Can you trust the majority to make your choices?

Want to base your choices and arguments on numbers? Have a look at these stats (all approximations based on different figures):
There are over 1 billion smokers and about 5.4 million die every year due to complications caused by it.
There are over 100 million drug addicts with 2.5 millionn dying every year due to excessive abuse or a ultimate consequence of it.
Both groups of people believe that either is good for them or helps them somehow, however twisted that may sound and however educated they may be or even however aware they could be of the side-effects.

They (the addicts) are a lot of people but would anyone with a sane mind say that they have made the right choices? To find comfort in numbers is a weak argument as much as it erodes one's individuality. It's what sheep do. The above 'facts' point to a true but disturbing trend in society- that more people are gullible and make questionable, erratic and illogical choices in life which comes back and bites them in the ass.

Advertising works exactly on this reality to sell crap to people and make them think they need it and they find a way to make it part of their lives. It works fundamentally on the premise that there are more irrational people out there and a only very few smart ones that will break down the facts, one by one. There are more gullible people than not. It is easier to find them and one can sell any product and make it worth their while. Once it sells in hordes, people will automatically think its a good product and their judgments would get clouded. Eg. a full restaurant will always draw in more crowds. Design does the same- a better designed perfume label is more likely to be picked than a lesser designed perfume label even if the scent is exactly the same.

There are many lies used in the business and the problems arises further when people spread these lies as truths and spread truths as lies. And people fall for it. And brand loyalty depends on this. Any consumer who gets bedazzled is hard to bring back to the realm of reality. They become sheep and lose their individual rational thought process. Relying on numbers to prove a point is illogical and stupid- as smokers and junkies' figures have shown.

Being part of the design world makes me a culprit too but I know it can be used for actually bettering people's lives. However, in a commerce driven world, opportunities are hard to come by. I believe that a lot of technology is making people dumber by the day. Look at the iphone or the ipad- thousands of useless apps that one doesn't really need but millions use it because Steve Jobs says that they need it. The fact that there are severe constraints on using these products (like no flash support, slower processors, bad reception, inferior cameras etc) gets hidden under the clever marketing of the products and sadly, a lot of intelligent people also fall for it. They would refuse to believe that something revered by millions can be actually an inferior product. These "fanboys", as they are lovingly called, will constantly harp on the numbers and more recently on the "most valued brand" tag that Apple has won- probably with help of their ga-gaing all over the place! They eat up whatever Apple feeds them and Apple has ended up becoming what they thought Microsoft was- a leviathan creating drones in a unremarkable world. Except that the Apple universe may probably look prettier but will be inhabited by millions of idiots who cannot think for themselves. Apple makes some nice products, no doubt, but it makes a lot of crap noone needs too. And it is this which sells and the company single-handedly proves that it is far easier to sell useless things that those which actually make sense.

Humans are ingenious beings and will find use for any product that comes along, so if someone uses the argument of some product leading to betterment of something, it is just man using his experience of hundreds of years of evolution and adapting to changing circumstances. If people really knew what is good for them, Pepsi & Coke wouldn't sell in the numbers that they do. Or potato chips. Or friend chicken. All across the world. People already had food and drinks and one did not need these but they have become a part of daily life and for some people, an absolutely necessary part of their daily life! And this is because of years of advertising telling people that life is incomplete without these things! As people became more aware of healthy living, out came zero calorie sodas, or organic chips or baked chicken- basically people evolved and tried to make use of something better. Not ideal but it is humans adapting.

If humans made such great choices in large numbers, corrupt or inept politicians would never get elected to office anywhere in the world. Or the world would not have the hole in the ozone. Or we wouldnt have depleted forests and animal life all over the world. People can and have come together to make things better but those instances are far and few. Why do the honest people feel it tough to break the ceiling? Why do the logical voices get subdued? Why are finances in the control of a "privileged few"? Mainly because people tend to look to their sides and see what the person on their right or left is doing. And copy it. Like monkeys. The majority may sometimes have valid points but that still has to be questioned without prejudice- which is what isn't done by the majority of society.

So really, do the maximum number of people make the most intelligent choices? I dont think so. If someone blindly worships any one thing or any one person, that person is almost as good as sheep and you are better off trusting your dog's opinion on things. We are all individuals and our individuality is based on the decisions we make that has little to do with conformity, hero worship and blind faith. It has to do with what is best for us, as individuals without stepping on other people's toes. Everyone knows this fact deep down inside and I know I am not saying anything new or path-breaking. I just want people to always look again- not at others but at themselves.

How to tell the smart ones from the sheep? Easy, the smart dont have wool over their eyes!

"isms" are for sheep

The problem isn't that there are too many "isms" floating around. The problem is that there are too many people who are following them.

Isms like communism, feminism, sensationalism, racism, skepticism, materialism etc etc etc. fill the world. Theories are plenty and "theoreticians" even more so. Thus, the problem with theories is that they have "rules" that one needs to follow to believe in that theory. Apparently it is not that hard because every theory has hundreds of thousands of followers.  Like sheep, losing their identity to a theoretical idea. Herded into believing that they are safest is that pen- all together. Then, it is perhaps the followers who are at fault?

What is their fault? Ignorance? Disbelief in the other theories? Conviction based on sentiment? Influence by close peers? Maybe none or maybe all of the above. However, the major fault of these followers is that they follow these theories too seriously! One of life's lessons has been that every theory has loopholes and can be disproved by another theory. 'Isms' are just theories and cannot be laws written in stone. It is what some one person thought is how a particular part of life should be. Some agreed with it and created the 'ism' around it!

The biggest fault of the followers is that they get offended when someone calls them out on their blind ways. Perhaps the only bigger fault is that these followers refuse to see through the paper thin walls of their respective 'isms'. No matter what you tell them, they will refuse and try to create all aspects of their lives around this one 'ism' that they obsess about and make it the way of their lives. These 'isms' live on hate and perpetuate them to new extents. And that is perhaps the most alarming thing about 'isms'- more than love, it is about anger mistaken for a liberation and revolt against the system.

If you have a friend who follows a 'ism' and gets offended every time you make fun of it, let them be. Truth usually unfolds itself upon everyone in one way or the other. They will realize one day by themselves that they have been wrong all along but till then no one can make them believe that they are not right. It is like talking to a lifeless brick wall- perhaps unique but refusing to believe in that idea. The best you can do is save your energies and be ready to catch them when they finally fall back into reality.

Why be the Advocatus Diaboli?

It's not a easy job to be the bad guy that people can easily point fingers at. You don't win the best of friends and perhaps you win enemies for life. More than that you get judged based on something that you may have made  a judgement on. You get to be the fall guy, the bad cop if you may. But. there does come a time in everyone's life when you realize that you are not here to win popularity contests, because popularity contests will never give you satisfaction.

He who says that he doesn't judge lies. He who says that making judgments is wrong is afraid of the truth. He who says that being judgmental is a passive activity has his eyes closed and brains shut down. It is human nature to make judgments so how can one possibly not do it- quite easy actually- IF you are mentally immature or under developed, a infant, a pebble, water, sand or a piece of crap. If you are an adult with a few years of life as experience, you will make judgments. Heck, if you are a 5 year old you possibly would make judgments- or a dog or a cat or a horse.

What is a freaking judgment that everyone hates to admit to making? It is nothing but the assimilation of your life's experiences coming together to form an opinion about something. This is probably one of the few things that is truly your own. However, to be "safe" people adhere to other peoples' opinions and follow what they say- that's what sheep do. If one has opinions, they call them opinionated. Unless, ofcourse, they cloak it in big fancy words and some intellectual mumbo jumbo and they suddenly become nothing short of a guru or expert. Does anyone notice the dichotomy? I have been part of this "intellectual community" but learned that there is nothing intellectual about them really. It's a farce and it's as hedonistic as it can get. When I sought to challenge the notions that prevail or the imperfect ways of research with a more rational logic, people called it radical yet unacceptable. That "intellectual" world is full of sycophants who follow the system like  sheep- speak in the same way and what they say is based on what other's have a;ready said before. As one advances in the educational levels, it becomes a race of trying to prove their favorite heroes right against the other heroes of the other "intellectuals". As you can imagine, it becomes pointless and in the end, the result is a stale piece of bread- perhaps with a different kind of mold growing on it.

Anyway, I digress. So opinions. people have them and if I express mine, people say I am opinionated. That's their opinion right? What is my opinion based on? My life's experiences- possibly life experiences of those around me or even life's experiences of people I may have read about. For many, that probably isnt enough. I dont know what their opinion is based on but I hope it is based on their experiences too and not 'cos someone told them that this was a "wrong" opinion. In fact this happens more often that not. People protest more when they do not  express their true opinions which probably do not find expression as they do have conviction in their own opinions and just decide to be a sheep and follow the herd and put out a statement. As an individualist, to me, that is very sad.

I don't really put out things that are extraordinarily bizarre or unbelievable. Just certain facts backed by not jus experience but common sense, logic, rational and often scientific research too! It's simple- you would not stand in front of a fast train (or even a slow moving train for that matter) because you know it's a bad idea. You dont have to do it to know it's a bad idea. The experience here is not important because you are already aware of the consequences. Some thing are just plain obvious. No, it's not a generalization but some things are just obvious! Yet people fight that obvious-ness because it would probably go against their beliefs/pleasures/convenience. Sad again- because rational is relegated to trash. Some people have to stand in front of that proverbial train- even rats know better- they learn to not touch a trap twice (if they survive) or not go through a blocked route twice. But humans are more complex- and stupid.

So, in the face of stupid people who refuse to listen to logic, rationale or scientific evidence and continue to live a life of denial, waste and stupidity, I have no qualms in expressing the very obvious truths as my opinions or even judgments. In the end, almost always, I have been proven right because I dont go shooting my mouth about whatever-  it is always about what I know. For instance, if I had to climb Mt Everest, I will listen to someone who has been there and got to the peak successfully- not some guy who has never seem a hill before. It is about legitimacy sometimes but usually always about sound logic and common sense.

So really, my opinions have never been something new to be offered- they are usually a reminder of reality, the existence of possibilities and the fight against stupidity. I have made my own mistakes and people will make their own- but if someone gives good advice, I always take it. To be brazenly and consciously ignorant of certain inalienable truths is comprehensively demented. I believe in "keeping it real" - creativity indulges fantasy but it is different from stupidity. One day the stupids of the world will slowly rise from their smoky stupors and listen to reason. And till then I will be judged for allegedly "judging" them. And till then I will always be the devil's advocate- heck, by what I realized today, I am probably god's advocate, if ever there was such a thing.

Graphic Design in India: A brief analysis of bullshit

In one single post it would be hard to talk about everything that has been developing in India in graphic design. It has certainly grown over the past 10 years, especially more so in the last 5 years. The quality and variety of work has gotten better. But is it really getting much much better? Not really, unfortunately.

Designers here in India are quick to jump and say that the clients are conservative, the public is uneducated and that they cannot express their creativity in such a stifling environment. However, a lot of fault lies with the designers themselves that they do not want to admit.

I will be a bit too broad in my generalizations but it doesnt make it untrue. Here are the facts as I have seen over the last few years since 2006 when I started to really understand design in India. There are very few design schools in India. Most of the graduates tend to have the same style and seem to be lacking originality or the "thinking out of the box" mentality, even in explorations. Noone seems to be trying to push the client much because they are afraid of losing them.

However the biggest fault of Indian designers, especially the senior onces is the way they go about designing. Concept comes second to the beauty. They are too busy emphasizing on making something pretty and agreeable to the client rather than something conceptual. Most believe that they can plug a concept after they have churned out something "pretty". When senior designers give this brief to their juniors, the latter get influenced in the way they design then and in the future. This is more so because the levels of hierarchy in any office (even a design studio!) are too stark and people are too drunk on their position of authority. Designers have egos yes, but good designers are those who do not let egos come in the way of great work. And I have hardly met anyone in India like that while in New York I worked with really successful and talented people who could push aside their pride to push someone to do something amazing even if it went against what they believe in. And it shows in the work that comes out from the two countries.

The problem is that there is too much bullshit here. Sure, bullshitting our way through a presentation happens everywhere but I am not cool with backward thinking-" make something pretty and we will plug a concept later on"! That's absolutely horseshit. Everyone knows that once you have a concept, the possibilities are endless- even the pretty design will come out! Senior designers in India have to stop making their juniors design in this way because they are the future of Indian design. And this is why design hasn't yet matured yet. Sure, clients can be conservative but not as much as we think. The most successful businesses are those who have taken risks. If the concept is really strong and you believe in it, the client will believe in it too. That's where you really use your bullshitting powers! Bullshitting logical and valid arguments is a true art. And to dismiss our large population as "stupid" or "uneducate" is just making an excuse. If liberalization has shown anything, Indians have the capacity to take anything new, however bad or good, whole heartedly. Taste is acquired. You feed them your bullshit, they will be used to bullshit. So if they stupid, it is probably because you have made them stupid with your bullshit!

This mentality of "my way or the highway" when it comes to senior designers is highly negative. Junior designers, fresh out of school or those toiling under boring bread & butter work, need real leadership not dictatorship. A true leader will tell them it is imperative that they do one thing that has great concept rather than 10 pretty things with no concept. If the leaders are unable to think of the concepts (due to actual inability, lack of time due to other responsibilities etc) the least they can do is not stifle those who can. Or better, promote this thought process aggressively. Even if the juniors havent met the client (which ideally, they should to start work on the project), it doesnt make their points irrelevant. The doctor doesn't always know best.

Right now the youngsters have anyway come from a very guided design program and now their seniors tell them to design only pretty things. They all look at great designs in great books and just wish and dream that they could do the same things. These books become "inspirations" for their pretty designs and this is what they believe to be the only way to design in India. When they become seniors, they will thrust this belief on their juniors to maintain the status quo of crappiness in the thought process- without having contributed a iota of something fresh or revolutionary in it. All those years of work cited as experience amounts to nothing if one cannot sustain modesty, humility or even the basic romantic idea of free thought.

Perfection comes with practice. Indians love to show off their knowledge of the English language or just what they consider "knowledge" inculcated through their love of books which they believe makes them superior to anyone on earth who doesn't indulge in it. They will go around town quoting inspirational quotes by famous people but one wonders if they really believe in what they are quoting. Because, Indian graphic design, the babies of these very "intellectualised" designers doesn't seem to reflect that. Only when they come around, will the clients come around. Only when they push for concept out of their juniors, will really great work come out. Till then, blaming people is the easiest thing that they can do. We will always stay a nation of artists with work that have hollow souls and generic visual imagery borne out of some lame-ass bullshit shroud under the garb of "pretty design".

Wherever I am, I will keep fighting this mentality and I sure hope I am not alone.

India win Cricket World Cup 2011- A quick Analysis

It took India 28 years to win the Cricket World Cup again. They won it first in 1983 and now in 2011. I had stopped watching cricket due to its length and India's continuous dismal performance. This year I caught the semi-finals against Pakistan and the finals too- matches that will become legendary! And I am glad to have been a part of it.

What was fitting was the Malinga's last over when Dhoni belted him for fours screwing up the bowler's figures and bringing India inches to victory- just 6 runs needed off 12 balls! It was fitting because Maliga had dismissed Sehwag and Sachin in his first spell and it nearly spelt doom for India.

Also important to note is that too many people were waiting on Sachin to hit his 100th 100 and he had the expectations of the entire nation- as always. And it was his home ground of Mumbai! However, after looking promising, he was dismissed due to a poor shot selection, his hopes of a 100 vanished and it seemed like the match also was going to go downhill. The good thing that came out was that for the first time, I saw the Indians play a very mature game and the underdogs in Gambhir and Kohli and Dhoni come into their own.

Sreesanth was called the lucky mascot for the team and his selection, despite him being absent in most games, seemed vindicated in the end. He ended up at the Champions' side again!

A sms was apparently floating around since morning about how the match would be fixed- it predicted that SL would win the toss, SL would get 260-270 runs, Sehwag would be out in the first over, Sachin would get 98 and India would win by 1 wicket. Most things seemed to be coming true after Sehwag's dismissal but then things changed. Sachin went for 30 odd and India won by 6 wickets. What mattered was that we won.

Cool fact-2011 has the same calendar as 1983- the year when we won the cup first and the year that I was born! ;)

Many superstitions would have cropped up and many, including me, would attribute the win to what they did- like sit in one place, send someone to the kitchen, or the color of the shirt that they wore etc etc. I guess it makes us feel more important about being part of history.

The game also showed a important moral lesson that people can use to tell their kids. The Lankan captain Sangakara lied about what he had initially called at the toss which led to a re-toss which India lost. In the end, India won despite the Lankan captain's full attempts to sabotage the toss. So, now parents can say "if you lie or be dishonest, you will lose the game". Sweet!

This game also shows that nice guys do get the prize in the end. I have met Dhoni in real life and he is a sweetheart with no airs about him. A fitting captain. I am sure Sachin is the same- you can just tell. While, the Lankan captain has that devious vibe about him- which manifested in the lie about the toss. Indians are much less aggressive too and generally pretty docile and polite on the field. Well, in the end, it wasn't the Aussies, the Lankans, the South Africans...but the nice guys who took this cup. So its a lesson to everyone- good guys do win and there is nothing bad in being a good guy- they are just ahead of the game.

The game brought millions of Indians together but I also saw another side. People cannot handle excitement and are obviously not mature enough. The celebrations spilled into the street but it started to appear more of hooliganism. People blocked traffic, smashed bottles on the road, hung precariously out of cars, screaming at the top of their voices and just making the road seem a very unsafe place for anyone out there. A total disregard of rules to the limit of making it unsafe for everyone, including themselves. It will take these Indians a lot of time to change, if at all. I think it has to do with our so called "traditional" (aka suppressive) culture that represses the way people emote and when they do, it's basic, crude and absolutely inconsiderate. I was mortified to be riding on my bike through these roads- almost seemed like the riots! I hope "civilization" finds its place among the Indian youth soon and they find a more mature way of handling things. Imagine, if India had lost- how much damage would result from their rampage. Think of how people in the South went crazy after a movie star died- due to natural causes at that! It's unimaginable. I just hope noone got hurt in this melee. That they cheered for the team, hugged each other, gave hi-fives and did not cause harm or damage to anyone.

So, it was a joyous momentous occasion that we will all tell our grandkids.Lesson learned and respect earned. Many people became rich but more people became graced.

Cheers to Team India.

Why are people hating on helmets?

So, this is becoming too frequent and its annoying. Everyone seems to have some prejudices against helmets and will discriminate people with helmets in different situations- be it the movies, the airports or hotels. In India more than anywhere else.

I am a avid biker and have custom painted helmets. When I go somewhere, I like to carry them with me in a nice sack to protect it from scratches and prevent them from being stolen- already happened once so not taking a chance ever again! The first time that I had the problem was for movies- they wont let me take them in! That was the time when even backpacks would not be allowed while women could carry their purses inside. Biased? Hell yeah! This was sort of rectified when some movie halls in India started providing lockers to lock up helmets and bags. Good job there.

Recently, I was travelling by air but carrying my helmet because I was going to be riding at my destination. I went through three airports and the airport where I was harassed because of my helmet was Nagpur!! Not Delhi, not Goa, but frigging small town Nagpur. A annoying SE Anshu Grade at the x-ray machine was the only one who was convinced that the helmet was a threat and "could be used as a weapon"!! How? By whacking someone on the head? While there were iron crutches, tripod stands and even airplane doors at disposal to do so? Seriously? Maybe in that small town there isn't much action so she decided to make my life hell and there was a huge scene. None of her colleagues agreed with her but seemed helpless in countering her- juniors perhaps. She almost insinuated that I was like a terrorist when she started to give the example of Kasab! I come from a respected family of senior government officials and if anything, we would probably unearth more problems if we checked her antecedents. I can bet on it. I made sure CISF jawans assisted me in getting proper padding and packing for the helmets done before I boarded the plane. So much grief over one person's wrong assessment of the situation!

So you would say that perhaps this cop was a less educated person who was trying to abuse her powers. However, hotels are no better. Many star hotels wont let you carry a helmet inside their buildings due to "safety" reasons! Safety my ass. Usually I make it a point to call up the hotels and ask their policies on helmets- people at the Ashok and Intercontinental (now Lalit) seemed better when it came to this. Today, I went to the dying Claridges Hotel in Delhi to meet some clients. Everyone, from the guards to the Manager said that policy would not allow them to let me take my helmet in!! They also used the lame excuse of "helmet can be used as weapon"!! Really? I saw more dangerous looking metal crutches (that could easily conceal a gun if it wanted!) go in! I think its just snobbery and general classist attitude of Indian society. And if it happens in the US, even more shameful. I think the hotel people think if people carried their helmets inside, it would degrade their inside environment because they believe that rich people dont ride motorbikes. Such ignorants pricks! Only on the intervention of a senior foreign dignitary did they yield and held my helmet with the Bell Desk taking full responsibility for the helmet. Colonial boot licking? But of course.

This is what I always say- the possibilities to do better are limitless but people are looking in the wrong places. They create a fuss over helmets while they should be directing their attention to actual things that could be security risks or debase the atmosphere of their respective surroundings. It is because of this that people normally have a lapse of judgement which leads to fatal consequences. And then they are stuck scratching their heads of what they did wrong and overcompensate with things that have nothing to do with what happened.

People will stay uneducated, ignorant, arrogant and just disconnected from reality. There needs to be a movement against such discrimination and stupid policies. Lets vote against the idiocracy of today!  India has seen too many mistakes by people in charge of "security" and by hating on helmets, they are fooling noone. After going through all these instances of helmet discrimination, I feel more unsafe knowing that truly stupid, foolish and illogical people are in charge of the safety of people's lives.

Fan boys are amusing

Every day people never cease to amaze me with stereotypical and predictable behaviors. I guess my rants are not rants but mere observances of how far humans have evolved from being simple food gatherers to being the most annoying and illogical species on this planet. The possibilities to find them are endless- they could be right in front of you or even on a social networking site! And on the latter is where I found the latest addition to the melee- wish it wasn't this person but it was.

This guy is a leader of sorts for a section of the population- mostly youngsters who really hang into his word and in quite a true sense, are his fans. More than 50,000 of them! And yet he fell down to the level of a typical fan boy who got so defensive on something that did not warrant such an reaction. It was the classic mac vs pc debate- developed from a discussion on the new ipad2.

Functionally, as a professional designer and biker, to me this device makes no sense- in fact its an inconvenience. Everything it can do, any laptop or netbook can do. Being a user of tablets, I wanted that screen to be practical for Adobe programs but it isnt. So basically what I would end up using this ipad (first of all it sounds like a woman's personal product) is to read papers or books, listen to music, watch movies, play games, surf the internet, take pictures, make music etc etc. But the thing is, I prefer physical papers and books while a laptop can easily do the rest of me- in much better quality. As far as the much touted Garage band is concerned, serious musicians are rolling their eyes just like millions of graphic designers/photographers did when people started taking to photoshop/paint/etc. Everything in the ipad seems a dumbing down of everything. I am all for the democratization of technology but it is more than that. I prefer quality and though the ipad is very well built, any laptop (of comparable or smaller size) can do every single the ipad can do better. Much better. And my standards are high so why would I, as an individual, choose something that promotes mediocrity through a excellent looking device? Why cannot it be available in version like wacoms are- for the casual users (bamboo) and for the hardcore users (intuous and cintiq series). In addition to a laptop, a phone, a music player (if not within the phone) and a separate camera with all the bells & whistles (the ipad wont be be even able to match a quarter of its features), why does one need to carry one extra device to do bits of all that? At a inferior output? On the other hand, the ipad is a hit with cats and perhaps for my future furry friends, I could get one! ;)

I have seen people open up laptops on subways- a more convenient thing could be a tablet pc- the original idea behind the ipad in the first place! I dont even travel on subways anymore and dont intend to spend more than 30 minutes in it at a stretch in the future. When inside, I want to just hold my breath and take a breather from daily life. However I ride my motorbike now so that purpose is not needed. My old laptop is still a workhorse- I can start it in under 10 seconds, design a professional magazine layout under a minute, make 3 finished logos under 20 minutes (though I wouldnt push it), play Motogp, browse the net and still have tons of battery life left after 30 minutes of a subway ride. It doesnt have a fancy screen but there is no real inconvenience in making better looking professional grade final products. That is why, though some people may want to have a toy to play with or show off to the world- I live in Delhi and everyone likes to show off here- I dont really want to waste time with mediocrity. We live once and I want to live it fully and in high def! There's nothing wrong with people wanting toys but as far as products go, the Apple products have a lot of serious competition- i.e. only for those who are not blinded by the Apple brain washing. Everything shiny is not always the best but as Apple has proved, people can be made to believe otherwise.

So, anyway that was my simple point. I dont need the ipad and one must really think before getting the machine. Want is all and well and is fuelled by the ultra slick marketing of Apple- they dont give a shit about your emotional connect etc. They are a business and they want to sell. Period. End of story. Let's not elevate Apple to anything more. But the fans do. And so did this guy. A few months ago he got a macbook pro and is all gaga and starry eyed about. He had the iphone 3 and now the iphone 4 and the stars seemed to have leaked something into his head. While I tried to say that their machines are far from being the perfect pieces of utility, he went off on a defensive rant to everyone who went against his view. I think I & others touched some raw nerve and he went all ballistic, pulling up quotes to dissect every single word, splitting hairs and going to real lengths to prove his point. All this while he absolutely chose to ignore my main point. He became all self righteous about how he lives his life to the fullest and how only when one does, can that person understand how Apple products are really so awesome- not his exact words but you get the idea. He started pointing fingers, albeit indirectly but it was obvious to me, at my stellar education background but though I have known him off and on for a while, there is so much he doesnt know about me. And yet he insinuated that I am just one of those who gets a 9 to 5 job, wears a suit and have a boring unfulfilling life.

All this he could insinuate in response to  my statements about how we have to lead balanced lives and how I would prefer a better OS and other things completely irrelevant to what he chose to address instead. He even called Steve Jobs a human face for the company. When I pointed out that he was anything but that, this guy went even more berserk. True, Jobs has great foresight and business acumen but he is driven by profits as any sensible businessman would. This human face is part of his strategy and just shows how dictatorial and self-obsessed he really is. And this guy was showing the Steve Jobs syndrome. It is quite interesting the possibilities to identify oneself that open up once you buy a product!

This guy's story is unique- from a small initiative he grew into something he also had not imagined possible. He did have a few fallouts with other people but along the way he picked up friends- more so, fans and followers. You have to applaud his entrepreneurial spirit for something he loved doing. He is widely recognized all over India amongst the community he identifies himself with. Corporations involved with this community have showered him with adulation and opportunities he, himself, would not have deemed possible when he started off from his parent's apartment. I never got too deeply involved with this community as I was chasing my own dreams and the quality of newcomers seemed to not appeal to my sensibilities. However, he has my full respect for what he has managed to do. But today, I saw the side of this remarkable guy that should not have been there. He is just another fan boy who needs to justify something to the very end without really listening to the other side. While I pushed for neutrality, he pushed at extremes, relevant or not.

Observing fanboys is amusing but boring at the same time. Their defences lack creativity and almost always start getting personal. And when that happens, you know that you have won. I have no alliances and do not strongly support any brand because the possibilities of technologies havent been breached by anyone yet- we have come far but everything is at par with one another. I am a individualist and I believe that what one can do with what one has is more important than what one has if the end results are pathetic. If one starts to get defined by what they own, it is truly a sad life and sadly, Apple boys/girls are just that till they snap out of it into reality. All fanboys are the same everywhere. Provoking them seems fun at first but their repetitive chants are quite snore-inspiring.

Believing in individuality, I gave this guy a chance in my head. I tried to find an explanation for this overwhelming superiority complex he felt entitled to. Perhaps he felt that his views were threatened and and if he ceded, all his followers will be disappointed in him. Or conversely, perhaps his ego has been fueled by all his yes-men around him that he is not used to someone standing up to him and disagreeing. Perhaps he is having some troubles at home. Or with someone. Perhaps his childhood was traumatic. Perhaps he wants to justify it to others (himself most importantly) the amount of money he pays for these products. Who knows- except him ofcourse.

What fanboys like him forget is that humans are all different. Brands like Apple try to create clones and uniformity- nothing short of what the Nazis wanted. Its quite astonishing to see that fan boys do not realize that their own views have been subverted to create a larger view- all in the commercial interest of a brand who do not care about creating a "family" or "co-systems" (words used by him to describe going into the Apple family!)! I love branding but it is these issues which sometimes makes me be more careful and ethical about the message we put out. Brands are creating strange loyalties nowadays. The "families" they create are for their own selfish purposes to feed constantly with their products- a harem of sorts if you please.

Humans are supposed to be intelligent but some are more than others- the more intelligent seem to be the ones who own these brands and herd people like sheep into their fold. It is a dangerous phenomenon so similar to how militants and terrorists all over the world bring in new cadets. I guess a lot of humans are gullible to the extent that they can kill. In this scenario, it does make sense then to believe that fan boys can can be easily selective in their reading and illogical in their subsequent reasoning.

What I find more disturbing than these fanboys is the consequent growth of negligence of excellence in one's daily life. More and more people seem to be okay with something average as long as it was produced by something "cool"- be it photography, design , music, arts, literature etc. Since everything is connected, the complacency extends to other aspects of one's life- food, hygiene, accommodations etc. In India people love to blame everybody else except themselves and it is borne out of a similar attitude. What they dont realize is that they have to be the change that they want to be.

I do hope though that one day the fanboys of the world awake from their stupor and rebel against the prejudices in their head like the people did in Egypt against their dictator. This, however, is going to be a tougher revolution to win but worth every pound of flesh.

On a final note, a very interesting aspect of fanboys are that they start accusing you of things that they are actually guilty of themselves. This happens when they know sub-consciously that they have lost the logical fight. They will use very innane logic of confrontation to sound somewhat intelligent- to such extents that they would destroy their own arguments. This guy did not care that I have worked on macs and handled apple products on a daily basis much longer than he has and said that it was my personal experiences and it did not count!! Aren't reviews supposed to be from personal experiences? I would trust his word about something that he has tried out for a longer period of time before I have - or trust someone else who tried the same thing longer than he had! The community that he has built is based on this very fact and that's why he has his fan following- he has more experience than most others and done things that others haven't and that's why people look to him for advice. So when he says that my vast experience could not match his short spotty experience, he, in one swooping statement demolished the very foundation that made him known for who he is. Well, that's what being a fan boy can do to someone- even to this young intelligent man. They are truly amusing!