[Review] Why the Poor Don’t Kill Us by Manu Joseph

[Review] Why the Poor Don’t Kill Us: The Psychology of Indians by Manu Joseph

Why the Poor Don’t Kill Us: The Psychology of Indians by Manu Joseph is a non-fiction book that tries to understand why the poorest Indians don’t revolt violently against the rich and the elites through multiple lenses. I discovered this book because of a reel on Instagram, and everything about it resonated with the state of mind I was in. I also realised it was available on Kindle Unlimited, so I pretty much started reading it that same evening.

So, did the book live up to my expectations?

Why the Poor Don’t Kill Us: The Psychology of Indians by Manu Joseph | Synopsis

“…Droll, folksy irreverence” – Business Standard
“… A scalpel cutting into the membrane that separates the rich from the poor” – The Tribune
“…A sharp and suave critique…” – The Week

In this searing and darkly hilarious diagnosis of contemporary Indian society, acclaimed writer Manu Joseph explores why the poor don’t rise in revolt against the rich despite living in one of the most unequal regions of the world.

The poor know how much we spend in a single day, on a single meal, the price of Atlantic salmon and avocados. ‘Why,’ he asks, ‘do they tolerate it? Why don’t they crawl out from their catastrophes and finish us off? Why don’t little men emerge from manholes and attack the cars? Why don’t the maids, who squat like frogs beside kitchen sinks, pull out the hair of their conscientious madams who never give them a day off? Why is there peace?’

Why the Poor Don’t Kill Us shows us in pitiless detail just how hypocritical and exploitative people of privilege are, and it also shows us how and why they get away with it. It’s a sharp, witty, and perceptive critique of the many faults of the India we live in.

Why the Poor Don’t Kill Us: The Psychology of Indians by Manu Joseph

Why the Poor Don’t Kill Us: The Psychology of Indians by Manu Joseph | Review

India has a population of 1.45 billion. This is a country where we have both, two of the richest men in the world, as well as people who subsist on less than $3 a day. Such a vast economic disparity should be cause for concern no? Across the world, when people are ill-treated and discriminated against, it’s only a matter of time before a revolution stirs among the disenfranchised. But not in India. Why not? The poor significantly outnumber the rich. Why then do the rich continue to dominate the lower classes?

This has been a point of much pondering for me ever since I developed class consciousness back in college. Not only was it a wake up call for me with regards to all the many privileges I have, but also a shocking realisation about the deeply unjust structure of powers that dominate the world’s largest democracy. And yet, no matter how I’ve tried to justify it, rationalise it, or try to figure it out, I’ve failed.

Manu Joseph’s book, while not claiming to solve the enigma, offers more than many possibilities which could somewhat explain the reasoning behind this perpetually backwards class in the pathos-filled puzzle that is Indian society.

I haven’t read any of Manu Joseph’s books, so this was my introduction to his writing. And, I get why he’s so well-loved in the literary circles. His writing has that much-needed flair, which can convey the sharpest of ideas with the right amount of sting and awe.

Unflinchingly Dark, Unapologetically Thought Provoking

Right from the opening chapter, Joseph dives into exploring his key idea. He begins by reorienting our perspectives to see Indian society from his lens. He talks of the gated society he resides in, and how that represents a small-scale version of the whole of India. From the different ways in which the rich and the poor experience this gated society, to the way they perceive each other, he acutely details their individual plights and aspirations.

As he slowly dissects the difficulties of the poor across India, from the remotest villages to the richest localities in cities, he holds back no punches. Because how else do you provoke a thought if not without slapping a reality-check. It’s not like these observations are the most unique. But, they are those very ‘eureka’ moments which make for shareable quotes and keeping-you-awake-at-night ideas. And you’d expect nothing less from a man who’s been across India, who’s written for the best of publications, and engaged with every rung of society.

Sometimes the ideas are dark. Sometimes, they’re darkly funny, leaving you with a lingering itch to keep engaging. But they’re all worth engaging with at least once. Are revolutions really a tool of the second-highest elites against the elites? Is India’s poor liveability a feature to keep its poor in check? Is subservience culturally coded into our genes, or is the elite class just that good at holding onto its position and power?

Every idea that Joseph presents is worth intellectually engaging with. Every idea is relevant from multiple standpoints—economic, cultural, sociological, even psychological. And for that reason, I found this book to be a very compelling read.

An Extended Op-Ed Piece

The first noticeable thing in the book was the lack of citations. This is not a research paper. What this reads is like an extended ‘editor’s opinion’. That’s not a complaint, unless you want it to be.

I didn’t begin to read this book trying to find answers. I just wanted to see another person’s perspective to identify if I can relate to it. And in many cases, I did. Many of Joseph’s hypotheses are supported by his rich experiences and anecdotes. He presents his arguments in ways that compel you to think. Even when the idea seems a little too farfetched, you’ll pause to wonder if it really is. In a country where children died in hospitals from lack of oxygen cylinders, where—to quote Azeem Banatwalla’s—basic infrastructure has become tourist attraction, and where backwards ideologies have become the dominant drivers of discourse, anything is possible.

Joseph doesn’t propose a solution, because there really isn’t one. To find a solution is to understand the problem. But what is a problem for one is really ‘just the way it’s always been’ for a million more. Whether we will see change in our lives or not, depends on how things go in the coming years. But getting these insights and perspectives into the different classes does make me reevaluate some of my choices. And any book that forces you to ponder and think is a book worth reading, in my opinion.

Side Note: The Kindle Unlimited version that I read seemed to be poorly edited. There were several errors, both grammatical and formatting. Something to consider if you decide to pick it up.

Conclusion:

Why the Poor Don’t Kill Us: The Psychology of Indians by Manu Joseph is a dark, poignant, and thought-provoking read that, without offering solutions, creatively presents the puzzling problem that is Indian society.

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Have you read Why the Poor Don’t Kill Us: The Psychology of Indians by Manu Joseph? What did you think about it? Let me know in the comments below.

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