When I first read this post by greatbong, I thought those incidents experienced by him were isolated ones. After visiting almost all the major cities in Europe, my general perception was these things could happen in Europe. But never in USA. After living in Texas for two years, I firmly believed that racism doesn't exist in this country. If so, then in a very mild form. But my views have changed after the Patriot's Day this year. I leave it to the readers to judge whether this was also an isolated incident.
I had the priviledge of watching 113th Boston Marathon - the oldest annual marathon in the modern world - on April 20, 2009. This event was inspired from the Olympic Marathon in 1896, and started in 1897. The persons who finished first and second this year in the men's competition are African-Americans. Let's call them A and B, respectively. The guy who became third (let's call him C) is a white American. C was trailing by about 50 meters behind B near the finishing line.
I was watching the event on Boylston Street and was standing very near to the finishing line. There was this middle aged lady standing beside me with her two kids. When A and B passed us, she was silent. When C was about to pass us, she commented, "Here comes a true American." Then she started cheering C loudly with choice words like "beat the black guy". Needless to say, I was shocked. I couldn't imagine this happening in Boston, the great city where the independence movement and the abolitionist movement were started. Thereafter, she used to cheer for every white American who crossed the finishing line, but not for others. I was completely disgusted by then, and was about to leave the place. Then I saw this.
I had the priviledge of watching 113th Boston Marathon - the oldest annual marathon in the modern world - on April 20, 2009. This event was inspired from the Olympic Marathon in 1896, and started in 1897. The persons who finished first and second this year in the men's competition are African-Americans. Let's call them A and B, respectively. The guy who became third (let's call him C) is a white American. C was trailing by about 50 meters behind B near the finishing line.
I was watching the event on Boylston Street and was standing very near to the finishing line. There was this middle aged lady standing beside me with her two kids. When A and B passed us, she was silent. When C was about to pass us, she commented, "Here comes a true American." Then she started cheering C loudly with choice words like "beat the black guy". Needless to say, I was shocked. I couldn't imagine this happening in Boston, the great city where the independence movement and the abolitionist movement were started. Thereafter, she used to cheer for every white American who crossed the finishing line, but not for others. I was completely disgusted by then, and was about to leave the place. Then I saw this.
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| The Blade Runner |
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