Jan 21, 2008

The Militant, The Mimic, The Moderator and The Mute


Warning: This is not an intelligent post, just an observation.

At the lunangular Moss being his usual self, voiced 'social citizen's' concern over 'development'. This discussion went on to become a battle of rights and wrongs; aimless, inconsequential argument over topics ranging from commercialization exploiting the unpronounceable land, to activism of the paper tigers (a term coined by Androgyny, or it is said so) scared me with the burning rage I saw in Moss's eyes.

Black Pearl accused me of living in theories and as this discussion progressed - i found myself trapped - like in Shoba's class, in the child labour conferences, in the women's bill drafting meeting. It was a 'the cat is clawing on my door' feeling, and I didn't like it at all. Debates surge a different energy and provide a different high that stifles the clean space on a page. Moss was on the brink -- his lack of serious sensibilities towards 'real' issues, channelises his fury into the lower rung of pro-development advocacy: the gutters that will never breed any good.

Hypothetically speaking any social order constitutes to the four M's :
the Militant, the Mimic, the Moderator and the Mute.

The Militant is a human thought who believes in action for reaction. He is our malicious opportunist. Examples lay in policy makers, corporate lemon squeezers, arms market dealers, advertising industry gimmicks, multiple choice consumerism et. al. They are known to exploit the world at large by always taking more than they give. This zone of human thought is usually neutral of emotions and in it's loyalty does not belong to anyone or anywhere.

The Mimic settles in the lower rung; learning and multiplying from its nexus with the Militant. This group flowers on mutual profits (when on the same side of the fence). Religious fundamentalists, activists, social- governing bodies, pharmacy giants, media, etc... They are the face of the shining/ shadow side of the powerful militant; they interpret and display the core ideology for the masses. A quality prominent of this segment is a generous peppering of names, shallow knowledge of the core ideology and unreasonable conviction. They are the loudest cheerleaders or opposites.

The Moderate is often the furniture of the system. The active, affluent, educated form the group - the common bonds are the rising feelings of futility, different set of priorities, set goals to be achieved, and a desensitized skin. They are often found in the working class, or professionals who, swim in the ocean without befriending or antagonising the militant.

The Mute are the marginalised. They thrive on invisibility and are often buried under the shadow of the Mimic. The Mute as a group is fluid, it may be a group of oppressed communities, a negated religion, a destroyed culture or a language pushed into oblivion. Their stories are often told with great drama, however we do not see/hear them. And because they are Mute (without voice, power or information) they are at the mercy of the Mimic or the militants, and both exploit and profit from their empty status.
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The circle shall not change, it will move, the mimics will become militants, the moderates the mutes, the mutes the mimics, etc... the word progress comes with a baggage 'at whose cost', someone pays for all our comforts and luxuries and we do for someone else's too.
Choose your side of the coin.