Hafta letters: Protesting govt's foreign policy, and letting panellists finish

Anonymous 

Hello NL team,

Last week the Punjab state assembly paid condolences to the school girls killed in Iran. I want to hear your views about it. Is it something that other opposition state assemblies should do to register their disagreement against the foreign policy of the BJP government and stand with at least the civilian victims of this war? If the opposition is not on the same page as the government, they should register their protests in some way.

Thanks, and continue your great work.

***

Anonymous 

I felt that the discussion on the merits of liberal democracy vs China, Russia or Iran was reductive. The issue is the unfettered liberal (laissez-faire, not social liberalism) part, not the democracy part. It's capital that has eventually captured the institutions and regulators. The events of the last ten years have taught us that countries cannot put their faith in democratic norms. You cannot expect Christian nationalists there or the orange team here to act in good faith. All protections and safeguards have to be written into law. Trusting people in power to follow historical norms is naïve at best. I think of the last ten years as an FAFO phase for democracies.

But overall, I am unwilling to discount democracy completely. I am a Dalit trans woman, and democracies are the only systems where someone like me even gets to speak.

***

Sameer 

In Hafta 580, Abhinandan expressed something which finally made me aghast when he trashed Lord of the Rings. There are a lot of opinions he has that I could excuse, but not this. The Lord of the Rings has some of the most amazing world-building, characters, and set design. It is often lauded for its portrayal of men – how tender they are. I think everyone at the office should force him to watch it again. 

On a serious note, I am pleasantly surprised by how all Indian media refers to Iran as West Asia now. Is this something new to remove the Euro-American lens, or has it always been there?

***

Tushar

Hi panel,

I've been a cricket fan forever. couldn't in my right mind support BCCI in the T20 final. (not calling them the Indian cricket team intentionally btw)

My dad was "disappointed" by this stance, but I have stopped caring and started to say my opinions out loud. In fact, I was openly rooting for NZ. Bottom line: I did not know I was capable of not supporting India in a big game. Feeling dissonant. 

***

Harsha

Hi NL Team,

I’m a huge fan of NL Hafta and truly value the diverse perspectives and knowledge it offers. I look forward to it every week.

I have a small suggestion for Abhinandan and Manisha: I love hearing both of your insights; however, I’d appreciate it if you could allow other panellists to finish their points before interjecting. This is especially helpful for Shardool and Anand, who often speak at a more measured pace. We love listening to all of you in equal measure and want to ensure everyone’s thoughts are fully heard.

Also, I’ve noticed the song recommendations seem to be missing from the YouTube/video versions—is that intentional?

Keep up the excellent work!

***

Deeksha

Such an interesting discussion last week about death. I read this book called The Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, where the author's central idea was that we hide death and keep it out of conversations (for rather obvious reasons), which plays a role in how we perceive death. She argues that seeing it as a natural process and talking about it can make it less scary a subject. Here’s an excellent video on it. 

***

Ritika 

Hello, 

I'm a relatively new subscriber and first-time emailer. Wanting to watch Hafta full episodes is what got me to subscribe.

A few quick points about the 6/7 March episode:

- Abhinandan's point about the lack of equivalence between the US and Iran: the US is as guided by Christian fanaticism, at least since 2016, as Iran has been since 1979. They say crazier things in the US, possibly, than Khomeini does. 

- Shardool's point at the end about democracy being a problem, maybe: it's capitalism that is the problem. Socialist democracies tend to work much better. But yes, democracy has not kept up with tech and social media and that might be a structural issue. 

- Put this email ID in episode descriptions so I don't have to hunt through the video!

- Keep up the great work. Thank you!

Best,

Ritika

Small teams can do great things. All it takes is a subscription. Subscribe now and power Newslaundry’s work.