White House ?
Yet another day,
yet another valuable immigrant life lost in America – the ‘promised land’ for
many Indian aspirants, which very much qualifies to be called Trump Land now.
The smiling, apparently peace loving face of Srinivas Kuchibhotia kept coming
back to me long after he was killed in a night club by an ex US Navy
serviceman. As the media in the US and elsewhere described; Adam Purinton just
asked about Srinivas and his friend Alok Madasani, who was present and got
injured too -- about their visa status and how they could possibly were better
than himself for American jobs. They did not respond to Purinton, which made
him lose his temper and shot at Srinivas shouting “get out of my country”!
Another American dream of a young married couple of just five years got turned
into a nightmare of the ultimate kind.
This incident, though many white Americans including White House spokesman Sean Spicer is trying to dispel as isolated case and not related in any way to the radical anti immigrant policy of the new president, it strongly reverberates the question at the so called greatness of America itself, which Mr. Trump had resolved to bring back during his electioneering rhetoric. If this is the kind of ‘economic cleansing’ which Mr. President might like to use as a better terminology, much of which so far sounded like ‘ethnic cleansing’ anyway; If this is believed to be the face of such greatness, then God save America!
While the world
has evolved since the dark slavery days fought against by great Lincoln, that
we are now talking of making human colonies in the outer space; if such is the
state of affairs it is of no doubt what greatness would Americans carry into
those colonies. I seriously suspect -- now more so than ever -- if American
greatness as we had been fed by Hollywood since our kindergarten days does
really exist? Equal rights, equal opportunities and a classless civic society
were the only images we had grown up with; looking at America as the ultimate
dream world just like how Disneyland gets perceived by an Indian kid in
preparatory school.
With increase in
cases of black killings by white policemen in recent times, uncovers the ever
hooded myth of “equality” and only confirms presence of many a shades of greys
between the black and the white. When I listen to my favourite Jackson numbers
now, these numbers only reconfirm the other perspective that has always been
present in American reality. So much so, that I almost feel a compulsion to ask
whether the White House now represents all other colours?
26/02/2017
It's an irony that racial discrimination will prevail irrespective of the policy adopted by the govt. To my perception it is not just the policy but the mindset of common people is equally responsible for such incidents.
ReplyDeleteCan't we stop migration of intellectual from our country simply dreaming for comfortable and affluent life in developed countries creating such opportunities in our places.
Dear Unknown,
ReplyDeleteYes, racial discrimination is and will be there in some form or other in various countries and societies due to various factors. But my context is when the government machineries are used by politicians to flare up such divisions for their own selfish gains, that becomes a major concern. America as a country has a different root in creating its society unlike other countries where population is more or less homogenous. The greatness of America itself has been its immigrants from time immemorial. This is one country built by the immigrants from all over the world. So when that concept is attacked trying to shoe that some are more American (read Whites) the others the problem lies there. Your comment is well received, thank you!