Good morning, Quartz readers!
It’s been nearly six weeks since the biggest election in history started in India.
The first votes were cast on April 11 and have been guarded by paramilitary forces since. The last will be cast tomorrow (May 19). On May 23, India will have a new Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament), which will form a government. In all, 900 million voters were called to the polls.
It’s been an intense campaign—vicious, at times. The ruling, Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, in particular, unleashed attacks not just on its adversaries (and an assassinated parent, in one case), but also against minorities. Many view its promise to create a nationwide register of citizens as primarily a way to target Muslims, many of whom would be unable to prove citizenship under the scheme. Meanwhile its candidates have stooped to surprising lows, like calling Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin a deshbhakt, or “patriot.”
This is a very different campaign, and political climate, than the one that brought prime minister Narendra Modi to power five years ago. Then, he was welcomed in a landslide as a beacon of economic development, and his Hindu nationalistic past was kept aside, in an uncomfortable precedent.
His brand of nationalism came to power propelled by an economic narrative. His success was the first of a trend: Brexit, Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, and Matteo Salvini in Italy came after, all locally tailored expressions of similar political discourses.
But this time, communalism is at the center of the conversation. The government has failed to deliver the quick economic turnaround it promised, and being unable to flaunt great development achievements (despite solid marketing, aided by the spread of fake news), it has resorted to rallying its base through overt Hindu nationalism.
And so, while casting their votes according to their specific, sometimes local needs, Indians have also had to answer a much deeper question: Do they want their country to continue being the secular, multicultural democracy its founders envisioned?
Their answer will show whether they are willing to take Hindu nationalism in lieu of progress and economic improvement, and give a hint on what the future may hold for the other global democracies that will soon be called to answer a similar question. —Annalisa Merelli
Five things on Quartz we especially liked
Preparing for the Game of Thrones finale. We’re here for you. Evan Higgins looks at six possible ways the series can conclude, and lets you pick your own ending via bot. Dan Kopf, for his part, shows that critical opinion of GoT has taken an almost unprecedented nosedive in its last season. Meanwhile Quartz staff make a case for which character deserves to take the Iron Throne, and Adam Epstein recommends other shows that might fill the Westeros-sized hole in your heart.
The other economic weapons at China’s disposal. China vowed this week to raise tariffs on $60 billion of US goods, retaliating against tariffs the Trump administration imposed on May 10. But Beijing also knows how to inflict pain in less conventional ways. As Gwynn Guilford and Heather Timmons report, it’s pressured offending nations before by harassing their companies operating in China, inspiring mass boycotts of brands, and cutting off the flow of Chinese tourists.
Jumping into tomorrow. For over a century, the jumpsuit has been billed as the clothing of the future. That future is now, Natasha Frost reports, with jumpsuits a growing feature in even the most conservative of workplaces. Year-on-year, retailers report a doubling of their jumpsuit business, as women adopt a “look of convenience” that’s actually a bit of a hassle.
A hazardous road to riches. Crashes are piling up on a tiny strip of highway that runs through the heart of the West Texas fracking frenzy—a boom so ferocious that the local towns, hotels, schools, and roads can’t keep up with it. John Detrixhe met the entrepreneurs who have sprung up in the desert along an important stretch of asphalt that newspapers have called “Death Highway.”
Women storytellers on the rise. Africa has seen a wave of TV shows written, directed, or produced by women that push back against the norms of patriarchal society. One in Senegal, Maitresse d’un homme marié (Mistress of a Married Man), has spurred religious clerics to demand it be banned. But as Ciku Kimeria writes from Dakar, it’s attracted advertisers and millions of fans while addressing adultery, polygamy, and domestic violence—all from the perspective of women.
Five things elsewhere that made us smarter
In the shadow of Giannis. There’s nothing bigger in Milwaukee, Wisconsin right now than the Bucks, the city’s red-hot NBA team led by superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo that is now deep into the playoffs. But not so long ago, Antetokounmpo was an undocumented child, the son of Nigerian refugees living on the edges of Greek society. For The Ringer, Danny Chau met with members of Milwaukee’s refugee population to contemplate their struggles in light of the NBA star’s staggering success.
Life without toilet paper. To many of us, toilet paper seems so normal that it’s hard to imagine what people used in the past. Yet it was only in 1890 that the rolls we know today were introduced. For Nautilus, Stephen E. Nash charts the industry’s evolution. He also explains how ancient Romans went about their business: Shared butt brushes were common, and urine—full of ammonia and other useful chemicals—was collected for washing laundry.
The harsh reality of wildlife tourism. Many travelers eagerly share selfies of themselves interacting with animals while on vacation, whether it’s swimming with dolphins or riding atop elephants. What few stop to consider is whether they’re hurting the very creatures giving them such delight. For National Geographic, Natasha Daly travels the world documenting the depressing lives of the animals exploited from birth to death for our Instagram feeds.
What abortion bans do to a country. As numerous US states enact legislation aimed at curbing or outlawing abortion, Americans might look to communist-era Romania to see what can happen when pregnancy termination is no longer an option, writes Amy Mackinnon in Foreign Policy. Among the problems there, she notes, were maternal deaths from unsafe procedures and a lack of support available for children born with birth defects.
Is CBD the cure-all it’s touted to be? The cannabis derivative is being tested as a treatment for everything from brain cancer to opioid addiction to autism-spectrum disorders. Whether it can live up to the hype is still an open question, writes Moises Velasquez-Manoff in the New York Times Magazine (paywall). Meanwhile Americans can expect to bombarded by ever more CBD-infused products. Gummy bear, anyone?
Our best wishes for a relaxing but thought-filled weekend. Please send any news, comments, practical jumpsuits, and “Death Highway” business proposals to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Weekend Brief was edited by Steve Mollman and Holly Ojalvo.