The Helicopter Citizen

The hyper-monitoring and micro-managing mother has probably existed since time immemorial but was immortalized through the coinage “helicopter mom”. Since then, owing to the fact that their tribe is growing with each passing generation, the helicopter mom has become a rule rather than an exception. Naturally, both the behaviour and the phrase has spread to other domains of life. Hence, the birth of the helicopter boss, helicopter coach and so on. 

All this, while probably undesirable, is somewhat understandable since the helicoptering personality (mom, boss, coach) has anywhere between a modicum of influence to total control over the helicopteree. You could even make a case that, occasionally there could be some good outcomes arising from this scrutiny. But paradoxically, I am noticing increasing instances of helicoptering where there is negligible influence on the subject being helicoptered. Yes, I am alluding to the dawn of the helicopter citizen…

 

Don’t get me wrong. People have always been commenting on politics and public issues, but earlier it was a sort of filling-the-void activity. You do your work, spend time with your family and friends, do all kinds of other things and finally also pass a lazy comment or two on the state of the union. Not anymore. Every time I glance at my WhatsApp messages, I notice a bunch of opinions ranting against or eulogizing something that has just occurred somewhere in the world. And by the time I even have a chance to get caught up, opposing positions have also been taken and a full on battle is raging. At some point, if the storm shows no signs of abating, the admin gingerly steps in to apologetically remind everyone that the group is meant for non-political exchanges. The main purpose, the admin goes on to clarify, was to exchange friendly messages, maybe a joke or two and stay connected. This gentle admonition usually has a calming effect with everyone practicing some deep breathing; sadly, the tenuous and ephemeral truce lasts until the next contentious opinion sets off the whole process again…

 

I have been recently noticing a quantum jump in such unsolicited views and unproductive exchanges as I reach a stage in life where much of my peer group is transitioning, as busy careers gradually give way to a semi-retired life with huge amounts of time suddenly hanging on one’s hands. Many handle this change pretty well, traveling more, developing new interests and stuff; some are even getting into meaningful social and other kinds of public activity; but some are choosing to fill this void by taking to being free, frank and fearless commentators. On anything and everything, but chiefly on politics and governance.

 

Mind you, I’m not making a case to not be aware or involved in serious current issues. I’m more than happy to listen to someone with expertise hold forth on a subject. I’m also more than happy to share my thoughts on matters on which I have invested time to form an informed opinion. A little bit of light hearted banter is also fun sometimes. Where I draw the line is when average people like you and me pontificate authoritatively on what a government or a political party should be doing. I can’t help being reminded of the fact that most of these views are being sprouted by us people who have had probably a decent career and some success; but mostly I remember all of us perennially being quite overwhelmed by our work and personal challenges, making more than our fair share of mistakes along the way. I would have thought we would have finally arrived at our current station in life, battle scarred but ideally a little wiser. Not wiser in terms of knowing it all, but wiser in terms of knowing there is much that we do not know at all!

 

But no. We have strong and unshakeable points of view on the Farm Law bill. On how the government should have increased spending during the pandemic. On article 370. On whether I.N.D.I.A. will work or not. On how BJP is screwing it up in Maharashtra. All the way down to even The Wink…

 

The flavour of the season is of course Manipur. That state of India which most Indians won’t be able to locate on the map. And I’m forced to listen to how it’s so easy to resolve the problem if only the government had been a little proactive. This, from a bunch of us who actually struggled to resolve factory strikes, had to deal with the egos of our small teams oftentimes unsuccessfully and were more often than not delivering a performance short of the committed annual business plan. And these were factories with most things under our control. No opposition. No electorate. Unlike a situation where you have multi-decadal ethnic strife, SC/ST classification issues, a porous border rampant with infiltration and migrants and a strong neighbour bent upon fomenting trouble. 

 

And the casualness of it all boggles my mind. At least one can argue that a helicopter mom or boss would be at least partially familiar with the situation on hand. How we think we can second guess what the government or parties like BJP or Congress should be doing, with probably one millionth of the information that they have at their disposal, is a complete absurdity. So we have to suffer open letters, strategic advice and I-Told-You-So’s directed at people in government and political parties. People who are adept at fighting elections and can play games at a level that we cannot even begin to comprehend.

 

I personally feel a little overwhelmed in all this. My problem is that I’m often in a space where I believe I don’t know enough to offer authoritative and authentic points of view. But not participating at all in the flow of things makes me feel somewhat inadequate. Now and then I satisfy my cravings for inclusion by succumbing and “liking” some post or comment. I must also confess that my insecurities at being in the midst of such intellectual giants has necessitated some change in tactics from my side. What I realized is that many of the WhatsApp groups I’m part of are reasonably free of overlap. So I’ve tried recycling views from some of my learned friends in other WhatsApp groups with pretty gratifying results. I’ve got a few likes, some people took issue with me, but mostly, I’m getting the feeling of belonging. Let’s see how far I can stretch it.  

 

Though, I derive some solace when I study the participation patterns in these WhatsApp groups. The skew in contribution would put the Gini coefficient of even a banana republic to shame. Data shows that the outside of a thin though vociferous minority, there are a whole lot of others like me who are similarly enduring and putting up. 

 

Sometimes I fantasize about achieving Inner Peace by collecting some like-minded folks,  forming a separate chat group and setting a Guinness record for the longest silence in any WhatsApp group. Kind of like group transcendental meditation. 

 

The problem is, the decibel level is only going to escalate furiously as the 2024 elections approach. Whether this peaks then and reverts to some normalcy or whether this builds up to a new normal which becomes a benchmark for the future is anyone’s guess. 

 

It’s all a little bit of a missed opportunity in my mind. Democracy is actually designed for the lazy citizen. You show up, cast a vote, go about your life for the next five years, come back and cast your vote again. Very efficient. No point in worrying yourself about what happens between your quinquennial visits to the voting booth. It has no consequences on how life unfolds. Maybe it’s a good idea to live it up a little. More happiness. Less acidity. Friendships will stay intact. And if you want to express yourself, perhaps you just control the impulse and wait for the next time you are in front of a ballot box. Until then, let’s chillax, folks! Bottoms up…🍻

 

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