By Saswat Pattanayak

JF Kennedy must be the hero of the Bush administration. In all the ways possible that Kennedy had thought of the American people to think of what they could do for their country instead of assuming that the country could do anything for them, GW Bush has implemented the dream.

In JFK era, it was a call for the people to sacrifice their lives to destroy a form of economy growing popularity in the world over, where it would be envisaged that people lived with dignity without worries about basic food, clothing and shelter. It was a time where john lennon dreamed of a world free of religions and national flags. A time when the women of color differed with their white counterparts and opposed any sense of essentialism attributed to them. A time when the angry poets hoped to kill poetry because the poetry served the interests of the elites in propagating an uneasy comfort level. When the weathermen and the panthers got their acts together to reflect their dreams of a better world. That had to begin with demanding that the state behave well and take responsibility of its citizenry, young and old, literate and unemployed.

And then, Kennedy spoke of the role of the people in not expecting the state to perform. In a highly nationalistic fervor, many people applauded. The counterrevolutionary stance helped prevent a new world, it led to various blocks, gross mistrusts and people’s selfish allegiance to their state (to do all that they can do for their own country).

Now Mr Bush has ardently followed Kennedy’s path. He wants people to sacrifice their interests, cut the benefits, raise the burdens and maybe hope for a compulsory military recruitment. After all, don’t expect what the country can do for you, think of what you can do for the country.

Such lines are often heard at the German convention of the Aryans. Or the Indian meets of the right wing conservatives.

Tags: Saswat, Philosophy, Capitalism, Economics