Culture, History, Media, Philosophy, Technology, Political, Saswat, Academic Saswat Pattanayak Culture, History, Media, Philosophy, Technology, Political, Saswat, Academic Saswat Pattanayak

Lesson from Snowden: Myth of the Free Press

What is essential is to recognize what I.F. Stone used to say: that, all governments lie. All administrations resort to lies. That, international diplomacy is nothing but a systematization of lies. What is crucial is to acknowledge that individual freedom is always going to be limited so long as a state exists. That, it is not just the communist and overtly authoritarian regimes which manipulate individual rights to free speech and privacy, but the western liberal democracies have also always done so.

Read More
Culture, History, News, Political, Saswat, Publication Saswat Pattanayak Culture, History, News, Political, Saswat, Publication Saswat Pattanayak

Platoon of Leeches and the New Royal Parasite

The truth is royal family is not an embarrassment. It is a criminal institution. It is not a laughing matter. It is a despicable agency. It’s members are not saints. They are hooligans. It’s legacy is not of a cultural pride. It is one of racist supremacism. Royal positions are not ceremonious figureheads. They are active displays of colonial machismo.

Read More

The Market

One could argue that capitalism transcending all barriers and uniting us in our greed is supposed to be a good thing. After all, until this stage is reached, there would be no way to successfully combat its ills so that a higher stage of human development can be aspired for.

Read More
Culture, Feminism, Media, Political, Publication, Saswat Saswat Pattanayak Culture, Feminism, Media, Political, Publication, Saswat Saswat Pattanayak

Our Rape, Their Rape

Many progressives have questioned why Delhi, why now and why the middle class? Isn’t the middle class, after all, the biggest perpetrator of violence against women? The answer is perhaps a tad simplistic – culturally enslaved by the corporate media, the bourgeois elements in Indian society usually wake up only to the “breaking news” and “shocking news”. And therefore the concerns are genuine – that the middle class might even disappear from the map of activism as soon as the media cease coverages of this specific “event”.

Read More
Communism, Culture, Feminism, Political, Publication, Saswat Saswat Pattanayak Communism, Culture, Feminism, Political, Publication, Saswat Saswat Pattanayak

Rape Culture and Capitalism: What is living and what is dead

It is necessary to understand that the protests against rape in Delhi have two basic components – one that cries out for death penalty or stricter punishment, and another that demands equality of women. While the former is an endorsement of feudalism and a reinforced belief in the status quo, the latter is an unqualified call for socialism.

Read More
Media, News, Political, Saswat, Racism, Commentary, Feminism, Academic Saswat Pattanayak Media, News, Political, Saswat, Racism, Commentary, Feminism, Academic Saswat Pattanayak

Misplaced Tears of a Militarist President, the Reactionary Pursuits of Gun Control, and Unquestioned Faith in Patriarchy Normative

The good liberals never cease to amaze. They want the wars abroad, but they don’t want the wars at home. They want other children to die, just not theirs. They want to be able to buy the guns themselves, just not allow the rest.

Read More

On Einstein's Acceptance of Communist Russia and Rejection of Zionist Israel

Einstein was opposed to a separate Jewish state, opposed to a partition of Palestine, opposed even to an establishment of a Jewish government-in-exile, considered the Jewish underground movement a “disaster” and supported a bi-national self-government in Palestine with both Arabs and the Jews ruled with the consent of the Arabs.

Read More