there was a bar. people there, foreigners and indians alike. drinks, laughter, companionship; these things were natural and welcome. two small dogs playfully chewed on hands, feet, bags, bangles, all were welcome into their maws. beers, wrapped in newspaper, the ultimate stealth covering, surrounded our table. multiple tongues flowing, english spoken with a score of accents over Richard D. James. suddenly there is no music. lights are turned off, indians hunker down. they know.
confusion reigns among the westerners. 'are we getting kicked out?' 'shit, i'm not done with my beer.' nothing seems to be happening. sitting in the dark, giggling, there is no tangible reason for the darkness. i mean, its only 12.30! the police are coming, we're told. we wait for the moment to blow over. i joke about feeling like i'm back in college. not quite.
suddenly, four khaki cops are there. striding around, imperious. they hold the traditional indian police stick, a seemingly quaint convention from the past. things escalate rapidly. there is shouting at the owners, the workers. indians we are hanging out with are grabbed, shouted at and then slapped, hard, in the face. we start yelling, 'stop, those are our friends!' an indian is released from police cluthches, another grabbed and pulled by his lapels. they don't look the police in the face. they are questioned, and respond or not, the only answer is being slapped in the face. we are told to disperse. the workers tell us to get out of there, that its ok. we protest, 'this is fucking bullshit man, they can't just hit you like this.' 'its ok, just go.' many leave. a few of us cluster together, watching as the cops leave with one man, press marching him down the cliff road. we decide to follow; as western tourists, we have somewhat of a free pass with the police, it becomes a far more serious encroachment if they hit us. because we don't have dark skin.
we follow, but they are moving too fast. they don't stop when we yell at them. disappearing into the darkness we chase after. at this point, its too late. we find them, and they've beaten the shit out of this guy with their quaint sticks, no longer so innocent when covered in human blood. the worker from the bar is surrounded by his blood, his arm looks broken. he is in bad shape, but manages to escape when we finally get close enough. the police run off, unwilling to face such a large group, now inflamed with anger. they pretend to chase off after another 'rule-breaker'.
returning to the bar. an indian tells me, 'the police are mad because there are so few tourists. when there aren't many tourists we can't afford to pay baksheesh (bribe money) to them.'
fucking horrible.
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Read 12/13/2009
ReplyDeletethese comments are confusing.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it that you would like to hear? So you are realizing there is injustice in the world. Injustice is not a good thing; tyranny is even worse.
ReplyDelete"Indians hunker down. they know. the westerners' (concern is) 'shit, i'm not done with my beer.'"
There is much for Westerners to learn.
"as western tourists, we have somewhat of a free pass with the police, it becomes a far more serious encroachment if they hit us. because we don't have dark skin."
Your unearned privilege, & subsequent presumption of entitlement is showing.
"We protest," 'this is fucking bullshit man, they can't just hit you like this.'"
In India they can, and they do, and your white skin won't always protect you, so you'd better watch your own ass, too.
"the workers tell us to get out of there, that its ok. 'its ok, just go.' We decide to follow;"
Sigh. How very John Wayne. But knee-jerk reactions don't endear us to the host countries we Americans visit.
"the police run off, unwilling to face such a large group, now inflamed with anger."
Presumption again. How do you know for sure that getting the crowd inflamed wasn't also part of their mockery? Or that your dark-skinned friend's beating might have been less intense had you not followed?
So what do you want to hear? That peace and respect & equality should be universal? Of course they should be. Maybe the US should declare war on India to bring them such things. (We're already in two wars - what's another, more or less.)
Or is it possible for us to acknowledge the injustices, then clear our heads of arrogance & lashing-out anger in order to discover ways to empower the people to seek civil change for themselves? And to also understand how much time cultural evolutions require?
Here are some words of insight from your last entry:
"I would urge you that ... you must ponder very carefully whether there is some delusion or blindness within yourself, and whether you have contemplated everything from all angles, in every way. It is not proper to cause such a great disruption, taking the customs of one's own party to be the truth, through sheer force of habit or out of laziness.
The greater the hindrances you encounter in your impossible attempt, the more angry and disrespectful you will feel ... and the more your contempt will alienate the very people you wish to help!"
- Gora
Your frustration is clear, Jeff, and understandable, too. Our fine American values are so ingrained in us that we naturally use them as the gold standard for evaluating other cultures. But is the purpose of your trip to judge & foment change in another country, or to absorb their culture in order to add dimension to yourself?
You are either a student passing through, or a revolutionary in for the long haul. Teetering on the edge of both will only lead to conflict, and perhaps even more severe consequences. I think you could use a guide, or guru, or facilitator to help set you on a specific track of inquiry, so that you're not just drifting over foreign soil. Someone to provide authentic perspective.