Cities and the Migrant Middle-Class Man

Science-fiction in the west had always focussed on social forecasting and warnings. In 1931, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World was published. In the book, Huxley critiques totalitarian governments. Few years later, Hitler invaded Poland. In 1968, Phillip K. Dick wrote a novel titled Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? which was later made into the Harrison Ford movie, Blade Runner. Instead of dictatorship, this book had the concept of the man in future, nature of orders, his lack of purpose – something which essentially becomes a hot-topic by internet enthusiasts every other month.

The problems envisaged by the science fiction of yesteryears, are eerily creeping to our conscience and globally, men are 80% more likely than woman to commit suicides according to WHO statistics as of 2008. According to another WHO statistic, India has surpassed Japan in the age-standardised rates for suicide per capita numbers, which given our population, should be an alarming news. However, we face a deafening silence. The man of today is also more likely to live in cities rather than villages and with these changes, comes new challenges that are unspoken about. 

While it’s common to critique the hustle-culture lifestyle in cities, part of it shares the blame of increasing suicidal tendencies amongst men. According to a paper by Fido et.al in December 2020 edition of Journal of Environmental Psychology, people with ‘dark-triad personalities’ i.e. those suffering from narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy are drawn to cities. In fact, they are low on ‘nature connectedness’ and are peculiarly, averse to nature.

Today, we see entirety of the Indian conservative middle class migrate to cities and with this, they bring the conservative culture of men being a breadwinner. Ergo, a higher probability in facing people who fit such ‘dark-triad’ persona. They maybe egotistical bosses, shrewd colleagues etc.

We all need praise for our everyday effort. We all need a pat on the back and its reassuring if we exist within a supportive circle but this is not what the city migrant receives. It is difficult for men with such infantile and ‘straightforward’ socio-sexual developments to cope up with the constant labour expected from him. Plus, they face a bombardment of manipulation. In his infantile socio-sexual development, his need for extra support comes in form of increased sexual activity. Naturally, this is not something his woman would be willing to partake in all the time. The middle-class city man doesn’t get this extra support, and he neither demands for the fear of being labelled as a lecher. As a result, he undergoes severe agony.

A society can be broadly viewed through its legal reality i.e. legal frameworks, constitution etc. and the socio-political reality i.e. people, cultures, language etc. Also, the societal reality may have a completely different picture than legal reality in some circumstances. One example is women empowerment. The legal reality of the nation provides every scope for the protection and upliftment of women. However, the socio-political picture is very different. For men, it’s the other way round. While the society is rewarding, we have to consider that legal reality of men is riddled with stringent and draconian non-bailable arrests – even at mere suspicion or allegation. So, when we are poised with the question of ‘where would you send the man if he is arrested on false / yet-to-be proven on dowry charges?’, the unfortunate answer turns out to be, ‘in the same environment where already hardened criminals, rapists and terrorist-sympathisers dwell.’ It’s akin to sending a flu affected person to a room with coronavirus patients. What’s worse? Even young boys who try drugs for the first time are sent to the same den of anti-socials.

Today, we live in a society which is constantly changing for the better and in such a fast-paced time, the question in science-fiction remains as to what awaits men. In one such book, “The Scent of Redemption”, authored by Shreyan Laha, the protagonist paediatrician Ronit is exiled to a planet eleven light years away. His crime? He had committed a botched operation. Now, it’s the times of 4000 AD. Everything is safe. Murders are as rare as cannibalism and things like poverty or illicit crimes don’t exist. Humans, along with AI are working seamlessly to achieve perfection. In such a time, a botched operation is considered a crime – which it was. Ronit was ideologically indoctrinated and his world shatters when he comes to know that his cause was all but a façade. In his new planet, Ronit immerses himself in search of knowledge. His source of knowledge is Ashani, an alien philosopher whom if we read critically could be a ‘representation of an unrealistic soulmate’. Ashani is far intelligent than any human, as much as humans are beyond insects. She could read every bit of Ronit’s mind and despite being one of the five figureheads of her world, casually strolls around the jungle with her human companion without care about her societal position.

Needless to say, it’s impossible for city-dwelling migrants to find Ashani. However, there are few take aways from this book which provides a solution to migrant men in cities with simpleton minds. One, be clear about your intentions and keep having conversations. With technology increasing at a J shaped curve, there will be more transparency in workspace, finances and so on. The line between creativity and corruption would blur. Two. There are multifaceted reasons behind men repressing their feelings. Often, we come across a rather one-dimensional reflex to such problems and that is, encouraging men to be vulnerable. However, we do not know his surroundings. It might be possible that he is surrounded by friends, family or relatives who may take advantage of his vulnerability. One must find a non-judgmental person to confide in, for the end result of repressing emotions is fatal. Third, remember that when a commoner follows a cause, he is closer to the person who dies for it than the person who preaches it. Ronit’s masters were still at earth while he took the fall for his group which was later branded as a “terrorist organisation”. Be as attached to the cause in your city as the city is with you. Last but not the least, keep learning and arming oneself with knowledge. It is only our lack of knowledge, be it psychological, socio-political, philosophical or anything, which makes most of our problems worse.

Shreyan Laha