Political prisoner, activist, journalist, hymn-writer, emerging thinktanker, aspiring novelist, "tribal elder", 2019 parliamentary candidate for North West Durham, 2024 parliamentary candidate for North Durham, 2028 candidate for Mayor of the North East Mayoral Combined Authority, Shadow Leader of the Opposition, "Speedboat", "The Cockroach", banned from Twitter so officially more dangerous than the Taliban, eagerly awaiting the second (or possibly third) attempt to murder me.
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.
I can't. What do you think is going on here?
ReplyDeleteWell, consider the origins of caste as well.
ReplyDeleteHer 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.
There is class going on here, too. Both subcontinental class and British class.
ReplyDeleteOf course.
ReplyDeleteAlibhai-Brown and Deva Kumarasiri - I honestly don't know which is worse.
ReplyDeleteI do.
ReplyDelete