OT: The consequences of whining - Manu Joseph

Among the beloved things social lament has stolen and ruined is modern literature. We have lost it to activism. Historically, you can say, at the heart of all literature, was the whine of the underdog. It is after all a powerful literary device. Literature is often a tribute to the weak. But when whining becomes an infestation, it changes the very character of literature. In India, for instance, the establishment and the huddles of literary referees have set up reward systems that encourage the righteous “social message”, which is rated higher than style, playfulness and storytelling.

The white savants of fine whining in advanced economies are among the great corrupters of literature in many parts of the world. They have expectations of special whines from every poor and quaint region of the world and they set up powerful reward systems. Developing world writers then consciously or unconsciously set out to achieve those rewards, which are also known as recognition.