A mass stabbing in Dublin of children and others by an individual led to serious riots, looting of shops, attacks on police personnel and burning of cars on Thursday. Ireland is no stranger to violence but it has mostly been the result of the long struggle against imperialism. However, mobs indulging in loot, arson and hooliganism is now a new kind of culture that is visible in many parts of the ‘Western’ world. It has become quite common in the US, where major riots usually follow acts of police high-handedness.
If the United Nations and other ‘international’ organisations are to believed, these developed countries have enjoyed many decades of a high quality lifestyle, with near universal education, healthcare, social welfare infrastructure and opportunities. They are lauded for a relatively higher happiness index as compared to ‘developing’ countries like India. Then why this quick resort to violence and anti-social behaviour? By blaming it on extreme right groups, does it absolve the systems of responsibility? In fact, despite the claim to be more cultured and civilised societies, the differences between races and classes are only increasing. Many are now declaring that the much lauded multi-culturalism has failed in the face of radicalism, political polarisation and bigotry. They have even imported caste discrimination, as if there were not enough divisions. Liberalism has given way to ‘wokeism’ and the rise of right-wing parties everywhere is a direct consequence. Terrorists are embraced as ‘citizens’ requiring government protection from outside forces.
And yet the hypocrisy continues. India will continue to be rated ridiculously low on many indices, regardless of its successes as a functioning democracy, rising economy, and rapidly modernising society. To make a comparison, there have been several agitations here over the past few years on very emotive issues, but the tipping point for public violence has been very rarely triggered. Those who go and seek empathy in foreign lands as ‘victims’ of political repression merely feed into the narrative of a natural, condescending superiority of the ‘West’.
Even as the UN and other Western based organisations lecture India on democratic norms, they remain powerless when it comes to resolving conflicts underway in Ukraine, Gaza and numerous other parts of the world. Soft power and money are being shamelessly used to influence Indian politics regardless of the past history of horrific misadventures. They could serve the world better by working on becoming functional and civilised societies, instead of surrendering to the present blind complacency.
