Desi News Corp - Index

Desi News Corp - Desi News - Feb 09 - Index

When you
point a finger
at somebody,
three fingers
point back at you.
While books have
been written about racism
(discrimination by
the majority towards
the minority), there is hardly
anything on reverse-racism
(minorities discriminating
against others or against themselves).
The latter is common
in the South Asian comm-
up the ANTE
Uncomfortable in our skins?
unity; indeed, reverse racism
within the community is as
major a challenge as racism
directed at our community.
But addressing reverse racism
can be more of a challenge.
Some interesting examples of
this phenomenon are mentioned
by former Indian bureaucrat
T.S.R.Subramanian in his
book, Journeys through Babudom and
Netaland: Governance in India.
He writes about an old Indian
friend of his who visits India
from the US and manages to find
fault with just about everything,
exclaiming that nothing in India
could equal the quality of things
back “home”.
Apparently, it was easier convincing
the non-Indian visitors
from the US about the quality of
what India had to offer than the
Indian who had decided that
India simply didn’t have anything
worthwhile!
Why and how is reverseracism
propagated?
One theory is that of the
abused eventually becoming
the abuser, used sometimes to
explain the domineering behaviour
of South Asian mothersin-law.
They who perpetrate reverse-racism
do so because they
were once at the receiving end,
and being nasty to others is
seen as proof of success. They
24 Desi News February 2009
unfortunately
are not
capable of
reacting to
their own success
in any manner
other than
by expressing
contempt
for the less
successful.
This ties
in with the
observation
about the
S. GOPIKRISHNA
writes on issues of
relevance to the South
Asian community.
more “settled” desis (who have
lived outside India for a longer
period of time and consider
themselves wealthier, more
enlightened and more “Canadian”
or “American”) looking down
upon those who are less settled
as painful reminders of their own
humble past.
Memories that are best dealt
with by shutting them out, by
expressing disdain for yesterday’s
failure as a way of celebrating
today’s success.
Such behaviour is also explained
by the fear of being perceived
as a failure, the ultimate
no-no for desis. The attacker’s
sense of superiority is reinforced
not by one’s own achievement,
but by the perceived failures of
the other – the attacker being the
sole arbitrator of what determines
success.
Both theories, irrespective of
how well they explain desi
reverse racism, point towards
the desi obsession with success.
A person who is not successful
is essentially to be rejected.
While achievement is welcome
and lauda ble, indulging in
reverse racism to look powerful
and successful is a fake and
faulty way to success.
• The views expressed in this column do
not necessarily reflect the editorial policy
of Desi News.
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