[Reader-list] ..and these newspapers say Australians are racist

[Kshmendra Kaul]

Dear Sudeep
 
If you have other ghosts or realities troubling you, that is a separate issue. Let us keep it simple as far as the cartoon strip is concerned.
 
If someone finds a silhouetted Mayawati 'ugly' then that is how they see it.. Nothing 'racist' about it, silhouettes have no colour, or caste, or creed or ethnicity.
 
If someone finds "some" statues of Mayawati 'ugly', well they find them 'ugly'. What is racist about that?
 
For that matter If someone were to percieve Mayawati herself as an 'ugly looking' person then that is how he/she sees it. What is racist about that?
 
No question that we have many examples of 'racism' in India, but please dont see it everywhere.
 
Kshmendra

--- On Wed, 9/16/09, Sudeep K S <sudeep.ks at gmail.com> wrote:


From: Sudeep K S <sudeep.ks at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] ..and these newspapers say Australians are racist
To: "Kshmendra Kaul" <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com>
Cc: reader-list at sarai.net
Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 6:46 PM


On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 6:37 PM, Kshmendra Kaul <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com> wrote:







Dear Sudeep
 
Your explanations and references notwithstanding, I still do not see anything RACIST in the cartoon strip.

 
Kshmendra


Ok.. let us try to come to a common platform before arguing over a word. What do you mean by the word RACIST? According to you, what all would come under racism?

After listening to your answer, I can try to explain better why I feel this cartoon (and also many Delhiites' attitude towards 'South Indians' or many Europeans' attitude towards Indians) is absolutely racist in nature. I would also like to fight a case in the court, it is just that I do not have enough money or time for that.

love
sudeep









From: Sudeep K S <sudeep.ks at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] ..and these newspapers say Australians are racist
To: "Kshmendra Kaul" <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com>
Cc: reader-list at sarai.net
Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 2:23 PM





Dear Kshemendra,

'Racism' is a broad term, and in this context, it refers to the cartoonists' definition of 'ugli'ness.

Someone who does not look like 'our women' (the fair, and with whatever features that consitute 'beauty' in our people) gets classified as 'ugly'. This is not far from the discrimination and disrespect that Asians/Africans face for being 'dark-skinned' by fair-skinned people, or the deregatory 'South Indian / Madrasi' tag that some of us have to live with in Delhi.

If you want more help on this, there is a cool 'racism primer' avilable on the net. Incidentally, this one is also a cartoon strip, and guess what, this was pubished by the European nations in their effort to raise awareness about racism. 

See the complete strip here:

"What? Me? A Racist?"
http://www.unc.edu/depts/europe/conferences/Veil2000/multicult_france99/cartoon_raciste_en.pdf

Regards
Sudeep


On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 2:01 PM, Kshmendra Kaul <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com> wrote:






The cartoon could be considered to be in bad taste wherein indirectly the objectifying of women as "pretty things" is being promoted by mentioning Mayawati as "ugly".
 
But, what is racist about the cartoon?
 
Kshmendra

--- On Wed, 9/16/09, Sudeep K S <sudeep.ks at gmail.com> wrote:


From: Sudeep K S <sudeep.ks at gmail.com>
Subject: [Reader-list] ..and these newspapers say Australians are racist
To: reader-list at sarai.net
Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 10:21 AM



http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=738