Wow, this is a heated disussion with some valid points and some extremely absurd points. First off, I just came from punjab literally like 48 hours ago, so I have somewhat of a feel on whats going on... So let me try to break it down, because i have talked this to death back home, I cant think about it anymore...
First and foremost, sikhs are not trying to be killed off. Its that mentality of the "world is against us" that leads to these gatherings that leads to death, thats leads to these issues being sensationalized. I mean you look at the most extreme discriminated against minorities in some countries, and even they dont think political manouverings are an attempt at their life. As a gursikh living in India, I cannot say that we are darlings of the country but nor am I ignorant enough to think that I have to watch over my shoulder everytime I walk out of my house.
I cannot go into the politics of this issue because Varun hit on it. It happens every year, and it will continue to happen. Why? Punjab is at a philosophical and generational cross-roads. I personally think that all of these "fake babay" as people are putting it are out this world, and extremely insulting... beyond words... But the problem with the "sikh protestors" as the media outlets are putting it, are not defending sikhi the dharam, they are fighting for their own mis-guided perception of their religious standing.
Do people not see that these events diverge attention from the governments failure to tackle the real issues that are going on in punjab? The government has failed in many fronts and have succeed in some too (the former is much more in numbers) but these riots that occur is a brilliant strategy to tap into our (sikhs) most faulty attribute as a people... our ego.
Its like yanking a string in front of a cat... The government diverges attention by capturing the people's attention with some false sense of emergency...and we continue to buy into it... they want us to think our religion is under attack, that our basic moral fibers are being question, that a religion that has gone through centuries of war, centuries of fighting, and much more dire problems than this, is being threatened by a couple of people who think they are decendents of our gurus..Are you kidding me? SOMEBODY READ A BOOK... Look at what we have gone through... Turbo, although I remember I liked you, some things you are saying is what people are insitutions like my university and other educated institutions shake their heads at... What you say, and how you are talking, is EXACTLY what will lead to our downfall... Its like rolling in the mud with the pigs.
You must realize, a "protest" in punjab is not a PROTEST. It is a gathering to incite. Its the two sides waiting for the other one to cross the line first, so they can start a war. The punjab government prays on the weak minded.
This does not mean I support complience. No. BUt the more we have people claiming each and every incident of these religious ongoings as the end of our religion, the more we are puppets...
I am getting sentiments from certain people in this thread that buy into that. Sikhs are like "blacks". I cannot begin to even describe how offensive that is to blacks, and sikhs. How much of an ignorant statement that is, and how that means that ignorance that we accuse the other party of having, maybe more prevelent in us. A sikh in India= a black in america ?
The though process of black = minority, sikhs = minority, therefore black = sikh, is one of the reasons I hate to have this conversation with the beverly hills sikhs... They degrade us, and our struggle at the same time shitting on someone elses struggles... I just hear it....LIKE OMG WE ARE LIKE ALWAYS BEING HATED ON... I MEAN WTF WHATS WITH THE HATERADE YALL...
I wont even go into blacks vs sikhs issue
In conclusion,
The more we chase... the more we are ready to claim our religion is at its death bed, the more we want to think we are prosecuted in every manner, the more we want to live the life of a victim... the more we do what they want us to do...
P.S... Turbo,only if Bhindranwale was alive... Your family may not be...
What do we want to be the victim, the puppet or are we above all this? Do we want to continue to fight aginst the invisible enemy, are we going to continue get distracted by our ego, or are we going to try to go after the real issues?
Crossroads.
Sorry for this being my first point, I can assure you I am not as argumentative as I use to be, and I Care a lot less, just I want to know what we are feeling in punjab, not the sensationalized media accounts, or the over-zealous diaspora
Basically... In a couple of words... We are better than this.
