New Delhi, Jan. 25 -- One way or another, the central message of all annoying people is 'why can't you be like me?' I cannot think of a more foolish use of human speech. Often this message is conveyed as an insult to those who do not perform some sacred thing that is dear to the pontificator.

It is with that same pious face that some people insult those who don't vote. Every now and then, I hear radio jockeys, actors, comedians and others give a lecture on why everyone should go and vote. There used to be a man in South Mumbai who would actually spend money to scream on hoardings that the very meaning of 'idiot' is a person who didn't vote.

This learning was apparently drawn from ancient Greece, a frequently cited source of nonsense. An...