A lot has been said, written, discussed and debated about the so called racist remarks made by the crowds at Vadodra and Mumbai against Andrew Symonds. All this talk about Indians being racist is pure bull crap. Why would Indian’s use the word monkey if they wanted to be racist or insult someone?
But The Australian has an explanation to this:
Indians claim that monkey chanting is unknown as a racist slur in this country. But it’s commonly used in Europe and even Australia, where black English bowler Gladstone Small was once thrown a banana.
Soccer crowds are notorious for monkey chants to black players. Last year, Leipzig’s Nigerian midfielder Adebowale Ogungbure was called nigger and ape and subjected to monkey noises in Germany. It happened in April in Slovakia. It happens in Spain, Scotland, everywhere, apparently, but India. Rich and even lower middle-class Indians would know this. English soccer is a staple on television here. [My emphasis]
See, this is what happens when you speculate about people about whom you don’t know anything. With all due respects to Adebowale Ogungbure, how many Indians have ever heard of him? Middle-class Indians watching European Football so eagerly that they know about all the racist talk that happens in Europe? Woha!
Earlier, I asked fellow blogger Ottayan and he said that he too got a similar explanation. I am sure more than half of the crowd present at Mumbai and Vadodra had skin colour darker than Symonds’. Further, how many Indians know that Andrew Symonds has a ‘black’ lineage? Let’s dig deeper into it, how many West Indians have complained about such ‘monkey chants’ from Indians? I think you get what I am saying.
Therefore, it has led me to conclude that the only possible rational explanation to these monkey chants lies somewhere else. Something that the media–in Australia and India–has totally missed in its hurry to earn some TRP. Andrew Symonds’ haircut.
Images sourced from here and here
For all the pain and suffering that Symonds has been through at the hands of the Indian crowds there’s but one solution, get a haircut, Andrew! I can say this because I too had long hair till not so long ago. When I finally cut them short, people around me welcomed me back saying stuff like, “welcome back to the human kind”…you look a lot civilised now. Read more about it here.
It is not just the haircut, but also the kilos of zinc on his face. While Indians were wrong in making those monkey noises they definitely were not racist. So, while calling someone “kaffirs” and “kaffir boetie” is definitely racist, and the australians knew this to be a racist taunt against the Saffices.
File this under media hype. They know not the many nuances of a society called India.
Totally agree with you Aravind.
The last time i grew my hair long was when i was in college. And later on when i went for a haircut, the barber wanted a premium on what i paid regularly.
Am sure for Symonds, the hairstylist would need either a lawnmower or the big scissors used by the ‘maali’
It’s time the Aussies woke up to the fact that they can’t always call all the shots.
Media hype.Nothing much to talk about it.
Jab Aussies gaaliyan diye tho sledging(PART OF THE GAME) aur Indians kiye tho….Racism…
Akhil,
You are correct when you say that the fault lies with the media.
I was recently under the thrall of the Aussie newspapers.
Almost every article covering this ‘abuse’ issue had a close up of Symonds looking fiercely from under the helmet, with what looked like the remenants of the breakfast crusted around his lips.
I am no expert, however the photograph had striking resemblances to Jane Godall’s wards.
Liju,
I am sure the barbers at Tirupathi, would welcome him.
They invariably use sheeps shearers to tonsure.
Jane Goodall’s wards!
good one that Ottayan!
Being “civilised” takes more than a boring short hair cut. Roy’s hair and his preference for white zinc on his lips are a personal choice and make for an interesting and different image on the cricket field. Do people in India have a problem with people being individuals?
But what really counts is Roys brilliance as a cricketer – in all aspects of the game. Perhaps that’s what really annoys Indian fans – not his hair.
But the main point is this: the term “monkey” chanted at someone with dark skin is considered extremely racist in many other parts of the world. It has a nasty history and meaning for millions of people who were historically violently oppressed by “white” people. Therefore it IS RACIST.
Other countries – including Australia – have condemned racism in cricket. But you just seem to think racism is funny. That’s what I call un-civilised.
Dear Samantha,
You speak like a person truly ignorant about what happens in India.
Indians have been subjected to racism in their own land when the British ruled us. Keep that in mind before you jump to a conclusion that I find racism funny.
No one can question Roy’s brilliance in the field.
You know why calling someone a Monkey amounts to racism in Australia or other western countries. But in India, that’s not an issue at all.
>>You know why calling someone a Monkey amounts to racism in Australia or other western countries. But in India, that’s not an issue at all.
What utter rubbish. After this incident:
http://ishare.rediff.com/filephoto-symonds-monkey-chants-id-96772.php
every Indian remotely interested in cricket knows what “monkey” means and how offensive it is to someone of African descent.
But this issue has nothing to do with “Indians” or “Australians”. It has to do with idiots in Indian (and Australian!) crowds shouting out racist things to players — and a player under pressure (H. Singh) parroting something he’d heard Symonds had been upset about when in India.
It was a moment of stupidity. Stupidly reported by Ricky Ponting who was obeying a stupid edict from the ICC.
Combine that with your comments, and there’s enough stupidity going around for us all to have a share. I’ll even include myself for wasting the time to respond to someone whose mind will probably remain closed.
Doubter, thank you for passing by and taking time out for commenting.
I see that you are generally frustrated by the whole scenario. Trust me, I understand how you feel. That’s exactly why I made the post.
Respect for your tone — it was a lot better than mine.
The thing that frustrates me most of all is that I attended all 5 days of the Sydney test. It was — with some obvious exceptions — some of the finest test cricket I have seen. The game was alive for all five days.
For the media to misquote and beat up about “not in the spirit of cricket” is just sad.
Imagine the pressure the Indians were under with the umpiring not going there way (believe me, this is something Aussies understand — remember “that LBW” in the 2005 Ashes?!) and yet they played (with one, possibly two exceptions) in great spirit.
Imagine the pressure the Aussies were under when Ponting (again) delayed a declaration, when India showed such fight on Day 2, when they were under the gun on Day 1, and yet they played (with one, possibly two exceptions) in great spirit.
The “spirit of cricket” was never more alive than in that great, great test.
What a pity, what an enormous frustration that we’ve all “taken our eyes off the ball”.
Best regards to you, lazybug.
Thank you, Doubter.
The reaction from India would not have been so harsh if the match had ended in a draw. The Harbhajan row only added to it.
I agree that a draw was the “right” result.
But we don’t always get the results we want, and that, surely, is something that Indians and Australians can agree on and move forward.
The largest portion of blame must go, as it so often has recently, to the ICC. It was their stupid policy that caused Ponting to report Harbhajan, their stupid cowardice in sacking Bucknor (and not Benson!) that has thrown umpiring into chaos, and their stupid handling of the “case” that has made this into the international fracas that it is.
Good to talk some of this out!
Well said, Doubter.
I hope normalcy is restored at Perth.
I don’t see anything wrong with his haircut, you guys are in denial.
@Padfoot: In denial of what? As a matter of fact, I too do not see anything wrong with his haircut, neither do I suggest that anyone could use it as a reason for calling Symonds a Monkey.
Firstly, Symonds has a knack of getting people to dislike him outside australia. He did say something stupid about indians celebrating after their twenty20 success. He also started the whole Singh incident by his so called support for Brett Lee – Symonds, Brett is a big boy and will take care of himself better than you can take care of him. I think the right word for Symonds is not Monkey, but Donkey.
Secondly, i’m english (white) and i’ve lived in india for a year. More than three quarters of india is darker than Roy. There is a difference between crowds taunting someone and crowds being racist. You have to be careful when you call someone racist – infact i think you are extremely ignorant and racist when you call someone racist and you are not absolutely sure if that person(s) is racist. Of late, I’ve seen and heard an increasing number of white people for some really silly reason call other people racist.
Lastly, i currently work in new york and let me tell you that there is a whole load of monkeys at my workplace and they’re all white. So monkey can’t be universally defined as a racist word. Have you ever heard of anybody say (or not say) the “M word”
Good points those, Ozzie. Totally agree with the ‘taunting’ part.
Hey…
I like what you wrote of Symonds…True thing!!
Thank you for the appreciation, Supriya!
you east indians are the most racist people in the world,and almost all east indians are lighter skinned than symonds.
Thank you for dropping by, cocopatel.
what a load of crap
why are you trying to deny the fact that he was faced with racist taunts.
Also, everyone can tell he is of black heritage…..look at him, he has coloured skin and afro hair (now dreads)
i am indian. just to clear that up.
sadly in all nations there are narrow minded folk who feel the need to bring others down. this is even more so when talking about famous personalities sporting or other. the majority of insults or derogatory comments are aimed to ridicule, humiliate or hurt the person, therefore it stands to reason that any clearly perceivable difference will be highlighted by the ignorant to create a hurtful comment or phrase. cricket, as with many other sports has a huge following, particularly in india where many would consider it to be the national sport. as we know, societies are made from a vast array of people, all with varying degrees of education and experience, formal or otherwise. whether someone is a sports fan or not is not determined by their caste, creed, race or educational experience but their enjoyment of their chosen game/s. it would be naive to think that no indian is racist, as would it be to think that all indians are racist. this goes for all people of all nations, not solely indians. i feel that i had to say something. i hope it makes sense. IT IS ONLY SOMEONES OPINION, WHY GIVE IT SO MUCH ATTENTION?!
This proves it. You are not only racist curry-munchers but also idiots.