There is a process to derailing a people's movement, in this case, the anti-#CAA_NRC_Protest the Modi-Shah-led Central government did not really expect, or at least not to this extent, and I'd like to put all that I can think of at one place, in this #thread.
1) Pitting one against another.
Oldest and easiest trick they use. And it's quite easy in a country like India because we are so diverse that sometimes I feel this idea of a "nation" is a farce. Racism, casteism, majority's minority complex, and many other factors enable this.
Oldest and easiest trick they use. And it's quite easy in a country like India because we are so diverse that sometimes I feel this idea of a "nation" is a farce. Racism, casteism, majority's minority complex, and many other factors enable this.
How do they do it?
a) One religion against another. In this case, easier, Muslims against every other religion. Isolation and alienation.
Best example: "They chanted "Hinduon se Azaadi". What do they mean? They want to kill all Hindus?"
They know nuance is for the elite.
a) One religion against another. In this case, easier, Muslims against every other religion. Isolation and alienation.
Best example: "They chanted "Hinduon se Azaadi". What do they mean? They want to kill all Hindus?"
They know nuance is for the elite.
For an average Indian citizen, Hindu, Hinduism, Hindutva are all the same. They know it. So they circulate videos of "Hindutva se Azaadi and Hindutva ki kabar kudegi", and a lot of people get pissed. Mission accomplished. Fact checkers come in, they debunk the videos, but...
do not reach as many people as fake news reaches.
b) Police against protesters: India, still, is a democracy and we have the right to peaceful assembly. But they know people are touchy about public property (thanks to tax payers' money narrative) and about armed forces.
b) Police against protesters: India, still, is a democracy and we have the right to peaceful assembly. But they know people are touchy about public property (thanks to tax payers' money narrative) and about armed forces.
So they ensure there is violence. Protests, that too, on such a large scale are messy and not always easy to handle by a handful of people. They take full advantage of this, hire rioters, spark violence, thrash police, ensure they retaliate with violence, and.. People are pissed.
c) Fence sitters (can also call them spineless Centrists and/or privileged ducks) against protesters.
Cases in point: "Who gave the right to JNUSU to stop students who wants to register?" "Duck #ShaheenBagh protest, there's traffic jam every single day for over a month now".
Cases in point: "Who gave the right to JNUSU to stop students who wants to register?" "Duck #ShaheenBagh protest, there's traffic jam every single day for over a month now".
The protest against fee hike is not just about current students. It's also to ensure underprivileged kids, who work their asses off to crack the entrance, can study without having to worry about money.
Tax is not anyone's favour. Tax money will be used for a lot of purposes...
Tax is not anyone's favour. Tax money will be used for a lot of purposes...
That doesn't mean you've a right over it. Ensuring free, quality education for students is the state's responsibility. Not a favour.
Didn't have it in you to crack the entrance exams and study in JNU and other world-class institutes in India? Your problem. Shun the entitlement.
Didn't have it in you to crack the entrance exams and study in JNU and other world-class institutes in India? Your problem. Shun the entitlement.
So when the elected student body and a lot of students are fighting for a good cause, YOU DON'T GET TO SAY, "NO, I WANT TO REGISTER OR I WANT TO STUDY." Those who are fighting aren't fools to do it for fun. You be an ally, no two ways about it. Inconvenienced? Suck it up.
#ShaheenBaghProtests cause traffic jams? No. Not really. Traffic arrangements could be made better, that's police's job. Those brave women, so many of them, and all those who go there on a daily basis in solidarity, and those who go when they can in solidarity, are doing so for..
a reason. In this cold. For over a month. Their intention is not to cause inconvenience to anyone. LACK OF EMPATHY IN YOU IS YOUR PROBLEM. Traffic jams are bothering you? Take the metro. Take a different route. Work from home. Leave earlier. If you can't join the protests...
it's okay. But check your privilege before whining.
An entire community is being discriminated against, made to feel like outsiders in their own land, understand them. Fuel empathy within you, and you'd be fine making some compromises, as long as it's needed.
An entire community is being discriminated against, made to feel like outsiders in their own land, understand them. Fuel empathy within you, and you'd be fine making some compromises, as long as it's needed.
2) Fake news and propaganda through media:
We know about it now because they have been doing it so blatantly, you wouldn't get it only if you're a rock. What we don't understand, though, is the scale at which they are doing this.
Let me try and explain the scale.
We know about it now because they have been doing it so blatantly, you wouldn't get it only if you're a rock. What we don't understand, though, is the scale at which they are doing this.
Let me try and explain the scale.
How did the ridiculous 'Tukde tukde gang' usage come about? One media house doctored videoes of an event held inside JNU to portray "Bharat ke tukde honge" slogan was raised there.
Arnab Cowswami, outraging in his studio, tagged students like @UmarKhalidJNU and @kanhaiyakumar
Arnab Cowswami, outraging in his studio, tagged students like @UmarKhalidJNU and @kanhaiyakumar
terrorists. Dolts like Aditya Raj Kaul fueled this by referring to Umar as the son of an office bearer of banned outfit SIMI, hiding the fact that when Umar's father held the post, SIMI wasn't a radicalized, banned outfit. That, my friends, is how propaganda works.
Cowswami, Tihar Babu, 'Captain' journalists are also responsible for the whole 'anti-national' narrative. Zero proof, and these are being used *till date*. It had become so difficult at one point that once an autodriver at Haus Khaz metro, when asked if he'd go to JNU, said ..
"Nahi, Pakistan chod deta hun tujhe", to someone. That's how far and wide propaganda spreads. This is just one instance. Imagine, these channels (so many of them now) are running so many shows every single day to ensure hatred between communities increase. Add to this, WhatsApp.
Not just WhatsApp actually. WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter. There are people creating inciting posts and there are people to spread it. These people are paid to do this. Facebook pages, fake Twitter accounts, WhatsApp groups...these appeal to the biased, hatred-fjlled minds...
And their fake messages are circulated without an iota of verification. And this doesn't stop, ever. Every single day, every single minute, people are spreading these venomous messages, boosting the process of isolation and alienation.
3) Making the most out of infighting (mostly amongst liberals and progressives):
"Muslims should protest as Indians, not as Muslims. They should not use religious slogans in the protests."
I've always tried to explain this nicely, but not today. DUCK YOUR ISLAMOPHOBIA.
"Muslims should protest as Indians, not as Muslims. They should not use religious slogans in the protests."
I've always tried to explain this nicely, but not today. DUCK YOUR ISLAMOPHOBIA.
Muslims are being discriminated against. They WILL resist as Muslims. They WILL use religious slogans and assert their religious identity because it is PURELY because of their religion, that they are being discriminated against. Uncomfortable? SUCK IT UP. SHUN YOUR ISLAMOPHOBIA.
Asserting their religion, just like other followers of other religions do, is not a sign of religious fanaticism, it is just owning their religious identity. It is not identity politics either. Counter question: Why do you have a problem when Hindus say Hai Shri Ram? I've none.
Just ensure you're not lynching someone saying it or lynching someone for not complying to you asking them to say it. Same for Islam. Same for every religion. You own your religious identity, celebrate it, just don't try to impose it on anyone else. We are all chill then.
4) Argument that everyone is a sellout. It's just common sense. Protesters aren't. They are fighting for something.
"They" are. We all know how they buy legislators; buying out a few propagandists who masquerade as influencers, passively conveying all that "they" want to...
"They" are. We all know how they buy legislators; buying out a few propagandists who masquerade as influencers, passively conveying all that "they" want to...
That's all for now. I know it's a super long thread. Read if you can, RT if you think it makes sense. Will add to this later. Cheers.
Leaving this here too.
