Of the Racist Morons Bandwagon

Something that might change perceptions, hopefully:

Racism is and will always remain a central issue in most countries, which scars every aspect of economic, cultural and political life by overt or covert racism acts, either in an offensive loud bang or in a subtle manner.

In many ways racial discrimination and ethnic discrimination blur the line of accepted and unaccepted societal norms. That to subjugate others, either through perpetuation of violence or words is a phenomenon as old as time. Superiority by playing the race card to make others feel inferior is racism.

What is disconcerting are the racism facts, figures and the damage caused to the individual and society as a whole.

Facts on Racism: Our Perception
What is more disturbing than being a racist is the use of the term racist.

In the present era, politicians on both the left and right have used this term to tar their political enemies, as evident during an outburst in the session of Congress by O.E Wilson, a Republican politician from the U.S. state of South Carolina, upon which former President Jimmy Carter's assertion that

"there's an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president". The matter was cleared with an explanation and an apology. But it did bring to fore that racism is alive and kicking.

Over 62 million human beings in the last 100 years have paid a price for being racially different, tortured, subjugated and/or killed, this despite the 'advancement' in culture, science and technology.

South Africa's apartheid, treatment meted to African-Americans, holocaust victims, harassment of the Tibetans and the indiscriminate killing of untouchables and those who belong to the 'wrong unfitting tribes', has created a world of 22 million plus and counting refugees, forced to abandon their homes and means of livelihood because of rampant and unchecked ethnic cleansing.

But I wonder why are we racist?

Does an individual really believe that the proof of superiority really comes through oppression of others.

Since ancient times, people have been 'categorized' or 'stereotyped', which has made discrimination easier. The root of the problem lies in our physical or cultural differences which involves skin color, language, religion or tribe, hence, the solution too comes from this problem of being different. Accepting, and maybe celebrating differences is just one way, educating ourselves on these differences is another, and just maybe, a zero tolerance attitude towards racism as an individual and a society could pave the way for less racism.

But, then we do not live in an idealistic society.

Facts about Racism: Statistics
To give an exact figure is always difficult, for how many are affected by racism through words, action or torture. Following are a few figures that stands witness to how gruesome this widespread menace is.

Africa: The enactment of apartheid laws in South Africa in 1948, institutionalized racial discrimination in every aspect of social life. Darfur genocide alone has claimed over 400,000 lives (the conflict is still on). The artificial boundaries imposed in Africa by European colonialism and imperialism, and hunt for minerals still draws blood. Read more on Africa and dictatorships: 1960-1977.

African American: The civil war was meant to change the lives of many African Americans, it did, marginally. An unofficial finding states that between 1836 to 1879, two African Americans were lynched in the United States every week. According to the Feb 2007, Commerce Department's Census Bureau findings, over 2.1 million African-American families live below the poverty level, and is nearly the most victimized group in America. Read more on racism against African Americans and lynching of African Americans.

Holocaust: The systematic annihilation of over six million Jews by the Nazi regime during World War II bears witness to hate crimes a single racist mind could inflict. However, it was just not the Jewish community that was hounded, other undesirables such as gypsies, Polish intelligentsia, Jehovah’s Witnesses, social democrats, homosexuals, communists, partisans, trade unionists, etc too were tortured in concentration camps and killed. Find out more about holocaust.

Tibetans: It has been over 50 years that the Chinese occupation of Tibet has resulted in untold suffering and destruction to the land and people of Tibet. Over 1,207,387 have been killed, tortured, kidnapped, imprisoned or exiled. Tibetans today are forced to build a home away from home. With no external assessment, it is hard to draw a figure.

Untouchability: Untouchability though practiced in many parts of the world, has never ceased to draw gruesome incidents mainly from India and a few other Asian counties. In India alone, over 170 million men, women and children have not been able to break the shackles imposed. With no more than 10-12% in the main streamline, this entire community faces the worst form of racial discrimination, not only from society, but from the government as well as the security forces.

One of the ugliest racism facts pertain to the reality that racism sees no geography, it is rampant, and in most cases state sponsored.

The expulsion of Palestinians, systematic killing of the Kashmiri Pandits, ethnic cleansing of Hazara tribe of Afghanistan, expulsion and murder of one million Albanian Kosovars from Kosova, and the list could go on.

But this needs to stop, progress for the sake of progress with no sincerity has severe repercussions.

To turn around and pin it as 'a thing that has been happening' does not help.

Racism is not just about killing an entire population; discriminating against the one who sits next to me, because they follow a different faith and ritual, or simply have features and skin color different than mine, makes me a racist.

AHIMSA - THE ONLY WAY FORWARD

Before you discuss the resolution, let me place before you one or two things, I want you to understand two things very clearly and to consider them from the same point of view from which I am placing them before you.

I ask you to consider it from my point of view, because if you approve of it, you will be enjoined to carry out all I say. It will be a great responsibility. There are people who ask me whether I am the same man that I was in 1920, or whether there has been any change in me. You are right in asking that question.

Let me, however, hasten to assure that I am the same Gandhi as I was in 1920. I have not changed in any fundamental respect. I attach the same importance to non-violence that I did then. If at all, my emphasis on it has grown stronger. There is no real contradiction between the present resolution and my previous writings and utterances.

Occasions like the present do not occur in everybody’s and but rarely in anybody’s life. I want you to know and feel that there is nothing but purest Ahimsa1 in all that I am saying and doing today.

The draft resolution of the Working Committee is based on Ahimsa, the contemplated struggle similarly has its roots in Ahimsa. If, therefore, there is any among you who has lost faith in Ahimsa or is wearied of it, let him not vote for this resolution.

Let me explain my position clearly. God has vouchsafed to me a priceless gift in the weapon of Ahimsa. I and my Ahimsa are on our trail today.

If in the present crisis, when the earth is being scorched by the flames of Himsa2 and crying for deliverance, I failed to make use of the God given talent, God will not forgive me and I shall be judged un-wrongly of the great gift.

I must act now.

I may not hesitate and merely look on, when Russia and China are threatened.

Ours is not a drive for power, but purely a non-violent fight for India’s independence.

In a violent struggle, a successful general has been often known to effect a military coup and to set up a dictatorship. But under the Congress scheme of things, essentially non-violent as it is, there can be no room for dictatorship.

A non-violent soldier of freedom will covet nothing for himself, he fights only for the freedom of his country. The Congress is unconcerned as to who will rule, when freedom is attained. The power, when it comes, will belong to the people of India, and it will be for them to decide to whom it placed in the entrusted.

May be that the reins will be placed in the hands of the Parsis, for instance-as I would love to see happen-or they may be handed to some others whose names are not heard in the Congress today.

It will not be for you then to object saying, “This community is microscopic. That party did not play its due part in the freedom’s struggle; why should it have all the power?”

Ever since its inception the Congress has kept itself meticulously free of the communal taint. It has thought always in terms of the whole nation and has acted accordingly. . .

I know how imperfect our Ahimsa is and how far away we are still from the ideal, but in Ahimsa there is no final failure or defeat. I have faith, therefore, that if, in spite of our shortcomings, the big thing does happen, it will be because God wanted to help us by crowning with success our silent, unremitting Sadhana1 for the last twenty-two years.

I believe that in the history of the world, there has not been a more genuinely democratic struggle for freedom than ours. I read Carlyle’s French Resolution while I was in prison, and Pandit Jawaharlal has told me something about the Russian revolution.

But it is my conviction that inasmuch as these struggles were fought with the weapon of violence they failed to realize the democratic ideal.

In the democracy which I have envisaged, a democracy established by non-violence, there will be equal freedom for all. Everybody will be his own master. It is to join a struggle for such democracy that I invite you today. Once you realize this you will forget the differences between the Hindus and Muslims, and think of yourselves as Indians only, engaged in the common struggle for independence.

Then, there is the question of your attitude towards the British. I have noticed that there is hatred towards the British among the people. The people say they are disgusted with their behaviour.

The people make no distinction between British imperialism and the British people.

To them, the two are one - this hatred would even make them welcome the Japanese. It is most dangerous. It means that they will exchange one slavery for another. We must get rid of this feeling.

Our quarrel is not with the British people, we fight their imperialism. The proposal for the withdrawal of British power did not come out of anger. It came to enable India to play its due part at the present critical juncture. It is not a happy position for a big country like India to be merely helping with money and material obtained willy-nilly from her while the United Nations are conducting the war.

We cannot evoke the true spirit of sacrifice and velour, so long as we are not free. I know the British Government will not be able to withhold freedom from us, when we have made enough self-sacrifice.

We must, therefore, purge ourselves of hatred.

Speaking for myself, I can say that I have never felt any hatred. As a matter of fact, I feel myself to be a greater friend of the British now than ever before. One reason is that they are today in distress. My very friendship, therefore, demands that I should try to save them from their mistakes.

As I view the situation, they are on the brink of an abyss. It, therefore, becomes my duty to warn them of their danger even though it may, for the time being, anger them to the point of cutting off the friendly hand that is stretched out to help them.

People may laugh, nevertheless that is my claim.

At a time when I may have to launch the biggest struggle of my life, I may not harbour hatred against anybody. BY GANDHI