Ageism of Indian Society & Democracy
Democracy is government by the people, of the people, for the people. While there are many forms of democratic government and many troubles associated with democratic governance, and across the world, these forms manifest in different magnitudes, and facades. In the words of not so great, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, “Democracy is the worst form of government except all of the others” and fairly great American Philosopher John Dewey “Democracy has to be born anew every generation and education is its midwife”
As it pertains to the new Indian generation, its almost that democracy never had rebirth for it, or maybe unlike Churchill, the generation didn’t find worth for it. But the 2020 India is in no way a democracy of the people, for the people, by the people. As a fairly colonialist representation, today’s Indian governance is not from the UK but from entire another age decade.
India is by far one of the youngest countries on the planet. Every one in seven living people on this planet lives in India. The median age of India is 28.1 years (2018 est). From the voting category i.e. people who can vote, 370 million people are under the age of 45, yet this group hardly finds any place in Indian democracy and decision making system as an elected representative. Rather, even in India Inc., the academic circuits, the panels, the voices on panels, the OpEds in newspapers, the group is entirely missing. And probably this is precise while most young Indians have retreated from these platforms entirely into our cocoons of Instagram and other Social Media platforms to speak and listen.
It is not only that such a skewed representation is not fair and democratic. But it is also highly and extensively inefficient. An individual aged 45 typically completed her undergraduate circa 1990s and someone aged 60+ typically finished their studies in 1970s.
And while basic tenets of education, fundamental concepts of a subject do not and have not varied in these years, the core character of today’s problems and most importantly today’s tools have transformed entirely. For instance, how many current cabinet ministers and members of parliament can really read and reply emails, slack for collaborative work, do a quick analysis on an Excel sheet, and work on Google doc with 20 other people of their subcommittee. I contest that more than ideology and corruption, this gross incompetence is hindering India’s growth, development, and good governance.
And again, while I entirely value wisdom and knowledge, and many old people over the years have kept themselves up on the learning curve, how many people of generation 50+ really understand technology, one of the core drivers and parameters of today’s life compared to a 23-year-old millennial.
Martin Luther King said “Capitalism fails to realize that life is social, Communism fails to realize that life is personal. The good and just society is a socially conscious democracy which reconciles the truths of individualism and collectivism.
I would reiterate along the same lines “Old people fail to realize what they don’t know, Young people, fail to realize what and how quickly they can learn. An equitable and mutually respected society reconciles the wisdom of the old with the naive of the young”
I had the realization of how much young people do not trust themselves and constantly doubt their ability was with the emergence of Billie Eilish. Yes, the 17-year-old Grammy winner singer philosopher Gen Z icon Billie Eilish. Billie devised her iconic single Ocean Eyes at the age of 14. And in hindsight, we are all happy to call her genius and prodigy.
The reality is that plenty 14-year-old kids before and after Billie had the same depth of emotion and talent of expression, but very very few had the confidence of revelation. And whatever little confidence our tiny stature could afford was quickly stubbed by someone older, someone richer, someone with an undue power of making a judgment.
To some level, this hierarchy of respect allocation, and power distribution to make decisions emerged from the accumulation of knowledge and wealth. And in times prior to this millennia, without the internet, access to information, and processing capabilities was highly limited often to either first-hand experience or transmission. Never before in history, did a 15-year-old in New Delhi kid had access to an equal set of information as a 50-year-old gentleman in New York. Hence, it was partially sensible to allocate that decision making power, that confidence of speech and opinion, and that trust on views and action to the wise old men. But in 2020 India and the World, this is simply not true.
More and more the information, knowledge, skill trio is balancing. And though, we can paint old accomplished people in whatever light of respect, an average 25 or 35-year-old individual is equally, if not more informed, knowledgable, skilled in any aspect or subject of life than his/her counterpart from the previous generations.
“The ignorance and misery of Indian society is two-fold. Young people do not trust themselves. Old people do not trust anyone but themselves. Lest we learn to pass the baton, we are doomed to be stuck in 1970s, the decade of our esteemed decision makers”
This 25% population to 3.5 agency in the hands of millennials aged 25 to 35 and 8 population is to 23% control with boomers is one fundamental cause for structural faults in Indian society and democracy.
One reason for this gross misbalance in society and democracy is that it simply takes time to accumulate and accomplish. To run for office, or to find a spot in a panel, or to build a billion $ business, one needs time, typically anywhere from one to few decades.
The second, more critical reason, is simply the inertia of erstwhile days. “This is how it has always been done” and a sincere lack of imagination that comes from inertia. In particular in Indian society, the obedience of often uninformed and fairly incorrect “elders” is so high, that young people throughout the country are loosing their absolutely capable and perfect decision-making agency to these agents of fossil.
And the third reason, key to future solutions, is a lack of self-introspection on the part of both generations. To some level, older people are failing to recognize their own shortcomings and yield control to younger people. However, in this case, unlike say any racial, gender, national shortcomings, these olders people aka parents and grandparents are actually diminishing their own children and grandchildren, their own loved ones, and by most measures the very people, they dedicated their lives to.
I would argue, this ageist misrepresentation actually has no bad feelings or mal intentions on part of any individual, but is simply a case of gross mistrust and misunderstanding. Our inability to interact, learn, yield control, take charge, and pick responsibilities has led to this disparity.
With this realization and guidance from Gen Z avatar Billie Eilish, maybe if us Millenials can learn something, we can start to take independent decisions in our personal and professional lives, without interference or considerations from our parents and grandparents.
Maybe in the Gen Z vocabulary, “We can start to do whatever the hell we want to do, and in that process actually discover what the hell we want to do”
And maybe soon, despite our bankrupt bank accounts and small statures, we can find courage, take the leap and start our own businesses, build our own ideas, movements, and most importantly run for office and reshape the parliamentary democracy of this country.
At the stroke of our Covid induced decade of the 2020s, Millenials will awake to life, freedom, courage, and responsibility. A moment comes, but rarely in history, when we step out from old to new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a generation, long suppressed, finds utterance.
