DailyPost 2615
DEMOCRACTIC LANGUAGE CRASHLANDING
The democracy is not only a form of government but more importantly a major milestone in the development of human civilization. It was created with experimentation for centuries on the nature of state and exploring the best way to subserve common good. Democracy connotes refined civilizational values, a different form of transparent political equation between the electors and elected, delivery at its core and maturity of language, which any nation can be proud of. A language which can be as professional as it can be, as human as it can be; a mode of conveying the bonhomie, which no other system of governance can match.
From the speeches of leaders who ushered in democracy in this world to the modern-day builders of our world, to the parliamentary debates we have been all proud of, to the precision delivery, with the finesse of the language from ideation to commissioning, it has it all. Some countries of this ilk have democratic humour, wit and sarcasm as a part of their DNA. To express and express well, with all decency, decorum and democratic intent intact is the bounden duty of us all; stakeholders in the process of the creation of well groomed, fully functional, robust and deservedly proud democratic nation.
Reference to unparliamentary words and language we keep hearing on a regular basis. It is codified and simultaneously keeps evolving too. We keep hearing of words, phrases and sentences being removed from the records. Every now and then we hear parliamentarians alleging others of their fold to using unparliamentary language. Good quality education and grooming into democratic tradition can go a long way in improving the situation. The challenge now is that it is not an aberration. It slowly becoming the norm. Legislatures have also witnessed it members coming to blows. When you have no content or plan or idea to offer, and you lack basic humility or conversely are a practitioner of inflated ego, you can only end up in such utterances.
Expressing acrimony in a non-acrimonious manner should be the touchstone of democracy. Either the parliament is the manifestation of the political language rot of the nation or the language rot of the parliament has got extended to the whole country; we have landed in a serious fix. The language filth is in full display in the ongoing elections. Some phrases and derogatory remarks in recent times have been so disparaging that it has already become a part of our infamous democratic folklore. The language venom would be unleashed on you, you just need to be an adversary, or the ones who are not likely to vote in your favour or the votes some parties don’t require. The debasement of democratic communication, expression and the idiom of connecting to the voters has literally thrown our democracy out of gear.
THE OPERATIONAL LANGUAGE OF DEMOCRACY HAS BEATEN THE LANGUAGE ON THE STREET.
Sanjay Sahay
Have a nice evening.