https://www.rediff.com/news/column/t-c-a-srinivasa-raghavan-absolutely-no-need-to-go-after-all-things-muslim/20220608.htm
this article is about a phenomenon that economists have recognised for a long time. But it has been largely ignored by sociologists and political scientists in their studies of group behaviour. This phenomenon is called the free-rider problem. The political consultant doesn't seem to be aware of it despite its global prevalence. Economists have a very specific intent when they talk about the free-rider problem.
They ascribe it to what they call 'market failure'.One of the results of such failure is people consume something, or benefit from something, without paying for it.Nor can they be stopped. This is called free riding because of the practice of non-exclusion.Such non-exclusionary goods -- like Hindutva is for Hindus -- are those things whose supply does not diminish if one more person consumes it.
Also, the marginal cost of producing an extra unit is zero. There is very little awareness of this in India, both economically and socially.But this article is not about the economic side of the free-rider problem.
It's about the social and political side of it. Specifically, it is about the supply of political Hinduism -- or Hindutva -- its consumption and beneficiaries.
Political free-riding
Political free-riding happens everywhere because even though people don't actively espouse a cause, they don't disapprove of it enough either.
This is tacit and qualified approval.
I believe that this is exactly true of Hindutva in India.
The political consultant's 50 per cent may not behave like the small minority of bhakts who go around talking rabid nonsense about our Muslims.
But this silent majority does take a free ride on the Hindutva bus.
It's irrelevant that it might not be taken willingly.
08/06/2022
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