Skip to main content

Racism rules

So are we racist or not?

Finally I had to bow down to the debate. Despite my best efforts I can’t help being a ‘me-too’.

The raging debate over are ‘others’ more racist? Thanks to Shilpa Shetty, Big Brother and of course the media. I think it is really a question of the mind.

I am sure all us feel racism…in office for the “not-so-georgraphically” inclined, I’m a Madrasi.

At the entrance of a plush hotel, I am scorned at because of my dressing. Hindus abuse Muslims and vice versa…all of us swear at each other at the slightest instigation. (Fair skin vs colored skin debate has given rise to a multi crore industry)

So, I think the question is on expressing this racism.

My theory is similar to yours. We abuse, reprimand, fight, swear, kill, shout etc. as an act of defiance…an expression of anguish or frustration at being shaken from a comfort zone. An even simpler cause could be someone questioning our thoughts, beliefs etc. All these make us do things that we don’t want to do.

And we do things thinking that doing this will help us regain the comfort zone… “maybe with this I will express my displeasure…and the other person will understand.” Not for a moment realizing that this expression will be the stimuli for the other person. And then it gets on from there. Becomes like a chain reaction.

The world would have certainly been a better place, if we really thought before we spoke. These racist slurs will happen as long as we seek power. As long as we just react.

Bimbettes do that, jack asses do that and for the media it is just another few column centimeters.

But it is not that we are really concerned about it. Because we all know that it is a reality. World has not become that pure for us to stop abusing.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

It just happens

You are reading this article. That is coincidence. No. This one is not crappy… There is this small theory about life that I have assimilated after a lot of introspection over the past, maybe 5-6 years. I do not know whether I can lay claim to this because I have sometimes seen similarities in what others feel about life. So here goes, I call it the THEORY OF CO-INCIDENCE . To start with, let me present some situations for you… Think of the person who you met last. Or better, one who you spoke to last… Just think back and try to gather when you met him / her for the first time. (to be effective don’t think of your parents or siblings…at least not yet) Could you think back a few minutes before that, and then start constructing a ‘what-if’ situation if in case you haven’t met him/her. If you are going around with someone, can you think of a situation wherein you haven’t met him/her? Can you think of a situation where you missed the train that you actually got into? Ima...

The Indian 'notion'

 I have realised that the concept of India thrives best in our minds and not in reality. India survives in each of our conscience as a concept loosely strung together by our virtues or by the lack of it. And it is not uniform. As an identity, it can be best described as an unfinished dream trying to complete its play before reality ends its climax. I might be chastised for blasphemy and sedition, but I don’t think that the real concept of India is going to play out very soon. And my interpretation is as follows: The constitution was framed in the midst of a reality defying orgasm called freedom. The drafters of the "World's longest constitution" were learned-no doubt, but were obviously feeling high and self righteous about framing policies that sought in all good faith-to reshape the mindset of a faction rid nation into believing in the power of 'one' India. In drafting this, they gave absolute freedom to everybody to follow everything they wanted- faith, re...

Religious Hypocrisy and Political expression Part - II

Home Truths In the land I come from, in Kerala, half-informed debates on public policies, regulations and laws were common place across any congregation above 2 people. During my younger days, matters of faith used to be a private matter. Personally too, I have always felt uncomfortable discussing attributes of one religion versus the other.  I have also been led to believe that religious tolerance and acceptance in the state of Kerala was much higher than the national average. As much as I can remember, the fiercest rioting and arson in Kerala have happened on political agendas rather than anything overtly religious. Here again, it was the Communist parties with their militant trade union ideologies that always used to find itself at either ends in these clashes. However, unlike in many other parts of India it used to be the youth cadres of the Communist parties and RSS (and not BJP) which used to engage in these political battles especially in the northern belt ...