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Being a neoliberal subject.

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I am a neoliberal subject brought up, educated and trained in the NL space and as one of its votaries. So, as I read this week's readings and as I reflect upon earlier thoughts and experience, some questions again reiterate their presence:
1. What is right, what is wrong?
2. What should I do?

Neoliberalism is the world's reality today and the world is largely driven by TNCs who engineer coups, engineer elections, are in-charge regardless of who is in power. It is bad, decidedly bad as it increases inequality, inequities, human lives have no place in its policies and stratagem.

Harvey, Zoller, Pal & Dutta, Brena etc., provide interesting analyses. John Pilger, documentary maker has some similar interesting analysis viz., http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8firb73r67g "The New rulers of the world". In a neo-liberal world, human rights have no meaning. All sorts of rights are there to be defined conveniently to suit the corporations and the government or the powers that be at that moment in time. It is easy to get co-opted in the neo-liberal space as we are its subjects. More and more governments and its policymakers are now on a ride to the gravy train where the erstwhile importance of social welfare, welfare of its people takes a backseat. The affluent citizenry too (like all of us in this class) is blind to the excesses. It is amazing to note the degree of planning involved in these cases. Its like re-reading Forsyth and the "Dogs of War". There is a range of hills called Niyamgiri in Orissa - my home state. They are rich with Bauxite and home to the indigenous tribal - "Dongriya Kondh" who have been there since ages. Now Vedanta ( a influential TNC headquartered in UK) has started mining operations there and is facing heavy resistance from local tribals. Years before Vedanta actively applied for the license, IFAD (ostensibly works for people' s development) funded roads to those inaccessible areas. People were happy they have spanking new roads. NGOs were funded in the area. UNICEF operated with child nutrition, mother nutrition programs. Then slowly the same 'welfare' inroads were utilized by Vedanta and the government to sign the MOU. We have development, but at what cost? And what is this development? a handout of the neoliberal agenda? The entire Africa since the retirement of its colonial masters has seamlessly transitioned into the hands of neo-liberal masters, the TNCs...its as if colonialism did not end, it just changed its colors. Neoliberalism brings affluence, money but only to a few. It seriously destroys the social fabric and structure by redistributing wealth - the rich get richer and the poor..they die.

What to do? Well...argue against each other till we are blue in faces ;)
No..we should reflect and think how we can raise more consciousness and how we can ensure that the welfare of the human society, human rights are privileged rather than profits. We cannot stop the juggernaut now not reject it and retreat to radical spaces but rather within the rejection of the project/ within the exploitative neoliberal spaces, resist and privilege the rights of the vulnerable or the wretched of our unluckier brethren. One step at a time.

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