International Moderates' Day

The title has probably given my motive away. In any case, let us start with a quiz. As you answer the quiz, think of a topic that you feel strongly about one way or another – Trump, climate change, Tanishq, Hindi as India’s national language, Hindutva, Islamization, China, illegal immigration, Charlie Hebdo, Modi or sharing river waters. The topic does not matter. The side of the debate you are on does not matter. What matters is the depth of your conviction on the topic.

Here is the quiz. Don’t overthink your answers. Just answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ based on your instant reaction. No ‘maybe’ or ‘perhaps’ answers.

Add up your score. If your score is:

• 50: please stop reading. You won’t understand what I write below. I don’t want hate mail.
• 40: depends. If you are angry at this point, give yourself 10 bonus points.
• 30: you have been radicalized in social media. You might need an intervention, but there is hope.
• 20: good.
• 10: I’m envious
• 0: Are you sure you are being truthful?!

The questions were mostly about social media, but this article is not. Let’s come back to the quiz later.

Much has been written about the divisiveness of the current social and political climate. People on social media are busy coining insulting names for the people they don’t agree with. To name a few - trumptards, libtards, bhakts, sanghis, sickulars, aaptards, oopis, commies, urban-naxals, dumeels and so on. These names may describe people of different political leanings, but they all have something in common – they put many people in varying levels of disagreement with the speaker in a single dismissive bucket.

A quote attributed to Voltaire is - “I wholly disapprove of what you say—and will defend to the death your right to say it”.

Voltaire, or whoever paraphrased him had been vary idealistic. It assumes all arguments will be met with thoughtful and reasonable consideration by either side. What if each side is willing to give its own side a far greater benefit of doubt than it is willing to give the other side?  What if everyone is thinking, “they are all alike!” when it comes to the other side, and are willing to treat the radical, scary elements on one’s own side as exceptions? What if they are busy making up counterarguments when the other side is speaking?

Moderates are assigned uncomplimentary labels in social media too. They realize, or have realized at some points, that those labels were made up by one side for shaming them into joining them. On evidence, moderates are a dying breed. They don't speak much in public. They seem to be getting rarer on social media. They are attacked for not voicing an opinion on the issue that one of the radical sides feels strongly about. The reason could be that they are smart enough to realize that the issue is not black or white, but a shade of grey. They realize that the shades bely their vocabulary. They realize that both sides of radicalization are willing the pounce on what they say, so would rather not say anything at all.

Democracy requires us to preserve this dying species and give them a voice.  

Giving everyone a vote is based on one premise – the wisdom of crowds. All adults get one vote each. The main premise behind democracy is not that everyone is equally smart, or that everyone thinks equally hard before making a choice. Instead, the thinking is that far more choices are made in a rational, informed fashion than otherwise.

We need the assumption to hold for democracy to survive. 

A moderate is not someone who lacks an opinion, but someone willing to change his/her opinion. Someone who has ‘firm opinions, loosely held’ as they say. Someone who is willing to spend more time listening than speaking. Not necessarily someone who says “Fine people on both sides” when one side is at fault. Moderates identify with an issue, not a political party. They are smart enough to realize no single party can represent them on all issues – social, environmental, economic and religious. They don’t just hand their allegiance to any party unquestioningly. They realize that what they see on the news and social media is probably the ‘message’ that one side has chosen to push. Power corrupts, but absolute, unquestioned power corrupts absolutely. Moderates vote for a party, but don’t feel the need to defend everything the party does. They hold their leader accountable after casting their vote.

Being a moderate is getting harder. If you click enough articles on your social media feed, the selection mechanism biases future suggestions based on a similar thinking. It gets even worse if you choose to friend or follow only people who think like you.

Talking to only your kind is like choosing to fill a jungle only with herbivores (or carnivores). Sooner or later, the jungle will die due to ecological imbalance.  The distinction that matters is not between the left and the right, Muslims vs Hindus, the Democrats vs the Republicans. It is between the thinking and the unthinking; the open vs. closed mind.

Now, back to the quiz. They say 80% of the drivers rate themselves as above average. In that vein, you may want to rethink your answers to see if you have been too generous to yourself.

Moderates are endangered and yet have no advocacy groups It’s in not fashionable to be a moderate rights activist. So, when you spot a moderate, be kind. Consider adopting one. On social media, for example. An international moderates day, anyone?