Some thoughts on Bhangra Blowout.
During his intro monologue Russell Peters commented on the need for
Airport security personnel to "know the difference between an Indian and a Terrorist. We don't come from the same part of the world, we don't speak the same language, we don't eat the same food, and we don't hate the same people." While this was resolved on a comical note ("Terrorists hate Americans, we hate each other") the content was very inappropriate given the fact that not more than fifteen minutes prior to his statement a prominent member of the Sikh community had given a short speech on the nature of Sikhism in order to address a very off-colour skit which was played during last year's show. Presumably, by terrorist Peters means 'Arab,' hence the references to geography, language and cuisine. The cultures and dialects of the Arab world are quite diverse and it goes without saying that the vast majority of Arabs are neither terrorists nor supporters of terrorism. Nor is terrorism foreign to India; there have been a number of attacks by various seperatist groups in recent years and a number of communal riots, the massacre of thousands of Muslims in Gujarat being perhaps the most egregious in the past decade. The Indian community (and especially Sikhs) have faced a great increase social prejudice since the 9/11 attacks and this prejudice has at times escalated into violence. The solution, however, is not to isolate the community from other communities who are 'the real terrorists;' it is to join together with those communities and their allies in bringing about an end to social prejudice and in creating a more just and humane culture, one which respects the pluralism of american society instead of exploiting it.