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Satisficing

 

Copilot Designer's illustration of 'satisficing'

Satisficing is a portmanteau word coined by Nobel Prize-winning American economist and political scientist. He combined the words ‘satisfy’ and ‘suffice’ into one to describe the human tendency to make a decision that is ‘good enough’ rather than one that is necessarily optimal.

Take an example to understand the notion better. Suppose A is searching for his life partner at a matrimonial site. There are so many potential brides who all look good enough. But if A goes on to find the best among them, the one that suits all his criteria and tastes, he will remain a bachelor till death. So what does A do? He satisfices by choosing one that meets his minimum acceptable criteria.

When the ruling BJP decided to project Smriti Irani as the next chief minister candidate for Delhi, Herbert Simon forced himself into my consciousness.

Smriti Irani lost in the last parliament election to Congress’s Kishori Lal. The margin was a gargantuan figure: 167,196. It was an utter rout. The people of Amethi, an important constituency in the important state of Uttar Pradesh, rejected Ms Irani downright hardly a few months back. That same person is now brought to Delhi. No wonder someone went to the extent of creating the following image and posting it on Facebook. 


The image is outlandish, to say the least. But it projects the frustrations of the creator of that image too well. BJP has perpetrated all sorts of immorality and venality on the nation in the last ten years with absolute impunity. Jettisoning elected chief ministers, horse-trading of elected candidates, incriminating innocent people and incarcerating them, eliminating critics altogether… That list can go on endlessly.

Now, why did Herbert Simon force himself into my consciousness at this juncture? I don’t know. Maybe, I’ve chosen to satisfice myself with people like Smriti Irani as our leaders. What choice do I, any Indian, have anyway? You can vote but ultimately BJP will decide who will rule you!

That’s why the tastelessness of the above illustration forced itself here too.

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