The Fanatically Unfanatic!

The 20th century was easily the bloodiest ever. The World Wars and many more squabbles over territories, and all the by-products of war killed half a billion people over the hundred years. As a result, we have been left with an eternal scar marking our own generation. The conflicts were all racial, or religious, with an absolute intolerance for the other. And so, our generation is veered towards being, tolerant and politically correct. We are trying to be tolerant towards each other.
And what a virtue that, is. People of different colours creeds now sit together in an office enclosure and share their ideas to make the ends better. People of different nationalities embrace each other in sporting competitions where they may be part of the same team geared towards the same end. And indeed, America may soon vote for a female President.
But are we overdoing things? Has political corrected ness become a malign, a disease? So much so that a buffalo may not be called buffalo, because it may feel bad. A tigress will complain of being called so, and in an equal world, both male and female should simply be called a tiger. A well fed domestic dog may not be called gorgeous lest the street ranger of a dog may feel slighted.
And indeed this malign has another face to it. A face where the so-called oppressed in society can prick the somewhat stronger ones in any which way, but the ‘strong’ dare not say a word. So, Hindi films can show the ‘white man’ in any trashy way. Americans are often portrayed as ignorant people, obsessed with sex, with no regard to a family life. However, any slight mischief on the other party’s part, and up goes the media, ‘racism’. Poor little Shilpa Shetty can’t protect herself from the slurs against
her!
At the end of the day, I concede that at the ground level, the ‘oppressed’ actually have a point. Casteism is still rampant in India, with the lower castes often having to feed on scraps. Exploitation still continues. And the condition of women at a ground level is often deplorable. However, these wrongs are being taken up as excuses by certain groups of people. A man accidentally born into a Brahmin family can thus never call himself so, but a person who happens to be a…..can always be proud of his ‘roots’. In an educated, intelligent assembly, invariably the topic has to switch to how weak the weak are. An objective view is thus never possible these days where all sides are taken into consideration. Subalternism rules!
So, perhaps a clinging to one’s own roots may not be too bad after all. After all, it isn’t an individual’s fault, when the whole society clings to a ‘wrong’.