Forget US racism, we are no better

Our prejudices and biases range from colour, caste, religion to physical attributes. language and gender.

The year was 1992. A 16-year-old Japanese student was on his way to a Halloween party in Baton Rouge in the state of Louisiana, USA. Unfortunately, he arrived at the wrong address. As he started walking up to the front door, the owner of the house held up a gun and shouted “Freeze!” The young boy, not understanding the phrase, continued walking. He was shot dead at point blank range.

What made the episode more shocking was the verdict. The white gun toting man was acquitted after a trial lasting just a week. This, followed by similar killings of other east Asian students, aroused world wide suspicions of implicit racism. Now, two decades later, we are witnessing other forms of hate crimes targetting South Asians this time.
The recent unprovoked assault on an elderly visitor from India by the American police has reinforced the belief that notwithstanding all its public posturing on human rights and freedom, the most powerful country in the world is still not free from the ugly trait of racial discrimination. It is visible in different walks of life, from the not so random checks in airports to open harassment of embassy officials.

While these incidents may not reflect the attitudes of enlightened citizens who have merged into the melting pot of American society, they do reveal the ugly traces of a decadent culture that still prevail in the bureaucratic corridors of power. Is racism really a thing of the past? Maybe not – in the land of its worst manifestation.

In an informal interview some years back, I remember asking Peter Bhatia, then president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, whether America has completely shed racism. His answer was startling. “In principle, yes, but not in practice.” This perception of an American citizen of South Asian origin, spoke volumes. Things have not changed much since then as recent events have shown. But then, is our own land free from prejudices?

Our racial profiling of people is abhorrent. Our “ancient culture” has taught us that the Aryan race with its superior traits of physical beauty and valour is manly, noble, brave and virtuous as compared to the Dravidian race that is physically less attractive, dark skinned and morally inferior. We still believe that the people living in the northern part of India are the descendants of Aryans, while those living below the Vindhyas are of lesser Dravidian culture.

Even our languages are not spared. Sanskrit literature is considered superior to Tamil literature in spite of the latter’s priceless contributions dating back centuries. The arts are also subject to discrimination. The classical arts are superior to folk arts. Bharatanatyam is a dance of the gods. Whereas, Kathakali or Yakshagana are mere tribal variations of performing art forms.

Musical instruments like the veena or flute are divine whereas the nathaswaram belongs to a lower strata. Even the artists who play them belong to different social strata. This form of racism degrades people. We brand them and shove them into superior and inferior slots of society. Our biases and prejudices range from colour, caste and religion to language, gender and physical attributes.

Prejudice: A way of life
Anything or anyone who does not fit into our mental image of the “normal” is brutally ostracised. If countries like the US judge people by the colour of their skin and feel paranoid about certain facial features, we in India have practised this kind of discrimination for centuries. It has become a way of life for us. We are also guilty of other forms of prejudice.

Don’t we stereotype people and cast them into moulds and then judge them? The elderly think that youth is irresponsible and uncaring. The young feel that their elders are intrusive and meddlesome. If men believe that women are frivolous, and women feel that men dominate, they are both expressing perceptions that have no reason or logic.
Discrimination starts in the Indian home where the unwelcome girl child is fed less, exploited more and generally treated as inferior to her male siblings. In schools, teachers tend to look favourably at the achievers rather than the losers. In the work place also,
the discrimination continues with women employees struggling to break through the glass ceiling.

Prejudice and discrimination are so ingrained in the Indian psyche that it is accepted as normal conduct. The callous behaviour of persons in power who break queues, hold up traffic and violate every law while lesser citizens struggle for their day to day survival, is one example.

Such abuse of power and authority is also a form of racism. If the American version does it crudely with guns and batons, our Indian side does it more subtly with innuendos and mindsets. In either case, it is repugnant.