Hate takes a shot

Nowhere in the world there is societal sanction that approves killing an individual just because he belongs to a certain community, irrespective of how that community is perceived. But we live in the age of anger, and communities are being repeatedly demonised as “evil”. The horrible, unprovoked shooting in a US bar that left one Indian dead was yet another painful reminder of hate getting the better of reason. The shooter is a US Navy veteran who also had a pilot and air traffic controller's licence. He shouted “get out of my country” before opening fire, which also left one Indian and a “white” American injured. It is obvious we are all vulnerable to hate-filled madness.

There is nothing new about racism; it is as old as society itself and is not limited geographically. But historically, it was localised, as was the backlash. Communities clashed only when they came face to face in territorial aggression, such as an invasion. In today’s world, travel and communication are bringing people of all colours and hues face to face, which is bringing into conflict deeply ingrained prejudices and some real economic interests. But just as at some point in history the human race understood the benefits of being a social animal, it has to realise today that the size of “society”, or “community”, has changed. There could very well be an economic benefit in a brown Hindi-speaking Muslim working, say, closely with a white American Jew of Nordic descent.

Unfortunately, there is a new inclination to use tools of political mobilisation to rekindle citizens’ long-held prejudices. Governments, public institutions, and the media have failed in their duty to spread ideas of brotherhood and fellow-citizenship. Major newspapers in the US barely found the latest hate crime worthy of covering extensively. The government in India has often failed to condemn with the force required the various incidents of hate in recent years. The less said of the Trump administration the better. Identifying hate every time it rears its head is not only the first step but half the work towards ridding humanity of crippling hatred.