Lessons from Hillary's defeat - I

The features of women liberation ends up humiliating majority women who have no chance to emancipate themselves from the patriarchal world. This could be similar in case of casteism. The anti-casteism ends up humiliating majority lower castes as they don't have a chance to marry outside the caste.

Terror Attacks - III

The casualties in the latest terror attack on an army establishment at Uri, Kashmir is really disturbing. It's the second attack in the same area in the last two years. It's unclear whether there were any 'lessons learnt' from the first attack. Will there be any accountability? I know many Hindutvites boasting about the hawkish officers in the establishment. This kind of brainwash from the 'natural patriots' will ever allow the question of accountability even in cynical discourse? The home minister boasts using state power to suppress the dissenting voices. Will there be any introspection from the Hindutva supporting middle class whether the government has got the definition of danger to national identity correct and whether it has set right priorities in tackling the problems?

Right-Left polarization in India

One of the obvious fallout of right-wing government in India is the legitimacy of right-wing ideas. This has forced many to take clear stance on right and left wing ideas and support or oppose hypocrites who tend to fall in those two categories.

The Times Now TV presenter, Arnab Goswami, was nothing more than a cacophonous joker on Indian TV but now he has gained more weight-age as a spokesperson of right-wingers. Instead of laughing at him, it has become necessary to oppose him. On the other hand, Barkha Dutt, a nuisance from feudal liberals (privileged with a sense of entitlement but not a bigot), is championing the leftist cause. It's just frustrating.

The least democratic government ever?

Can the present government get away with its blatant misuse of police and judiciary (lower rung)? We badly need reformation of police in terms of;
- political influence
- communalization

Random Thoughts - Love_Lust

I was fascinated by the musings in this article in case 'the gay gene' is discovered. The scenario presented there, I felt, is actually bit depressing. However, since the author, Brandon Ambrosino, has mentioned that he had been criticized for this thoughts, I'm not sure if those questions have been addressed or not.

However, in my model of human sexual orientation, it doesn't look like the author was gay by choice. He mentions that;

I even went so far as to fall in love with one. To this day, she and I joke about how she was the only girl I was ever in love with, and how I would’ve been quite happy marrying her.

How do I explain that I was honestly in love with a woman? Some people might argue that I am innately bisexual, with the capacity to love both women and men. But that doesn’t feel like an accurate description of my sexual history, either.

He is correct in feeling that the word bisexual doesn't explain his sexual history. I believe he is a typical homosexual-heteroamoural person. He needs to consider that love and lust are two different feelings.

So the present list includes:
Heterosexual-Heteroamoural -> Anna Karenina (Fictional, Anna Karenina), Max Weber
Heterosexual-Homoamoural -> Nick Carraway (Fictional, The Great Gatsby), Tom Daley
Heterosexual-Inamoural -> Emma Bovary (Fictional, Madame Bovary)
Homosexual-Homoamoural ->  Uncle Frank (Fictional, Little Miss Sunshine)
Homosexual-Heteroamoural -> Francis Bacon, Freddie Mercury, Chirlane McCray, Brandon Ambrosino
Homosexual-Inamoural -> ?
Asexual-Heteroamoural-> Emy, a French woman
Asexual-Homoamoural -> ? 
Asexual-Inamoural -> ?

Brexit

I suppose intellectuals from minorities should move to far-right movements in Europe. Their goal should be to denounce multi-culturalism. In its place, should promote non-culturalism in the form of secularism as a face of Europe. Only individual rights should matter and not communal rights of an individual.

Or, one should hope that rise of far-right would make Europe economically unstable and socially backward thus making it irrelevant.

My Ethnic Origins

Sometime ago, I posted the results from an earlier version of FTDNA ancestry tool, Population Finder. According it, I was Elamo-Dravidian.

However, their latest tool, Family Finder finds me a mix of South Asian and South-East Asian.

A new research group in this area, DNA LAND, now has made me 100% West Eurasian like the old FTDNA tool. I wonder whether as the number of samples in the database increases this would change and they would find S E Asian ancestry.

Why 'Gujarati'? It should be southern IVC, and IVC should be northern IVC.

Blunders of Dravidian Movement

I think the Dravidian movement failed because of the following reasons.

1. Tamil centric political movement
     The movement didn't even spread to all the Dravidian regions and was confined to Tamil Nadu only. Instead of getting into politics, it should have become a social movement.

2. Lack of broader vision
     The Dravidian identity in those times was not just a linguistic identity but also was an ethnic identity. In this sense, it should have been pan-Indian movement encompassing all of the lower castes (OBCs and Dalits) of North India.

3. Misguided self-respect
    As long as self-respect meant rejecting humiliations heaped upon the castes by the purity-pollution rules, it was fine. However, when it became taking pride in your caste and thus developing a kind of tribal identity it became dangerous. The self-respect has turned into caste pride which has undermined homogenization process of Dravidian castes.

4. Quasi-patriarchal
     The leader of the Dravidian movement, E V Ramasamy, sent mixed signals on women's role. But it's still radical in those days. However, it doesn't seem to have changed much in case of Tamil society.

Random Thoughts - Love_Lust

There was a huge reaction over the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson's following tweet on sex.

If there were ever a species for whom sex hurt, it surely went extinct long ago.

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) March 11, 2016

Many have tried to educate the astrophysicist about biological truths of different species.

However, that tweet reminded me this study on dopamine.

"It was believed that dopamine regulated pleasure and reward and that we release it when we obtain something that satisfies us, but in fact the latest scientific evidence shows that this neurotransmitter acts before that, it actually encourages us to act. In other words, dopamine is released in order to achieve something good or to avoid something evil," explains Mercè Correa.

I suppose even among humans the pleasure or pain of sex doesn't matter. We are involuntarily driven to seek sex irrespective of the outcome. So, even if sex hurts we are bound to try it again as we are constantly motivated(provided dopamine levels are normal). I'm tempted to say -if there were ever a species for whom motivation to have sex doesn't exist, it surely went extinct long ago- but there could be species that still mate without any motivation.

Tuluva-Malayali Matrilineal System - notes

What led to the End of Kerala's Matrilineal System

The article misses many points. The system was followed by most of the castes in Malabar and in coastal Karnataka region(including Muslims). According to anthropologist M N Srinivas, even Kodava society was believed to be matrilineal once upon a time. Therefore, theories of origin should go beyond Nairs. The 'Sambandham' wasn't observed among Tulu matrilineal castes of coastal Karnataka. Instead of considering the practice as a salient feature of the matrilineal system, it should be considered as a unique feature of Malayali region.

It should be noted here that Brahmins(Namboodiris) weren't matrilineal. Therefore, the point of view of the Sambandham changes within the Malayali society itself.  It shows the unquestionable grip Brahmins had over the society. Indulekha could be a flawed a story, however, it still rebels against a patriarchal overlordship. In fact, all the ideal picture given here about women having all the rights for rejecting suitors, the reality of older men of higher castes having their way with much younger women wasn't uncommon. We cannot forget the fact that there was always a caste hierarchy in that society.

Minimum Wage

I was thinking if a government decides upon minimum wage then it has to set Minimum Retail Price for the products of those labourers. Then I came across the following Wikipedia article;
Resale price maintenance

However, that law doesn't seem to be from the minimum wage angle. I don't know whether such laws exist in India too (We have Maximum Retail Price). I suppose Minimum Retail Price would ensure, the imported goods cannot undercut local goods with pricing war.

I guess developed countries need Minimum Retail Price whereas developing countries Maximum Retail Price.

Terror Attacks - II

According to this article there was an actionable intelligence about Pathankot terror attack. Now this is a different scenario from all the previous attacks where security agencies claimed they never had actionable intelligence from the spy agencies. I just hope this would be properly investigated and people would be held responsible if there were lapses.

Via Rediff