Spoke to a friend this morning on the way to tennis. She went yesterday to Chichester to see Fidler on the Roof. Starring Omid Djalili as Tevya. And I thought; that is the real beauty of the much-abused term ‘multi-culturalism’. A Christian Iranian comedian playing a Polish Chassidic Jewish milkman. And apparently, quite brilliantly.
Mel & I went out for a curry last night. Was quite wonderful. Very wonderful. I love Indian food and, in fact, I love India. And yet, although no-one has mentioned it, I fear that the current wave of acid attacks stem from, if not India itself, then definitely from their culture. Because acid attacks are very common on the sub-continent. Always have been. Linked to those bizarre distortions of noble concepts like ‘honour’ and ‘respect’ and ‘disgrace’ in a manner that only the worst of religion-driven patriarchal societies can descend into.
The first time I remember such an attack, it was in West London by a Sikh man against his own daughter. For refusing to marry the man he chose for her. But its not a Sikh thing. Nor Muslim, nor Hindu. It tragically embraces them all. In a culture of adherence to parental views or pay the consequences. Formed in the outlying villages in India and Pakistan and Bangla Desh and then brought here with immigrants. The children of whom spend all day watching the same tv shows as any other kids, go to mixed race schools and, basically, ‘go native’. As they would. All kids want to conform. Then the father tells his 15-year-old daughter, just getting ready for her GCSEs and really into Love Island, that she is going to India to marry her Uncle’s brother-in-law, aged 48, and live out her life being subservient to him in a mud-hut in Udaipur. And according to HIS cultural understanding, she has no choice, nor say in the matter. If she refuses then HE is disgraced, she has upset everyone’s ‘honour’ and it all goes to shit.
Its not mentioned as a problem coming from India because it might be prejudicial, even if its true. And now, of course, acid attacks are ‘out there’ so all manner of nutters can do them, all manner of races. So it becomes almost like blaming the Chinese for a(nother) mass shooting in America, because they invented gunpowder.
Its not about ‘blame’ as such. But when you embrace multi-culturalism, you get the good with the bad. You get chicken tikka massala. And acid attacks.
Anyway, too busy to think about that now; the tennis is on soon.
Come on Fed!
A xxxx
Now that’s not a pic of lovely Lila, nor her Mum, at least I don’t think so. But whoever it is, she/he, both mother and child are just lovely, just beautiful and the babe is certainly innocent to all things hateful. Will be until the age of about 3 years old I should think. Then the ‘education’ starts being pumped into the innocent little brains of all such children. But I digress….
Acid Attucks, fires, Hard Brexit/soft Brexit. Do watch the Andrew Marr show, BBC 1 on a Sunday morning from 09.00 or BBC Iplayer if you missed it this morning. Give yourself a few hours, because it’s worth it and so are you! Shame it finished this morning for their summer break and by golly, do they need one. David Dimbleby too from Question Time. Finished until Seprember. I’ll be twiddling my thumbs until then.
Think we’ll take a break too. a cruise to the Baltic cities. Freezing in the winter, but more realistic than the summer. I yearn for peace, quiet and tranquility and…a little romance perhaps. Over to you Vic, my dearest husband of very nearly 60 years and still going strong, thank heaven. We are extremely lucky!
As Macinroe used to say “I cannot believe it”!
Come on Fed!
Sxxxx