Drugs

 

Statutory Warning: This blog must be taken strictly with tongue firmly in cheek!

 

Drugs

Let me put it out straight at the outset only.

I don’t do drugs.

I have never done drugs.

I don’t intend to do drugs, may be too old for it now, even then!

At the same time, I don’t purport drugs nor do I have sympathy for those who do it.

But going by the present events or news it seems that it’s not that a rare thing. Everybody of anybody from bollywood, why bollywood alone, from the circles not open to a plebeian like me, is doing it, may be even after a morning cup of tea! It made me think, ‘What IS a Drug’ after all?

I don’t want to sound novice as I have spent practically my entire life in doing drugs, but there, they are known as ‘Medicines!’ Of course we were taught about ‘The’ drugs in pharmacology classes, and we ‘Did’ them by heart lest a note or a full question was there in the finals.

After going through the definition, proper definition, again after finishing the pharmacology class, may be 45 years later, I wondered a little. The definition seems vague as of now as the social scenario has changed completely over last 5 decades.

A drug, ‘The’ drug especially 'Psychotropic drug' as it is normally known as, is a chemical substance that, “Changes Brain Functions and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition or behavior!” To various degrees.

I was taken aback. Post, lifting of the prohibition practically everybody has done this ‘Drug’ and many are still doing it practically on day to day basis! Even females ‘Do’ it, though mostly from upper crust but the middle classes lagging not far behind, And it’s common also in [Sorry to say], Lower caste working women! When the revenues nosedived due to Corona lock out there was a cry, practically a war cry , to open the shops selling this ‘Drug’.

There are some half baked knowledgeable who shirk on the use of word chemicals. And nobody bothers to tell them that even the water is a chemical, having configuration H2O. Similarly this drug too has a chemical configuration that goes by the formula, C2H5OH. Its Chemical name being ‘Ethanol’ or ‘Ethyl Alcohol’. In the layman on the street’s words, it means, how many nomenclatures are there?

Right from the crudest, Hooch to sophisticated in upwards fashion, Aqua Vitae, wow! Water for living! Simple ‘Booze’ to ‘Fire water’, so apt!  Also Grog, or simple drink!

Now if you go by the definition for ‘Psychotropic Drug’, tell me what it does not do?!

In fact it is basically drunk for the ‘Effect’. If you don’t get high, your alcohol should be ashamed to call itself ‘Alcohol!’ That’s the most commonly going notion!

Behavioral changes, I have seen sheep turning into Tiger after a peg or two. Affecting perception? Taking somebody else’s wife as your own! Disastrous!! Double whammy!!! Kicks from the wife, other’s wife and the enraged husband who too is on the different planet after 2 pegs, so more dangerous!

And who wants relaxation, a change in mood after a hectic tiring day!

‘Alcohol’ thus fits on every account into definition of ‘Psychotropic’ drug! Except unreasonable puritans, in today’s times hardly anybody says ‘No’ to ‘Alcohol’, on the contrary, ‘let’s meet over the drinks, will have some gossip! ’ Is the common excuse given by almost everybody to ‘Do’ this ‘Drug!” Social scenario has changed so much so that now Fathers in law share a drink with daughters in law or  mothers with sons and of course daughters without bashing an eyelid!

Then why so much hue and cry is being raised for having some,’ Cannabis’ and/or ‘Marijuana’?

Indian sadhus are using ‘Cannabis’ since ages. No I am not pinpointing anything against any faith, just citing the fact. Why, one of my most naive relations was caught at, an Australian Airport for possessing ‘Psychotropic’ drug. Poor thing was carrying ‘IT’ for her daughter who could not get it for making the ‘Modaks’ for Ganapati. To carry ‘Poppy Seeds’ is culpable crime in many countries and we Indians use it regularly, which in plain vernacular is known as ‘Khuskhus’!

Taking into consideration all these points many countries world over have legalized minor psychotropic drugs like, plain ‘Weed’. Right from the most liberal Canada to still orthodox Russia. South Americans and Europeans lagging not far behind!

Here let me reiterate again that I am ‘NOT” for the drugs of any type. Alcohol too should/ must be consumed in moderation; otherwise what consequences one has to face, everybody is aware of, right from physical, to psychological to sociological.  

But one thing I am sure doing drugs, does not change the person what you are, if you are good you’ll remain good, or it will bring out Satan in you, choice is yours!

PS: Alcohol is socially accepted ‘Psychotropic drug’, [may be in some way it can be called as ‘Poison’], in the same vein ‘Share market’ is socially accepted ‘Gambling’ with aura of sophistication around it! ..........But about it later!

 

 

A-The Social Dilemma

 

A/The Social Dilemma

‘A’ and ‘The’ are categorized as articles in English language. ‘A’ for that is new, unknown so far and may be unexplored, while ‘The’ is known as ‘Definitive Article’ and used when the thing, person, process or the phenomenon, is specific , known to mankind and may be not so unknown in the recent past !

As the title suggests I could not put this blog in either. If you consider, Is it a new occurrence, yes, relatively new and was unknown before a decade or two. Or is it what we did predict but is showing its fangs now, so not so new. Yes it fits here too. Though the results started pouring in after 2009, it became a known fact and thus it could be referred to as ‘The’ phenomenon!

It’s the slow encroachment of electronic media, rather social platforms into our day today lives. Once which was a novelty is turning into hundred headed hydra, difficult to defeat. As one of the researcher on the topic described, very aptly, “The Genie” has been let loose out of the bottle and it now is well nigh impossible to push it back in the bottle again!

The panel of experts consisted of many professionals who had worked with different social platforms in different capacities for years together and were instrumental in letting venom slowly creep in the social fabric of every society. A candid step, putting themselves in the dock but at the same time expressing their inability to do anything or take any concrete steps to stop the exploding mushroom becoming bigger and bigger.

At the length they discussed about the impending doom in the offing by all these social media, notably, Facebook, Google, What’s App, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram Twitter and so many others who have got the newer generation hooked on the malicious device aka ‘Android’ or iPhone!

[Presently they are not!]

They are 1.Tristan Harris, Google 2.Kim Kendal, Face Book 3.Jaron Lanier, Virtual 4.Roger McNamee Investor facebook,5. Justin Rosenstein, Facebook, Google 6.Shoshana Zuboff.Harvard Business school, Professor emirate 7.Jeff Seibert, Twitter 8. Sandy Parakilas  Facebook 9.Joe Toscano Google so many other who were ‘There’ and know ‘How to manipulate the product.’ Here, ‘We’ are the product.

Data from any operation we do on any of these platforms is stored in meticulously, and then this data is analyzed to the last byte so that they can come to a derivation , “What type of personality ‘The Product’ holds! ” and it is blatantly used to make us take our further steps unknowingly, La ‘Inception’ type.

These platforms not only seduce you to get addicted to them but by persuasive manipulation make you take steps you might have not fathomed ,had it been otherwise. Very blatantly Edward Tufte has put ‘ There are only two industries that call their customers ‘Users’ : Illegal drugs and ‘Software’!

The generations that were born either in 50s or 60s are lucky to escape the throttling grip of these platforms but the one that was in late childhood, say 8 onward or early teens was totally caught in the web of this slow poison.[The data was collected around 2000-2009]The Suicide rate in preteen girls in USA is remarkably increasing because of ‘Shaming’ on these platforms for their looks or lack of it, their ancestry, their race you call it and it’s there!  I may call myself lucky being in late 60s, but the generation that we are bringing up in this explosive situation is most vulnerable and does not pay heed to what the elders are trying to bring them to, a natural world without ‘Artificial Intelligence’ due to the spell it has cast on them! Ignorant parents, Neo rich parents, Peer pressure playing their roles at different levels and at different stages of life. I might dissuade my child , not to use iPhone, lest he gets addicted to it and  all its applications but in a class of 25, if 20 are going to flash their latest models of iPhone, my child definitely will develop ‘Inferiority complex’ Then the option would be to enroll him in school, mostly for have-nots! Will I do it? A big question mark!

But it is not simple as that, affecting only social life. In American Presidential election Russia used the available data blatantly to get their choice of candidate elected without wedging any war, warm or cold, or getting involved overtly or covertly! She[ Russia] just played her cards well ! In Myanmar public opinion was deliberately twisted in such a fashion that the Army itself was made to take action against Rohingya Muslims. And it is getting repeated in Brazil, Spain, Italy, everywhere! Unrest has become the universal rule because the whipping up of the passion to the enormous levels has become the main key in the play that’s being well played by these companies to their benefits. The chant that was used universally in all these situations was “The Democracy is in danger!” Something very familiar?!

Closer home though Rahul Gandhi still denies, AI help was [allegedly] taken from British company, fortunately or unfortunately it did not help the Congress to win the elections. But that did not stand true for the riots near Pune, allegedly made to happen on the basis of data collected from the international data companies. India still mostly is a computer naive country. The reach of these media in the mofussil areas though less at present but is slowly raising its head and about to engulf the entire nation, not far in the future. One who will use it wisely and precisely will keep on winning the next elections. And the wind is already blowing in that direction. Simple logic is ‘If you convince one person that Earth is flat, through any means ,mostly religious but even pseudo scientific, he in turns converts ten others to believe that the Earth is flat' and that’s how the expected results are brought about. So aptly said ‘Fake News spreads 6 times faster than the real one!’ And the most  important doubt that could be raised,  at the end of the day would be, “What’s real?” Is it what is fed to us?

None denies the good impacts of the new technologies like bringing families together; getting much needed medical help urgently at the earliest; making technology user friendly; making tasks easier and at faster rate,[ The analyzing speed of computer has increased by million times over last decade] oh so many other. But when asked, “Whether you would like your children to use these applications?”, It was vehement ‘NO’ from everybody. They preferred limited screen time and introduction of social media only after the age of 16, thinking , probably by that time” Better sense prevails”

In search of ‘Utopia’ we inadvertently have reached ‘Dystopia’ and then the real poser would be

“ Whether it is to be Utopia or Oblivion, will be a touch and go relay race, right up to the final moment…”

                                      Thanks to the Netflix Documentary “Social Dilemma” it was an eye opener!