meethapani

  Unintended Consequences The jury of the government sponsored Paris Salon decided which artworks were to be displayed in the annual exhibition. In 1863, two thirds of submissions were rejected. Emperor Napoleon III, sensitive to public opinion, arranged another venue, Salon des Refuses (display of the rejected), to let the public judge the legitimacy of these rejections. So was born one of the most famous art movements, Impressionism. The terms Impressionism and Cubism were both coined as derogatory words by art critics, yet have become respected words that defined these revolutionary art practices.   We are witnessing another kind of Salon des Refuse in Pakistani election politics, where the rejected only gain in popularity. History is filled with examples of unintended consequences, some positive and some disastrous. Abraham Lincoln wrote “This is a world of compensations; and he who would be no slave, must consent to have no slave. Those who deny freedom to others, d...

  People Power 1857 was a turning point in British colonial policy in India. It was an armed uprising against the East India Company which had steadily taken over huge swathes of territory, established its own army, legal systems and taxation, becoming what William Dalrymple called corporate raiders instead of corporate traders. The shock of the uprising set into motion an administrative system designed by the British Crown to never again allow the Indian people to rise up. All decisions were to be made far away from India in a special section of the British Parliament, implemented with an iron hand by an appointed Viceroy and his administrative officers. Charles Wood, the Secretary of State for India in 1861, said: “All experience teaches us that where a dominant race rules another, the mildest form of government is a despotism.” Provincial autonomy was taken away by a strict centralization. The Indian army was carefully reorganized to prevent future revolts. All top positio...