Sir, you are cent per cent right. But then realizing that there is a deficiency in our way of thinking every one must try to over come it instead of sticking to the defect. Thanks. DMR Sekhar.

I agree with your observation that all of us have certain pre-concieved notions about communities other than our own. Infact, we have pre-concieved notions even about our own community.
But I am not sure just refering to people as "chinks", or "goras" or "bhaiiyas" amounts to racism, unless it is done in a derogatory manner. Maybe it is just a descriptive classification.I am on the friendliest terms with my grocer, who is a "gujjubhai", my fruit seller who is a "bhaiiya" and my maid, who is a "ghati".  My maid calls our community "bamans" and our friends call us "cobras" and we are all fine with it. What I am trying to get at is that we need not take offence if we are called by a generic name. That is not racism. Racism would be if we refuse to look at the people we have classified as our equals, and if we refuse to make friends with them, if we keep them out of our life just cos they happen to belong to a different race.

What do you think?

RE,Smita

Dear Eshi

Racism is a much more deep and dangerous phenomenon than the examples which you have given. Racism is mainly about belief in the Superiority of one's race, and carrying such belief with conviction to a violent/evil end. That is what is about Apartheid - the Whites in South Africa believed they were superior to the Blacks and enslaved/exploited/ravaged them. We can also easily see that Nazism is also a sub-set of Racism. You have heard of the Ku-Klux Klan? These are all examples of Racism.

Never in Indian history did such things take place - at least not in the part of Indian history that I read! In the examples that you have given, those guys who pass those remarks are really not racist - they dont seriously believe that their race is superior to the other and therefore they must oppress them! Confront them with authority and they will apologize for their bad behaviour! Not only that, Racism is a serious 'group disorder' if we may call it so, but in the examples that you have given it is not so. It is not that we gang up against the 'other' race and torment them.

But if indeed some people do gang up to torment people of 'other' race then that certainly is condemnable and punishable.

For example, I call Chinese as Chinks  and Pakistanis as Pakis. But this is not because I am a racist, but because those nations are hostile towards ours and techincally speaking they are our enemy nations.

Anyway, lets not stretch this too far! You may not agree with me, thats fine, we are democratic 

Have a nice evening!

Best Regards
Vajrapani

Dear Vajrapani,

Never in my post did I object to an Indian wanting to mary an Indian nor did I term it racism.  Yes the post is a general post and I haven't used any studies, thesis to back it up.  The post is purely writen based on my experiences with people from India and abroad, what I see in Television and what I read in newspapers and magazines. 

The only reference to India and Indians in my post is in reference to many of us using names for people other races.  If you believe such name calling to be normal human behavior and has nothing to do with racism, then I do not agree with you.  I don't think these acts are those of unsuspecting individuals nor are they legitimate expressions of human behavior. Is calling a black man Kallu, and a white man gora fine? Isn't that what the fight against Apartheid was all about, fighting discrimination by color? 

Let's forget Foreign orientals, I have had friends from the north-east, and they used to feel slighted and hurt when called a chink or chinky.  And so do other Orientals.  Or is the logic that we meant no ill will, but if others feel bad or hurt, then they are at fault as they have misinterpreted these words.

You have said that simple generalizations of extreme human/group behavior are not warranted in the larger interests of the society.  I have just one query: Is not talking about a problem, and I believe it is a problem, the solution?

Thanks & regards,
Eshi

Dear Eshi

Yes, there is a need to simplify things for understanding a little bit. Fine.

But, for example, somone were to say "being an Indian, I would like to marry an Indian" do you think that is racism? If you dont, then by branding even simple and legitimate expressions of human behaviour in ehnicity as racism, dont you think you are doing a mistake of attributing non-existent motives to unsuspecting people? 

On the other hand, if you do think that wanting to marry someone of the same ethnic group is racism, then you are also running the risk of diluting the crime of racism to the level of the mundane! Then in that case even Apartheid would seem harmless, at the most a little hypocracy and nuisance - whereas it should be a punishable offence!

Simple generalizations of extreme human/group behaviour are not warranted in the larger interests of the society.

Best Regards
Vajrapani

Hi scribblingpad,

Thanks for taking time out to read the post and commenting on it.  Much appreciated.

Regards,
Eshi

Hi Debasis,

Thanks for taking time out to read the post and commenting on it.  Everyone is entitled to his/her point of view.  As for being naive, speculative and amusing,  I guess your reply holds the answer to your question" "Liking your own kind of people is not racism. But hating other kind of people r being unfair to them is. Get the point? "  If you believe that different people, communities , and religions in the world like their own kind without malice toward others, then that would be being naive, in my view.  My post is based on what I see and the happenings around me.  The idea behind the post was to highlight the duplicity in thought that if I feel one way, I am entitled to it and it is not racist, but if others feel that way, then it certainly is racism.  Life does not function as prescribed in textbooks.  If it did, we would not have so much violence and hatred across the world.  And if the world believes that all the violence and hatred is not a result of liking ones own kind while disliking the other, then, yes sir, I have no qualms in admitting that I am naive.

Regards,
Eshi

Dear Vajrapani,

Thank you for taking time to read the post and commenting on it.  I agree with you on the post being simplified.  That was the idea.  For example, finance ministers and economists may define inflation as given in a dictionary or a textbook. But does that definition make any sense to the average reader.  For him/her, inflation means what was available for rupee one in May costs rupee two in June.  So whether we use textbook definitions or be simple about it, the fact of the matter that people on the street are the ones feeling the heat does not change. 

Regards,
Eshi

Very naive article. I am an Indian American and the speculations in the article are quite amusing. US has a lot of prejudice based on color, religion etc.. And so is true for any other country. Liking your own kind of people is not racism. But hating other kind of people r being unfair to them is. Get the point? On that count, fortunately, majority of the people are NOT racists :)

Hi SP

By definition, you are not a racist in both scenarios you have given. Please see my references from Brittanica in my earlier comment . In the former, there is no question. In the latter you are just being ethnocentric - not racist. Now a days, we are confusing even simple expressions of ethnocentrism and personal preferences with racism.

Best Regards
Vajrapani