Branded For Posterity

Recently, Dada and I were talking about discrimination. We were discussing how deeply rooted discrimination is in all our minds. Which made me think, about how we’ve blurred the lines between differentiation and discrimination by strokes of prejudice.

Sounding too extreme? Let’s look at it this way.... What’s the first thing we do when we meet someone? Ask them their name? It could be Rahul, Aamir or Harmeet.

So he’s a Hindu, Muslim or Punjabi..... First step of slotting completed.

Next Question: 'What do you do?' The answer would probably decide how much worth you associate with that person. A professional? Awesome. An okay job? Not so great. Unemployed? Why, you must be brave to show your face in public!

Second slot allotted.

I could go on and on, but let’s not go there. By no means do I mean that we begin by asking politically wrong questions, nor do I mean that all of us have a devious, intentional, hidden agenda while making small talk.

My point is, all of us, in our small ways, simplify our life by slotting people into categories, to make it easier for ourselves to deal with them. In short, we brand them for posterity.

Examples? Well.... Bengalis are 'lazy' but 'cultured', Tamilians are 'intelligent' and 'hard working', Punjabis are 'fun loving'.... so on and so forth. We thus brand people, because it’s so much easier to deal with familiarity and what is unfamiliar is so intimidating.

You can call it generalisation, of course, but I’d say that even generalisation hints at prejudice. When you decide what someone is like, without giving them a fair chance, that does allude to prejudice, doesn't it?

I wish we could reach a point where we could, in the truest sense, be Open. Give everyone a fair chance to show what they are beneath the layers of labels that they possess, beyond the tags of community, religion, sex, race etc. In other words, just let them Be, for the sake of being....

My faith in humanity says this will happen one day, and this faith presently overshadows the little voice in my head that uncannily resembles reality. But while I have the faith, I shall hope for the best and keep my fingers crossed! :')

P.S - To be fair, though, I am half Bengali, and I am Definitely Lazy! :P