POLITICAL CORRECTNESS: RACISM ‘UNDERCOVER’
What is the first thing that comes to our mind whenever we come across the word ‘racism’? “I’m not racist” might be the first response? “We in no way support any kind of discrimination”, maybe second?
We always hold a very ‘politically correct’ answer in our pockets when it comes to racism. Along with modern societies, racism has also evolved with time. We abstain ourselves from making racist remarks in public or people with whom we have less connection but often are guilty of doing it with close friends or in private spaces.
According to Slovenian Professor & Philosopher Slavoj Žižek — ‘Political Correctness’ [in the context of racism] is a form of self-discipline which doesn’t allow you to overcome racism. It’s just oppressed controlled racism.” He argues that giving space to ‘friendly obscenities’ is a healthy way of knowing the other person who belongs to a different religion, caste or nation. Obviously, he isn’t propagating racism. All that matters is the intent with which it is said.
Slavoj gives an example to support his argument — “Once I was signing a book of mine. Two black guys came and asked me to sign a book, seeing me there I couldn’t resist the worst racist remark. When I was returning the books to them I told them you know, I don’t know which one is for whom, you know, you blacks like yellow guys, you look all the same. They embraced me and they told me you can call me nigga. You know when they tell you this it means we are really close.”
Similarly, in the Indian context, we shouldn’t discard the still prevalent society divisions schemes like casteism & untouchability, families treating their daughters as liabilities, years of hostility towards minor communities but accept our mistakes in the first place and try to improve as a society by laughing at our ignorant past self with some humour.
Political Correctness is a modern tool which covers up years of discrimination and gives it a glittered covering as if the event had not occurred in the first place.
Jews shouldn’t hate the current German citizens for the atrocities perpetrated by the then Hitler’s Nazi Germany and so shouldn’t the Indians who lives in UK, but also never forget what they have gone through over the decades as a community. From Jimmy Carr to Bill Burr, dozens of stand up comedians have made jokes on the Holocaust. Why can’t our comedians do the same? They barely take up controversial social issues in their gig because some sect of our population is a little too touchy about words. As a society let’s not get sedated by the propaganda around and start outraging without any basis, there is decency in hearing other’s person view even if we don’t like the way they said it.
