Desicritics Comments on 'Politically Motivated' Arguments

Comment by Sujai

Fri, 2 Nov 2007 12:31:38 EDT

#11: Is that all you can come up with? ;-)

Comment by Sanjay

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 22:05:58 EDT

Sujai, when you posted up a chart alleging that opposition to medical quotas correlates statistically with support for Hitler, then it tells me you're the one who needs to grow up. It tells me you're capable of spewing out anything -- making up a graphical chart for it, no less. I can't think of anything more politically motivated I've seen on here than that.

Comment by Chandra

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:47:00 EDT

Sujai To be honest, I have been through the transcripts of the Tehelka tape and I dont place a lot of value to it. Most of the statements were rants with zero legal validity. I see it from a political angle because that seems to be the primary objective of this tape at this juncture. If somebody in the congress planned this, he/she is nothing but a fool. If somebody in the BJP did it, they are geniuses considering the poor situation Modi was in. Coming to the larger point of your post, it is true that many aspects are tagged onto the 'politically motivated' tag. I agree with you that this phrase is mostly mis-used. rgds

Comment by Sujai

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 10:56:38 EDT

#7, What was new in the Tehelka "sting"? The same newness the Nuremberg trials had on the details or horror of Holocaust, though many people had an idea what was happening in Germany-occupied Europe. What purpose did it serve other than cheap election-time posturing? It served the purpose of linking the administration of the region with the calculated killing of Muslims in that region. What content? The details of how and who participated in those killings, of how and who backed those killings.

Comment by Sri

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 10:11:14 EDT

OOps..read "inverse proportion" instead of "proportion" in the above post ;) Cheers

Comment by Sri

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 10:10:11 EDT

It's funny that Sujai talks about "content" being negated. If you have any basic idea of Information Theory, you'll know that the information value of a message is in proportion to it's probability. What was new in the Tehelka "sting"? What purpose did it serve other than cheap election-time posturing? From your reply to Chandra What I am asking in the second part of my blog is if a 'politically motivated' action automatically negates the content. What content?

Comment by Jawahara

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 05:04:28 EDT

Excellent post Sujai. I never thought about it in this way but it does make sense.

Comment by Sujai

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 04:24:36 EDT

Chandra: What I am asking in the second part of my blog is if a 'politically motivated' action automatically negates the content. Can't we see the content itself and measure it without having to bring in the political angle? In regional politics of India this is the common refrain. If a new road is built to a village which was inaccessible before, it is criticized calling it 'politically motivated'. When a corrupt leader is caught taking bribes, it is called 'politically motivated'. Soon, nobody appreciates the road that was built and nobody appreciates that crime branch officer which caught the corrupt leader. In fact, that politician and that crime branch officer actually are seen in negative light. That's how we undermine ourselves and all our little achievements. Tehelka expose is a major achievement in the history of journalism. We have known about Nazi holocaust, but the real findings came out and were seen by the world after the WWII when Nazis were no long in power. During the war, people had always suspected it but nobody had hard evidences. Even when the genocide was happening in Rwanda, people knew about it, but nothing like this came out (or may be it did - but I am not aware of it). Tehelka's expose is a landmark achievement because it exposes a regime which is still ruling the state. Why can't we just celebrate it without having to attach a 'political angle' to it. Also, why can't some actions be good even if they are politically motivated? If Kennedy was an Indian, and if he promised to put man on the moon before end of that decade, that challenge would have been decried and booted out calling it 'politically motivated'. If Nazis were Indian, and if they were exposed of their heinous crimes against humanity, that expose would have been rubbished and thrown out calling it 'politically motivated'. Even some 'politically motivated' actions have their own merit and we may have to recognize them when they appear.

Comment by Chandra

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 01:59:16 EDT

Sujai Of course this was a politically motivated sting operation The timing is very critical, a month before the elections. Information from many of the interviews has always been in the public domain. However, the impact of 'exposing' this with a secret camera is quite different. It gives people a voyeuristic thrill of some sorts i guess. Note that massive demand for voyeuristic porn movies as opposite to regular porn movies. It is the same. It is also politically motivated because the BJP was in big trouble (please read my post on the next elections). This 'sting' operation has boosted Narendra Modi's popularity and we will have traditional Modi supporters all turning up on election day. Good strategy by Arun Jaitly. He is truly the Karl Rove of India rgds

Comment by Sujai

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:05:41 EDT

Sanjay:: You need to grow up. You are fixated on what I wrote in my first post on this forum more than a year ago. Every time I write a post, you bring this same argument - very silly. Yes, what you said above constitute more examples of 'politically motivated' arguments. Left, BJP, Congress, DMK, academia, sports players, movie stars- everyone seems to use this argument - not just those whom I listed above. That's why I didn't qualify this to any particular sect of Indians, but to all Indians. You are only substantiating my thesis! First, you bolster my thesis giving more examples. Then, you go about saying that I am lying? Funny world - with funny people.

Comment by Sanjay

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 20:58:26 EDT

Sujai, would you say that a fellow (like yourself) who posts up a chart correlating opposition to medical school admission quotas with support for Hitler, is perhaps being politically motivated? You did do that, didn't you? Tell me, when Indian companies are being alotted SEZs to produce useful goods and services for society, don't the Left quickly scream that it's all "politically motivated"? When GDP results are presented to the Left to show the good that economic reforms have done, don't the Left dismiss such statistics as "politically motivated"? When Indians cry themselves hoarse about issues like terrorism, don't the Left simply turn a blind eye by saying it's all "politically motivated"? Keep lying, Sujai -- you're only digging a hole for your own credibility.

Comment by temporal

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 18:06:56 EDT

sujai: (take this with beady's piquant salt) i found this 'scenic route' defense of tehelka tapes politically motivated ;)