Now we've democratically elected a totalitarian government- Arunadhati Roy

[Indus Falcon]

you dont desreve my atterntion or.... wait we have an undertaker here !!!

If you can't be civil, might as well keep quite!

 

[Joe Shearer]

This one, for instance.

All sides might like to consider this view of an eminent scholar and good friend of mine:

I admire her courage in speaking out for the poor and the defenceless. But she must answer what she would do as the state authority if there is an armed attack by someone violating the law. Possibly the law is made for the middle class and the urbanites but what other way would she propose of making laws other than through elected representatives? She bemoans Mayawati's loss; were people better off under Mayawati, even the Dalits? What about the murder of a PWD engineer who wouldn't contribute to her birthday fund?
...
Like Pankaj Mishra, Arundhati Roy plays a useful role. But as one among many voices and as someone who identifies problems not solutions.

Or this:

Put very bluntly, as always, she wants someone else to fight her battles for her, while she writes about the ongoing battle in deathless prose.

I say this while being a supporter of her right of free speech. She is the quintessential prig.

Or this:

Which battle are you talking about exactly?

She has a problem with the Indian state in general, and opposes every move it makes. She also has a very critical view of the dealings of the state with tribals, with poor peasants or fisherfolk displaced by huge dam projects, or by metal-ore mining projects, or by factory building projects, or atomic power plants. These are just a few of the issues on which she has published very strong opinions which are not always very pleasing to hear for the politicians in power, the bureaucracy and the police, the military or capitalists.

Lots of battles.

Including the ones she fights on behalf of Kashmiri separatists.

Or this:

She has a problem with the Indian state in general, and opposes every move it makes. She also has a very critical view of the dealings of the state with tribals, with poor peasants or fisherfolk displaced by huge dam projects, or by metal-ore mining projects, or by factory building projects, or atomic power plants. These are just a few of the issues on which she has published very strong opinions which are not always very pleasing to hear for the politicians in power, the bureaucracy and the police, the military or capitalists.

Lots of battles.

Including the ones she fights on behalf of Kashmiri separatists.
And just to make things clear, while I strongly disagree with many of her views, I still believe, equally strongly, that she should be allowed to have her say without being subjected to vulgar abuse and the kind of sexual innuendo that this thread has seen. That sort of reaction is coarse, unseemly, and totally uncivilised. If someone has something to say in opposition, he - or she - can say it, in logical, rational terms. There is no need for getting into the gutter.

Or this:

The above examples cited are ones where her view point while being overly simplistic & bordering on anarchist at times are not views that are totally unpalatable. Her views on supporting the maoists on the other hand, going as far as to call them gun-toting Gandhians is far more incomprehensible(considering the record of the maoists) & doesn't lend itself to easy understanding, Her stand on this probably influences the reactions of many to her views on other matters too.

Couldn't agree more. Very well put indeed.

However, my point was not about the soundness of her views, or about the reasons why many detest her. It was about the necessity to guarantee her the right of free speech. Even as many of us find her views on the Maoists incomprehensible, we need to give her the space to utter such views, while, of course, retaining the right to tear apart her views with logic and reason.

And this:

At least one thing is for certain- she grabs people's attentions and inflames passions at least on this forum

To be honest, I fail to be moved by her rants or by those who break into shrill abuse against her.

And this:

Never get defensive. Our constitution guarantees you to have considerable margin of freedom of thought and speech(if not total). I have often spoken about the excesses of AFSPA in Kashmir - does not make me anti national.

In any case I not only respect Mrs Roy's right to speak but also will try my best to protect it.
If she did not have the opportunity and scope to speak we would not have known her stance in public. Now that we know her from her repeated utterances, we can form an informed opinion about her.
This brings me to an important point - she is not a part of Indian intellectual class. He views, aired openly are so braindead that she could not get any space in our public life other than extremist anti Indian outfits.

As for her rights, she has as much as me - only law can decide if she has crossed lines. In my opinion she is a vital asset to our nation, which we have used to successfully silence better speaking far leftists in the public domain.

Very well put. Couldn't have put it better myself. I am not at all sure about King_Mamba's assessment.

I think you are the only Hindutvavadi I can have a conversation with (well, @@INDIC and one other, perhaps).

 

[Coltsfan]

The 2014 elections have thrown up some strange conundrums,” she muses. “For eg, the BSP, Mayawati’s party, which got the third largest vote share in the country, has won no seats. The mathematics of elections are such that even if every Dalit in India voted for her, she could have still not won a single seat.”

Not sure what A Roy was trying to say, if anything, in her piece.

She points out the folly in Indian electoral system by giving a hypothetical situation where every dalit votes strictly on caste lines!!
She has failed to realize this election cycle was different from previous ones where Indian voters for first time in significant numbers have chosen economic and governance issues over religion and politics.

Obviously since the results aren't what she was hoping for (no matter what Indians wanted), she has resorted to blaming the Indian voters for electing a totalitarian government.

Crazy talk if you ask me

 

[Dash]

If you can't be civil, might as well keep quite!

there is som much intelligent wave hitting the grass, you should have gotten it bro .... why are u askinbg me? who am i, in front of these LOGICAL intellectuals

 

[nForce]

@Dash Your final take on the matter please and be done with it.

 

[Dash]

@Dash Your final take on the matter please and be done with it.

when in Rome, be the Roman......im done

If you can't be civil, might as well keep quite!

beat me in debate... i will apppreciate that

 

[Indischer]

when in Rome, be the Roman......im done

My first and last take, and wholly unrelated to the topic at hand: Even in Rome, be an Indian.

 

[Indrani]

yes Joe Shearer earned respect on forum . He may have different point of view but i respect him alot and so does other Pakistani members

You respect him a lot because all his actions and viewpoints gel with the Pakistani viewpoint. He is one of those worms who has been eating away at the core of India. The true Pakistani in India.

 

[Dash]

My first and last take, and wholly unrelated to the topic at hand: Even in Rome, be an Indian.

that s4cker didnt even answer me, when I asked about 1947 .... when it was created

 

[nForce]

Okay.. my turn..

At first I would like to admit that I was wrong advocating mob-justice, for that is wrong.I have admitted that before.

I would like to think I am bold enough to take sides, and I will take sides...

Regarding Arundhati Roy, I think we should take all of her actions into account in its entirety, before making a judgement about her.Yes, we do value freedom of speech, but that is not the only thing that we should be looking at.
I believe that her actions has been aimed at damaging the integrity of the nation and she should be brought to justice, she should be charged for sedition and she should answer for her actions.
The rule of law is fair, and I have no problem if she comes out clean.

 

[Dash]

no problem, which only has been exploited in secondary litereture, seen as crucial to the legitimation of some unknown league as a powerful political force, created in those critical years of answers during its creation, you know what i mean?

@Joe Shearer lets debate about it

@Joe Shearer lets debate about it

you said Sangh parivar ...right? lets get there....and be ready

 

[Joe Shearer]

@Joe Shearer lets debate about it


you said Sangh parivar ...right? lets get there....and be ready

Let's debate about what? You wrote some gobbledegook which might make sense to you; it doesn't make sense to me. It is totally garbage.

Write a straight sentence then come back.

 

[Dash]

Let's debate about what? You wrote some gobbledegook which might make sense to you; it doesn't make sense to me. It is totally garbage.

Write a straight sentence then come back.

never knrew that reality needed a different english so what exactly i was reffering to in that sentence, heeeelp me baby

Let's debate about what? You wrote some gobbledegook which might make sense to you; it doesn't make sense to me. It is totally garbage.

Write a straight sentence then come back.

are u a real proffessional,tell me were you even there whan partition happened, did u ever judge the pulse,..... help me

 

[Dash]

Let's debate about what? You wrote some gobbledegook which might make sense to you; it doesn't make sense to me. It is totally garbage.

Write a straight sentence then come back.

come on...fight me oldtimer!! what was the reason Sangh parivar, came into being?

 

[Spring Onion]

You respect him a lot because all his actions and viewpoints gel with the Pakistani viewpoint. He is one of those worms who has been eating away at the core of India. The true Pakistani in India.

i dont know what action or point of view of Joe Shearer gel with Pakistani viewpoint but i had have differences with him over issues relating to Pakistan-India topics/debates, we both had opposite view he defended India his own country and i defended Pakistan my own country but i still respected him and he wholehearted accepted that i exhibited good manners despite our difference of opinion which proved that he is worth the RESPECT we give him.


The only problem with you Indians is that you guys love self-inflicted injuries and out of frustration you can abuse anyone if he differs with what you believe, even if its Modi your beloved