Hate

I have always strived to be empathetic. You know, trying to put myself in the shoes of most people, especially those of the underdogs, underprivileged, and the sidelined. If I had to explain why, it is probably because I have felt marginalized at some point or other. I remember thinking about the levels of “minority” I am. Indian, female, Muslim, overweight.

So over time, I developed this ability to see the world from the perspective of those in a disadvantageous situation. Therefore it is not surprising that as the experience of African Americans unfolds for me, I find myself gaping in horror and shock.

Yusuf was watching a couple of documentaries – the one that I did see with him was a documentary entitled “The Eye of the Prize.” It revealed to me how little the world at large knows about racial politics in the US. As an outsider, looking at the US, I have had a clue as to how deep seated the issues were until recently. I remember an exchange student from America who had come to Singapore to study a few units of sociology. She was really a wonderful person, enjoyed discovering the sights and sounds of Asia and I even visited her when I was in the U.S in 2000. She mentioned at some point in our friendship that the U.S practices reverse discrimination by having these employment policies where a certain percentage of the population had to be “minority”. She didn’t sound too happy about it and I guess I didn’t have the information to make an informed opinion anyways.

In retrospect, now when I think about her comment, against the backdrop of the real lives of African Americans, it is quite a shallow comment. There is such a great lack in the knowledge of your typical American on race issues, the past and present. I was so stumped as I started learning about all the indignities that the African Americans had to suffer during slavery and beyond slavery. I know that your typical Singaporean for sure wouldn’t have known that up to recent times, everything was divided along black and white lines in America. African Americans sat at the back of buses, they attended different schools, they shopped at different stores, and they ate at different restaurants. Even when the courts ruled against segregations, governors broke the laws and continued to disallow African American students from attending “white” schools. I just can’t imagine living in a world like that. The strength of these individuals who lived in such a world is beyond my comprehension. I try to imagine, being discriminated so overtly because of my skin colour and I just feel this sick feeling in my stomach.

A so called white friend said, “If they don’t like it here, why don’t they go back where they came from?’ That is the typical cruel, dismissive white American for you. The double standards of the world reveal itself. I ask myself and my other American friends over and over again this question. How dare the American government, pokes its dirty fingers in the business of other countries, when their affairs are far from being orderly? It is completely preposterous. The idea that Japan could be chastised for its wrong doings during WWII, China is questioned on its human rights policies, etc. Who is the US answerable to? No one?

Racism still exists, overtly (Toledo’s neo Nazi demonstration, the treatment of Muslims, etc) as well as subtly in employment policies, racial profiling in crimes, etc.

I discovered that right under the YAHOO NEWS articles, there is a section that says, “Discuss It” or something along those lines. Very often, even in neutral articles, that don’t seem to have anything to do with any particular race, the discussion ends up being racialized. Article about Michael Jackson, article about a crime committed at a playground, etc. People start saying things like, “Oh they didn’t mention the race of the criminal, but he must be black” and the comments get more and more abusive, the contributors bouncing off each other all the hatred and negativity that can be harnessed in a platform like that. I find it completely revolting.

It was then that I realized how tightly the Singapore government has governed race relations in Singapore. The jailing of the bloggers who had made offensive remarks of the blogs on other races/religions was welcome news to me. I completely commend Singapore’s take on these matters, because in the US, in the guess of “freedom”, anything and everything can be done. Morality and ethics doesn’t feature prominently in the psyche of Americans it seems. My white friend (yes the same one who said African Americans should go back if they don’t like it here) proudly proclaims that Americans can say anything they want because of “freedom of speech.” Alas freedom of speech seems to go hand in hand with stupidity. Your typical American hasn’t traveled beyond their state, let alone America. Yet they pride themselves in being able to comment on everything under the sun. Religion, politics, other governments, etc. They possess wide knowledge on so many issues and they often do not give a fig about what you might know and they often insist that their way is the right way. How ridiculous.

However, the reality that Americans know with such certainty, is fed to them via the media. Most of local TV news revolves around the plans for development of a Mall, the closing of schools during snow storms, etc. The American mind is only trained to handle news that occurs within a 100 mile radius. Who really cares about what happens around the world when I don’t even care about what happens in other States in my country. Yes, staying in Iraq is a good idea, maybe then these blady oil prices will go down, the war is producing more jobs for Americans, etc.

There are Americans that are learned and thinking beings, but they are in such low numbers it is an affront to a country that calls itself a democracy. I guess that is why I am so riled. The hypocrisy that goes on every level. I almost admire Singapore in some sense. Everyone knows that it is a controlled democracy. Yes we are the country that banned chewing gum and caned Michael Fay. We don’t pretend to be something we aren’t. America is all about pretensions and keeping up appearances. Just beyond the shiny skin is bunch of wiggly worms.