The Illusion of Equality: Popularity, Power, and the Political Machine
Why a Blog and Not an Instagram Post?
In an era of ten-second reels and “swipe-up” activism, it is easy to share a slogan or a celebrity’s face to show support. I have personally never written blog content outside of tech, so as a learner, feel free to correct me, talk to me, or teach me.
But slogans on Instagram do not build infrastructure, and celebrity worship does not dismantle class systems. I am writing this blog because of the questions I keep asking myself about equality and the systems we live in. This is more of a retrospective for myself.
Observing different systems while following the pulse of Tamil Nadu has shown me that if we want to change society, we need to stop looking at the “image” and start looking at the “blueprint.”
Politics is often presented as a choice between ideologies: Left, Right, or Center. However, for those who dream of a truly classless society, the current reality of political participation presents a profound contradiction. We often claim to want equality, yet we continue to build our systems around the status and popularity of individuals rather than the strength of shared ideas.
The Trap of Popularity and Party Identity
In democratic landscapes like India, “hero culture” dominates. This is clearly reflected in the current political spectrum, where parties are often defined more by their leaders than their long-term policies. Voting based on popularity creates a new hierarchy, where we inadvertently replace an old ruling class with a new celebrity class.
| Party / Ideology | The “Class” Dynamic | The Risk of Hero Worship |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional Parties (e.g., DMK) | Built on decades of cadre and family legacy (dynasty). | The leader’s family becomes a permanent upper class, making true social mobility difficult. |
| New Wave Parties (e.g., TVK) | Built on the massive popularity of a single “outsider” or star. | Trust is placed in an individual’s image rather than a proven system, creating a “celebrity class.” |
| Ideological Left (e.g., VCK, CPIM) | Aims for a classless society by representing the marginalized. | Even here, the party head often becomes a “symbolic hero” that the masses follow blindly. For example, a voter may say, “I trust him because he always speaks for oppressed people,” even if they cannot explain the actual policy position in detail. |
Note: I have not mentioned all parties here. The few added are only examples, and the omission of any other party was not intentional.
The Structural Divide in Services
In a system where money and popularity act as a “fast-pass” to human rights, class boundaries are reinforced daily. If you have wealth, you can bypass the wait times at a hospital. If you do not, your life is deemed less valuable by the clock.
This is the opposite of a classless society. It is a society where class is measured by the speed of service you can afford.
A Personal Analogy: Raising the Floor
When I think about equality, I often come back to an analogy of a parent with two sons. I feel this captures the essence of what true governance should look like.
A common fear is that pursuing “Equality” leads to a “race to the bottom”—the Pathalam (abyss) where everyone is equally neglected. But in my view, it should work like that parent.
If one son is a high-achiever and the other struggles, you don’t pull the achiever down to make them “equal”. Instead, you invest in the struggling son to ensure he has the same standard of support so he can also reach his potential. This, to me, is the difference between equality of outcome and equality of opportunity through support.
Infrastructure as an Equalizer
I am not saying we should compare countries; every country faces different kinds of problems. But through observing different systems, I have seen lessons in how to break this cycle.
A robust system prioritizes unemotional infrastructure over personal privilege. In such systems, the public often agrees to a shared contribution (like taxes) to ensure that everyone receives the same standard of medical treatment, uses the same public transport, and has access to the same education system.
I have personally experienced waiting for hours for services in such systems, but I saw the value in it—knowing that the wait was the same for everyone regardless of their status. Even then, I recognize my own privilege in being able to navigate these spaces.
No system is perfect, and people often express dissatisfaction with wait times or bureaucracy. This shows that no system can satisfy everyone completely. However, the essential goal of a system should be structural fairness for all.
Conclusion: Moving Beyond the Face
To reach a classless society, we must move toward a politics where the policy is more famous than the politician.
True equality is not found in the charisma of a popular winner. It is found in the reliable fairness of a system that treats every citizen with the same urgency, regardless of the money in their pocket or the fame of the person they voted for.
Political views are subjective, and how one sees them, whether progressive or conservative, is fluid. I intend to re-read this piece before the next election to measure my own progress and changes in perspective.