Dr John Mohan Razu
The concept that Ideology Is Dead has been popularized by an American sociologist Daniel Bell in his work The End of Ideology: On the Exhaustion of Political Ideas in Fifties. Daniel Bell in his analysis as he observed the context in his time made to argue that the “grand” ideologies of the 19th and early 20th centuries like Marxism and fascism had lost their appeal and thus were replace by an idea of welfare state and technocratic government. Eight years passed-by set of ideas concerning politics continues to be alive, active, and exerts its influence.
We live in a world which is moving towards de-globalisation—closely linked to far-right political ideologies that speaks about dominant race and class theories, anti-migrants and free movement of people and Islamophobic. It is infested with politics of binaries separating the people ‘US’ from ‘THEM’. Gone are the days that global comity of nations and societies believed in multiculturalism, globalism and mutual co-existence. Globalization is retreating. A kind of churning is taking place wherein the formation of ‘US’ predicates on the corollary formation of ‘them’ and ‘SELF’ with reference to the ‘OTHER’. Identity involves and thus encompasses ‘COLLECTIVE SELF’ and ‘COLLECTIVE OTHER’.
Over and above, ‘THEY’ are constructed on varied factors in order to the preserve and appropriate the ‘ majority’ via race, religion, caste, civilization, class and other paraphernalia as against ‘US’. With the application of ‘WE’, it enhances and pushes identity and security of ‘majority’. Cultural, social, religious and civilizational differences between ‘WE’ and ‘THEM’ are grounds and bases for animosity, hostility and hatred. In India, we are facing numerous problems based on these binaries vis-à-vis religion, culture, language, region and civilization. The designation of ‘Other’ is enjoined within hate movements.
What is implied in all these is about constructing and pointing to the ‘Other’ – which is not real, but projecting as if real, but to make it ‘real’ and then to justify the acts of the out-fits belonging to far-right ideology. Ultimately what they want is their desperation need an ‘imagined enemy’. In this way, the ideology of far-rights’ thus become functional that meets their political ends. The core factor in all these is to build a collective representation and collective ‘majoritarian consciousness’ for a ‘collective pan-national identity’.
The right-wing outfits effectively use on-line and off-line messages in their political campaigns by floating all kinds of fake news inciting hate crimes primarily to polarize the societies instigating hatred and violence. They use the on-line platforms post their political views on different issues including judicial judgments and judicial reviews. Line between hate speech and hate crimes is thin, therefore hate speech leads to hate crime and so hate speech precedes hate crimes. So, the starting point to hate crimes originates from hate speeches.
The classic example is president Donald Trump of the United States known for his direct attacks on many issues that results in white supremacy leading to racist killings, Islamophobia, subversion of democracy. The classic example was when he lost the elections four years ago, he incited the far-right brigades to march towards Capitol Hill to take over the country undermining Constitution, democracy and rule of law. Right-wing politics is on rise and currently sweeping across the world. Political parties with racial, religio-cultural fixations with partisan politics once comes to power gets engaged in further polarization by invoking and enticing its vote bank via hate speeches.
India is a classic case that can be classified as part of a template wherein hate speeches and hate crimes widely prevalent. Stoking controversial religious sentiments as against the communities. The political parties with right and far-right political ideology wants an “Other”. They tend to play with peoples’ emotions triggering their emotive outbursts over against reason. The right-wing fundamentalist politics believes in the divisive politics. The following case studies amply reveals the inner dynamics and complexities:
We tend to think that we are living in a civilized world/society wherein people at large gear around reason and thus becomes the driving force, while in reality, there is a sizable number of people who are being driven by prejudices and biases unleashing hatred and hate crimes against those they think as ‘aliens’ and ‘outsiders’. Their actions and reactions are propelled by the social, economic, religio-cultural, political and ideological terrains in which they live. Their ultimate goal is to establish their dominant identity and authority right across the nation.
Hate and hate crimes are conspicuously visible and present even in the countries that claims to be free, democratic and thus believes in the rule of law. Hatred and hate violence undermine the ‘world of others’ and question the very essence that people per see have their rights, dignity value and equality. As a result, they in their narratives spew venom and hatred and in their actions engage in assaulting and lynching. Their vision is to hinder and thwart realizing a common humanity and common future. Despite hate and hate crimes have permeated into all facets of our lives, it is important to view through the moral prisms and moral grounds on whch these measure rest.
As long as hate and hate crimes are portrayed as being defensive precipitated by one group over another by sending false and hate messages and narratives to the targeted groups that they are not welcome or have the right to say by political establishment of the day and those political parties and right-wing outfits to the targeted grouts that they are not welcome or have no right to stay right there the perpetrators have lost their moral right and thus forfeited moral grounds.
In the increasing template and toxic environment of hate crimes in the so-called democratic countries of the world resulting in spatial and behavioral consequence of hate violence by mobs in democratic societies such as India, United States and in many countries located in Europe. Along with other factors, it is imperative to consider psycho-social impacts of hate violence. Now a days we are increasingly witnessing the state-sponsored hate speeches and hate crimes that needs to be countered politically and culturally as they represent far-right ideologies that gets sizable support by the electorates and majoritarian identity.
Ideology per se means—a set of ideas, be it economics or politics or any other discipline. Ideologies continue to stay and will play its major role. More importantly in politics where power is directly involved ideologies tends to exert more relevance and importance. Ideology in politics play a role how you present to take power from the one who controls and after taking over the power what is your governance program. Governance (polis) is part of our life and continues to stay and is also the same with ideology.
