* some men have it all

I have really found the perfect man…reading marcuse’s chapter 1…the new forms of control!
Some reflections..

the same liberty which helped capitalism to grow has been suppressed and absorbed into the system ( the system which prevents criticism and opposition)

“a comfortable, smooth, reasonable, democratic unfreedom prevails in advanced industrial societies”…
he says that non-conformity is useless since it would lead to tangible economic and political disadvantages…see the use of the word ‘tangible’…coz capitalism works on the tangible/objective/measurable/quantifiable/material/visible

“The most effective and enduring form of warfare against liberation is the implanting of material and intellectual needs that perpetuate obsolete forms of struggle for existence.”
Note the use of the words ‘material’ and ‘intellectual’…since the absence of these two needs is crucial for a revolution…by fulfilling these two, you have suppressed the waves of change

“No matter how much such needs may have become the individual’s own, reproduced and fortified by the conditions of existence; no matter how much he identifies himself with them and finds himself in their satisfaction, they continue to be what they were from the beginning- products of a society whose dominant interest demands repression”.
Wowwwwww!!
Thus, society needs to represses- alternatives, oppositions an d liberation to exist..
So he says “how can people who have been the objective of effective and productive domination but themselves create the conditions of freedom”…
Coz freedom requires individual consciousness of his unfreedom, but he cant be conscious since he is doesn’t see himself unfree- he is unable to distinguish between his needs and society’s needs which have become the same (but he doesn’t know that)… he doesn’t know that society has created made its needs, his needs…thus, controlled him

“Indeed, in the most highly developed areas of contemporary society, the transplantation of social into individual needs is so effective that the difference between them seems to be purely theoretical”. (sexy line)
That’s the paradox of reason (or modernity/capitalism/rationality)

The distinguishing feature of advanced industrial society is its effective suffocation of those needs which demand liberation- liberation also from that which is tolerable and rewarding and comfortable…
A talks about a free press which censors itself!
“Free election of masters does not abolish the masters or the slaves.”
My god!!

“Mass production and mass distribution claim the entire individual, and industrial psychology has long since cased to be confined to the factory.”

* some reflections on Marcuse…

Was reading the intro of One Dimensional Man…I like the name…”the paralysis of criticism: society without criticism’….
Two judgments he makes:
“That human life is worth living, or rather can be and ought to be made worth living”…his underlies all intellectual effort
“Specific possibilities exist for the amelioration of human life and specific ways and means of realizing theses possibilities”…everybody’s working towards something they perceive as better…nobody wants to strive and plan for the worst…
he says that two forces exist in ‘advance industrial society’…it is capable of a lot of change (you could attribute this to many factors like individualism, multiple channels of communication, technological advancement, education…) BUT has been capable of containing this (possible) change ..
“This containment of social change is perhaps the most singular achievement of advanced industrial society …”
why is that so?
Coz this society has created a “technical apparatus of production and distribution” which is ‘totalitarian’ thus it not only determines “the socially needed occupations, skills, and attitudes, but also individual needs and aspirations”
Thus, we can no longer see technology as ‘neutral’…

This is one of his coolest words “technology serves to institute new, more effective and more pleasant forms of social control and cohesion”…
Look at the word ‘pleasant’…that’s amazing!! (I know it sounds like an assumption that social control is negative…but most of it is unnecessary)
I know its like Foucault…but he wrote Discipline in Punish in 1975…while Marcuse wrote this in 1964…don’t know why Foucault is given so much ‘whoa’…(MS Word cant recognize Marcuse…but Foucault it knows..
And remember…technology is a political instrument…its controlled and owned
in the hands of few..it has created as division in society…
that’s why Marcuse says, “technological rationality has become political rationality”. beautiful; how he brings out the nexus between the objective and subjective...neutral and affective…

did you know that Apple toolbars have an American flag on them??..i just found out!!

* fuck patriarchy...

gender inequality is the oldest form of inequality ...and there has never been a revolution against it??

men are symbols of patriarchy...by living with a man you are 1) confined to the norms and constraints of patriarchy 2) you assume the duality of the sexes 3) think of sexuality as fixed and closed (yes, im referring to Foucault's idea) 4) accept the relationship between a man and a woman- of hierarchy, inequality and of power and 5) you perpetuate patriarchy....

so its your choice

* understand patriarchy

reading Judith Butler's Gender Trouble..

For Simone de Beauvoir...women are the 'other'..for Freud, women are en who like something (ya, the oppressive phallus)...for Irigaray women are underrepresented in language...thus, how do we conceive of them...(still reading what Foucault says)...

but this is what ishaa says...men are the other...they lack one thing that women posses...they lack the most important thing for society...they cant perpetuate society!!! (visibly they cant...what you gonna do about it??)

thus, men created patriarchy....they were insecure (and still are) and wanted to make all people believe that they have something vital for society (im still wondering what that is!!)..only women have what society wants...

men realized this lack...they can never play the most important role in society...then society will treat them like shit (which we need to now)..so they 1) created cultural domains for themselves...(expressed though univocal systems of language, rituals, exchange...) and 2) undervalued the most important contributions of women...

then...to save themselves from this Freudian guilt...they created the archetype of 'mother'...at least you cant dispute over the mother's role...

thus, men are the lack...men are the other....

* hating men

if men understood women, the world would have been a better place. women cant understand men...their species- being is flawed!

i always wonder what function men have in society. women can do everything men can, but men cant do everything that women can (in response to mahim...yes we will create synthetic semen!!)

corrupt people, makers of war, promoters of inequality, supporters of oppression, creators of capitalism, rapists, thieves, politicians, gun lobbiers...murderers...are largely

MEN!!

* poem of productivity

when you produce,
you dont think;

when you dont think,
you dont criticize;

when you dont criticize,
you dont rebel;

when you dont rebel,
you dont change;

when you dont change,
you perpetuate status quo.

maybe thats why i think and wrote alot. coz i aint productive!...for the capitalist society

* pondering over productivity

capitalism not only relies on production but on constructing 'productive' members of society. when you are busy in production, you dont think; when you dont think, you dont criticize; when you dont criticize, you dont rebel; when you dont rebel, you dont change; when you dont change, you perpetuate status quo. maybe thats why i think and wrote alot. coz i aint productive!...at least not for the capitalist society. but Gandhi and Marx talked about a self-fulfilling productivity; a constructive process for the individual and society. Praxis. this productivity frees us and does good to others...am i implying that man is productive by nature??..i dont know..im a sociologist...i dont give a shit about individuals...we think society

* isha's superquotes...

i used to daydream about people and events, not i ponder over ideas and processes...

marriage is when the most number of people accept a decision regarding the restructuring of society, in the least amount of time

what if we wrote all our thoughts out??

i always wonder what others are thinking about?

i have no emotions for i am a member of society

everyone's lonely

loss is not painful
change is

women are everything what men lack
thus, women are everything

* debates with saifi

just wanted to quote saifi here...i liked this thing he said...that there are two things present in all societies...the idea of god...and intoxication...hmmm...i am looking for three things...1)a society without god..god needs society...but does society need god? 2) the meaning and occurence of taboo 3) this is just for me...but any language where there is a use of CAPITAL letters...other than english...oooooh...i am thinking about the meaning of CAPITAL letters in language...its deep...

* relax the rules

Why monogamy doesn’t work:
* Men are not perfect…so you get something from one and something else form another
* It’s a fact- all people want to be loved and everyone has lots to do in their own space…so you can be loved by many and each can get their own space!
* Are you ready to commit and only stay with one person??? (if each person has their defined role and space…then its fun!)

Monogamy is a process by which society makes us conform…outta monogamy you conform to all aspects of society…such as:
* the duality between man and woman
* status- hypergamy…caste endogamy…clan exogamy
* economic expectations of man and woman- man earns…woman burns
* social expectations of man and woman- man works…woman works (except at home)
* political expectations of man and women- one makes decisions, the other executes
* who is accepted to be responsible of children…the woman…of course!
* Dress- oooh…that’s a tricker…(should I include jewelry??)
* Language- linguistic conformity…use of particular words in particular style (duh…that’s why men abuse overtly)
* Religion…faith..one God…yess..thats God…but then who’s God?? my God...your God??

* Locality--what's on the menu??patrilocal, neolocal...virilocal???
* The name…plzzzzzz…not the name…why are we changing names coz of the stupid man??
* You have to be serious and committed!!..
* Temptation???..now don’t talk about the duality between virtue and sin!...
* Gift- giving is made two-way…what about circular???
* Single track thinking…

But there are multiple truths, multiple ways of being, multiple choices…

* hmm

i am turning into sociology!!...

* copy cats

pak has a federal investigation agency!!...eeeewwwwwww groce...why the hell should we copy their thing!..stupid government!
i know we copy the brits, the amrikans...but still!!...we are all slaves of the same system!

* another opium of the masses

love is the opium of the masses. it is a social construct. does anybody even know what love is? for one thing, its the most commonly used word today; seems like its so easy to fall in love!i bet ninety percent of people who use the word dont even know what it is or have felt it...its become so cliche to say "i love you"..and its manifestation has become so material- cards, conversations, candy...its beyond the written and the spoken...its the feeling..and the action...and more...its the experience

you can only know you love someone when you feel that unity. that selfless feeling from within - that you care about a person. a person for what he/she is. its the presence of that person that makes him/her special. his/her being. the totality. love doesnt rest on the duality of gender but on the unity of feeling and experience.

people just love to simplify complexity and love is just and example of that!

PS. sorry for the reference to 'masses'...assumes homogeneity at the social level...then i contradict it by saying all is complex...maybe homogeneity is a simplification of heterogeneity...!!

* be a nerd...be cool

its funny how society laughs at those who study. honestly, ask me. i have been joked about for many years- "going to the library?", "you must be studying".."the nerd"..hahaha. i differ from these people only in one way. not that i study and they dont- but that NOW...do i understand and have realized that the system has always perceived studying in a 'joking' ( i will go back to jokes in a later post). the system does not consider these nerds as cool...why? i have two ways of looking at. one is that - who are the coolest people...think...obviously those who eat out, travel, shop, 'hang out' (have you ever you ever thought where this word originated from??)...so basically, society says those people who SPEND are cool...coz spending perpetuates capitalism......duh!!...ok so conversely...those who study alot are critical of the system (thanks for calling me the library goer)..and the system does not want that. so it creates an illusion and calls these studiers as silly...

and last...you wonder why its bad to criticize...duh!!coz it disturbs status quo, thus its suppressed ...thats why people think its bad to criticize...all 'self- help gurus' are just a product of this modernity...and all big thinkers were born out of critical analysis.....

take it from the nerd...studying frees you from the bonds of slavery of the system. its freedom. its analysis.. its just helps you make better choices and lead a happy life. so next time you pick out a perfect cellphone, think again. maybe spend a little (or nothing) on a book....

* the U.S. does war

the U.S. does war. except its wars are diplomatic, covert, latent and at times non-violent. i always wonder why groups are so concerned about sticking to their ideology and perpetuating it; and destroying those who do not follow it. but then ideology perpetuates society- it keeps status quo. and thats what the elite want. so ideology sustenance becomes their mission. the U.S. kills people, then creates people to kill people then kills those people who it created to kill people. thats the violent side of its wars. the non-violent? it trains a cadre of greedy slaves with the aim to maximize its production for the sake of production. these slaves are trapped in the illusion of money. money that can buy them status (thats how capitalism quantifies experience). but latently, these slaves are not producing for money, but for the sake of production of commodities. thats exactly how Max Weber distinguished early forms of capitalism with today's capitalism (accumulation for the sake of accumulation)...but i would like to go beyond (or even back- since its a Marxian referent) and say that its production for the sake of production! the system wants to commodify everything so that it reduces its slaves to hungry, greedy workers- who are blind and passive and uncritical of the system. thus, the system perpetuates itself!

free yourself from commodification of human life- of social life. free yourself from the bonds of money. money encashes on your emotions and leaves you begging for more. you can spend, you can buy brands and you can live off technology (which i am doing) but dont get attached to it so that it eats you up. dont be dependent on it- addicted to this ideology of starvation and greed. money comes and money goes. but the system lives on.

* a world free of hunger

the UN says that millions of people are hungery (and i aint interested in quantifying social problems)..its not that one section of society is hungry. we all are hungey. while some of us are hungry for food; most of us are hungry for money. so hellooo??MDGs (this western world of acronymns...MDGs..WMDs...sounds the same !!)ya the first MDG ...so how will we eradicate hunger and poverty by 2015, when you people are the most hungry??

* reasoning with reason

why??..sometimes i wonder why people want a reason...

this reason man!...its the reason which is killing us...modernity talks of 'reason'...epistimology rests on the search for reason...the flaw is in the belief that there is one way of knowing things...that is, by reason...everything is supported, argued and defended on the basis of reason...its is the 'logos'...all knowledge systems are only formally accepted since they are a logos...sociology...biology...axiology...phenomenology...

ethnomethodology...but no one talks about the others modes that Aristotle talked about..there was logos (concern for reason)...but there was 'ethos' (for personality) and for 'pathos'...(emotions)......but modernity, capitalism, knowledge on the basis of 'logos' has been accpted by society...why does not society not give preference to emotions...is it coz emotions disturb social equilibrium.....then i turn to Levi-Strauss and the debate on nature and culture......

again its reasoned.....

* only for the 'elite'...

there are many things i literally dont care about... to top the list is news...filtered pieces of shit the capitalists want the masses to believe in...
so this is again an assigment i wrote...i never thought about this issue just like i never think about the issues that the whole world thinks is news...but i had to write it for college...i was never interested in posting it...but everyone's written about it...(coz we are the slaves of america), so im posting it
BEYOND VICTORY

The results are out. As the United States of America watches its 44th President Barack Obama come to power, the world awaits a change. America is regarded as the seat of democracy and the center of the world economy. Amidst the global financial crisis, will President Obama give the world hope and economic stability?

Financial analysts say that Obama lacks the experience of Senator McCain. McCain’s policies favoured huge private investments and capitalist ventures. He had promised to directly create wealth unlike Obama’s socialist re-distribution policies. The Democrats have largely supported non-proliferation and protectionist policies. This may not favour India at all times, especially with the Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal being given a green signal. Obama has also promised subsidies to those U.S. companies which discourage outsourcing to guarantee jobs to the Americans. With the sensex plummeting and pink slip worries soaring high, India may see job losses for BPO industries. However, McCain’s policies would have directly favored economic growth in India. Also, Obama hopes to deploy the troops from Iraq to Afghanistan thus shifting his attention to Pakistan. He has been keen on resolving the much debated Kashmir issue though U.S. intervention. Pakistan is open to dialogue. However, India has asserted that the issue needs to be resolved bilaterally with Pakistan and there is no need for U.S. intervention. Historically, Indo-U.S. ties have always been strong when the Republicans have been in power.

Like Bush, McCain is more confident and clear about tackling terrorism. Obama has never vehemently criticized the flawless contributions of McCain. He knows McCain has the strength of experience. Then why did thousands of Americans shy away from choosing Vietnam War veteran John McCain as their President?

After the eight tortuous years of the Bush regime where young soldiers packed off to Iraq barely completing high school…and still wait to taste victory. Where strenuous efforts to find the weapons of mass destruction went into vain and where the economy has slumped into pain. It took such a blow for the Americans to realize that they needed a change. The need for a change in policies converted anti-Republican votes to into pro- Democrat votes. Was it only anti-incumbency then?

Rather not. Obama represents change. He has the charisma and the ideal face of America. He represents the idealism of a nation where all citizens stand equal and free. And it is no surprise that 66% of citizens below 30 voted for him. His campaign was unique as it tapped online resources and thus, the youth. Online donation was very high by which Obama was able to raise more campaign funds than McCain. McCain actually went on to say that he does not even use the internet! Obama also stands for diversity and multiculturalism. More than 60 % of Asians and Hispanics voted for him. He represents all sections of society- able, disable and gay or straight. He is the symbol of a global identity and of mixed racial history. Voter turn out was the highest in these elections and more than two-thirds of first time voters counted on Obama. He has been regarded as the most popular U.S. President in the last 20 years. Obama has also been compared to former U.S. President John F. Kennedy for his youth and brilliant oratory skills.

It is not today that history has been created. It is the faith that the Democrats had in Senator Obama to represent their ideals and policies and add his fresh ideas to these. History will be created the day this faith transcends to all Americans- when people of all races, classes and categories will see each other equal and live the American dream.

let me be true...there are some things i simply adore about america..i will admit its my accent...hehehe...hollywood..the junk food there is OH MY GOD!..though i am receding from my sweet tooth habits...food is cheaper...in india you actually have to think twice before ordering a pizza..they just wanna rip you off...been long since i had one...heheh..maybe i will have to find a sponser!!heheheh

* economies backpacking

something i wrote for a class assignment at college..i thinks its one of my best pieces...ONE..i have lots more that are amazing!!but this is one of my pieces that's hidden with puns...its not for everybody!

Nothing is adventurous as a backpacking trip; yet nothing is as dangerous! This year as many countries are clutching on to their adventurous economies; India prepares for an economic change. The G-20 world economies met again this year in Washington only to find the surest solution to save the global economy from danger. Surely they agreed on strengthening financial transparency; boosting standards of credit rating agencies; creating a risk warning system and reforming financial institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

First the basics. The sub-prime market in the United States collapsed. Why? Commercial banks offered loans to real estate buyers even if they were not credit- worthy. Candy for free is more yummy than the heavily priced one. But the price is higher when the candy pinches the stomach. Investment banks relying on these commercial banks fell. And the world saw a domino effect. For the first time in ten years the Eurozone countries are rumbling into recession and the U.S. economy is choking on its breath. Recession is not the enemy but ideological change is. Is it time for the U.S. to realize that it has always been living in debt and today is just a peep into reality. A country where Sam buys a fancy car on plastic and remodels his house from equities. But today can Sam change his lifestyle without paying the cost? Is it time for the U.S. to realize that their unilateral gifts came for a price? With its market saturated and labour costs soaring high, it will have to find the most profitable gifts for its friends and foes. It will have to bailout its technocrats and advertisers to emerging economies. Is it time for the U.S. to realize that capitalism can be controlled? Ironically, the 700 billion dollars government bailout plan has only saved the promoters of laissez-faire capitalism.

Today when the Sensex sees red- it is reminded of yesterday – when the red had already predicted its plunge. The industrial growth rate is staggering at a low of 4.9%. But the PM sees success somewhere. At the G-20 meet. He sees a shift in balance of economic power at the global level and a genuine dialogue between developed economies and emerging economies. The World Bank and the IMF have promised to give India a greater voice. But sound travels a finite distance. Greater representation in credit granting agencies only creates the need for credit. But it is still difficult to conceive credit as the solution.

The Finance Minister in the recent India Economic Summit has assured that demand will be stimulated. Whose demand? Will cut in airfare prices fuel demand? Certainly for somebody it will! Even if cuts in the Repo rate, the Cash Reserve Ratio and the Statutory Liquidity Ratio prompt a reduction in loan rates- only industry will invest- with second thoughts. Will Aam Aadmi also desire to buy a fancy car and remodel his house? At least our policies are trying to plunge him into his passions. But are we not then heading towards the same rough road that our Uncle Sam treaded on? Are we subsidizing the rich at the cost of the poor?

India can look for opportunity. We can promote our products abroad and strengthen domestic industries. The PM has said that we need to maintain an open economy. But was it not the regulated economy which saved us from recession? We can use this shift in balance of power to our advantage. It is time for us to find new friends. Maybe China. Maybe not. We have others like South Africa and Brazil. And we can always shake more hands with the Germans and the French. And Aam aadmi sees one hope. Election fever is high and hopefully down will fall the costs of commodities.

When the market it free, people are not. And when people are free; they control the market. Then arises another clash of civilizations.

* systemic ideology

this is it...i have cracked it...been thinking about it for so long...its a social fact...everything wants to perpetuate itself. ideology, family, religion, language, capitalism and the system....they do not exist merely for their existence but for their perpetuation...their limitless survival...systems are immortal till not changed...you can change a system but you cant change the fact that there can never be systems...there will be some system and that system for its perpetuation (and not survival) will sieze power by imposing an ideology.....you can never rid yourself of it...though it can rid you for its sake...
people die, systems live......they order and command so that they become timeless entitites, they do what they want to do. they do what they want us to do. every system has one goal- to go on. it will sacrifice its members if neccessary. who told you death is not as beautiful as life??? the system has a plan. a plan to sustain itself ...not today, but tomorrow. ya, you can loose a language, family, particular means of production...a political regime...the system does not need these. these are just the supporting actors. the system needs an ideology. it is uses an ideology because..firstly, it cant be lost. ideology does not die. neither does it need people to survive. also, ideology motivates the supporting actors to act in its ways. and who are we??..we are the visible manifestations of the supporting actors....we just accept without knowing that we have accepted...latently, we have accepted a self-perpetuating ideology.

* crappy writing

sometimes i hate monogamy!.so restrictive it is..you know why society makes us like monogamy...why it gives it high value??..coz society knows, the moment you stop conforming...you will disrupt it...its for self-preservation....Maslow only gave us the needs of the individual, but man...helloo...society has the same needs...and our first need is of preservation and security.....how to do that?...make rules...then make the rules sacred...how to make rules sacred?...attach value to them..how to do that? ...make them a part of religion and culture...
but society does not tell us tell us to conform...it makes conformity a part of life by giving it value...and by creating fear ..because society is aware of the next needs...the need to belong, be accepted and loved...and you only get these goodies when you conform...
ok...i was talking about monogamy...dont you hate resisting temptation (some would raise eyebrows over the reference to the first need...and the ones that follow)...yaaaa..why do you have to be with one person the whole time...why not one person one time...another another time.......ok..someone maybe wanting me to stop writing......
fine i conform to you society!

* entrapped by sociology...

Sociology is an iron cage

It traps you in beliefs, in thoughts, in perceptions; in questions, in analysis, in cathexis; in mystery, in discovery…in solutions, in illusions in dreams, in hope, in freedom, in reflection, in choices, in morals, in values...in a system, in a pattern…it controls your life, teaches you that society is important, it is above you…break a rule and society punishes…it teaches you all answers and leaves you no choice…since you can never be free…you can know everything – only what sociologist can do …but there is one thing you will always be taught. You will be taught that you are a tiny part in this system, you belong here, and you live here and die here. You fight and you try to change. Society bounces back. You can have all the answers but you will never know how to fight the system- but you know that if you do- society will be the victor. Society is people...society is power…society is God. You seek solace from it, but you wonder, you ask so mush from it but get so less, you hunt to unravel its mystery, you feel it all around, you obey and yet…you are powerless.

* ideating...

How can you have an ideology?
Coz ideology constrains you to a set of ideas and concentrates them in a framework. Ideology thus, enslaves. And ideology constantly defines and redefines our perceptions. An alternate ideology is still an ideology. It is not the fight between classes and groups but of ideologies. It is a clash of ideologies. All ideologies are yet to materialize and concentrate into a ‘paradigm’ (so that they can be put into a discipline). They are just ideas at a nascent stage. Why should we make them into paradigm? Again we are concentrating ideas- leaving some out and keeping some in. Here again, lies misery.

* managing ideas...

What is management?

Oh my God, till date the world was not manageable- today everything can be managed- since we have ‘management’ as a ‘profession’. Perhaps that’s why the world has become a better place! Coz we can NOW manage everything. Were people never ‘managing’ before? Ask our parents- who have managed our family (and thus, society) taught us what we never formally learnt- language and ideas, expectations and values…

Before- commerce was a practice. Today it is condensed into a book0 a discipline of knowledge. That’s how capitalism perpetuates itself- by making its ideology a commodity- a book and a profession. But putting all in a book I can spread it and make you believe in it (we tend to believe the written than the oral!). I can condense these written ideas into a system? (which disciplines call ‘epistemes’). And what does a system do? It enslaves. We are all slaves of a ‘system’.

And wealth management?? (makes me laugh)
It makes us possessive, attached and dependent on wealth. And wealth consequently cannot be managed- only ideology pertaining to possession of wealth can be. Don’t manage wealth- but distribute it. It will end all misery.

It’s the CONCENTRATION of ideas, material and knowledge that creates a system which is not only capable of enslaving us but also perpetuating itself…
That’s the function of all systems- to enslave us to that it can perpetuate itself…

* polemics of poverty...

Why are people poor?

Gee, that’s like something I never thought of, coz the system was busy teaching me the ‘causes’, ‘effects’ and ‘solutions’ to/of poverty. Even the debates of solving this ‘problem’…which still haven’t been resolved. No, not poverty…the debates!! Knowledge creates too many solutions….and we keep waiting for someone to think of a ‘better’ paradigm…thus we take no action! You know knowledge is more existent than action! It should be the other way round., we need more action in the world., what are you gonna do with so much ‘knowledge’? I don’t know…maybe create systems of power? Like Marx said (and ya, many religions say too- and everybody does) its the attachment to material possessions that creates disparity, people are not poor since some possess material and some do not- people ARE poor since the system and those who possess don’t allow (and has/have never) those who do not possess to possess. It can be good. Coz the people are less hit by economic crisis (read: the crisis of the ‘rich;…the crisis of ‘money’- or the lack of it!!). These are unaffected by the stock market, the FDI and the policies of the government! It’s paradoxical- because its good, yet it is bad (good and bad is about ‘to whom’). Its good if you think possession is bad and its bad if you believe that the world should materially prosper. Obviously the system (since it’s of the rich) does not allow the poor to prosper. Just like patriarchy fears control by women…coz the dominant ideology knows that the alternative group is more powerful, but they believe they are smarter since they can create an apparatus of illusion.

* do i wanna study more???

I don’t know why you have to do a Ph.D. to be ‘big’

All sociologists, particularity Foucault (ok…social scientists…thinkers of our accepted epistemologies) have acknowledged that knowledge is created and never complete. Then how can you use ‘scientific’ research techniques to sit over a ‘problem’ for five years. Do you gain more knowledge studying one issue for many years or studying many issues (which include reflexivity in studying) for many years? Do we even have to know more? That means specialized knowledge makes you dumber! You know only one thing. Only when you know one thing in depth do you know all else superficially. This makes it easy to rule over you, control you and enslave you. Have you ever been in a debate on the issue of cloning, feminist literature, political propaganda, rocket science? So hard it is to debate right? Coz you only know your field and the rest is ???...huh??? the whole process of report writing (or thesis writing) is governed by that of natural sciences. Are the accepted tools and methodologies the only ways of knowing? Knowledge constrains.

* married to sociology...

There are so many things that makes sociology the coolest thing:
1. Its only us that studies Marx as Marx and not as a theorists of economy, polity or change but as a thinker…as a critic to dominant ideology…someone who gave us alternatives and methods to achieve these…someone’s who ideas are original, polemical and timeless
2. we study every subject…hahaha
3. only we accept that there are maybe no truths or multiple subjective interpretations…nobody is right or wrong, good or bad…no ideology is dominant, no idea is representative….no theory explains it all….
4. We problemitize the individual in society and the society’s influence on the individual…
5. Only we know that knowledge is constructed and perhaps for the benefit of a particular group and that too at different time periods. Knowledge is systematic, incomplete and hierarchical. There are multiple ways of knowing.

* doing alternatives

sometimes i feel so contradictory and confused....i feel this crazy urge to rebel......by rebel i mean to do what i wanna do, i aint interested in following the trend.....the dominant ideology...i realized two things about what i think ....one is that i like alternatives...i dont like this fake hypocrisy...and i hate categorization, so convenient it has become for people to slot complex reality of society..if society was so simple to classify its parts and semi parts...then it would be so smooth...even writing the blog doesnt feel good...huh..

* when buses fuck up your mood...

i will admit that 511 is much sicker then 764....its pathetic..............people stink and the mean are mentally sick....its so squishy...i literally have to miss my bus stop a few times and get down at the next two coz its so hard to get off.........................
i will spend all my money on the auto......well its ok...i really have no one to spend money on...........no one to to take out for lunch, no one to go somewhere out with me so i do spend money............i dont buy clothes, movies,books, makeup, jewelery, eat out...................
women have to be strong.........its fucked up, first a man hurts you, then you run to another man just to feel better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (dont inflate a man)
after all, all men are the same species.....
i know to survive i have to be strong and face life myself and on my own, i know no one will ever be there to take care of me........................
perhaps its the begininng ...........sometimes its justified that they kill women........which woman wants to live with such men in the world......tell me??........

* are you a slave??

think about technology...its promoting individualism.....what's a 'personal computer' ...does a laptop allow more than a few people to use it??..cellphones and blogs............

God......i cant even write..........something must be wrong here...lagta hai gussa thanda ho gaya...will be back.......

* hypocrisy redefined...

why do people sing about these major social issues..ah...we will write about female infanticide, we will discuss AIDS...communalism and fundamentalism....i mean why dont they discuss basic 'experiential' issues, which are lived, which are real....which affect all of us.....

when there are millions of NGOs working on these issues then cant you think of something more around you???....what about the sick men peeing on the streets, the buses dont even stop at the bus stops, the shopkeepers are rude, men eveteasing....feeling up girls in the bus........spitting paan from the auto, singing love songs when they pass a girl, not sopping your car to let people cross the street, not giving your bus seat for someone who is 'handicapped'....smoking on people's faces......passerbys not walking on the walkways but giving the bus drivers a chance to squash them, or even worse, not having a walkway to walk on and walking at the edge of the street close to death.....why arent these issues of concern to those who have taken it upon themselves to 'work' for development and humanity...............

* memory lane

dont you get those times, when you wish you were back in the good old days..today aint happy...just feeling unexcited...and i have been unexcited...though i am always excited and happy about everything..my thoughts are so erratic..
why do people love??..why do people love so much...i dont get it
my head aches so much...i just want to be enlightened...i want to be intellectually stimulated..i dont care anymore....
i hate the fact that i expect..i hate the fact that i cant just say what i wanna and be what i wanna...
i hate everything..........................