Abhijit Naskar's Blog - Posts Tagged "systemic-racism"

On Mayflower we arrived filled with hope,
Escaping persecution and atrocities.
Upon landing we became the persecutor,
And atrociously evicted communities.
Apparently we were civilized people,
Who wanted it all for ourselves.
We snatched it all from the innocent natives,
And gave reservations to help themselves.
Even today we ignore these atrocities,
And continue to perpetuate segregation.
We may look civilized on the outside,
Inside we are walking discrimination.
We are the land of liberty but only in theory,
It's time to walk the talk and embody the glory.

The first step of good democracy is to choose a good leader, or more importantly, to not choose an animal as a leader - yet we made that ghastly mistake in 2016 by electing the most non-presidential creature on earth as the leader of our United States of America. There are good presidents, there are not so good presidents, but the unique problem with the president that we chose in the previous election was that it was not even a civilized human to begin with - it was an "it" not a he or she or they, and even after being handed over the very lives of the people that savage beast showed no sign of accountability whatsoever.

Thus, we broke our democracy in 2016, but with sheer determination and conscientious persistence we have succeeded in fixing that mistake. Yes, I am filled with joy unspeakable to say out loud, that we have corrected our mistake and fixed the democracy into its usual imperfect but functional state. I say imperfect because democracy by nature is not perfect, but the problem we created last time was that we took things too far, and in the process turned a somewhat functional democracy into an absolutely dysfunctional one - in short, we broke it. And had the leader we chose been a smart one, that is, if that idiot had been not an idiot, but an actual cunning dictator, we wouldn't be celebrating our victory as a civilized people today, instead we would be mourning the burial of democracy.

Fortunately, the insane ravings of a brainless, spineless and heartless maniac will no longer have to be considered as the statements originating from the sacred office of the President of the United States of America. We have fixed the broken democracy - yes - but the problems that existed before the maniac came to power still exist today. Therefore, we may cherish the restoration of our democracy as much as we want, the real work begins now. Choosing a proper human as a President doesn't magically make the problems of our nation disappear - those problems still exist - and they'll continue to give us chills time and again, unless we as a people stand accountable, both the government and the citizenry alike, and start working on those problems. Remember, the United States of America is not the responsibility of merely the President, the Vice President and their administration, it is the responsibility of each and every one of us whose veins carry the spirit of liberty and whose nerves carry the torrents of bravery.

We have won the battle of making the White House human again, but the war has just begun - the war against systemic racism, against misogyny, against homophobia, against islamophobia, against gun violence, and against post-pandemic health and economic crisis. So, though we may celebrate the victory for a short while, we mustn't lose sight of the issues - we must now actually start working as one people - as the American people to heal the wounds on the soul of our land of liberty. It's time to once again start dreaming and working towards the impossible dream - the dream of freedom not oppression, the dream of assimilation not discrimination, and above all, the dream of ascension not descension. Never forget my friend, AMERICA means Affectionate, Merciful, Egalitarian, Responsible, Inclusive, Conscientious and Accepting.

Mine eyes have seen the glory,
Of the rising of the Gods.
We are fighting all the worry,
Trampling authority of the frauds.
We are awakening ourselves,
Breaking the spell of tradition.
Finally we are breathing free,
Devoid of all segregation.
We still have our prejudices,
But we no longer bow to them.
Biases may still prevail in us,
No more do we submit to them.
God ain't up there but here in you and me.
Awake, Arise O Mighty Gods to die for the unfree.

I stand beneath the southern sky,
Looking up at the heavenly bodies.
The twinkling stars know no color,
Then why we mortals beneath act so puny!
Country means heart, country means humility,
All that is pure is born in the country.
How could we poison its innocent soul,
By our savage escapades of bigotry!
It's high time we be the example of kindness,
For the streams of Mississippi carry acceptance.
Behold ye all blind with confederate pride,
Conscience rises above the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Let's resuscitate the country with love and passion.
We'll turn this land into a cradle of amalgamation.

Where you need to be calm,
You burst out in rage.
Where you need to be on fire,
You walk in silence and not engage.
Where you need to listen,
You scream like a loudspeaker.
Where you need to speak out,
Somehow your words disappear.
Where it requires to be humble,
Pride takes over your humility.
Where your blood needs to boil,
Your veins seem to run empty.
The right use of temper is an act of revolution.
Put it to good use and you'll nourish civilization.

There is no white skin,
There is no black skin.
All of us are shades of brown,
If we can reason without stereotyping.
Climate makes the difference in color,
But not in character of the individual.
Human character knows no geography,
For a being of character is human above all.
The idea of race is a myth most foul,
Born of ignorance and narrowness.
Now we live in a different time,
That requires abolition of divisiveness.
Discard those traditions and live as sapient.
Let's build a world where color ain't relevant.

White folks think before going to work,
Hope I don’t run into traffic on the way.
Black folks think before going to work,
Hope I don't get shot and make it safe.
White folks think before going to jog,
Hope the park is not much crowded.
Black folks think before going to jog,
Hope I don't run into someone bigoted.
White folks teach their kids before school,
Don't you dare talk to strangers.
Black folks beg their kids on knees,
Don't act smart when approached by coppers.
Whites can dream of being big and creative.
All we blacks can dream of is being able to live.

America is the land of liberty,
Offer available only to white people.
When it comes to people of color,
It's a Nazi nation though unofficial.
If you are white and you make a mistake,
You are most likely to receive a warning.
But if you are a person of color or muslim,
Better have a good reason for breathing.
They say we live in a democratic land,
A system of, by and for the people.
But what they forget to teach in school,
People doesn’t really mean every individual.
No one can change the past that's for sure.
Defying all supremacy we must rise and roar.

If immigrants ain't real Americans,
Neither is our revered Lady Liberty.
She too came from a distant land,
Yet today she is the American epitome.
If even this doesn't broaden your heart,
What about the founders of our history!
All of them were textbook immigrants,
What white supremacists cuss as refugee.
Any land that holds potential for ascension,
Draws the repressed souls of humanity.
Though I belong to the whole wide world,
Land of Lady Liberty is my home country.
A nation's character isn't defined by rigidity,
It is defined by a hearty unity in diversity.”

Beauty and ugliness as we know them,
Are the product of an ugly mind.
Once we step across all pretenses,
We learn how much we’ve been blind.
The whitest places on planet earth,
Happen to be the ugliest of all places.
For what appears to be a fancy joint,
Is filled with a bunch of suited savages.
Nations of color have problems too,
But they don't pretend to be advanced.
When we claim to be a global leader,
We must first practice inclusion on demand.
Great is not the nation that appears fancy,
But one which values people over diplomacy.