Random Thoughts - VIII

I believe, apart from aid by government agencies, charities done through religious organizations are the only acceptable way of helping the needy. In both cases, the self-image of the recipients won't be dented. In the case of government, people think it's the duty of the state to support them. Charities in the name of god make people humble before a non-existing entity, so in practical terms they won't lose their self-respect. Any humiliation would be purely imaginary. Philanthropy or charity in any other form is bound to kill the recipients' self-respect.

I can't access my blog

I can't access the blog but could access my blogger profile. Checking whether  this could get published.

Update:
The post is published as I could see from Google Reader. Anyway, I can't access any of the blogspot blogs.

Update:
To Maju:
I can't access from home too.

Random Thoughts - Love_Lust

Ho-M

Ho-F

He-M

He-F

Ho-M

I

LV

LS

LV-LS

I

LV

I

LV

LS

LV-LS

I

LV

Ho-F

I

LV

I

LV

LS

LV-LS

I

LV

I

LV

LS

LV-LS

He-M

I

LV

I

LV

LS

LV-LS

I

LV

I

LV

LS

LV-LS

He-F

I

LV

LS

LV-LS

I

LV

I

LV

LS

LV-LS

I

LV

He-> Heterosexual
Ho->Homosexual
M->Male
F->Female
I->Indifferent
LV->Love
LS->Lust

Just wanted to tabulate various combinations of sexual orientation(not considering all) and mutual instincts. This is a oneway table. This should be read from left column point of reference. I wonder if there is a better way to represent this kind of tables. And if there is a terminology for such tables.

I'm not entirely sure if there can be love between two people of the same sex. The extreme clue for love could be found in the action of suicide. This situation is very obvious between persons of the opposite sexes. However, I don't have any real life evidences for the same sex couple. Nevertheless, I consider it's a possibility because the other day I watched a movie "Little Miss Sunshine", where it was shown that a professor tried to commit suicide after being spurned by his male lover. Does that mean it is possible for a person to be in love with the same sex but  in lust with the opposite sex? I don't have any such examples. However, the opposite case, where a person is in love with the opposite sex but in lust with the same sex is normal. Francis Bacon's life is a good example.

Identities - iii

Differentiating identities:
A homogeneous religious identity of classes and castes was, in my opinion, the sole reason why inequalities could sustain for such a long time between minority upper classes and majority lower classes. The success of Communism in some societies owe it to the new identity that it gave to people. Interestingly, opposing religious identities can become catalysts for class wars. One such example is the Mappila Rebellion of Kerala. The peasants who were Muslims rebelled against their landlords who were the castes.

The peasant Muslim rebels already had a practice for their actual struggle in the Khilafat movement. The Khilafat movement was a religious, a completely irrelevant for a slave Indian peasant, and in retrospect, absolutely shortsighted pan-Islamic movement of Indian Muslims. But that is expected from a wrong ideology like religion. The upside of this religious movement was a meaningful fight against the feudal system. In South Malabar , the feudals were the castes and the peasants were Muslims (and the castes). We hardly hear about the castes rebelling against their co-religionist feudals until the Communist ideology came to that society. This of course does not mean the castes accepted their fate or were passive. Obviously, there were no leaders to group them together and channel their anger. Anthroplogist Dilip Menon makes an interesting point on the plight of bonded labourers in North Malabar society where peasants more mostly castes and suffered more than the Muslims in the southern Malabar[1]. The opposition to the caste system he finds in the Teyyattam, a spirit worship tradition of Tulu and Malayali tribes and in the sorcery practices.

According to him, sorcery in Kerala society was generally associated with Brahmins and Parayans (one of the erstwhile untouchable castes). Whereas for Brahmins, sorcery was a way to maintain their grip on the general population, for Parayans it was a way to protect their space of dignity. Because of their position in the hierarchy they didn't have any protection from upper caste atrocities. Sorcery(or the fear associated with it) was their way of keeping away others from exploiting them. He states that (hope that is not conjectural), the regions where landlords were known to be malevolent the number of sorcerers from the lower castes were higher than the regions were landlords were known to be benevolent to their peasants.

The common religious identity is probably the main reason why Pakistan society is still feudal ridden and there was no revolution worth talking. Even though India too have feudal mafia run states like Andhra Pradesh, the situation is not as humiliating as in Pakistan where feudal dominance in the politics has been unchequered (but the tide is inevitably turning).

Reference:
1. The Moral Community of the Teyyattam: Popular culture in Late Colonial Malabar, Dilip M Menon, Sage Publications

Idea of a Nation - ia

It will be the turn of the British Prime Minister now to denounce Multiculturalism or "State Multiculturalism". I wonder whether the report is a deliberate rumour to gauge public opinion (What is the term?).

Addressing a security conference in Germany, David Cameron will argue the UK needs a stronger national identity to prevent people turning to extremism.
Different cultures are encouraged to live apart, and objectionable views met with "passive tolerance", he will say.

Via BBC

Update:
The same post at BBC has been updated to reflect the actual given address. I should have copied the complete text in the first instance.

A small change in the above sentence:

"Frankly, we need a lot less of the passive tolerance of recent years and much more active, muscular liberalism," the prime minister said. 

Anyway, he goes on to say:

Building a stronger sense of national and local identity holds "the key to achieving true cohesion" by allowing people to say "I am a Muslim, I am a Hindu, I am a Christian, but I am a Londoner... too", he said.

He probably is clueless. That is alright as I believe that a civilized idea of a nation is still in its infancy.