Why RSS's old-school 'handler' tactics won't work on Gen Z

Mohan Bhagwat, by recommending a switch in tone from “dictation to discussion” while dealing with Gen Z, isn’t suddenly experiencing a hridaya parivartan (change of heart). He is sliding into the role of the classic paternalistic handler—like R. Madhavan’s Sanyal in Dhurandhar, Chunky Panday’s Jain in Baby Do Die Do or even Bobby Deol’s distinctly creepy Baba in Alpha—offering warmth, shelter and progressive soundbites, but only to keep a volatile, high-performance asset under their control.

It is basically the ole benevolent Indian patriarch schtick—I will give you all my heart, but, in exchange, you must give me all your brain. And why just Bhagwat. Now that Sonam Wangchuk has headed back to the hills, practically every ageing political player from practically every political party is out there—auditioning for the part of Dumbledore to Gen Z’s Harry. But Gen Z isn’t Harry. Or Hamza. Essentially it is a hive mind of diverse, constantly churning and updating entities, populating a universe where ideas can go from “sick” to “fin” in a matter of hours. And, they guard that universe fiercely. They have grown up with Finsta accounts, and private TikToks.

They have finished off the entire advertising industry with zealous fact-checking and manic fast-forwarding. They are cool with foul, filthy language as long as hearts and intentions are pure. They have binge-watched 13 Reasons Why, Kota Factory, dealt with substance abuse, self-harm and porn addiction with together-in-the-trenches humour, letting in therapists—or parents—only occasionally. They are also the first generation raised by genuinely empowered mothers who had a meaningful say in parenting, unlike in the old daddy-knows-best days. No wonder the RSS is having a hard time getting through.

Bhagwat isn’t wrong when he says Gen Z craves affection. But they crave affection not as a manipulative prescription, but as a genuine emotion. Which, let us just say, is not the RSS’s area of strength.

He also blames the women’s liberation movement for ruining a couple of generations, and glibly adds that LGBTQ people must be given a place in society. Hmm, the RSS is strictly for men. Women join something called the Rashtriya Sevika Samiti and learn about motherhood and housework. Would the LGBTQ folks get their own cadre? Or what? These are exactly the sort of insincere, inconsistent, airy statements Gen Z considers red flags—the sort often made by authority figures repeating inherited beliefs without examining them.

The other thing deeply worrying the right-wingers, but getting the left and the liberals tremendously excited, is how inclusive the suddenly highly aspirational Gen Z badge is. All you require is the correct birth date. No sarkari kaagaz, no caste certificate, nothing. You can be rural or urban, rich or poor, Muslim or dalit, north Indian or south Indian. It’s a huge democratiser in a country of such massive inequalities, and is banding together kids who have nothing in common except a common enemy—ghastly old folks who have fried the planet.

How then to harness the potent force that is Gen Z? I would say by doing more of what the nascent CJP is trying to do. Respect their strength and try sincerely for a friendship between equals. Like the iconic one shared by Hiccup and Toothless, say.

Definitely not by falling prey to handler’s hubris—most films in that genre end the same way—the agent finds out he/she is being used, goes rogue and bumps off the handler. Usually in a pretty gory manner. While the audience cheers.

editor@theweek.in