In the corporate sector, too, tyrannical and conceited leaders can destroy the fabric of a company by refusing to preserve a culture that has prevailed and imposing a reign of anger and a 'my way or the highway' approach, which a team may never have wanted or be prepared for
In a cover story titled 'The anger eating America', the November issue of Prospect magazine traces the rise of a seething anger in the country that has made a Trump candidacy possible, even if it looks unlikely at this stage that he would actually become president. Most Americans today would remember the “robber barons” of the twenties, a Midwest old guard that kept their America First brand of nationalism relevant through the thirties and forties. Had it been for Pearl Harbour, the paper argues, they may well have kept America out of the Second World War too! And while the last 70 years may have seen noble global intentions rule in the narrative emerging from the White House and policy makers in the US as they increasingly assumed the mantle of leadership of the free world, the Tea Party movement in the Republican Party should have given us warning that American anger was still strong!
What is this anger about today? The foremost of course is immigration. America’s population of under half a billion people is made up of over 12 percent immigrants, and as the famous bully in “The Great Gatsby” published in 1925 says “It’s up to us who are the dominant race to watch out, or these other races will have control of things.” The rhetoric against Hispanics and Asians and the very real threat made by the Trump campaign to keep out Islamic State (IS) militants by targeting Muslim immigration are an articulation of the anger that seethes beneath the surface and very often emerges in unanticipated ways. Even assuming a Clinton in White House is what we will see in 2017, there is a string likelihood that a rabble rousing right wing could continue to keep the pot boiling on this issue in the USA.
Is this problem of anger restricted to the US or even to the political classes?
Not really! In our country, the ongoing controversy over artistes and performers from our neighbouring country shows that anger over loss of human life on the borders is bound to spill over to sectors which may not have had any specific role to play in the conflict or its potential outcomes. Across the country, we also see the tendency of fringe elements to hijack an agenda of inclusiveness and create incidents which divide the strong societal collaboration that is so essential for the country’s progress! In the corporate sector, too, tyrannical and conceited leaders can destroy the fabric of a company by refusing to preserve a culture that has prevailed and imposing a reign of anger and a “my way or the highway” approach, which a team may never have wanted or be prepared for! At least, in a corporate setting, team members have the ability to check out and walk out and a Board of Directors could be expected to set the right tone for the appropriate culture in the company but in a city, state or country, it is important to be very thoughtful about the kind of leaders we elect and retain in office if our society has to move in the right direction.
Most Americans would remember the 'robber barons', a Midwest old guard that kept their America First brand of nationalism relevant through the thirties and forties
History might actually record that what truly served America well, even if it sounds paradoxical is the “groping” scandal that cost Trump at least 10 percent points of the popular vote, flying as it did in the face of the US’s need to see equality and respect as one of the guiding values of public behaviour. In India, unfortunately we seem to have double standards when it comes to setting and practicing a code of social conduct. We condemn the Nirbhaya outrage and the frequent news of rape and atrocities on women that jump out at us from TV channels and newspapers but do we do enough to ensure that our household help and the young children and communities in the slum areas that surround our walled gardens know their rights and are getting their due as equal citizens of our country? We laugh at Trump for “locker room talk” but how many men in this country can hold their hand on their heart and say that they give women and all citizens of the country the right to live an equal and free life?
We have an opportunity today with a strong national leader in Prime Minister Modi and a new feeling of confidence that pervades most parts of the country to truly build, not just a 10 percent economic growth country but also a nation where we can truly be inclusive in our thoughts actions and needs. Most of the initiatives I am part of today—the Million Jobs Mission in SVP, the Skills Lighthouses of Pune City Connect and the Milestone project of NES have the objective of inclusiveness at the core. All this will happen only if we give up armchair criticism and exulting in the haranguing that so often happens on the unseemly “debates” on television channels and focus instead on finding every opportunity to genuinely do good—with in and beyond our work. We need to give up our anger at trivial issues and focus on love and inclusiveness to truly emerge as a great nation!
By Ganesh Natarajan
