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Lessons from Charlottesville: This is how you float above the hate

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Akshay Dhar
Akshay DharAug 17, 2017 | 10:33

Lessons from Charlottesville: This is how you float above the hate

There's no shortage of news that is heavy, scary and, at times, shameful. And this makes it hard for one to stay optimistic unless you engage in some degree of wilful denial of the world at large and focus on your own little bubble. This is not new but it's more of a task these days with greater access to information than ever.

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One of the most recent examples would be the crisis at Charlottesville in the US, which is not particularly bigger than any number of the terrible incidents the world over. It is smaller in fact, but the spread of the news and people's awareness of it illustrate my point.

However, I am not an American and so my purpose today is not to focus on this one incident but to use it as an example — the microcosm of a broader point I'd like to make.

I follow world affairs and am an avid reader of history; cultural and societal evolution interest me. That said, it is rare to find genuinely well-thought out, reasonable and rational posts on these topics as opposed to the hyperbolic (on either side) and harsher ones we tend to come across when some events — worse than the others — happen.

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I know people who are my parents' generation who witnessed racial slurs, communal divisions et al, but say it wasn't as bad. Photo:AP

The saddest part is that it is hard to understand how things are this bad when they weren't too long ago, and in certain ways indeed worse — degraded even. I know people who are my parents' generation who witnessed racial slurs, communal divisions et al, but say it wasn't as bad.

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They're both right and wrong: right in that there was a period of progress and growth in the very recent decades and, despite divisions, we were headed in a positive direction; but they are wrong because those divisions were always there, just quieter and less bold/openly displayed; so those who didn't feel the same way didn't have to face it as much.

The hateful elements — the fascists, the racists, the vicious and the spiteful and self-absorbed — took a step back and were somewhat cowed down and subdued post the World Wars and the Cold-War era. The world was recovering from what hate nearly did to it and a wave of hope, optimism, energy and a spirit of understanding was washing over most regions. It was a liberal growth era.

But sadly, time and history — which tend to march forward contrarily — repeat patterns and, as such, as time passed and circumstances shifted, the unacceptable started to get bold and use any reason at hand to justify itself.

Then on, we got the slow resurgence of hate-speech, bigotry and the quiet, soft and passive racism that one could see grow anew against those of West-Asian descent post the September 11 attacks and the United States' war on terror.

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After that, one doesn't have to travel far to see how — over a generation or so — the hateful indoctrination of the young (who may well be just a generation apart) and the fruits of that soft/passive racism have vitiated younger minds and taken a harsher and virulent shape.

As divisive events transpire and difficult times follow, it gives a grand opportunity to such elements of the society to try and step in as the "saviour" reclaiming a supposedly better world — like most rear-gazers who often miss the darker, harder aspects of the past times that required progress to move past them.

Thus the slow, quiet racism and communalism blossom into strong, bold and outspoken hate speech and divisiveness, which have made their way into people's minds today and worsened because much of the focus is given to the most shocking news (the terribly faltering Fourth Estate is a whole other point of discussion) and prevailing banalities make even neutral minds either apathetic or influenced — if not drawing them to more radical ways of thinking, primarily out of fear.

In this context, I appreciate a particular article I came across today, because even though it focuses on the situation in the US, it speaks to aspects of society and culture across many parts of the world that are somehow coalescing.

Radical Islam, white supremacy, Hindu nationalism and any number of communal (sectarian for the non-South-Asian) mindsets are not just stepping forward but charging into the mainstream with an emboldened confidence and aggression that is further destabilising an already fragile ecosystem.

To my mind, there is no rational, justifiable reason for the hateful and divisive ways of thinking but then again experience has taught me that when you want to, anything can be explained away.

What tends to be forgotten in the midst of the hyperbole and barrage of opinions and voices is that now, more than ever in human history, the silent, liberal, easygoing, atheist, the scientifically inclined and the essentially the meek if you will — who have historically been cowed down and afraid to voice dissent except in the most extreme circumstances — are not just more vocal and willing to stand, but also far greater in number owing to the evolution, over time, to a more liberal and reasoning-based global culture.

As clichéd as it might sound, today is a time for calm and patience. It is important to remember that the world is a more accepting and kind-hearted place and its citizens are still capable of the most amazing acts of kindness, generosity and decency.

In a world far more divided, the silent middle are a miniscule number. Like a cornered bully or an angry animal, the hate-mongers are more aggressive and vicious because they feel the need to be. And those on the other side? They need to first and foremost remember that their patience — and rejection of the mentality or behaviour of those divisive groups — is what sets them apart and they must stick to that.

Brawling and hitting out will not win this day or hold back the raging, hateful and sectarian waves. But it is a fight — to my mind this is like the first Rocky movie: we're not fighting to pummel our opponent to submission, that's their aim; we are aiming to take what you can dish out, do it our way and keep standing when the dust settles because "meek" does not translate to "doormat" anymore.

Last updated: August 17, 2017 | 20:15
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