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by Afreeha Jawad

All along in life, among the many 'isms' that afflict us are 'heirarchialism' and 'structuralism'. Talking of 'isms' there's Buddhism, Hinduism and Mohamedism but strangely enough not Christianism but Christianity.

Getting back to my focal point of issue, at home we have to listen to our parents. In school we are expected to be obedient to our teachers and at temple, kovil, church and mosque we've got to listen to the monk, poosari,priest and mulla. What's more - at work we've got to do just that - listen to our boss. And enter holy matrimony - woe be unto you if you are a woman - 'cause you have to listen to your husband. Remember that marital vow - ' I obey'? Princess Margaret's refusal to comply with it on nuptial day led her into marital holocaust.

If matters end there we are lucky. Certainly not. All this listening malaise hits across the shores when in trade, developing countries have to ' listen ' to the affluent world. Adding to this hotch potch is majoritarianism where it is believed that minorities should say 'Yes Sir' to ' majority decision '. That porridge is no longer digestible. Whoever side steps into creativity is micro termed belligerent, stubborn, disobedient and macro termed 'terrorist', ' insurgent', 'rebel', 'deviant' or whatever depending on what suits the agenda setters. Saddam, Castro, LTTE terrorists, Mao rebels, Islamic fundamentalists - some highly branded anti-system elements.

Such 'purposeful classification' only consolidates the strong, weakens the already weak and further marginalises what should not. So the breach of peace, combat, confrontation and conflict should not surprise us at all.

Getting another to listen to tall orders from whatever quarters makes the recipient lose his self worth. Now just look at this glaring example.

The British came here and dubbed the natives a lazy bunch - a demoralising stance and the locals easily yielded. The root of the 'one must listen' mania starts with the child's socialisation process from home into school, temple/church/workplace and so on - the process itself is one of status quo acceptance however unfair and unjust that may be. The world order prevails - the strong over the weak, the powerful over the powerless.

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