We, the Racists

You told me stories

Of Dark forces and Dark Lords

And all the while I thought

But…

You told them to avoid the sun

For fear of becoming dark

And all the while I thought

But…

You sang songs

Praising the fair skin of women

And all the while I thought

But…

You came to me for marriage

And looking at my skin, turned away

And all the while I thought

But…

You said fair is beautiful

You said fair is lovely

And all the while I thought

But…

You told me they were racists

Enslaving those of darker skins

And all the while I thought

But…

We, the Racists

I’ve been trying to think of a more creative and subtle title for this post, but, really, nothing seemed to sum up my opinion as well as this phrase. In case it’s still not clear enough though, I’m just going to come out and say it directly:

I think Indians are the most racist group of people I know.

The last time I mentioned this in a class discussion, I was met by some horrified, angry remarks. I get that they’re not easy to digest, but before you lash out in retaliation, take a few minutes to process the words.

No, I’m not saying Indians are the only racist people in the world. I grew up on stories from the west of the dark evil queens and the fair innocent princesses. Even some of my favourite sagas have built their entire plots on the basis of the dark side of the force and the dark lord (though, to be fair, Harry Potter does also have an extremely evil character that prefers pink and frills).

But Indians take this obsession with fairness to such a great level that it’s ridiculous.

From the moment we’re born, we’re judged on the basis of our skin colour (amongst various other things). We’re told again and again to ensure that we either don’t become darker, or else do everything within our power (and often beyond) to lighten the skin. We spend half our lives watching celebrities sell us fairness creams, and the other half applying said creams.

Why? Because fair is lovely.

And this doesn’t end in childhood. In their long list of “wanted qualities” in marriage advertisements, the need for a “fair girl” will surely be in the top three requirements – possibly competing with a particular caste and an intact hymen. People who come to the wedding will often congratulate the groom’s family for getting “a beautiful and fair bride.”

Why? Because fair is lovely.

One argument that these advertisers and fairness cream manufacturers make is that they’re not creating the racist attitude – it already exists. They’re just responding to the need of the masses and helping out the people who need such products.

It’s not like they have the power to affect or shape minds.

It’s not like people will care when their favourite celebrities endorse fairness as a better way of life.

It’s not like anyone will ever make the subtle connection from “fair and lovely” to “dark and…?”

On the brighter side, it's not just "fair and lovely" anymore. Thanks to our extremely sensitive and considerate media and manufacturers, we now also have a ""fair and handsome"! After all, "mard ho toh mardon wali cream lagao!" [a whole other issue that I'll stay out of for now].

Granted, we don’t exactly put people into slavery for having darker skin, but that doesn't mean we're not guilty of racism. Were just less overt about it. In India, the racist sentiments have been so subtly (and often not-so-subtly) embedded in our minds since birth that we don’t even feel the need to question them. It becomes a way of life, such that we can comfortably watch advertisements on how using a fairness cream will ensure that everything falls into place in our lives, while we condemn and criticize “those racist American bastards” for their oppression of the blacks.

Hypocrisy, anyone?

It’s amazing how far we can go to convince ourselves that “we” are such a great nation who are above  all that.

We, the people.

We, the Indians.

We, the racists.