I was terribly upset when I heard about the petrol price hike yesterday... a funny, difficult to believe, are-you-kidding-us kind of a hike in the petrol prices. Rs. 7.5 or so in a single shot. But to see the initial (and perhaps the only) reaction of the public is to swarm the petrol bunks and creating traffic jam, is saddening. I don't know what was their thought. Supposing they fill 5 liters or 6 liters that day, they are going to save some 40 rupees. But is that all the reaction? Seriously something is completely wrong with us, people.
As soon as you filled the petrol, you went home, saw the IPL, cheered up, littered facebook, and probably will go about and do whatever you were doing the day before. You are going to buy the same Pepsi/Coke, go to movies in theater, watch your favorite serials or matches. All the government will need is some type of entertainment whenever they want to screw us. If Aishwarya Rai gives birth to a baby, that will be the most important news, even more than Indian rupee value falling like Mission Impossible Tom Cruise.
All, the people think would be 'the opposition party will take care'... or, the media will take care... or, there will be some protest... and they simply do hallway chat with the colleagues and go on about their life. Let me tell you something. Government will not give a **** about what you talk to your colleagues. After all, the media will discuss this topic and will switch to 'some bollywood or hollywood actress marrying/breaking up with someone' news if that happens.
We are living in a world which is probably controlled by a few hundred people who have money. The government listens to them and is run by them. If suddenly, a foreign company decides to dump all the chemical waste in India, they can do it. People will shout for a few days, media will cover it for a few hours... that is the max that can happen. Government and Law cares more about corporates and companies with money more than civilians. For example, I have read somewhere, that, a girl got raped in a foreign country and the punishment for the bastard was a few years imprisonment and at the same time, for a guy who uploaded a Hollywood movie in the internet got several years imprisonment and very heavy punishment... It is the kind of the world we are living now.
But ironically, the corporates and companies need civilians. If you want the government to listen to you, you have to get the attention of the people (corporates and companies) with money who use you to earn money. This is what we, as civilians, can do. We, as the civilians/public, should completely stop spending on anything that is not essential. Why should we spend our money and energy on things when the basic essential things are denied to us?
If we completely stop consuming/buying unnecessary and non-essential things (like bottled drinks, biscuits/chocolates, cosmetics, cricket matches, movies, serials, etc.), it will get the attention of the government. Of course, since we deny to give money to the companies and people with influence, they will tame the government not to touch on essential things. And we are also not losing anything, and saving the money. In a dream/ideal world, when government does something that is anti-social, the society will stop to give money to the companies/people-with-influence completely. It should stun the government. Of course, that is an ideal/dream world.
[PS: You may think, at the most some 10 people are going to read this blog and only 1 or 2 read till the end... how will 3 or 4 people stop consuming things will attract the attention of the government :). That is exactly my thought. But you can help to spread this kind of protest to your friends/family. Not necessarily sharing this online, but just discuss this with your friends]
