Are we missing a closer scrutiny of behavioural and social dynamics?

The news cycles are completely swamped by the Cockroach Janata Party protests, chiefly, about politics and law and order dynamics.

But they are missing the human element, the emotional drivers that are at the heart of the movement. The fulfilment of publicly enunciated demands is only the surface-level argument.

Let’s take a granular look.

Most of the protesters are indeed students, not professional ‘student protestors’. In India one can be a student until age 40. But, the faces you see on your screens are predominantly of young people.

There is an innocence about most of them that borders upon naivete. There is also a sense of thrill-seeking and belonging to a tribe.

Smiley faces are quite common even after jumping walls to escape a lathi charge

Gen Z seeks causes to associate with given the alienation and loneliness imposed ironically by social media.

With calls to gather being provided by Bluetooth-enabled apps, there is an element of a flash mob here. Only for a longer duration. That’s why numbers have swelled so rapidly.

There simply aren’t so many NEET aspirants, as there are protestors.

More social experience than agitation

So, more than an agitation. It’s more like ‘let’s come together, savour the experience and see what happens.’

The crescendo rises with political involvement or a public spectacle. But it goes back to the baseline of belonging to a tribe/cause.

The journey is the desired outcome.

The alternative is boredom and unemployment.

Tough measures with a soft touch

The best way out of this impasse is surely to fix NEET and announce tangible measures to support quality education and employment.

And for the government to practice good old Gandhigiri. Supply food. Provide mattresses, fans and toilets. Issue ID cards to the protestors. Strict surveillance through drones and CCTV cameras.

But zero force as long as possible.

Get the parents involved in talking to their children. The students might lose a bit of cool cred. But this will help to separate the wheat from the chaff and find a holistic solution.

No infiltration by anti-social elements, just hard rules and hard boundaries against marching to sensitive areas or instigating violence.

The government can make the students comfortable at Jantar Mantar for as long as they want to be.

They may not stay for too long, if tangible positive measures are taken.

It’s the forbidden fruit that tastes sweeter.

The Insight

As Zig Ziglar said,

People buy on emotion and justify with logic

This applies to understanding the motivations of our youth as much as how we consume brands.

Stories and emotions are the currency.

Publicly articulated goals and value propositions are rationalisations.

Reframing the question is often the answer.