[ This is Essay # 27 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
Calling Into Question
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Swar Thounaojam
“In the old days, they didn’t even know they were Kurds. And it was that way through the Ottoman period: None of the people who chose to stay went around beating their chests and crying, ‘We are the [...]
Archive for the 'Racism' Category
Calling Into Question
Published by March 19th, 2008 in India, Justice, North East, Prejudice, Racism, Spotlight Series and Women. 1 CommentAishwarya writes about Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman, something like a fictional account of the history of the Civil Rights movement, but with the colours reversed:
…..Blackman’s biggest achievement is in her portrayal of the numerous seemingly minor things that go into racial constructions. Possibly my favourite moment in the book is when Persephone (whose [...]
Will India apologize too?
Published by February 18th, 2008 in Caste, Democracy, Development, Economy, History, Human Rights, India and Racism. 0 CommentsAditya applauds the Australian government’s apology to the aborigines and wonders whether this would ever happen in India:
The incident in Australia marks an important revelation in the progress of a welfare state. To understand that the state program must secure the rights of all is one of the most important facets of the democracy. But [...]
Suchi concludes racism is mostly about culture and power and the values we assign to them:
No, if Indians come across as racist, the evidence lies firstly in our cultural superiority complex. The Pew Global Attitudes survey found that 93 percent of Indians believe their culture to be superior to others’ (see here). However, make [...]
‘Tired of being little brother’
Published by February 3rd, 2008 in Culture, India, Racism and Sports. 0 CommentsFrom meek and submissive to aggressive and proud- Sriram Veera, quoting Harsha Bhogle, says the change in the attitude of Indian cricketers reflects a change in the attitude of the average Indian:
Since I was a little child, my abiding memory is of visiting journalists and cricketers coming to India and making fun of us.We [...]
Racial Prejudice and North-East India
Published by January 30th, 2008 in India, North East, Racism and Women. 2 CommentsV K Shashikumar publishes an email from Nenem Misao in response to an article titled “Drug Peddling by Northeast Girls” published in a tabloid, Mail Today.
Every community has its population of drug peddlers and prostitutes or are you saying there are no drug peddlers and prostitutes in the rest of the indian population? this is [...]
Harbhajan banned: the masala is racist
Published by January 6th, 2008 in Cinema, Culture, Dalit, India, Media, Prejudice, Racism and Sports. 2 CommentsThe Indian cricket team these days seems to provide as much melodramatic entertainment as the film and television industry in the country, sometimes you suspect what you’re witnessing is a collaborative effort. The BCCI orchestrates the production, players play their roles on the field and off it (or on the field and on the sets), [...]
A new identity for the Roma
Published by December 19th, 2007 in History, Human Rights, India, Indiaspora, Language, Prejudice, Racism, South Asia and public space. 0 CommentsAlin Dostofei is working on the presentation of a new, modern identity for the Roma to challenge a long history of ‘public abnormalization’:
The local population was not very keen to accept the existence of the Romani culture, implicitly of a multicultural society. Its focus was on assimilation, coming with “explanations” for the differences, like those [...]
The Struggle Against the Brahmin/The Struggle Against the White Man: Inter-Connectivity Between India/U.S. Struggles
Published by December 13th, 2007 in Capitalism, Caste, Dalit, Globalisation, Prejudice, Racism, Religion and Spotlight Series. 28 Comments[This is Essay #2 in 'The Spotlight Series'. Click here for archives]
The Struggle Against the Brahmin/The Struggle Against the White Man: Inter-Connectivity Between India/U.S. Struggles
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Jack Stephens
While trying to blog on connections between Dalit struggles and people of color struggles in the U.S. one thing that struck me was the similarities of caste and whiteness; specifically [...]
Charter of Dalit Human Rights
Published by November 9th, 2007 in Caste, Culture, Dalit, Democracy, Development, Economy, Education, Environment, Globalisation, Government, Human Rights, India, Justice, Policy, Poverty, Prejudice, Racism, Religion, Society, Women and public space. 1 CommentHeidi links to the newly evolved Charter of Dalit Human Rights- it’s a break from conventions in many ways:
Whereas, Dalits in India are the people of Mother Earth, people from a labouring community, people who believe and live a sustainable life and people who belong to and are rooted to the community. [...]
We demand:
A global [...]
The Roma find tiger’s milk
Published by November 9th, 2007 in Dalit, Human Rights, Racism and Religion. 1 CommentManidhamma tells us how some gypsies of Europe are turning towards Buddhism and Dr.Ambedkar:
For some two years now there have been growing links between the FWBO and the Romany gypsies in Hungary. This began when they discovered Dr. Ambedkar and became inspired by him and his followers in India. Roma gypsies in Eastern Europe live [...]
Tales from Palestine
Published by November 7th, 2007 in Geopolitics, Prejudice, Racism, Religion and Travel. 2 CommentsKhushbu encounters invisible barriers while crossing the Jordanian and Palestinian border:
At the second window, though, where I was asked for my email, home address and phone number, cell phone number, etc. So they could run a security check on me, the IDF soldier kept demanding to know if I was Arab. Your name is [...]
Joseph John says Indian and Sri Lankan players indulge in ‘covert racism’:
Indians across the world would be happy to be associated with whites, but when it comes to blacks it’s suspicion and disdain. Ranging from South Africa to Uganda, Black Africans have been wary of Indian-origin people, who from the colonial days considered themselves higher [...]
Racism and Symonds
Published by October 19th, 2007 in Humour, Prejudice, Racism and Sports. 0 CommentsAkhil thinks that the racist behaviour of the crowd was a sham. The real problem apparently seems that the crowd doesn’t like his haircut. :)
Earlier, I asked fellow blogger Ottayan and he said that he too got a similar explanation. I am sure more than half of the crowd present at Mumbai and Vadodra had [...]
Elementary, Dr.Watson
Published by October 19th, 2007 in Policy, Prejudice, Racism and Science & Technology. 3 CommentsHe won a Nobel for deciphering the structure of DNA but his views on ‘race’, ‘public policy’ and ‘intelligence’ aren’t so enlightening- Harini has some advice for Dr.James Watson:
Maybe, james watson and his ilk will be better of figuring whether it is race that makes the powerful nations & corporations interfere in the affairs of [...]
Dilip thinks the real issue is not that Symonds was taunted.
You see, I couldn’t really care less about whether what cricket fans have been shouting at Andrew Symonds constitutes racism. I also think all international sportsmen must and do eventually develop a thick skin; they learn to take abuse and answer it on their terms. [...]
J.B.H encounters racism in Fiji:
Returning back to the subject matter, in the past 48 hours, I have had three encounters with indigenous Fijians telling me never to buy from the Indian or Chinese (they are a very small minority) shops; that these groups are denying the prosperity of the indigenous Fijians. One man showed [...]
Abhi at Sepia Mutiny comments on the new Intel print ad and its Indian version.
It should be noted that Intel has apologized for and withdrawn these ads, but seeing the same ad in two different cultural contexts does reiterate just how much the idea of “white” putting black to work was a central part of [...]
Anindita is shocked to find a ‘review’ of Rajnikanth starrer Sivaji on IBN blogs that says:
We Aryan Indians are terribly clannish in our collective ignorance of Dravidian cinema and stars. Hence we are “kanstantly” overhyped about a certain tall dapper man in his 60’s who has a voice of an angel.
The review, written by CNN-IBN [...]
Shyam, on racism in books
Whether it’s Tintin, or Enid Blyton, or even P G Wodehouse (one of my all time favourite authors), the point is that the (now politically-incorrect) terms used in those comics/books are merely reflections of the attitude of the times. None of it was maliciously meant - at least in the [...]
Krish asks us to stop accepting racism as ‘political incorrectness’:
Statements like “he is a Shudra”, “how can brahmins clean the toilet”, “he is a muslim and what do you expect from him”, “those christians, their sole purpose in life is to convert Hindus”, etc. are considered as normal. In fact, many parents even take pride [...]
Disgusting Videocon Ad
Published by May 14th, 2007 in Human Rights, Politics, Prejudice and Racism. 4 CommentsSudeep writes about the most disgusting and racist ad he had come across in his life. Shameful.
Reservation Quota to be hiked to 95%
So goes an advertisement for Videocon Airconditioners. One of the most offensive ads I have seen in recent times. With a tagline “Stay cool No matter what”.
U.S. Congress finds ‘untouchability’ unacceptable
Published by May 14th, 2007 in Dalit, Prejudice and Racism. 1 CommentIn a virtually unnoticed development, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution on May 1, saying the U.S. needs to address the issue of untouchability in India. Arun Venugopal focusses on the salient aspects of the resolution:
The resolution, when passed, will be the first official statement of Congress that Untouchability is an unacceptable practice [...]
The World is my home, says PinX
On my part, I realised that even though I can see my origin in Bihar, I relate to Assam. I am emotional if I see/meet assamese folks in Bombay and I am often in touch with lots of Assamese peoples… and I feel satisfied with my concern for Assam….. [...]
Smruti Sarangi comments on the ‘changing face of racism’:
In 1906 a world fair was held at St. Louis, in which pygmies and American Indians were paraded in the primates section. There was a separate gallery for Filipinos. They were first shown in their native state, and then were shown with the progress made after American [...]
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