Are You In The RACE Yet?

In my last post, I wrote about a couple of issues we as emotional beings face. TL;DR- It was about the sense of entitlement we have after something good or bad happens to us. And the other issue was “seeking validation”, knowingly or unknowingly. If you haven’t read it, you can read it here. It’s totally okay if you want to pass on it. But I would insist you go on with this one.

I read somewhere that if you do not take a side, you are automatically taking the side of the oppressor. Which, depending on the situation, may or may not be true. For example, if you see a street fight or an email war at your office, you may want to keep out of it until you know the context well enough before you even decide to take a side. More importantly, you need to choose the battles you want to fight, and not blindly take on everything.

And that’s what a majority of young Americans are doing right now. At this point, almost the entire world knows what’s happening in the US. A black man was killed by a police officer in the middle of the day, with cameras on him. And the officer didn’t even flinch once while his knees were on that man’s neck and back. George Floyd, as the reports say, died because of asphyxia. It is clear that it was a murder. And this is not the first time something like this has happened. Just a while back, a black man named Ahmaud Arbery was shot by an ex-policeman and his son, just because they THOUGHT he was keeping a watch on the houses in the area and had ulterior motives. But all he was doing was jogging. Why? Because he felt like it and thought he was free to do so.

But this act of injustice and brutality against black people has been happening for a long time. And this is not just in the US. Discrimination is a tumour consuming a majority of the world. That’s what I want to talk about. How this bitch affects not just one country, but the entire world. And also what a lot of people think they are doing as opposed to what they actually are doing.

“Black Lives Matter” is not just a slogan anymore. It has become an emotion. But why is it needed in the first place? Are we so fucking dumb to not know it without a slogan? Are we ignorant of the fact that it is just skin colour? I don’t even understand what a “black life” is. How can LIFE be defined with a colour? It is just the skin that is black, ain’t it? And speaking of black, the notion around this has been so negatively hyped that many people are afraid to even use the word.

What happens when you call someone black? Are you judging them in any way? Are you calling them a criminal? Is that what BLACK means? NO! It is just what their skin looks like, and there’s nothing wrong in saying so. Why don’t white people get offended when someone calls them white? There is no offence associated with the brown colour. Then why with black? Because we don’t fully understand what RACISM means. We tend to think that just because someone has darker skin, they are heartless. And the majority of the time, this “racism” is directed only toward black people. That is what shouldn’t be done. You are not being a racist if you call someone black or white or brown. You are being a racist if you affiliate negative notions with people of a certain skin colour and then use that to define an entire community of similar people in this case, black. And THAT is what is wrong.

Because of these negative notions and a pinhole mindset, people give birth to discrimination. In the current time, the injustice happening to black people has a lot of prominences, but there are a lot more things wrong with the world. It is in a frenzy since China fucked everyone up. There hasn’t been any good news from I don’t know how long. And in this environment, people in the U.S. have taken to the streets. While there are many PEACEFUL protesters who truly understand the entire situation, there are also a lot of people who, based on half-ass knowledge, have started rioting and looting. This shows how people have a need to react to anything, without familiarizing themselves with the context, just because others around them are doing so. Or because they feel they should also be involved, otherwise there will be “silent judgement”.

And if I speak for just the Indians, what the hell are we doing? We have taken to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and started sharing ‘Blackout’ posts and stories on our profiles. Now, it is good to take a stand in such times, but why not show the same level of support when the same thing happens in our country? I have never seen such kind of posts or stories when someone calls a person from North-East India a “Chinki”. I haven’t seen anyone standing up for people who face discrimination just because they speak a different INDIAN language, or are from a different INDIAN state. I have faced this first-handed, and wrote about it in a post which I named Better India or Bitter India? All of this is also discrimination, and equally condemnable.

The thing is that when it comes to our country, we seem to ignore the issues or place the blame on the police or the government. I am saying “we” because I too, at some point, have kept quiet when I could have spoken up. But since the present times call for a voice, no matter how small, here’s mine. Writing is the best way I can voice out my thoughts. Again, taking a stand for someone is something we must do. But fixing someone else’s house while our own is in pieces is not something the world needs. Let’s speak up, but also make sure that the voice is equally strong when something happens around us. Anything that involves looking at someone negatively, be it based on caste, creed, colour, or even sexual orientation, is wrong.

The entire world is facing a pandemic and these are uncertain times. It affects each individual equally, regardless of their cast or colour. Let us make sure we are helping whoever we can. Feed an animal out in the street. That would also do it.

I understand that this is a sensitive topic. If you found this post offensive in any way or would like to share your own thoughts, or even think that I don’t know shit, hit me up in the comments or on any social media platform. I’d be glad to chat.

Stay safe, ya’ll!