Friday 27 March 2009

Incomprehensible?

Deva Kumarasiri must have done something truly dreadful in a previous life, since he was on Jeremy Vine today against Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, who kept pretending not to understand what he was saying. Imagine how she would have reacted, and rightly, if a white commentator had done that. Still, he is from Sri Lanka, and is therefore presumably a lot darker than her. I think we can all see what is going on here.

6 comments:

  1. I can't. What do you think is going on here?

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  2. Well, consider the origins of caste as well.

    Her ancestors may have converted to Islam, but some habits are notoriously difficult to break.

    And I say again, as a native English-speaker who had no difficulty understanding what he was saying, imagine her reaction if a white person had done as she did.

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  3. There is class going on here, too. Both subcontinental class and British class.

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  4. Alibhai-Brown and Deva Kumarasiri - I honestly don't know which is worse.

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