Racists and their Apologists: The Quint with The Cast of Axone

The Quint has made a video titled “Racist Things People from the Northeast are tired of Hearing.” It shows the cast of the movie, Axone, talking about racism in a bit to educate the mainland Indians about racism. But, it is unfortunate that these people now represent us and are now telling what racism is. The claims are nothing but bizarre. This bunch either has no understanding of what racism is or they have to sell the movie probably using the scripts handed over to them by their marketing team . It is quite probable that the latter is the matter. 

Here is a list of claims they have made that we, the victims of racism, must counter and remind these privileged sell outs that they are toeing the line of their masters. And, they have nothing to be proud of.

1.   “This video is not just about pointing fingers at the people from mainland India. We are not saying that everybody is racist.”  

In a full blown display of mainland Indian fragility, a mayang tells us not every mayang is racist, adding to his claim that he is not pointing fingers. But, calling out racism is about pointing fingers at the perpetrators of racism, in this case mainland Indians.  How can we fight racism without finding out the perpetrators of racism, without accusing them? It is true that not everyone is racist but it is also true that all mainland Indians are racist towards the people from northeast. Now, “not all Indians” do not work here, just like, “not all men” when it comes to sexism.  Yes, the video isn’t about pointing fingers, but rather about neutralising and watering down the deep-seated issues of racism. It is an attempt to make it digestible for the mainlanders that they are racist in their day-to-day dealings, yet softly chastening them that they shouldn’t be racist.

2.   “It is very important for the people from the Northeast to open up…Only then, will these walls fall.”

The statement should surprise us. First, it betrays the bootlicking. The matter is not about opening up; the matter is about our political rights. Racism is not fought by opening up to those who are racist but by empowering the victims of racism. What is it there to open up? It is an open book that there is heavy militarisation in the region. It is also quite open that there are laws which empower the armed forces to kill and rape anyone with impunity in the region. It is amply evident that people from the region get lynched to death in Indian cities. A lot of people have been shouting quite openly about this. People are very open about all of these things. It is just that the perpetrators perpetrate with open ears.  Second, the statement comes from an actor, a Tibetan born in Lhasa. He has nothing to do with the northeast. Having a chinki look and having northeastern friends does not make someone an expert on racism faced by the people of northeast. He does not have the subjective experience of a person who is born in the region and has not faced what many of us have faced living in these dreadful cities for bread and butter. The choice about where to live remains ours, for many of us who can afford to come out from the region. But the choice is between two terrorising existences, a militarised home and a brutal racist reality of Indian cities. It is quite disheartening to remind a bunch of people talking about racism that the walls will fall only when racism ends. 

3.   “We should learn the language of the city we live in.”

The access the northeastern people get using their own languages is miniscule in the mainland Indian cities. It makes sense to learn the language of the place we live in. It is quite impossible to go on living in the mainland Indian cities using just our mother tongue. Obviously, one has to talk to the sabji wala. But, the issue is not about whether one knows the language or not, it is about one getting beaten up, cheated on or harassed every day for not knowing it. Here, one must address the politics of language.The pertinent question here is how come we have landed in this situation. The question opens a can of worms. But, for now it must wait.  

4.   “Racism is not limited to one community. All of us at one point of time or the other have been responsible for racism.”

It is true that racism is not limited to one community. But the question, here, is about which community is racist to which community.  Even if the people from northeast want to be racist towards Indians, they cannot be. It is the powerful who is racist towards the weak. It is not the weak who are racist towards the powerful. To put it simply, let us ask a question far away from all these so that we become more objective in answering it, without fear: can blacks be racist towards whites? The answer is no. Only the racists have accused victims of reverse racism. None of us have been racist. It is the mainland Indians who have been racist towards us at all times.

5.   “Even in the Northeast, the discrimination between the tribals and the non-tribals must be broken down.”

Tribals and non-tribals, the person talking about this is neither a tribal nor a non-tribal. He is a Tibetan , brought up in Delhi. He has never lived as a tribal nor lived as a non-tribal in these regions. He completely sidelines the plight of the tribals in the region and their struggle against those who have come to threaten their identity, their culture and land since the birth of this country. Moreover, there is no such as thing “discrimination between” the powerful and the weak. Discrimination is not mere name calling, it is more than that. It is only the powerful who discriminate against the weak. The weak do not have the power to discriminate against the powerful. The addition of a non-northeasterner chinki, for his looks, to speak of racism against “northeast” people, representing us, is a clear display of the underlying racist attitude of the makers of the video. The Quint making a Tibetan man speak of racism faced by the  northeastern people is similar to ABVP making a woman from Thailand pose as a Northeasterner in a pro CAA protest which happened in Pune last year. Hence, The Quint is racist, the tibetan and north-easterner cast of Axone are enablers of racism. As said in the video, it will need learning and unlearning to stop racism. The Quint needs to stop being racist, the cast of Axone should unlearn what they have internalised. They should learn what racism is and not perpetuate it.

6.   “It’s completely a two-way process.”

Racism is not a two-way process. It is only one way. The powerful is racist towards the powerless. Stating that racism is a two-way process only pleases those who are racists because it excuses their racism. It also negates the historical conditions that give rise to racism that a particular community faces. In the context of the existing relationship between the northeast people and mainland Indians, saying that racism is a two-way process negates how different parts of the northeast “became” part of India and what transpired after that. It negates the massive militarization, the rapes, massacres, extrajudicial murders and tortures that go on with impunity. It negates the everyday experience of racism that scores of migrants from the northeast living in Indian cities face. Can they be racist towards those who have been denying the people of the region their right to decide for their own future, even at their homes? Can they be racist towards those who discriminate against them in these mainland Indian cities?  If one says yes, then one is clinging to a formulation called reverse racism, which white scholars have created to show their insecurity when blacks started revolting for their civil rights. Therefore, the answer cannot be that racism is a two-way process. It is only one way.

7.   “ We should not harbor racist attitudes towards fellow Indians. And, for that matter against anyone.”

The question that we must ask immediately here is that what if someone is not a fellow Indian. Should we harbor racist attitudes towards them as they are not fellow Indians? No, the mayang actor says “for that matter [one should not be racist] against anyone.” It sounds quite politically correct. But, it is quite redundant to say that “we should not harbor racist attitudes towards fellow Indians.” This statement though sounds quite innocent as well as correct but it underlies a threat in the world we find ourselves in. The threat is one would not be treated with dignity or even as a human being if one is not or denies being an Indian. One does not need to assert that we should not harbor racist attitudes towards fellow Indian if one genuinely wants to fight racism at all. The very fact that one asserts this implies the imposition that the other should be an Indian; otherwise things can happen to him or her. Hence, one must first prove that one is an Indian. Here, two of the cast had to show that they know and can sing Hindi songs to the mainland Indian audience. It shows that the underlying thought that to be an Indian depends on having something in common with the mainland Indians, something which is theirs. Such is the state of affairs with the cast of Axone. 

Most importantly, it is the time of coronavirus racism. Yet, the issue is completely missing in the video, instead, it focuses entirely on some light-hearted stereotypes. The apologetic tone of the video sidetracks the conversation of racism in a different direction rather than having a real discussion, which is uncomfortable, difficult and quite painful.