Jeyamohan

[P_R]

An impressive follow-up to his earlier article.
Even more polemical and he's going about branding those who disagree with his PoV as 'seekers of mediocrity'. He uses these kind of tactics often.

Anyway I had a few exchanges with rajasaranam on twitter about the first essay.
I hope they'd be okay with my quoting it here.

Impressive piece by JM http://www.jeyamohan.in/?p=13982 I predict heavy #outrage though. ஏதோ நம்மால முடிஞ்சது ரீட்வீட்டுறது தான்.

மோட்டார் மெக்கானிக் இப்பொ மரஏற்றுமதி செய்வதால் ’impressive piece’ ஆகி விட்டதோ?!!

மரஏற்றுமதி?

முன்பு ஜெமோ இலக்கிய உனர்வு இல்லை என்றால் மோட்டார் மெக்கானிக் ஆகலாம் என்றதை ஏற்காத உங்கள் மனம் இப்பொழுது வாசிப்பு பழக முடியாத. ஒருவர் மரஏற்றுமதி செய்வதால் அதற்கு மட்டுமே லாயக்கு என்று (நித்யா) சொன்னதை எப்படி ஏற்றுகொள்கிறீர்கள் என கேட்டேன்!

oh even back then I wasn't disagreeing with his PoV only making fun of his choice of expression. IIRC I said: மோட்டார் மெக்கானிசமும் தெரியாத என் போன்றவர்கள் என்னதான் செய்வது

I reduce the point of this article to: don't beat yourself over the inability to appreciate certain fine things despite prolonged.efforts to cultivate (eg. me and music). Oftentimes the inability is a fact in itself that cannot be questioned.Particularly liked the point about unlearning the homily 'everyone has something'. Even 7G ravikrishna knew motor mechanical !

As Tyler Durden said: u r not a unique snowflake. JM seems to say the same: 'face it most of u add nothing to the gene pool'

wats wrong with 'Everyone has something'? Well u dont music but write aint it?!! 'Nothin to GenePool' - ithu dawkinskku theriyuma?

yeah but it's only our 'ego' that is inflating what we think is special about us. Truly it's not that significantly different.that specialness we like to say is cultivable,hardwork etc. Good to 'motivate' to keep civil society running etc. Not wholly true. I tend to take 'everyone is special in their own way' as sales for kids.

Got your point! but I'd say that everyone is a special selection to do their own work and contribute to the progress of mankind.but that is completely missing in JemO's!. He gives importance to few attributes of mankind as special and others nothing

equa said JM overestimates the influence that the 'nuanced' have had in human civilization. I guess that's your point too

'If the common multitude had no purpose their existence is questionable' Only from this point a Nietzsche/Hitler/Nazi arrives from!

that's why i predicted outrage the possible conclusions are perhap why such opinions are not expressed.

the contribution of each & every person on this planet earth is immense towards advancement of our civilization and human species.

Respect for individual will and choice does not need to proceed from assessment of his 'worth'

Exactly! To regard a human trait as higher than others is absolute nonsense.He is a fool who doesnt understand a carpenters work making his writing desk possible and thinks himself a special creature!

that's possible only with a 'thou shalt not judge' frame of mind.

I'd say 'thou shall judge' and know there is no specialty in any living being

i wish i could be that reassured. The anxiety of going with knowing/experiencing everything will not go away easy
...
Say I write uber neat code. Proud about quality of my work etc. But i'd be kidding myself thinking that me-shakespeare #sameguy

yeah #sameguy

suttham. Every human action is an act of differentiation 'nnu oru pet theory.

I guess his follow-up clarified much about the 'politics' of this PoV. It is unabashedly elitist and condescending of course. Just no denying that (heck that's exactly what's attractive about it). But

But, at the risk of blowing my own trumpet, much of what he said is what I meant by

Respect for individual will and choice does not need to proceed from assessment of his 'worth'

It is only when these two are necessarily coupled that one is 'forced' to think of absolute equality in every conceivable way. The concept of 'deserving' is so strongly ingrained that it is difficult to get out of it

Ironically some parts of JM's article talks about how the 'society doesn't give the special one's their due' I found that a bit of a self goal.

The specialness (உணர்கொம்பு) begins and ends with the fact that it is a natural gift. It is difficult to come to terms with the fact that that is all it is - and it will not naturally extend to other 'social awe' related stuff (you can sense a Charuvian ஏக்கம் in this article!). His emphasis seems to lean towards the 'denial of awe' by the 'mediocre multitude' rather than the 'pure' tragedy of the realization of the multitudinousness of mediocrity (the outside library scene in the previous essay).

While the former is a பரிவட்டம் denial personal whining of an intellectual the latter condescension is more poetic.