Politics, democracy and consumerism
Politics has gone for a walk in the woods. Where? In Bangladesh? Yes, and in other places too. The 21st century is slowly, but firmly, keeping its promise to change the shape of things that we were used to in the previous centuries. Politicians all over the world either cautioned their citizens about the ferocity of changes that this century would bring or promised a "Brave New World".
Our politicians, however, were very much optimistic. All most all of them were quick to grab the opportunity, whenever or wherever they got it, to announce that, they would take the country to a greater height by meeting the challenges and grabbing the opportunity that the new century would bring with it.
One wonders did our politicians and the their think tanks ever think seriously what the real "new challenges” were or what the actual opportunities were that the world would have to face in the new century that ushered a new millennium.
Today we are bewildered as to why so many of our politicians, social activists, teachers, businessmen and bureaucrats failed themselves, their families and the country. It is obvious - they did not see the writings on the wall. Their known world was changing so fast that they could not keep pace with it.
In the last century mankind fought two great wars. The leaders--from those who initiated the conflicts to those who concluded -- from he victorious to the losers, they all emerged as heroes or villains. To name some characters from the Second World War: Churchill, Hitler etc. became household names the world over. Millions of pages were written on them and on their actions. Even today researches are conducted on their philosophy and ideology that either led to the war or brought an end to it.
Today's Bush, Blair, Saddam, Sharon etc, however, will not even make a decent history book. They will at best be glossed over on newspapers and TV archives for a while. Whey? Because, the world has changed its priorities and values. Today's politics is not about ideology, philosophy or isms. It is now about good life: money, affluence, fashion, glamour and lifestyle, the 21st century is all about people's aspiration to enjoy the fruits of technological achievements of the 20th century. The prototypes from laboratories are now out in the market. it is a world of ultimate consumerism in its truest sense.
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