Is it the Taj or the Indians?
In a last minute rally, Indians voted massively to propel the Taj Mahal into the list of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Indians voted overwhelmingly in the polls cast by over a million people. The polling picked up drastically over the last one month, to see the ''monument of love'' through to the final seven.
Source: NDTV.com: Taj on list of world's seven wonders
Taj is undoubtedly magnificent. But isn't it on the list largely because the Indian diaspora asserted it voting power?
A community asserts itself when it's politically strong--when it is confident of dealing with the visibility, which inevitably leads to some unwanted attention too.
What does support for the Taj indicate more of:
- Taj is truly magnificent.
- Indians are now a confident community.
I think, more of 2.
2 comments:
i would venture a third option - there're enough indians with access to internet & mobile phones.
that i think primarily accounts for Taj featuring amongst the so called new 7 wonders of the world.
it certainly is a pity that the list excluded marvels like the pyramids and included a statue of jesus.
like UNESCO says - masses can not decide/write history.
People with internet connection or mobile phones could only vote for the new 7-wonders, therefore it amounts to selection bias in the vote. But if masses cannot decide or make history, then the the presence of this bias is of secondary importance.
The opinion of masses and the experts are both important and reflect different things.
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