An interesting name for a music band ain't it? Animals as Leaders. I discovered the band during this season's Bangalore Open Air. They are American instrumental progressive band based out of Washington.
Don't mistake this blogpost for a review on the band. I felt the title goes well with the subject, as Humans we have lost control of our inner instincts in the world of Darwinism. Through the years of evolution, mankind might have evolved from being animals to intellectual beings. We have tried our level best to create a society by defining rules & institutions in various forms to have control over people. Why? To maintain order in the system where things can run smoothly & efficiently.
However, the human mind hasn't been able to define a rule or a law which could adapt to the Continuous Evolution {CE}. The rules & institutions which were supposed to create an environment where everyone would have equality & freedom hasn't really happened even after so many countries have gained Independence from Colonial Rulers.
Am sure you are wondering what is that am trying to convey with a progressive metal band name, Darwinism, Institutions, etc. This rant has been over the passing of judgment, which let Zimmerman walk free over the killing of young boy, Trayvon Martin. Also, how the systems which were created haven't evolved over changing times or the reformation of the system has been very slow.
Many Americans across major cities in the US have taken to the streets protesting the judgement. There have been numerous blogs & mainstream media covering it. From the User-Generated clutter on Social Media, these 3 posts stand out.
Appeals for calm in the wake of such a verdict raise the question of what calm there can possibly be in a place where such a verdict is possible. Parents of black boys are not likely to feel calm. Partners of black men are not likely to feel calm. Children with black fathers are not likely to feel calm. Those who now fear violent social disorder must ask themselves whose interests are served by a violent social order in which young black men can be thus slain and discarded.
But while the acquittal was shameful it was not a shock. It took more than six weeks after Martin's death for Zimmerman to be arrested and only then after massive pressure both nationally and locally. Those who dismissed this as a political trial (a peculiar accusation in the summer of Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden) should bear in mind that it was politics that made this case controversial.
I still don’t understand what Trayvon Martin was supposed to do. I’ve asked before, and received many confident answers; since the moment George Zimmerman shot him dead, there has been no shortage of loudly stated certainty about his actions and explanations of how it all ought to have gone. Most are presented as self-evident. Many are contradictory. None are satisfying. In part, that’s because we don’t know exactly what Martin did in the very last minute of a life that ought not to have ended. More than that, too many of the prescriptions are not about what Martin was supposed to do, but who he was supposed to be.
This is not to dispute the jury’s finding — one can intellectually rationalize the decision — as much as it is to howl at the moon, to yearn for a brighter reality for the politics around dark bodies, to raise a voice and say, this case is a rallying call, not a death dirge.
The system began to fail Martin long before that night.
The system failed him when Florida’s self-defense laws were written, allowing an aggressor to claim self-defense in the middle of an altercation — and to use deadly force in that defense — with no culpability for his role in the events that led to that point.
This isn't the first time we have seen injustice taking place in the world. We have been witnessing across the world time & again. Except that there is change now, people are no longer silent. They have started protesting against Govts or Institutions - Arab Springs, Occupy WallStreet, Greek protests, Nirbhaya protest.
In the recent past, Indians have taken to the streets to protest corruption in the institutions which are meant to serve. The other one which shook India was the protests in Delhi over the rape and subsequent death of the victim.
Even though Obama has spoken about Trayvon Martin case yesterday, that he could have been the person 35 years ago. He tells there are the flaws in the system & could drive reforms for a better & safer country.
Compare that to our Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh's speech given during the Rape protests. The speech is more like a news reading & ending up "Theek hai". Interesting, the 'Theek hai' video has removed from Youtube, probably a request from the Indian Government.
We might protests for freedom of speech, liberty, democracy, et al. As leaders Politicians might speak up from their past experiences or prepared speech. The speech could be for political gain or otherwise; in the end, the ground reality needs to improve for everyone in the system.
Connecting the 3 - the title of American instrumental progressive metal band, Evolution and Institutions. We have a lot to learn from Animals. While they might live their lives out of instincts, there is some order in their system. Even though we Humans have evolved in many factors & attained mastery over many domains, we still are fighting over basic things in society we created. The Institutions - Democracy, Laws, Constitution, etc which were created to bring order and equality still hasn't been conducive for everyone.
Till then I feel Animals are far better than Humans.
