated, you lash out.
And if you're a bully, you'll pick someone weaker than you.
In India, that's minorities, Dalits, women, LGBT.
And increasingly liberals - who the RW hates with a scary , obsessive, vengeance.
As Modi gains ground, liberals are losing ground.

The agenda comes right from the top.
If Modi had not mocked liberals and intellectuals, would the rank and file have been so hate-filled towards them?
Deep down, Modi fears liberal thought, he fears being questioned. He wants serfs.
AND he knows his constituency all too well.

So with the help of his pliant media, he has successfully planted hate towards liberals amongst his ever-worshipping, serf supporters. He has himself used terms like "tukde tukde gang", "urban naxals", "Khan Market gang" derisively, feeding the hate of his supporters.

So now we have hordes of privileged folks with contempt for the under-privileged, with once-innate but now open hate towards minorities, being shared and sharing hate messages through SM, and being egged on by their God PM to further hate liberals, who dare speak up agst him.

In all this, remember, it's not about reason.
Hate is so powerful, it closes your mind, and consumes any mental faculties you have that could've helped you with reasoning.
Which is why it is really very hard to reason with someone who is filled with hate.
The hate takes over.

This is also why I almost never argue w/ ppl filled with hate. I'm happy to argue with anyone who can counter my points, with reason. I'll happily admit I got sth wrong - I often do.
But with hate-mongers, they want attention. And want to bully you, put you down.
Sorry, I'm out.

So I just do what I do. Try to spread love and peace. Might not make the slightest difference, esp in today's environment, but one has to do what one believes in, no? :-)
I post songs like "tu Hindu banega, na Musalmaan banega".
Can't beat "bhejo kabristan" but still...

Anyway, as is my wont, I've digressed considerably from my original point. :-)
I think it would be good if a sociologist looked at social impact of liberalisation in India, esp w.r.t spread of hate in society.
Many who are spreading hate are "highly educated".