so i talked to a former schoolmate about what's happening in delhi, and even though i know he's a macho right wing mens' rights type, i really really hoped that at least the treatment that the police and forces meted out to the student protestors would.... idk, not change his mind--exactly--but still open his eyes a tad. and over the phone i just listen to this guy say things like "but do you know those protestors were taunting the police?" "do you know someone even sprayed perfume at a policeman's face" "do you know there's anti-national groups funding this movement?" "do you know they're insulting xyz person/personality/group" and i come to the same realisation that i have come to many times before. you cannot make civil rights and modern youth struggles make sense in the mind of someone who fundamentally doesn't believe in the inherent equality of all humans. you can't. there is no rational comparison to the police using tear gas and bringing guns against student protestors and someone spraying perfume at a policeman's face. you cannot deny that this protest is a result of too much anger over unemployment, unfair exam systems, a general nation-wide forced complaisance that's blanketed us since this party came to power just because other political agendas and actors may or may not be capitalising on the dissension. i couldn't give two flying fucks about anti-national segments here, because frankly you think being anti national means questioning the government in the first place and i know that it's not. the whole discussion was a fever dream, but like, a lucid one. i knew this was how the conversation would go, but it's still surreal to listen to this bullshit with your own ears.
