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Why do racism exists still even in this modern world? This question will haunt us in our lifetime and no one, will know the real answer to this question. In every part of the world, some sort of racism will exist. Whether be it the color of your skin or even the religion that you follow. No one will ever be able to solve and end this racism.
Who cares if you are Black? Who cares if you are White? Who cares if you are a Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist or Hindu? Because in the end, we are all human beings and nothing else. Because we all get the same type of diseases, ranging from common flu to cancer. We all drink the same water from the earth. We all eat the same food, basically. Take the COVID-19 pandemic for example. Did it affect only one specific type of race? No. It affected each and every single one, white or black, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu or Jewish, affecting the whole world, nearly killing more than four hundred thousand people and affecting close to seven million world wide. But still, people fail to realize that. That we are not divided by the color of our skin or the religion we believe in. That in a case like this pandemic, it affects every race and every faith.
When the pandemic was going on, people attacked many Asian people, because COVID-19 was originated from China. Asians were not allowed to enter into the restaurants and many boycotted Asian Markets. This racial prejudice against the Asians went around the world, as the world blamed them for spreading the virus. But is it right for the people to judge them and attack them? Even the Asians were infected with this virus and many of the Asians died from this virus as well. So is it fair?
Then when this pandemic was starting to cease, came George Floyd's murder. Four white policemen attacked George Floyd, an unarmed black man. Then people started rioting, demanding justice, demanding that every race, regardless of black or white or brown should be treated equally. George Floyd is not perfect man--with a criminal record, one cannot sugarcoat his character. And I am not sure if those policemen knew about his criminal record but was it right for them to kill him? No. The whole world watched in shock on the video when a police officer was sitting on top of Floyd while he was begging for water and mumbling "I can't breathe". Suppose George Floyd was a white man. Would the policemen have killed him? I don't think so. Had he been white, he would probably have been treated a little with dignity and respect. He would have been given water when he asked for water and would probably sit inside a police car instead of lying down flat on the street with a policeman on top of you. But Floyd was Black. That was the issue. Why special treatment to the white people and less special treatment towards blacks and other minorities? That is the racism. The color of your skin is judged and people went out on the streets, rioting, demanding it to be stopped. Yet, some people remained silent, refusing to take part. Some people don't really understand the main reason what these rioters are asking for. Equal justice, that's what they are asking for. And we need change in the justice system.
It's not just in America that you need a change towards racism. Everywhere in the world needs a change. While in America, racism is based on the color of your skin, in other countries like India and Sri Lanka, racism is based on your religious faith.
Here's a small story about how one person got affected by the racism due to a religion.
Maya's mother is Buddhist and her father is a Muslim. Maya however did not have a faith. Since her father is a Muslim, Maya is considered as a Muslim even though she never really practiced the Muslim faith.
Maya is at a marriageable age and in her country, arranged marriages are common. Maya's mother wanted her to marry a decent Buddhist family. The so called groom's family was impressed with Maya's mother's family background--coming from a good caste and good family. They were impressed with Maya's father too as he is a doctor. But when they learned that Maya's father is a Muslim, they refused. The groom's mother said that she will never allow her son to marry a Muslim woman. It was the same thing and finally, Maya who was sad and couldn't take this racist drama anymore, pleased her mother to stop searching for the marriage proposal.
What is wrong if Maya was a Muslim? Nothing is wrong. But that's how the world is. What if Maya's father is Buddhist? The marriage would have gone on. But it didn't. Instead, it provided nothing but emotional heartaches for Maya's family as Maya's mother was sad about how this had turned on. Maybe someday, Maya would find someone, who will not care about her religious background, who will love her for who she is and will care for her, despite her background. That is what true love is. And poor Maya, as she is stranded between two different faiths. Is it really her fault? No. It's not her fault.
The world needs to change their ideologies and theories. People should know that regardless of the color of your skin or the faith you are following, you are a human after all. That racist mindset had to change and it had to change now. As humans we all have to live together in peace and harmony, black, white, rich, poor or whatever the faith you believe in. As humans we need to learn to love one another and care for one another. We need to treat each human equally and with justice and no special treatment towards a particular race or faith. The world needs to change now.
Maya Khan
***
Maya Khan looks at the article that she has written on her computer titled "Racism Needs to Stop". She glanced at the pictures on Facebook. She had lived in America for five years and had made tons of both black and white friends. Her roommate, Tayari is Black and Maya had become best friends with Tayari. Tayari has got involved with #BlackLivesMatter movement and Maya would support her and the movement.
Maya hates racism, with her experience, she has managed to tolerate racism. This is a modern twenty first century, not a medieval time. World needs to change and Maya wants the world to change from its racist ideologies.
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I am giving feedback as part of the Critique Circle.
It is difficult to give feedback here, as the balance of story versus commentary leans towards more commentary, but I do not wish to be as negative as Richard's comments seem to me.
1) As I said, the balance of commentary versus story feels all out of whack. I feel as if there is a really good basis for a story in the situation Maya found herself in. Lots of potential for emotional highs and lows. Emotionally, it is the type of topic I can imagine Kazuo Ishiguro writing about, though it is outside his sphere of experience, so he would probably reframe it into nationalities or religions he is more familiar with.
A quick look at some of your other submissions shows that you normally DO tell a story, so I guess that you decided that a more commentary-based piece was more appropriate as this fell under a submission window that was tied in to the Black Lives Matter movement? I may be wrong? I'm just not sure it worked here.
2) The idea of "Show, don't tell" would probaly apply here. A scene in which Maya actually shows that she is sick of the racist drama, perhaps talking to her mother, a sister or a friend, and angry at the world aroun her.
3) The final scene with Tayari begs to be written as a dialogue between the two of them. Perhaps with Maya calling Tayari over to talk about the pictures she is looking at. Perhaps both in tears as they each tell their stories to the other.
Without reading your other stories, I am not sure if points 2 and 3 are even advice you need. A very quick look suggests maybe not, so apologies if my comments are not helpful.
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This is empty, all factual but contested by the 'alternate view' it is weak. Revulsion is not tackled, slavery is not tackled, race supremacy is missed, industrialisation and the division of labour is missing The heirachy of wealth and money is not even mentioned nor greed, murder nor war for profit.
I expected better not quotes, what about a story of immigration of invasion,of arms and weapons, of decimation, of murder, of the theft of land, the slaughter of millions of buffalo, of lynching while white police make excuses and join in. There were two lynchings in June 2020 and why are the blacks are taking this. Is it equal for a black man to go to a gun store and buy 20 different guns as a white man? Or will he be shot dead when he steps outside the gun store? Why has the 2nd amendment not been repealed? Why if a black person who cannot afford bail thrown into jail and the keys lost? Why was a black female teacher found hung in a police cell? Why is death the preferable option? why are the police only trained for 18 to 24 months, legally immunised, then let loose on black civilians to murder them? Why are so many blacks in jail? is this not a continuation of depriving them of the opportunity to vote? Nothing on corporations of the billionaires and the the money in politics and the sheer amount of lying. This write up is pointless.
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Thank you for writing this!
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