Road to racism and more : Part 3

To once again pick-up from where I left, well, before that, for those of you joining us mid-way, heres the link to the Part 1 in this series, and heres the link to Part 2. In Part 2 of this series, I spoke of how some people fret at even the identification of race and claim that to be racist. I do not buy that. Identification is not necessarily racism, but it surely could be terminus a quo in a racist act.

Also, as Ive said before that cultures influence ones takes towards many issues, issues that are ab initio social. Racism is no different. There are so many instances of us being racist in our daily lives as well. I mean, we can all camouflage ourselves and say that certain instances warrant the act of unequal treatments, but then, where does one draw the line? Are you a racist based on what you do and how you treat a member of a suppressed race? I would like to think not. Racism would mean nurturing an ill-will towards a community as a whole, well, more often than not.

Now-a-days you see Indians "stealing" American jobs, the BPO where you've had the Sharavaris turn into Sharons, but this was done with a purpose. So now, all Americans hate globalisation. No real surprise there, but then, now if they bad to an Indian, would that also be embedded with a tinge of racism, or is it really just racism from the very start? Would the Americans really have fretted as bad as they are now because their jobs are going to the Asians? Would they have done the same has their jobs been outsourced to their colonial ancestors? Maybe, maybe not. We'll never know.

In this part, I take a look at the men who redefined the world for the coloured people.

The Men of Honour

Another example of racism is the ICC. Yeah, Im talking cricket. With years that Malcom Speed was at the helm of affairs at the ICC no one saw a possible Australian threat, now, that a person of Indian origin is being talked of as the new ICC chief, the media just can be terrified enough! We all know what happens to Asians when they tour down-under. Remember the "no-ball" over by Mutthaiah in late 90s. Remember the "ball-tampering" incident involving the scumbag Darrel Hair, and remember his reinstatement. The Aussie crowd really grind up opposition players, though to be fair they give each player his due, but nothing then excuses the Australian media's complete ignorance of the acts of their crowd, but a complete symphony-like attack at the Indian masses. It is deplorable at mildest. I remember once when Mark Taylor and the Sri Lankan captain, Arjuna Ranatunga had a heated exchange of words, and then the Lankan came on top when he shot back at the Aussies comment about cultures, he said (something like) "Dont you talk to me about cultures. The Australians have been here for only 5 mins, our culture dates back 5000 years!" Way to go, HAIL ARJUNA!

Another instance of unbelievable racism by the ICC, while we're at it. Steve Bucknor was removed, and correctly so, because he just didnt get his act right. The Windies made all the noise about it, as much as they could. But whatever happened to fair treatment? Why was Mark Benson given a reprive for asking Ponting when that is clearly against the rules. How can a "dishonest batsman, become an honest fielder?" Why was Benson not made to sit out like Bucknor was? Im still trying to figure out. Going back to the ball-tampering, why was nothing done to Hair, when he had acted clearly without any proof, but Inzy was punished. Hair also, almost unforgivably, but not quite as we all know now, had asked for money. Im fed up of asking questions and expecting that the men who take decisions will ever answer them, cause right from our schools we're told, the teacher can quiz and question, the student can only "clear doubts".

The coloured people have often had the shoulders of people like Arjuna, Sunny etc. to bear the flags of equality for them. Outside of cricket, there couldnt be men bigger than Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., also, Tupac Shakur. If it were'nt for these men, the black in America would still have been negros, there would have been no NAS with his Nigger albums, he'd been back on some farm land of his farming, instead of earning millions.

Over the centuries of toil and hardships that the coloured race has been subjected to, many men have evolved. Men who've taken racism by its neck and broken it. For themselves, though surely. While on a visit to Hollywood, do not miss out a chance to inquire about one Mr. Sydney Poitier. Im sure you know all about the Denzel Washingtons, Morgan Freemans, Cuba Gooding Juniors. These men, and many more like them who never quite made it to the front page, or any page, have changed the way the world looked at the coloured race. Racism still prevails and will always keep on so, until we have "them" understanding that a black man has more to himself that big one(!), a jew is more than just rich, and when pronouncing IRAQ, its pronounced, E-RAAK, and not Aaye-rack!

So, who from India, other than our beloved Sunny, takes the racism to the perpetrators in the face? Dont even think of one Mr Singh, he does'nt do that well enough. He comes out as someone who has got more testosterone than brain impulses. We will never have another Luther Kings, another Mandela's, but we sure do need someone who will carry the flame that these men have lit up. But in our efforts to carry the burning flame, one must make sure that they dont fire it to the point that it spills out of the torch, for otherwise it'll burn the innocent too. We need to be cautious. In trying to "kick out racism" (as the English FA says) lets not tackle the ones who never played the game! But as for now, its game on. And may I add, we need a better referee than Steve Bennet! Ask Mascherano.

[comments expected, as always]