Ecosoc KMC

Hey.. that joke was posted by mistake. I'm still learning how to use blogs.. Sorry...

Sushmit's Arena

A woman and a man are involved in a car accident; it’s a bad one. Both of their cars are totally demolished but amazingly neither of them are hurt.
After they crawl out of their cars, the woman says, “So you’re a man. That’s interesting. I’m a woman. Wow, just look at our cars! There’s nothing left, but we’re unhurt. This must be a sign from God that we should meet and be friends and live together in peace for the rest of our days”.
Flattered, the man replies, “Oh yes, I agree with you completely, this must be a sign from God!”
The woman continues, “and look at this, here’s another miracle. My car is completely demolished but this bottle of wine didn’t break. Surely God wants us to drink this wine and celebrate our good fortune.”
Then she hands the bottle to the man. The man nods his head in agreement, opens it and drinks half the bottle and then hands it back to the woman.
The woman takes the bottle and immediately puts the cap back on, and hands it back to the man.
The man asks, “Aren’t you having any?”
The woman replies, “No. I think I’ll just wait for the police…”

SUMMARY ARGUMENTS ON RESERVATION

(I'm sorry , it's too long. No pressure, if you don't want to read it, Please don't. I've tried to highlight the main points though , and present them in as concise a manner as possible)

1. No country uses reservation as India does.
2. It is advocated to bring backward classes to a level at par with the so called forward classes post independence, and thus create equality. Practical experience and hindsight has shown that such 'quantitative support restrictions' have failed in India to secure equality. Moreover such reservation has created an idea of inequality in the 'superstructure' and 'social consciousness', by making the former feel that the latter is always a potentially exploitative class, and the latter feel unsympathetic to the actually deprived condition of a lot of such people, and rather thinking of them as opportunity stealers.
3. Any policy can be evaluated on the basis of its performance. A fifty year period of non- performance of this policy makes a clear case of its removal and a move to a better policy which leads to a social movement towards equality of opportunities rather than a forced recognition that some castes are unequal that creates a false paradigm of inequality. Thus what is required is a revamping of ideologies and social consciousness.
4. The reservation policy was announced for a period of 10 -years only. Clearly 50>>>>10. Moreover even if such a policy makes sense it is only if the reservation is for first generation backwards to break the vicious cycle they were trapped in. By extending it for so long, the policy has created a dualistic class within the backwards- with the rural backwards still waiting for a first generation reform leading to equality in status, and the urban SC's/ST's who are actually sons and daughters of well placed IAS officers or doctors or the likewise, and are well equipped to fight it out for seats solely on the basis of merit, using such protection to gain access to limited seats and making themselves more well equipped.
5. The actual backward castes today is that of the poor. It doesn't matter to which caste , tribe or class you belong to. As long as you are poor, you are backward. Thus, if the government is really interested in removing inequality of opportunity, it must tackle poverty at all levels.
6. Also, there is no point in securing benefits for a caste at higher levels of education, when at the lower levels of education, they are rejected, or have access to poor quality education at lower levels. A strengthening of provision of good quality health and education are required at the lower levels of education. This would enhance capabilities with much more effectiveness.
7. We must be clear that this is not a battle between the classes. It is battle of all classes together against the government policy of divide- and - rule. Thus we must not preclude the SC's and ST's while fighting against reservation, but rather take them into confidence, by making them realise that such a policy is as much harmful to them as to us. Thus 'them' and 'us' must be converted into 'we'.
8. The governments Short term politics must be brought to light. This reservation announcement is only a cheap measure to attract a larger vote bank, and if not for a strong expression of opinion against this politics, the government may actually have been successful in achieving its short term goal. Thus this is a reverse case : a 'predatory govt' must be made to realise an alternative path- that which would lead to a greater long run development- through intervention by the public.
9. Finally, no govt. has been able to remove the reservation in a phased out manner in the stipulated time period of 10-years. This is because of a strong pressure lobby, both in the parliament, and in other strong groups, to continue with reservation. Thus when we are formulating this strong lobby against reservation, our aim should not only be to make the government take back its policy announcement of extension of reservations, but also to use the strength of our student lobby to override the strength of the above mentioned political lobbies, and hence get reservation removed once and for all.

P.S: I don't think or write any views emotionally, and would be grateful if any responses directed at these views is devoid of emotional outbursts, and is completely pragmatic in nature. Also we must remember that any social activism must be complemented with an attitude to take any questions from an opposing viewpoint very calmly, without presuming that what an opposing camp says is bullshit and does not deserve any weight or thought. Answers must always be based on complete access to information and a logical and far sighted analysis.