Free money!!!

Sikkim’s Chief minister has announced that, if elected, he will provide a ‘Universal Basic Income’ (UBI) to all 7 lakh state citizens by 2022. This, basically, means the Sikkim Government might end up giving every registered resident of the state a nominal amount of money periodically, for free. The Chief Minister claims that he will finance this with the surpluses the state government gets as its share from central hydel-power projects in the state. Though the feasibility of this needs to be established, the concept of UBI is clearly back in the limelight.

As many of us already know, the Economic Survey of 2016-17 has a whole 40 pages(173 - 212) on the topic (refer: https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/es2016-17/echapter.pdf) and it clearly defines and explains everything about Universal Basic Income. However, some doubts still plague the concept. Here’s an attempt to address them…

Can we afford it? 

Free money for everyone seems completely bonkers at first, but the fact is the government leases out resources common to us all and makes a lot of money out of it. For example, the very air around us is leased out to telecommunications companies to relay their signals over. What the government does with this money is not based on equality but on requirements and policies. Theoretically, it is possible to fund UBI in India and bring equality into the equation, even though we are still a developing country. In reality though, the jury is still out on the finance. Several existing schemes and ‘yojnas’ might have to be revoked(which is bad for the polls). However, the true cost (beyond just money) of such a measure can only be investigated once it is implemented.

Will it make people lazy?

Several trials done at different locations around the world suggest that this is not the case. However, the people receiving money probably knew the trials were only going to last a couple of months. The behavioural response in this case could be different from that to a more permanent government policy. Hence, it’s only rational to be skeptical. The amount every person will receive is a critical factor in determining whether people will become lazy or not. If it’s too small, it’s no help at all and if it’s too large, it’s definitely going to make many people quit work. 

Is it a ruse? 

Like all political moves, UBI might very well be a strategy to gain an advantage during elections. Voting out a government that hands out ‘free money’ doesn’t sound like an idea the beneficiaries might support. Unless, of course, the party in opposition is willing to continue the scheme or do better. Much like several other programs aimed at helping the needy, UBI could become something with a political ‘Lakshman Rekha’ around it. If the word ‘experiment’ is used as anticipatory bail before implementing UBI, there could be a way out if it indeed turns out to be infeasible and/or damaging to social health.

Why does the Silicon Valley speak highly of UBI? 

To know why Zuckerberg and several others in the Bay Area support UBI, it is essential to think like a capitalist. Most businesses need a stable government that doesn’t change it’s policies every few years. A government that brings UBI is likely to be highly favoured among those in the majority vote-bank, thus extending its time in power. Also, since the funds to maintain the scheme is heavily dependent on the taxes paid by large companies, they get a significant upgrade in terms of their leverage in the ‘lobby’. The government could lose its high-ground; not that it has much at present. Moreover, any young person with a thousand free bucks every month in his/her pocket is going to get more internet or buy more stuff online. This is a good plus for companies whose sole agenda is ‘more people in front of more screens for more time’.

Is it right for India?

In a country where the majority of bureaucracy is corrupt and/or blatantly misuses authority, it is always a good idea to bypass all of it and provide help directly to the people in need. The idea of every helpless,hungry human being (with a bank account) getting a respite, however small it may be, is heart-warming. On the other hand, the concept of giving Mr.Ambani Rs.1000 a month is just comical. The difference between equality and equity comes to the fore here. Several layers of bureaucracy came into existence for the very purpose of directing funds to those in actual need. If at all we do find a way to make it viable, UBI could come with an ‘opt out’ option - much like the LPG subsidy. Will it help transform us for the better? - your guess is as good as anybody’s!

"Ende Ayyapo!" (OMG!)

Sabarimala is on national news today. The age-old tradition of denying women below the age of fifty entry into the famous Ayappa temple atop Sabarimala has been broken. Two women have bravely gone where no woman(of their age group) has gone before. Protests have erupted across the state of Kerala, but they seem to be largely politically motivated. So then, which side does the average person take in this seemingly dicey debate? For starters, you might think - ‘Why did these women choose to target this long held religious custom? Why not address gender issues in other social and work related settings?’. Let me try and shed some light.

Imagine a little boy and his father going on a pilgrimage to Sabarimala. The boy notices that in all the masses of people around them, there aren’t any girls or women(except some old grandmas). So, he asks his father in all innocence, “Dad, why aren’t there any women here?”. Now, imagine you are that little boy’s father and you need to answer that question; what would your explanation be? 

Let me guess; any father would probably say, “It’s tradition. Only women above the age of fifty come to Sabarimala”. Surely though, curiosity isn’t a courteous guest. The boy would predictably go on to ask why that is. What would you say then? Would you come up with a lie to shut him up? Or would you just opt to break it to him that our tradition believes women are ‘impure’? There is no chance that you would explain the whole biology of menstruation to the young boy; but that’s besides the point here. Any which way, the boy will eventually learn the truth. He is going to grow up with the idea that women are intrinsically ‘sub-man’. That there is something mysteriously wrong with them that makes them less worthy. This notion along with all the patriarchy and discrimination on blatant display in his day-to-day life, would subconsciously cement a borderline misogynistic mentality. You don’t have to take my word for it; just look at the footage of all those crybabies throwing a real tantrum out on Kerala’s streets!

This is why the Sabarimala issue is important. This is why activists tried to break the long-held tradition (and eventually succeeded). Though so many Ayappa-bhakts would openly support feminism and gender equality in their social spheres, at the heart of their most personal beliefs lies the hypocrisy of the ‘impure gender’. It only truly hurts when it happens to you - I mean the rude awakening. While we point fingers at Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, condemning how they treat their women, we forget that we treat ours badly in several ways too. We turn a blind-eye even when women are discriminated against right in front of us. All we need is some twisted and senseless logic to pass off as a reason for doing so. 

To me this Sabarimala issue is a wakeup call. It showed me how it feels when our hypocrisies blow up right in our faces. It is time to be more aware of the injustices being casually dished out on the basis of unfounded justifications. Breaking the silence might make the person doing it seem uncivil and confrontational, but what else will actually change things? Should we just go with the usual - waiting for western cultural hegemony to take its sweet time and slowly ‘advance’ our social norms, habits and choices on its terms?   

Millen'aliens'

Over the ages, it has been common tradition for the older generation to dismiss the younger as ‘spoilt’, ‘irresponsible’ and ‘lost’. Even among the youth, some choose to assume the moral high ground and ridicule the less traditional for being ‘ungrateful’ and acting ‘entitled’. All of this is well and good within certain limits, and even contributes to healthy changes in their own way. However, our world has transformed in terms of technology and social connectedness, which, though has had largely positive effects on society, also amplifies not-so-well-thought-through theories, propagandas with ulterior motives and just plain stupidity #StopMakingStupidPeopleFamous. Divisions between groups in society based on religion, caste, cultures, etc., has always been the bane of India and we all thought technology and progress would break down barriers - and this has largely been true with modern work environments bringing people from myriad backgrounds together and treating them equal, etc., but a new divisive narrative is rearing its ugly head and it only seems to be getting stronger. The one that aims to alienate 'millennials'.

The word ‘millennials’ was coined by a couple of authors to jazz up their book titles, but it was the media and ad industry who took it and ran with it. They used it to categorise the younger demographic who would graduate after the year 2000 and they attributed characteristics to the group that they thought uniquely identifies it. As we all know, the ad world adds extra masala to everything, and this has resulted in an extreme and skewed representation of the average ‘millennial’. The beauty of the age of social media is the blatant appreciation of the exaggerated and, unsurprisingly, social media took this unrealistic image of the millennial and ran with that. Mind you, social media may be young and created by the young, but not all who benefit are young! There are a gamut of executives and experienced professionals behind the scenes of social media and just like any other media, most people are on there for monetary gain. I think you can begin to see the irony here. A platform targeted at the young, built with content generated by the young themselves, but not really ‘of the young’ - meaning, the lion's share of the profits generated (through ads) are pocketed by heavy-weight investors and big-wigs who are far from young. When it comes down to the numbers, only a small part of the entire profit churned out of social media goes to the ‘millennials’. Sure, young social media celebrities get paid a lot, but where do you think the money comes from? Carrots to keep the donkeys going! The next level of business-thinking has embraced and brilliantly adapted to technology faster than we can even wrap our head around it. 

Far from a self-spoilt generation that was born hating reality, millennials seem to be the scapegoats to new heights of exploitation. The world before them is littered with unending sources of distraction and new, exciting ways of making some dough on the side, or even making a (questionable) 'career' out of. They are, arguably, being lured by this ad-money driven colossus and herded into a state of crippling addiction, anxiety and discontentment. Meetings inside shiny, glass-wrapped headquarters of ad-giants (Google+Youtube, Facebook+Instagram, etc.) have decided on their target - 'get more people in front of more screens for more time'. The easily enticed millennials are getting cheated out of hours and hours of their lives spent in front of colourful, super-HD screens. What comes to mind is the name of that social media startup the protagonists create in the popular TV series ‘Silicon Valley’ - ‘Pied Piper’; which I’m sure was hardly named randomly. The Pied Piper of Hamelin, as we all know, played his magical pipe to lure the town’s children away - how uncannily analogous to what these social-media platforms are doing to our young people! Who can resist when the most interesting and most funny content is right there at your finger tips? Reality is boring! 

There are very few ways to stop such a juggernaut of ‘entertainment’. There are those who argue whether it should even be stopped. On top of all this, there’s climate change, gigantic population challenges, depletion of key resources etc., that are being pitilessly bequeathed to the millennials to solve. There is no telling what the future holds and there seems to be very little, in our power, that can be done to alter it. We can choose to work along the direction the world is headed in or just crib about everything that's happening. Whichever the choice, alienating the next generation is clearly a folly. It is in our interest to actively set an example and be human to each other, whichever generation we might belong to. A bit of discipline, respect and wisdom can a long way too!