Was in London, for ten days. It was the 1st time I was in Western Europe. I was there for a seminar, with participants from across the globe - US, Latin America, Australia, China, SE Asia, and Africa apart from India.
Quite a lot to think and ponder about as I roamed round London and interacted with people from across the globe. London for a 1st timer felt strangely familiar. Buckingham palace was familiar from the zillions of pictures of the british royals, obsessively covered by the english language press in India, Westminster from the BBC's Yes Minister series, Hyde park from a Saki story, West end from various Wodehouse tales, Harrods from the high profile press coverage of Diana and Dodi. The Red buses, driving on the "right" side, red gas cylinders, red post boxes and strangely enough the London underground signage (which are the basis for the Mumbai train station signage’s) all familiar signs. Signs and symbols bequeathed to Indians in the colonial times. All this familiarity a testament to british entrepreneurship, pluck, courage and deviousness which converted a small, un-remarkable island into the center of an empire a mere 150 years ago.
The Brits were quite a polite lot. Amazing contrast to the football hooligans I was (idiotically) half expecting around every street corner (In my defence - apart from the royals the hooligans must be the single most recurring image when u think of the english). But in their strange, unhurried, un-troubled, politeness I detected quite a disturbing degree of fulfillment. The unfamiliar drumbeat of complacency, just 60 years after the mighty Britannia ruled the seas and half the world!
Amazingly the Brits who in their colonial avatar, in India, used to hang signs outside their 'gentlemen clubs' proclaiming “Dogs and Indians not allowed" seemed to revel in being the refuge of the world. I can guarantee you, anytime in the tube you can hear at least 3 languages other than english being spoken, with the speed of a native speaker. WOW! Such a diverse mix, as though I was in the capital of the world not just of the United Kingdom. Truly impressive.
The Brits and the Western Europeans (who I interacted with at the seminar) as a rule were happy about their situation in life. Well Maybe not "happy" (Who am I to know their undeclared personal travails) but definitely contended, quite contended. Granted that participants were middle class at the very least, but was amazing that life had no pressing "primal/survival" problems to be addressed. Life it seemed was meant to be enjoyed to the fullest possible - thru various leisure activities. The leisure activities defined who you were. Work was a "decidedly" small part of life and really it did not matter hugely in the overall scheme of things. Self worth it seemed to me was judged more by how one balanced work (a necessary distraction from the innumerable pleasures of life), rather than accomplishments at work - accomplishments which had tangible economic value.
The Argentines, Brazilians, Chinese, Chileans, Indians, Indonesians and South Africans seemed to value work a lot more. Maybe because work is harder to come by in these countries. Maybe because social security amounts to nothing, in these societies. But then so did the Americans! Complacency amongst the western europeans was rather palpable about their state of life, evident in their exaggerated politeness, amongst other forms of expression.
Complacency I suspect, begotten from being the demanding recipient of care in self proclaimed welfare state - a friend of mine preferred to call it "nanny state". With the state practically guaranteeing every amenity required to live a decent life - health facilities, facilities for recreation - numerous state run gyms / cricket fields / floodlit soccer grounds in the U.K, Free TV courtesy the BBC paid via the TV tax, the prevailing attitude seemed to be "lets not hurt anyone" and "make sure everyone can get by". Not that someone needs to get hurt in order for someone else to get ahead, but when with practically no effort you can get by, what’s the "bloody point" in serious effort. Not that all europeans are dead lazy, not that they all live on dole but really the incentive to outperform seemed missing. Incentive missing on the hygiene side, not much to loose. Roti (Bread) and kapda (Clothing) guaranteed thru dole, Home guaranteed thru London council flats. Incentive missing on the motivation side too - Not much to gain as your taxed 50% plus if you do perform! to pay for those who choose not to!
It left me wondering if the abolishment of hunger(in metaphorical sense), the hunger to survive was indeed a good thing? No incentive = no progress.
The poor work ethic is in my view, the 1st but the surest sign of approaching decline. Decline which todays grandchildren will have to confront and pay for.
The Americans seemed to embody a different work ethic. Stakes were higher and I am guessing that income inequality is higher in the USA. A quick internet check of the gini coefficient confirms that at roughly similar per capita levels Western Europe scores lower on Gini and therefore has better income distribution. The same quick check also confirms US GDP growth in the last 4 years is better than the EU.
I wonder if equality of opportunity has been mistaken to mean equality of income regardless of sweat. If the marginal return on sweat is so low why sweat at all?
The Big question is this - How fragile is this nanny state? When will it implode? What happens when Western European economic competitiveness falls? Which politician will dare cut the umbilical cord to the nanny, will they do it sooner or later. Bets are on later - the sure shot bet in any democracy - things have to get much worse before they get better. How will the white majority populations of Western Europe react? Will they see immigrants with the same benign eyes of today or as competitors for jobs which are "rightfully" theirs? Will there be a backlash which will sweep the left out of power and sweep the right back in? It seems more of question of when rather than if. And how close to the extreme right will the dispensation be? Could it be a dictatorship? If so with how much blood will this "equality of income for all" be paid for with? Will the countries of Western Europe break ranks and desert the Euro? Will it set in place a domino effect which will create chaos around the world? Any one banking on the Euro as a reserve currency better check on the hit rates of PE funds in America Asia and Europe, check out the US and EU worker productivity before dreaming about the Euro as the longterm reserve currency, one which could replace the dollar.
This cradle to grave cocoon is comforting, but smothering the need to be competitive. Therefore it is closer to the grave than imagined, and with grave consequences for rest of the world not just the western europeans.
Not a very sweet thing to imagine. Will have most of world sweating in fear at the prospect, for when the inevitable approaches we too will pay a price! smaller than the western europeans but a substantial one, none the less
Quite a lot to think and ponder about as I roamed round London and interacted with people from across the globe. London for a 1st timer felt strangely familiar. Buckingham palace was familiar from the zillions of pictures of the british royals, obsessively covered by the english language press in India, Westminster from the BBC's Yes Minister series, Hyde park from a Saki story, West end from various Wodehouse tales, Harrods from the high profile press coverage of Diana and Dodi. The Red buses, driving on the "right" side, red gas cylinders, red post boxes and strangely enough the London underground signage (which are the basis for the Mumbai train station signage’s) all familiar signs. Signs and symbols bequeathed to Indians in the colonial times. All this familiarity a testament to british entrepreneurship, pluck, courage and deviousness which converted a small, un-remarkable island into the center of an empire a mere 150 years ago.
The Brits were quite a polite lot. Amazing contrast to the football hooligans I was (idiotically) half expecting around every street corner (In my defence - apart from the royals the hooligans must be the single most recurring image when u think of the english). But in their strange, unhurried, un-troubled, politeness I detected quite a disturbing degree of fulfillment. The unfamiliar drumbeat of complacency, just 60 years after the mighty Britannia ruled the seas and half the world!
Amazingly the Brits who in their colonial avatar, in India, used to hang signs outside their 'gentlemen clubs' proclaiming “Dogs and Indians not allowed" seemed to revel in being the refuge of the world. I can guarantee you, anytime in the tube you can hear at least 3 languages other than english being spoken, with the speed of a native speaker. WOW! Such a diverse mix, as though I was in the capital of the world not just of the United Kingdom. Truly impressive.
The Brits and the Western Europeans (who I interacted with at the seminar) as a rule were happy about their situation in life. Well Maybe not "happy" (Who am I to know their undeclared personal travails) but definitely contended, quite contended. Granted that participants were middle class at the very least, but was amazing that life had no pressing "primal/survival" problems to be addressed. Life it seemed was meant to be enjoyed to the fullest possible - thru various leisure activities. The leisure activities defined who you were. Work was a "decidedly" small part of life and really it did not matter hugely in the overall scheme of things. Self worth it seemed to me was judged more by how one balanced work (a necessary distraction from the innumerable pleasures of life), rather than accomplishments at work - accomplishments which had tangible economic value.
The Argentines, Brazilians, Chinese, Chileans, Indians, Indonesians and South Africans seemed to value work a lot more. Maybe because work is harder to come by in these countries. Maybe because social security amounts to nothing, in these societies. But then so did the Americans! Complacency amongst the western europeans was rather palpable about their state of life, evident in their exaggerated politeness, amongst other forms of expression.
Complacency I suspect, begotten from being the demanding recipient of care in self proclaimed welfare state - a friend of mine preferred to call it "nanny state". With the state practically guaranteeing every amenity required to live a decent life - health facilities, facilities for recreation - numerous state run gyms / cricket fields / floodlit soccer grounds in the U.K, Free TV courtesy the BBC paid via the TV tax, the prevailing attitude seemed to be "lets not hurt anyone" and "make sure everyone can get by". Not that someone needs to get hurt in order for someone else to get ahead, but when with practically no effort you can get by, what’s the "bloody point" in serious effort. Not that all europeans are dead lazy, not that they all live on dole but really the incentive to outperform seemed missing. Incentive missing on the hygiene side, not much to loose. Roti (Bread) and kapda (Clothing) guaranteed thru dole, Home guaranteed thru London council flats. Incentive missing on the motivation side too - Not much to gain as your taxed 50% plus if you do perform! to pay for those who choose not to!
It left me wondering if the abolishment of hunger(in metaphorical sense), the hunger to survive was indeed a good thing? No incentive = no progress.
The poor work ethic is in my view, the 1st but the surest sign of approaching decline. Decline which todays grandchildren will have to confront and pay for.
The Americans seemed to embody a different work ethic. Stakes were higher and I am guessing that income inequality is higher in the USA. A quick internet check of the gini coefficient confirms that at roughly similar per capita levels Western Europe scores lower on Gini and therefore has better income distribution. The same quick check also confirms US GDP growth in the last 4 years is better than the EU.
I wonder if equality of opportunity has been mistaken to mean equality of income regardless of sweat. If the marginal return on sweat is so low why sweat at all?
The Big question is this - How fragile is this nanny state? When will it implode? What happens when Western European economic competitiveness falls? Which politician will dare cut the umbilical cord to the nanny, will they do it sooner or later. Bets are on later - the sure shot bet in any democracy - things have to get much worse before they get better. How will the white majority populations of Western Europe react? Will they see immigrants with the same benign eyes of today or as competitors for jobs which are "rightfully" theirs? Will there be a backlash which will sweep the left out of power and sweep the right back in? It seems more of question of when rather than if. And how close to the extreme right will the dispensation be? Could it be a dictatorship? If so with how much blood will this "equality of income for all" be paid for with? Will the countries of Western Europe break ranks and desert the Euro? Will it set in place a domino effect which will create chaos around the world? Any one banking on the Euro as a reserve currency better check on the hit rates of PE funds in America Asia and Europe, check out the US and EU worker productivity before dreaming about the Euro as the longterm reserve currency, one which could replace the dollar.
This cradle to grave cocoon is comforting, but smothering the need to be competitive. Therefore it is closer to the grave than imagined, and with grave consequences for rest of the world not just the western europeans.
Not a very sweet thing to imagine. Will have most of world sweating in fear at the prospect, for when the inevitable approaches we too will pay a price! smaller than the western europeans but a substantial one, none the less
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