I Hate Racism

Life looks like a film when you see the word PAKI etched into the bonnet of an inconspicuous car. When I first saw it, I experienced complete miscomprehension. My eyes could not accept the sight before them. I looked down, put the key into my bike lock, and looked again. I repeated the motion three times. I have three bike locks. I stared. Was it real? The horrible fact - that someone had scratched PAKI into the paintwork of a car - was so far away from my usual realm of reality, that complete befuddlement had stopped my brain.

Each letter, as large as an A4 page, screamed out at me with evilly etched malice.

Breaking the spell, the car was claimed. A collection of unsorted syllables fought against each other for immediate release.

“It’s terrible what someone’s done to your car”, I inarticulately blurted. It seems that I'm a considerate, but somewhat simple, soul.

“There are terrible people in this world”, came the reply. The owner of the vandalised vehicle sounded philosophical. He wasn’t angry, that’s just the way it is. There are terrible people in this world.

“I’m sorry”, I added. “I am really sorry.”

I felt as though I had to apologise. I hated the idea of him leaving without someone saying that they were sorry. I think that I was apologising for every racist endeavour of humankind. I felt guilty. I felt sorry for being part of such a malevolent species; a species so ignorant that it doesn’t learn. There is no need. There is just no need.

As he drove away, I waved. He waved back. His wave belittled the word PAKI. It was animated and the word was not. He’s an on-call doctor; he was parked in a doctor’s spot. Driving is part of his job.

He seemed okay with it. Shit happens. He had more important matters on his mind. He’s probably experienced covert racism more times than he would care to count. Overt racism may be a common experience too.

The level of shock that I experienced says more about me. It speaks volumes about my idealistic lack of realism, my ignorance and my inability to comprehend that people are so stupidly and crassly abusive with only ill-founded reasons to back their mean-spirited thoughts and actions.

Fabpants Recommends: Not being a racist.
There is also the matter of Gogol Bordello's 'Wanderlust King'. Find it on the album 'Super Taranta!' and on that place called MySomethingorother. Wanderlust King makes me forget about all evil in this world and bounce up and down instead. Yes, at many levels, I really am a simple soul. I like music. I hate racism.