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PROFIT OVER PEOPLE: LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE ACTIVISM OF NOAM CHOMSKY

Noam Chomsky, one of the leading intellectuals of our age, wrote a fine piece, "Profit over People" to expose the Neo-Liberal paradigm of political economy, which has been a disrupting force for the holistic growth of people. Our world is facing some of the worst existential crises, like nuclear warfare, climate change, and now pandemic in nature of Corona Virus. Almost two Billion people are living in social quarantine, which is unprecedented in many ways.

Social distancing is not a new phenomenon for youths. They are already far more distant from a real world. Virtual connections are exponentially growing at the cost of real bond among the fellow neighbours, colleagues, and family members. It's not that hard to find out the predicament we are facing toady as species, not only because of natural catastrophe we are facing, but also some of it are our own making. The pandemic in nature of Corona Virus is not a new phenomenon. It has already knocked at our doors fifteen years back in nature of SARS. But the world was enamoured in thinking about growth of economy and sound economics. The neo-liberal fantasy of a few elite people did not allow us to work for the betterment of adequate healthcare for all people. Take for an example, Obamacare was taken back by the Trump adminstration to take care of sound economics. What exactly is sound economics. It started with Vienna in 1920 in form of neo-liberal economy. A few economists like F. H. Hayek, Walter Lipman, Rustow, Ropke, Ludwig von Mises, Milton Friedman, etc. established the foundation of neo-liberalism, which was opposite to the liberalism, founded on the principle of freedom of market. Neo-liberalism was conceived as "Socialism in reverse". After second war, they activated Vienna and Chicago circles, to rewrite a new world order, in form of Washington consensus. After then, easing the procedures for the world trade and investment became the sole motive of these forces. A huge gap emerged, out of this process of thinking, among the haves and haves not of the World. Of course, social goods, such as health and education suffered severely and immensely from the "anarchic syndicalism".

Our World was aware about the pandemic, which was likely in near future, but a few elite, who run the world, preferred to manufacture cold creams and beauty oriented products, instead of putting on energies in the improvement of health-care facilities. This pandemic has exposed them and  their large scale rhetorical politics as well as selfish trade and investment. The conservative politicians like Margret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, who prophetically claimed once that there is no society but individuals only, facilitated the grand narratives of "anarcho-individualists', to establish a "market society". The institutions, which were established aftermath of the world wars catastrophes, remained committed for the cause of trade and business, and ignored completely to the most important social goods, such as health and education. The mass culture has produced the passive consumers, who became concerned more about professional growth rather about society at large. After the collapse of Berlin wall, the end of history has been prophetically proclaimed (Francis Fukuyama). As if, nothing remains important to happen in future. The history has been realised in totality in Hegelian sense. But that sense of euphoria crumbled in the crisis haunted the world in 2008, and exposed the humankind for the worst catastrophe in years to come in nature of pandemic. The Darwinism can teach us so many lessons, particularly, for the survival of human species, we need to advance our science a step further in anticipation against the evolution of Bacteria and virus. For humankind is required to be vigilant and innovative for endurance.

In December, 2019, China reported about the symptom regarding the infection to the WHO, which was, as per China, similar to a disease like pneumonia. A few weeks later, a Chinese doctor exposed that it is, in fact, in nature of Corona virus, which is infecting the people across Wuhan. The Countries like Singapore, Taiwan took it very seriously, and ensured all sorts of important measures, such as social distancing, to prevent the pandemic. But other countries in western hemisphere remained wantonly over-confident, and failed to take it very seriously. And the result is obviously apparent. The U.S., on the other hand, was much more concerned about business, economic growth, and upcoming presidential election than the crisis looming large at their door. Now, everything is history. We may blame China at the cost of what? Whether the other nation states were vigilant enough to combat the crisis? The answer is a big "no". 

In a country like India, we must be concerned more about those people, who are hand to mouth, and are suffering from the worst crisis of their lives ever. The mass starvation is inevitable, unless India stands with them in providing food, shelters, and medical facilities. It's not an apt time to start a blame game, but to activate effective and efficient actions to ameliorate the suffering of financially weak people. But this crisis is certainly a learning lesson for those, who are concerned with corporate growth and profit over the real and existential issues. Which are basic to our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. We ought not to follow the American dreams. They are imprudent and very costly for us. India can stand and deliver, if our focus is, of course, on the welfare of all.

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