By Benjamin Lyngdoh
Dopamine is a chemical present in the human body and is responsible for adrenaline and how we behave. It spikes when we experience something fun/pleasurable and accordingly dictates how we react to situations. Everyone has their own dopamine. Some are pleasured by sports and this explains why they enjoy it. Others are triggered by emotional movies and hence are more attracted to them. Many are driven by success and achievement and this acts as their dopamine. This is the reason why dopamine is also known as a ‘happy hormone’.
In relation to Meghalaya MLA election 2023, the voters are widely affected by a political dopamine. The events in the political space and especially in election meetings drives out any thinking, reasoning and rational behaviour. Meghalaya’s political dopamine is driven by songs and dance, joy and merry-making, cheap one-upmanship and the worst of all, name calling. For example, Congressman Jairam Ramesh calling Mukul Sangma a modern-day Judas is uncalled for. Even politics must have its own nadir. But, there was hardly a voice of condemnation. On the contrary, the political rivals took advantage of it and added humour to this uncouth name-calling. Amidst this type of dopamine surge, the voters have by and large taken their eyes off the ball. The real meaning of elections and what it purports to achieve is seemingly lost.
Three months ago when the election discourse started in society there was a lot of conscious talk on the need for good governance through a visionary government, change and holistic development, being responsible and far-sighted voters, etc. Less than one week before voting day, all good intentions and ideals are lost to one simple desire/hope of ‘my candidate to win.’ The problem is that there is a tendency to look only at the constituency while remaining oblivious to what government would be formed. It is time to realize that each and every voter also determines government formation. So, while analysing constituency also include how our votes would influence governance of Meghalaya. Needed are knowledgeable, efficient and brave lawmakers who would uphold the Constitution of India and work with honesty and dedication for the people. Vote for the constituency but also factor coal mining, Meghalaya-Assam border issue, railways, hospitals, education, safety and security, law and order, unemployment and under-employment, etc. It is required to think of a government which would act decisively and dedicatedly on these issues. A vote is a personal choice but the consequences are always public. However, the dopamine driving voters today is ‘an equation on how do I benefit if my candidate wins.’
If social media comments are taken as votes, then the new parties with a breath of fresh air would be winners. They have garnered a formidable support base in the virtual space. The majority are the youth who have been unhappy with the previous government. This also shows the degree of discontentment that exists in Meghalaya today. The young are screaming for change. While the popularity of the newer parties are driven by the fact that they have not been tried and tested, the grander and older parties are driven by their own media and propaganda cells. But, the question is does a positive/negative comment about a candidate and/or party translate into for/against votes on polling day? Positive comments do act as a dopamine but do not be misguided. Positive/negative comments are not directly related to victory/loss. Say, there are five candidates (A, B, C, D and E) in a constituency. If a comment is explicitly positive for candidate A then that might translate into a vote. If it is a negative comment for A, then the remaining candidates would have only a 25% chance of winning the vote. In particular, a study on the effect of social media on elections in the US by Fujiwara et al. in 2022 depicts how virtual comments have a limited impact on voting choice.
The 2018 and current MLA election explicitly underlines that the pressure groups cannot be trusted as partners in pushing for accountability and change. They have gone as silent as the grave. It is perplexing to wonder as to why they have not shared the social responsibility to question the functioning of the past government and what they demand of the new one. Unsurprisingly, they will wake up again once the government formation dust settles. What is the dopamine that drives their silence? Is there some sort of tacit understanding with the political parties? The pressure groups are apt at complaining of a growing trust-deficit from the society. Well, if this is how they function then why bother complaining at all? The only ones who have come out to speak are HITO. But, on listening and analysing HITO’s rhetoric there is a suggestion of it being linked to some candidates/party.
The most disappointing aspect of this election is the negative campaigning. The political discussions and deliberation are more tilted towards pin-pointing the ills of the others while focussing very little on what and how they themselves intend to do things. In any talk/discussion of say twenty minutes, only five minutes is dedicated towards highlighting the positive points of the party. The remaining time is spent on demeaning, taking pot-shots, name-calling and humiliating the opponents. Election campaigning leaves a lot to be desired. The audience/supporters are partners in crime. They take joy and pride in such type of negatives. This is the dopamine that drives electioneering in Meghalaya and all the political parties just play to the gallery. If we thought that the lack of standards is prevalent only in the rural hamlets, think again, it is happening even in the city/town constituencies. Now, what does that say about us as a society?
What is needed now is a period of detoxification. This can happen through taking a step back, relaxing and introspecting. There is political soul searching to be done. Shut off all the news, negative dopamine, trivialising of issues and candidates/parties. It is only then that we might see the real meaning of an election and the selection of the best representative combined with an effective government. Unless we step back from the current hullabaloo, the clear picture will not emerge. Discuss and not just through social media. Many studies have shown that while social media helps in bringing people together, it lacks potency in bringing change. This can only happen if people are actually mobilised to come together and have face-to-face frank and blunt discussions (read a 61 million person experiment in social influence and political mobilization by Bond et al. in 2020). This is the best time to do physical interaction in homes, streets, tea shops, localities, etc.
In the end, political dopamine is good. A person who is politically dead is also sociologically dead. What is required is for the voters to be guided and driven by a positive dopamine. A dopamine of positive campaigning, honesty, integrity, dedication and ethics, all of which will lead to the much craved after growth and development.
(The writer teaches at NEHU; Email – [email protected])