It was a dark and stormy night. That’s a lie. It was a mild and unseasonably warm night and I was almost asleep, lulled away by Heidi Klum’s and Niki Taylor’s voiceovers on Bravo.
Then, something insane happened; I received a reality-bending email. But first, some unnecessary prattle back story.
From age 0-3.5, I had a much-adored stuffed bear, like most children my age. Unlike most children, my bear was named Babu, which totally proves that kids born here in the early to mid seventies might as well have been popped out “back home”. Anyway, Babu was wonderful as a confidante, hugging partner and drool-catcher…until we moved to San Francisco. Somewhere between Southern California and Northern, Babu disappeared, never to be seen again.
Last night, dazed and confused by exhaustion, I checked my email one final time…and did a sleepy double-take. There, in my inbox…Babu. The only justification I can offer for thinking what comes next is, um, Benadryl. “My Babu reached out to me from beyond!”, I gasped, and he did so via GMail no less:
Hi Anna,
It’s the biggest story happening in Indian Cricket and you are not covering it….that’s not right 🙂
Feed your cricket hunger with the story. I’m not sure if you are aware of the suspension of an Indian cricket player over racial abuse. This has created a cricket war between India and Australia. and YOU should write about it.
It has high drama, fight for honor, millions of dollars at stake and the big Indian ego Vs Australian. Australian media is supporting India as well 🙂
Link, link, link and link.
Well, I didn’t wanna vote in News tab and wait….hehe.. 😀
~Babu
Babu, after absorbing tears, snot and Lord knows what else, this is the least I can do.
All right people.
The cricket post I have received eleven requests for (not counting the above-pasted, impassioned plea from my bear) is up next.
India’s cricket team stayed in its hotel in protest Monday after one of its players was penalized for allegedly using a racial slur during a match against Australia.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India plans to challenge the “the unfair decision” by the International Cricket Council to suspend Harbhajan Singh for three matches because it said he made racist remarks to Australia’s only black player. The Indian board said it will “suspend its operation until the appeal is disposed of.” [IHT]
What the hell is going on, you might be asking. No? Well, I was asking…this is a lot of story for a blogger of little cricket brain. Apparently Indian cricket player Harbhajan Singh called Australian player Andrew Symonds a monkey. Symonds is black.
Admittedly, “monkey” would not qualify in the top hundred racist insults. Ian Botham used to revel in the nickname “Guy The Gorilla”. When all is said and done, we are all simian primates. But the word “monkey” had form, as everybody knew that Symonds had supposedly suffered such insults last year from Indian crowds. So case proven, the Indian spinner was guilty as charged. The Indian board should stop its posturing, accept what must be a galling reminder that it is the International Cricket Council that still runs the game, and get on with the tour.
Do not delude yourself, though, that in punishing Harbhajan cricket is punishing a sinner. It is punishing a victim. It is punishing a player who, it might be concluded, mentally disintegrated. Remember mental disintegration? It is Australia’s nauseatingly self-congratulatory phrase for sledging. And it worked. It worked so well that Harbhajan cracked and Australia have not stopped bleating about their shoddy little victory ever since. [Guardian]
Sledging is a cricket term for undermining players by talking a lot o’ tatti. Insult someone enough and they crack, not that I would know a damned thing about that.
Match referee Mike Proctor held a four-hour hearing at the Sydney Cricket Ground after Australia’s 122-run victory and ruled that the case against the India spinner was proved.
“I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Harbhajan Singh directed that word at Andrew Symonds and also that he meant it to offend on the basis of Symonds’ race or ethnic origin,” Proctor said. [IHT]
Beyond a reasonable doubt, eh?
“Unfair allegation of racism against our Indian player is wholly unacceptable,” said board president Sharad Pawar, who is also a senior government minister, in a statement. “The game of cricket is paramount but so too is the honor of India’s cricket team and every Indian.” [IHT]
Warning: cricket neophyte about to type.
The second test match of the tour = drama. Captain Kumble (that’s fun to say!) called the Aussies out on being dirty bastards while his team rolled their eyes the fifth time the umpires made a stupid and unfair decision.
The most blatant was an appeal that would have put Symonds out after just 30 runs in the first innings.
Symonds has freely admitted he should have been out. He went on to score 162 runs not out and was later named man of the match. [IHT]
We’re not alone in our hot tub of displeasure:
Several Australian newspapers agreed Monday that India should have won the second test, and criticized the behavior of Australian players during the test. [IHT]
I think what is pissing so many people off is the double-standard which is so evident in this unfortunate situation, the hypocrisy.
The problem is that Australia’s dividing line is not a reliable division between the morally upstanding and the indefensible. Australia’s dividing line is repugnant, enabling the condemnation of the likes of Harbhajan whilst legitimising obnoxious behaviour that cricket should have had the bravery to root out a generation ago.
Racism cannot be countenanced. But it is a rum old world that bans a man for three Tests for calling someone a monkey, yet allows the sort of boorish behaviour that allows first slip to drone to a batsman that he is shagging his wife, or that convinces any fast bowler with half a brain that personal insults every time a batsman plays and misses are essential for any cricketer of spirit. As long as you are careful not to refer to the colour of his skin.
It needs to be remembered that Harbhajan’s assault did not come without provocation. Before he was abused as a monkey, Symonds had been indulging in a phrase or two out of the corner of his mouth. Australia and Harbhajan have been at each other for years. But Australia have been obsessed with “reverse racism” ever since Darren Lehmann, their batsman, became the first international player to be banned for the racial abuse of Sri Lankan players five years ago. They have been intent upon revenge and now they have gained it. [Guardian]
What I found interesting is how Harbhajan Singh’s outburst might have been overlooked (vs. becoming the subject of 5,000 blog posts and news articles) had Aussie captain Ponting not whined about it to the umpires, thus drawing attention to it. That’s classy.
Well, Ponting may have won this pathetic, wee, jeer-worthy (no! sledging-worthy) battle but after everything I’ve read online, he has lost far more, most notably respect and credibility because of it. Well-played. Idiot (note: must be pronounced the way Naseeruddin Shah did in Monsoon Wedding, kthx bai).
Glorious! Both sides accuse me of bias and unfair treatment. Apparently I attack brown men and I attack white men. I must be doing something right!
To paraphrase: WHO THE FUCK IS THAT MACACA CALLING MONKEY!?
And now you’re all whiny and self-pitying like the Indian team.
James, I’m amused that you seem to consider your invocation of the word “thug” and its origins as remotely relevant to this issue. But accusations of inherent/underlying Aussie racism must not be brought up. Your comment was in poor taste, poor form, and if you can’t see that you can’t even begin to understand how the rest of the world feels about the Aussie team. “Holier than thou” is a phrase that springs to mind.
As for Arjuna Rantung, mate bring it on. I’m not a fan of his tactics but he was damn fine batsman. And as for his use of a runner, well, surely you would understand the thing about milking a system for what it was worth.
Rahul, and like my white male counterparts I take a cruel delight in attacking brown men. Surely you will defend the Honour of Brown Men…
flygirl, I wasn’t the one who brought the word thug into the discussion. Perhaps if you paid a little more attention instead of trying to attack me you would have noticed that. I was merely replying in kind to a post by Sulabh. Why don’t you first tick him off, and then preach to me…mm’kay?
Arjuna Ranatunga a fine batsmen? Since when? You got the milking the system bit right though – just like what India is doing right now.
Well, if Ranatunga has been invoked by an Australian doing his best to stereotype Indian culture, now’s as good a time as any to beat a dead horse:
James, I answered your query about what was offensive about your comment. Your line about “Indians lining up to come here” was pretty cheap, esp given the context and you know it. And of course you retain the hypocrisy of the Aussie team in being able to dish it, but not take it. It’s harmless fun and gamesmanship when Australia milks the system, but cheating when everyone else does. Thank your for your patronage.
Yes, bring your backpack. I’ll take you to school 😉
I’m the last of the V8 Interceptors
Don’t get me wrong, I love the Aussie sporting culture. Bathurst, Sydney-Hobart, State of Origin, yada yada yada.
From my time in Oz, the ‘faux-hawk’ haircuts and testosterone was just too much. I found that older Aussies represented the notions of ‘mateship’ and the ‘fair go’ better than the young, who seem to revel in a violent confrontational culture. The irony in all of this is that Aussies would always ask me about the ‘violence in American culture’, but I have never seen so many drunken vicious fights in bars and clubs as I have in Oz.
You’re right flygirl, the problem might just have been me. Being slightly taller than most Indian males, I’ve developed a psychology of not backing down from confrontation and I think what my Aussie counterparts were continually reminding me at bars and clubs was that ‘tall poppies’ should be cut down to size.
I know you think that I am ‘whinging’. I’ve come to detest that word since I know how it’s used in the wider context of stifling criticism.
In fact, Symonds own teammates accused him of being a ‘tall poppy’ (unnecesarily drawing attention, putting team before individual) and ‘whinging’ when he first brought up claims of racism on the team’s most recent visit to India.
Actually, that’s exactly what’s on trial here. It may be that there’s any number of other issues which should also be on trial, but that’s the one actually being litigated.
It’s simultaneously sad and hilarious to hear the usual litany of lame excuses that ignorant white people use when they get called out on racism repeated here. “It’s not a racial slur, it just describes his appearance!” or “He’s not saying that all black people look like monkeys, just that particular one!” or “it’s not racist because he’s not known to be personally prejudiced against black people!” or “But there’s lots of racists in Australia too!” or, worst of all, “But racism isn’t considered to be a big deal where I come from!”
What distinguishes a racial slur from an ordinary insult is not whether the speaker intends it as a commentary on an entire race or is known to be personally prejudiced against members of said race: it’s the level of sensitivity he displays for the racial/ethnic background of the person he’s speaking to. (And yes, I know how ridiculous it is to be discussing sensitivity in the context of sledging, but that’s the sort of distinction demanded by the ridiculous rules.) Anyway, point is that advertizing exactly how insensitive you are, and furthermore demanding that others be more sensitive towards your culture, is just digging the hole deeper. When a bunch of rednecks from a penal colony are playing the Political Correctness game better than you, it’s time to rethink your approach.
Arjuna Ranatunga: “We come from 2,500 years of culture and we all know where they come from,” he told journalists “
What exactly has this 2500 years of culture got to show?
In contrast in Australia, within 200 years, convicts and immigrants turned a barren land into a first world country with one of the highest quality of life in the world.
’nuff said
Sorry, but when you take a snipe like that it has to be paid back in all fairness.
flygirl, nope you did not answer my question. I do not think my comment was any cheaper than a lot of the comments on this board that have been aimed at Australians. Where is your sanctimonious preaching about them? Unfortunately, it seems like it’s you who can dish it out but can’t take it as can be seen from your screeching at me. And is it true or not about Indians lining up to get a resident visa? Am I lying? What about those 75 Sri Lankan looking for asylum? Are they not seeking a better life in Australia? Now tell me, how many Australians are rushing to live in the subcontinent? Sometimes the truth does hurts yes. But let’s not detract from the cricket.
James, if you thought I mentioned that because I buy into what Ranatunga said, you’re way off.
He was referring to the provincial nature of OZ, a place where people take a distant second to the environment. That and having little in the way of a unique national literature, classical language and recorded history of what he may take to be ‘civilization.’ I’m sorry, but Clive James (and all the other Aussie media makers) live abroad. Most of Australian pop culture, outside of Kath and Kim, tends to be infantilized versions of American and British standards.
Krish,
I’ve said this in the one other Australia-based thread (can’t be bothered finding it, it was two years ago), but there was a marked shift in Aussie attitudes to race and multiculturalism over the past ten years, and I blame the Howard government in part, as well as a compliant media. It’s gotten to the point where I hardly recognize my own country any more, and would take too long to go into it all. Booze and violence have always been a part of Aussie youth culture, though it is far more pronounced and dangerous now (did you live in Sydney or Brisvegas?). Also, our perception of American violence is based on your (to us) insane gun culture which we cannot understand. Finally, WRT to racism, it’s a vastly complex, under-debated issue here. Australia has a huge degree of schizophrenia when it comes to racism – it hates being accused of it but is too insecure to really deal with it. It’s only 40 years from the White Australia Policy but can still largely be considered a multicultural success story. Our racial experience is totally different from that of Americans, and we incredibly politically incorrect, which I am sure you saw as racism. You can only deal with the tall poppy syndrome with a sense of humour.
You’re entitled to your interpretation of the situation, but as I have said, I feel that India would be better served by using its moral high ground (which it had)and appealing against the decision and making formal complaints to the ICC. It could have continued with the series and thrashed the Aussies. It could have taken other issues and action on sledging and umpiring to a larger forum with the support of other teams. But threatening to pull out? I don’t think it’s a good idea to approach this. I guess I am a slave to “process,” since I believe it is the one weapon and insurance all cricketers have left.
James, you forget. It is the Indians who are supposed to be racist in this discussion.
rahul,
if he wants to Joan Peters the discussion, why hold him back?
Wow Muralimannered, didn’t know you personally knew Arjuna to know exactly what he meant. But what I do know is that you share the name with one of the biggest cheats in the cricketing world 🙂
James, clearly you missed my earlier comments, but you obviously think I wasn’t being strong enough. Whatever. Go ahead and defend Australia, but I didn’t even want to encourage the trolls to bring up Cronulla in in its full glory.
For the record, I have always loathed that particular emission from Ranatunga. We are getting hugely sidetracked here.
Back to my ‘sanctimonius’ preaching. It’s great fun, isn’t it James?
Krish, I guess my other concern is that when everyone starting bleating about “keeping it on the field,” it means that real incidents won’t get reported and dealt with, or reporting will be described as “tattling” or being unable to take the heat.
it’s almost as if we wished for an Aussie chauvinist caricature and it was manifested on this post. I’m sure Brett Lee could bowl 90 mph bouncers with his arm in a cast as well. But probably not as well as he romanced an elderly lady in song. Speaking of bowling, didn’t your old Grand Poobah ‘ave a go?
“Most of Australian pop culture, outside of Kath and Kim, tends to be infantilized versions of American and British standards”
Well to be honest I really don’t think Sri Lankans like you have an issue with that at all. I mean 75 Sri Lankans came all the way from Sri Lanka on a boat to claim asylum in Australia, one would have thought that such wonderful Aussie drama of the likes of Kath and Kim would have sent them in the opposite direction.
Can we get back to the cricket, please?
Hang on….who was dissin’ Kath n’ Kim????? (gets knives out)
Flygirl, thank you for that.
all for that. It’s just that the tangents are far more interesting now that Bhaji will play and Bucknor has got the boot.
skin up a bone, have a chuff, whatever floats your dinghy, but it would bear mentioning that upon arrival they went straight home, whereupon they paid their dinkum aussie gardeners to freshen up the hedges and their dinkum aussie nannies to tidy up the used nappies.
Someone else was booted, too. The conversation should improve accordingly.
Please do not feed trolls, by the time you’ve refreshed we might have deleted what you were responidng to, no good comes of any of that.
muralimannered: I can’t let it go….you do realise Kath n’ Kim is satire, right? and glorious satire at that.
So predictions for the third test, anyone?
I thought I was the only one who had noticed that. Any day I ll prefer to deal with an older ‘racist’ Australian to a younger ‘PC’ Australian. Older Australians tend be more honest and less discriminatory and this is from personal experience. Why this is so – I dont know. James – Indians are coming to the land that their ancestors discovered several thousand years ago. Aboriginals and Dravidians are first cousins and many a time you wont make out the difference. So mate, this is my land and the anglo saxons can piss off if they dont like it here 😉 But then I suppose Aborginals dont really count as Australians. Before you start off on the good looks – why is that the WAGS of the cricketers are so ordinary as compared to the WAGS of the footy chaps. Except for Lara Bingle. And that was a serious question.
India should go home – Australia can play cricket with New Zealand / England and give these teams a real hiding. India can play Pakistan/SL till the cows come home. As regards cricket being viable in India – please note that American football is very viable despite it being played only in one country. Even if the middle class (100 Million) spends $10 a year on cricket – we are looking at a $1Billion market. Even if cricket in India collapses, it is good for India as some other sport will gain visibility.
I have less respect for the Indian team now that they decided to stay – what a bunch of wimps. I guess they lost their nerve outside the ground like they do on the field 🙁
australia strongly favored, obviously, given the nature of the pitch. india should let shewag have a go; the pitch does not seam at all. shewag could be hit or miss, given his penchant for hitting sixes over third man and that general region. bowling wise tait, i would assume, will be playing. i would not be surprised if young ishant did well here.
Perth, fired up Aussies, and unsettled Indian openers? I’d have to bet on the Aussies for this one. (And since the Indian team is eagerly awaiting my suggestions, I’m sure, Jaffer should be dropped for Sehwag, and assorted deities should be propitiated for Sehwag’s success).
of course! I LOVED that show when I was studying in Melbourne. I had to study the freakin’ show as well in one of my classes at uni.
As for predictions, I think that sportsmanship on the field will hinge on how Ranjan Madugalle handles Mike Procter. Madugalle has been designated as his nanny and should serve to temper any rashes of decisiveness in which Procter may indulge.
I’m hoping that India drafts Sehwag and Karthik in as openers and lets Dravid drop down to his natural position. As for the bowling, I think Ishant Sharma gets wrongly downgraded–Irfan Pathan would be more consistent and not give away the extras, as well as providing a powerful punch down the order, but I don’t see a military medium, wicket-to-wicket bowler taking wickets consistently at a bouncy Perth pitch. As long as the Indian bowlers don’t get carried away with short balls, they should be able to contain the OZ attack to a manageable total. I just don’t know whether they possess the weapons, or luck, necessary to get that one OZ batsman that refuses to leave the crease and turns a rout into a respectable total.
That and hoping that Hayden won’t be able to play/not be effective due to the hamstring (which is extraordinarily petty and small-minded but…it’s cricket…dammit…)
This article and user comments are hilarious beyond belief. A simple matter is being convoluted to draw attention away from a simple fact – Indians are probably the most racist of any country I know. We have derogatory comments for every nationality and race. My relatives in India regularly use the N word to describe anyone of African origin. I have heard on numerous occasions about how black resemble monkeys. My mom thought Bobby Farrell of BoneyM “looked like a baboon”.
I socialize with around 40 Indian families and only around 5 of them don’t use the N word. I spent 25 years growing up in India and racism was integral to how we looked at the world. Everyone was inferior for some reason – some looked dark, some looked pale, others eat beef….
That is why this is so fucking facetious. There is NO DOUBT that Harbhajan must have denigrated Symonds with a slur. No doubt, the umpiring must have been doubtful but it didn’t help that a kallu (how many of you use that word?) plays so well to frustrate them so much. It will be a fitting punishment if the entire team was banned for a couple of series for this shenanigan!
I can’t bear to watch. They’ll bowl bouncers like there’ no tomorrow. But at least the Perth pitch is intersting which is much more than I can say for the mighty G.
We all know armchair coaches are the best. But seriously, if they don’t drop Jaffar the BCCI deserve to be burnt in effigy (kidding…kidding)
If you believe that the process is inherently fair and all participants in the process will be play their roles. The responses are cultural in nature – Universalist vs particularist. Sounds rather simplistic but in this case it is more true than false. I like many desis dont trust the process – I trust the person. For the average desi, the word of a respected person is more valuable than the word of 10 ordinary persons. One Tendulkar is equal to 10 Australians. Hence the outrage. As regards overreaction – it is country / culture specific. If Australia had beaten Italy with 8/9 decisions in the Football World Cup going in its favour, Italians would have been burning the Australian flag. India should demand a ‘No Talking’ rule on the field. Australia will lose many more matches if this simple rule were to be introduced. It would be the perfect time to demand this change.
Actually…
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/12/29/1198778769277.html
Since 2001, Nauru has housed the people Australia does not want. Beginning with the Tampa crisis and ending with the 83 Sri Lankans plucked from an Indonesian fishing boat en route to Christmas Island in March, the island state has filled the breach for Australia.
But Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is preparing to close the detention centre. The closure will leave 100 residents unemployed – and rob the economy of income that has fed and clothed well in excess of 1000 people.
Within weeks, the 74 Sri Lankans assessed as refugees could be winging their way to Brisbane, leaving behind locals who are desperate to know what their future holds.
Ignore the troll…
282 · LaughingMyAssOff said
What do you know that everyone else doesn’t?
nearly all of India does. 20 years ago Australia had a banner at a cricket match – Bus Drivers vs Tram Conductors for an India vs Pakistan match. Is that offensive – yes. Did India/Pakistan care – No. I am now reasonably sure that Bhajji said what was alleged and I totally agree on the principle that ‘If you dish it out – you should take it’. For several decades, Indians got beaten literally black and blue by the West Indians without a squeak. Now defeat is aligned to national pride. Many have talked about the ‘Ugly American’ – welcome to the ‘Ugly Indian’. And about time – for too long we have nice and polite. I heard that the endorsement contracts of the Australians in India have been cancelled – anyone has any links to this. As some have been saying what is Australian for Monkey – ……. and Australian for crybaby – …….. I love Kath & Kim – they live in a new house 😉 not an old trashy one.
And the genocide of Aborigines is as of nothing. Get a movie called ‘The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith’ on DVD. Almost every single Australian that I’ve met in London and got into a conversation about Aboriginal rights said something along the lines of the loss of the Aborigines land and lives being akin to Darwin’s theory of natural selection — a lesser species being replaced by a superior one. They don’t even consider it genocide, because they don’t even consider ‘Abos’ to be human. When people like James write the history of the world, that’s what you get. How squalid and nasty.
I really dont think ANY of the subcontinent teams can pretend to be angels when it comes to racism. Look at India itself there are racial terms for pretty much every ethnic group and let us not get started on the whole fair skin dark skin, aryan vs dravidian crap. Let’s also spare a thought for all the Dalits being oppressed by caste bigotry. I honestly believe Bhajji did use an offensive racial term with the intention of riling up Symonds (however I cannot be 100% certain). There is footage of Symonds going so I am a monkey now, am I? which seems to suggest so. Also I really doubt that there would be such a fuss if it was something else. Whats for sure is that SOMEONE IS LYING! Either the Australians or the Indians. One of the two. But India made a mistake going after Hogg like that. Now if both Hogg and Bhajji get 3 match bans there is nothing India can do…except Bhajji would have the racist tag attached to him.
So what are you saying? London is full of Aussies. They can’t wait to get the hell out of the place. I cringed at some of them describing how the ambition of most Aussies to get to England, America or Europe — anywhere but home, fast. As it happens, India is full of them too in Goa and all the other travel spots. Get over there James, go and smoke some charas and chill out. You won’t even have to mingle with any Indians, there’ll be so many Aussies there bitching about Australia.
Socrates, it’s our national shame and disgrace. Haven’t heard the “natural selection” version before. Well, in person. You could try “Jimmy’s War,” unless it’s the same movie under a different guise. Though I think your sample of Australians isn’t nec. representative 😉
So, where to from here? The tour is not abandoned as yet. What machinations should be undertaken to deal with teh sledgin issue, once and for all?
fly girl – total silence on the cricket field and have the stump mics turned up at full volume. It is a simple solution but one that Australia will fight tooth and nail.
Can we stick to cricket please?? I really hope the match in Perth doesnt turn into a farce, does anyone know when Bhajji is going to get his appeal addressed by the NZ judge?
BTW socrates been to the UK and Aus….I would pick Aus over the UK anyday! It’s like Canada except with loads of sun and stunning beaches (and no French) and like the USA without the crime and grime.
No thanks. Ugly Indians are no better than ugly XYZians. Let’s not confuse pride w/ asshollery.
totally concur
melbourne desi #284 That’s a good point, I guess that’s where we fundamentally diverge. I understand more clearly now. I think that people are fallible, and that given the right situation will send integrity to hell. therefore, I would prefer to rely on a process, which, with all its faults, strives to be impartial, and if it isn’t, can be called into question without the invocation of notions of Honour. I’m not a fan of the concept of Honour. Now, I must go divulge myself of this frightening trust of institutions (ick! ick!) Sorry if this remark comes across as sanctimonius 🙂
That’s a great idea.
It’s based on a novel by Thomas Kennealy. Great movie. And yes, of course, they weren’t nessecarily representative.
Not at all. It is just a different way to look at the world. the godfather statement – it is not personal it is business – is often not acceptable in an indian context.
fly – while we are at it – I have to ask another question – many australians believe that something is wrong because it is illegal not something is illegal because it is wrong. Care to opine on that. If this basic axiom is understood, it is easy to understand Australian cricket. Including underarm bowling.