Sadly scams and frauds have become a part of everyday life. There’s the Common Wealth Games mess, judges in Andhra Pradesh were recently caught cheating during an exam, doctors are being accused of conducting unnecessary surgeries to earn some extra moolah, seven out of 10 businessmen in general are alleged to be involved in some fraud, there are scams in the abode of Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupati and let’s not even go into the political scams. From Madhu Koda to Telecom Minister A Raja, the Galli brothers in Karnataka and many more political biggies, nobody seems to be aboveboard or on the right side of the law.
Even Pakistan’s President, Asif Ali Zardari, who is appalled at his players’ behaviour, is no saint. Jemima Khan aptly tweeted “Pakistan’s President (formerly Mr 10%, now Mr 110%) is hardly the role model the country needs. Life ban for him too would help.”
While everyone is after the three tainted Pakistan cricketers, who are very small fries when compared to the bigger scamsters, what action is being taken against those involved in the CWG mess (said to be around Rs 3,500 crores) and other frauds?
Even at a social level, earlier, nobody knew anyone who went to jail and people kept away from dodgy men and women. Today, the social scene is full of shady characters. Nobody knows what their business is, source of income is and yet, if they are cool, we all love hanging out with them.
Sarah, Duchess of York lives well because her daughters support her from their trust funds and ex-husband Prince Andrew continues to let her live at his home. Yet, she didn’t blink before agreeing to introduce him to any shady individual as long as she was paid a hefty price. Luckily for her, even after being exposed in a sting operation, she is not considered a social pariah.
Ditto drugs. They are no longer the vices of a troubled soul. Paris Hilton was caught with cocaine, and this is not the first time she’s had a brush with the law, yet she innocently says “she thought it was gum.”
Society has become rather accepting of wrongdoers. As long as the means justify the ends, nobody is bothered about bending, twisting or even breaking the rules.
Mohammad Azharudin was punished with a life ban in cricket for his involvement in match fixing, but now is a MP. Bill Clinton was forgiven for the Monica Lewinsky scandal and he didn’t want to sit on judgement either about his son-in-law’s father being a convicted fraudster with 33 counts of fraud to his name.
And Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi continues to be in power though he has been involved in various sex scandals.
If you are wondering how society has become so forgiving, social scientist Beena Thomas explains, “Society has always been like this. Earlier there were no sting operations, technology or extensive media coverage, so people got away. Today we live in an exposed society where indiscretions come to light more frequently.”
Even when crimes come to light, the real culprits aren’t always taken to task. In Pakistan, instead of the accused players, poor donkeys were being pelted with shoes and rotten tomatoes. Ok, the players haven’t been forgiven, but it looks like they are just being made the scapegoats. Nobody is interested in dwelling deeper into the issue and busting the bookie nexus.
Does this mean it’s okay to live on the wrong side of the law? No, says Prof Daniel, “You are king till you get caught.” After that nobody wants to know you.
For a few tainted politicians who get away, there are people like Satyam Computer’s former Chairman B. Ramalinga Raju who end up losing everything. Pakistani fast bowler Moha-mmad Amir, at 18, faces having to see his promising career end in disgrace. Madhu Koda is rotting in jail. And for every Azhar who has rebuilt his life is a Hansie Cronje, who became a social outcast in South Africa.
Once everything is taken away from you, don’t expect people to be nice as author Wilbur Smith famously warned his readers against associating with losers as losing is contagious.
Latest Comments
Submitted by n.krishna on Wed, 22/09/2010 - 7:18am.
If India had any sense of history of what UK has done to our forefathers, we would not have been in the Commonwealth, leave alone the hosting of the Commonwealth Games. The racist Christian British rule from 1757 to 1947 had killed 1.8 billion Indians. This British Indian Holocaust of 1.8 billion excess deaths commenced with the Great Bengal Famine in 1769 to 1779 that resulted in 10 million deaths. Ten million Indians were killed in post 1857 First War of Independence or known as Indian Mutiny reprisals. One million Indians were starved and murdered by the Christian British between 1895 to 1897 in the Indian Famine. Six to 9 million starved in the Indian famine between 1899 to 1900. This Christian killing of Indians concluded with the WW2 1943 to 1945 Bengal holocaust or artificial famine in which 7 million Indians were starved under Churchill. Churchill acknowledged the crucial importance of maintaining Hindu Muslim antipathy to preserve British rule. Churchill inspired Indian Partition which resulted in 1 million dead Indians and 18 million Muslim and Hindu refugees. The man-made global warming in which the West and the US are major climate criminals and this is going to cause a climate genocide. As per top UK climate scientist Professor James Lovelock FRS, the Climate Genocide will leave only 500 million mostly European survivors by the end of the century. There is an ongoing Muslim Holocaust that is simply ignored by the West. This post-1950 avoidable deaths or excess deaths, deaths that did not have to happen, total 1.3 billion for the whole World. Of this 1.2 billion is in the non-European World. The avoidable death or excess death in the muslim world is 0.6 billion. These estimates being consonant with estimates of post-1950 under-5 year old infant deaths of all over the world that totals 0.88 billion. Of this infant death, 0.85 billion is in the non-European World. In the Muslim world this infant death is 0.4 billion. 16 million people die avoidably each year in non European world and of this half are Muslims due to the Western policies.
Submitted by livefreediehard on Wed, 22/09/2010 - 1:52am.
I guess lot of educated Indians think and talk about corruption, malpractice, sheer greediness prevalent in our selfish hypocritic society. Well I anticipated action since the time I was born, atleast from the so called elite of our society. Seems like a bunch of educated Indians can only do as much as take competetive exams and improve their own lives outside of India or with well paid jobs within India. "To be is to do" is a thought I believe in and one that would take us further as a respectable humane society. Media will decry all the wrong actions, yet bigger issues will pass us by and no action will ever be taken. I believe, even if the 5% of the modern society decided to change the spate of country, these issues will be things of past. It took one man getting slapped on a train in foreign land to eventually free his own nation from British rule.
Submitted by Ipcentric on Mon, 13/09/2010 - 7:41am.
As long as there is no political will nothing changes. It is mob politics that is ruling this very functionally illiterate country. We, those who want to see the change, are a minority. It is the fear and the respect for the rule of the law that will bring about any change in our country. Unhindered enforcement is very important. What is the motivation for these corrupt politicians to bring about any change?
Submitted by Jadeboy on Sun, 12/09/2010 - 2:42pm.
There is a feeling of schadenfreude in India about the fraud allegations against Pakistani cricketers. The entire media is trying to paint Pakistan as a purely fraudulent society. Which it might be. But trying to think that India is a completely straight forward society is indulging in delusion. India has more than its fair share of scamsters, utterly corrupt politicians, match-fixing bookies, crooks of every shade. Some day these scamsters are going to bring India the same ignominy and we will have nowhere to hide our faces. The CWG scams are just one cog in this entire wheel of cheating and deceit in India.
Submitted by srirama raju ch on Sun, 12/09/2010 - 2:29pm.
Corruption has become the norm of everyday life. People have started accepting this and they are not finding a problem with it. If ever it has to change it should start with each one of us. I always dream of living in a corrupt free society but I cannot envision our society moving in that direction. If I would even try to stay away from it I might be considered an outcast. Looking ahead I would be very happy if at least the common man wouldn't get affected. It is our very nature of not being satisfied with what we have and to earn a quick buck without much effort the reasons for this widespread social disease. Being a practical citizen and having lived in this part of the world for a significant part of my life I cannot imagine this epidemic spiraling south in my life time. But I always hope and wish that I live in a more corrupt free society.
Submitted by malcolm wolfe on Sat, 11/09/2010 - 5:03pm.
Talk about corruption in Indian politics and administration too. Today if you have gone to prison because of corruption it is a qualification to be in politics and not a bar. During the independence struggle, people went to prison fighting for freedom and they became great politicians. Today most of the ignorant still think that going to prison is needed to compete for politics. Anyway, it is time for people in office to turn from their selfish needs and work for the benefit of others. Don't offer bribes, don't pay bribes and don't accept bribes. That should be the message for all Indians if you want to uplift the country.
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