Race of the Races

Through the hullabaloo made by hordes of antiracism activists, much as we deny, we can discern some facts that open our eyes to a whole new world of racial criticism. All the glib talk about racial equality is good for the tympanic membrane and the psyche because it is what “educated” and “civilized” people like us want to hear. This is what allows us to make statements to the rest of the world and hold an anthropological view of social scenarios. What most of us fail to realize while being lost in the hazy mist of pseudo-social commitments is that thinking of the “white man” as superior to the rest of the “coloured world” may actually be a sensible idea.

For those of you who are going to tear this article from this paragraph on, I have just one thing to say – Wisdom might come with revelation – please read it till the last period mark and then tear it off...or then maybe you won’t.

The white man came, the white man saw, the white man conquered. History is a racist tale of how the lighter skinned people sailed around the world and made it their playground...the Mongols being the only notable exception (but they weren’t exactly dark skinned either!) If they were not superior to the others like us then maybe we would have gone on a world conquest! Okay, at least we would have been able to defend ourselves against their ravages. “We had far more advanced astrology” or “Our science of medicine made theirs look obsolete”, are no arguments against the fact that the white man delivered when he was required to (if I might say so).


For God’s sake, why does it take so long for us to understand that the white men were born to rule and we (shades ranging from mahogany to ebony) were born to slave it out. Freedom, in short, is not our cup of tea. The reason is very simple - Might is right! With might comes power and respect. Even today, most brilliant youngsters from India and her neighbors run to western arms. You may try to justify – “they have more money, more resources…” I ask, “How?” and you say, “after all they looted rich countries like us and th…” My point exactly! We started at the same commencement point and now in the year 2002, we almost resemble human beings, WOW! The baseness is still there…but it will do!

I am of the staunch opinion that we do not deserve to be free. This is because we have not grown up to it. I agree that countries like India and South Africa fought argued hard for their freedom. What did we do when the white man finally condescended and gave us the freedom that we requested for? We just fought amongst ourselves. What have these countries achieved till date except world ridicule for religious and ethnic strifes? India is a nuclear power and a leader of the third world countries…Blah! Blah! Blah...So what? Can she protect her citizens from the ravages of everyday militancy? Can she ensure education for all her children? Can she guarantee food and social security to all who are proud to call themselves her children and if necessary die for her sake? Most importantly, can she give all her children an equal status? Is it a small matter that even to this day, Indians are third class international citizens? Why international? Indians below the poverty line are third class Indian citizens! The tag of ‘developing nation’ looks good on paper but who wants to see the ‘underdeveloped’ invective thrust on our faces every time we face the international community. The only interest common westerners show in us is for the cows that roam the main roads and the Kamasutra – both unheard of in their countries (not a very great achievement, if you ask me).

Some statistically oriented optimists reason out that India’s miniscule progress can be attributed to a very large population and the subsequent illiteracy. “After all how is the poor government going to educate so many people? You must also keep in mind India’s financial status.” I just have one thing to tell them – Take a close look at China.

If the erstwhile record holder for the largest population (thanks to the big family lovers in India) can progress so much, why can’t we? China’s literacy rate is also poor. It also has an agricultural backbone (dependent on rain and other excuses…). How, then, are they managing to strengthen their economy and make the global leaders envious, when we look up to the World Bank for loans? The answer is again the same. It is ingrained in us. “A little begging didn’t kill no one”, said Harry Jones, a beggar of international standing and Afro-Indian parentage. We are very happy living on someone else’s ‘aid’. We gladly eat the oatmeal that the white man’s cattle refuse (small wonder then about the ‘dogs and Indians…’ slur). In other words, industrious is an adjective you cannot use for 95% of us in India.

A simple step taken in the direction of development and self sufficiency is a large one in the direction of humanity. In India the roads that were built during the times of the British are the ones in the best state. The ‘beautiful’ roads built by ‘our own free hands’ now have worse craters than the surface of the moon itself. People had to pay very little bribe then (because there were very few Indian officials near the top). Antisocials were not taken to a legalized government resort and fed on the money of the poor masses. Many people will disagree with me and say, “We may have our flaws, so what - we are free. Freedom means more to us th…”.I rest my case. We are still resting on the laurels of our recently won freedom (read 50 years back) and have not proved ourselves anywhere but in the wrong directions. This is a huge weakness, a sense of nonchalance and irresponsibility towards the community we live in. This weakness makes us lesser human beings – racially inferior.

Slavery is much more than black history. It is in the psyche. If you observe foreign tourists (from the West not from Bangladesh please!) walking down a road in Calcutta or a beach in Mumbai you will find many obliging Indians gawking at them as if they were some celestial bodies. What happened? Are they made of some other element? These questions are answered by more dumb gawks. If a foreigner comes to work in an Indian firm, we think that he is an amalgamation of Einstein and C.F.Andrews. “Oh! Look at this great man…he has vouchsafed to work with us.” This is followed by many synonyms of the word ‘gracious’. Look at the other situation where an Indian goes to work in the ‘white man’s land’. The poor chap is going to receive all kinds of insults and verbal abrasions…and I am not talking about the situation 50 years ago. This is one of those undocumented facts whose revelation is not good for the public image of the country. The mentality of us people change when we see some white skin. The servile nature of us Indians oozes from every pore in our skin.

It is not the 300 odd years of slavery that made us like this… we were created like this – to serve and never to ask why! Some of our more deserving compatriots (born on the wrong side of the world) asked why and we were gifted with something we could not handle- Freedom. “What is wrong with us? “, is probably not such a bad question at this juncture. Is it that we are less intelligent or physically less able…what is it? The only plausible reason amongst the millions of “we are a peace loving people exploited by the west…” statements is that we are second best because we want to remain that way. Who ever told you that every man is equal is certainly a benevolent white or an overconfident, incorrigible, ‘liberated’ coloured man. But in both cases they were lying. Racial equality looks good in social study text books but when it is not a practical trend then why try and believe in it? It will only take us deeper into the chasm of white lies (all puns intended).

Note: This post is not to undermine any race or hurt any sentiments. It is an honest-to-God thought that I had as a teenager. Although it shows a particular race in superior light, it is said in a lighter vein. It, and by corollary, I, are completely against racism and racial bias.