Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Indian libertarians say it with spraypaint

One Graffiti at a time: A Libertarian’s quest to bring accountability in tax spending - Aprameya Rao, DNA India:

January 20, 2019 - "During the day, 29-year-old Jaimine Vaishnav is just another lecturer in a Mumbai college. On certain nights, however, he is a different person all together. Armed with a can of spray paint, Jaimine along with his group of followers set out to different parts of Mumbai, blemishing walls with provocative slogans like 'Taxation Is Theft' & 'Tax for Corruption.'

"Jaimine and his group call their nocturnal activity 'grafittivism'.... Since July 2017, their 'graffitivism' has been seen across several public properties in Navi Mumbai, Kurla and Thane.

"The Libertarian idea that taxation is a form of theft is the inspiration... 'We pay taxes but there is no accountability in the way it is spent. It seems we are paying taxes for potholes, corruption, statues, inflation, improper standard of living and poverty,' says Jaimine.

"For the group, which includes Jaimine’s former students, working professionals and businessmen, graffiti is a peaceful way to trigger public discourse.... 'Graffiti is a harmless yet powerful protest, an art form to express my anger and frustration against the lack of accountability on tax spending,' says a member of the group who is a senior corporate executive during the day.

"Nevertheless, Libertarianism, which stresses on liberty and individual freedoms, remains a little-known ideology in India.... Chintan Girish Modi, an educator and researcher, adds that ... 'Libertarianism is viewed with suspicion by the Left and the Right because it values human rights as well as free markets which are traditionally seen as incompatible'....

"Thus, it comes as no surprise that Libertarian ideas are largely confined to social media. While Jaimine’s small group of followers actively discuss Libertarianism on a WhatsApp group, their 'graffitivism' is only occasional and often spontaneous due to lack of time."

Read more: https://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-one-graffiti-at-a-time-a-libertarian-s-quest-to-bring-accountability-in-tax-spending-2709933
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