We need to unlearn our toxic attitudes towards light and dark skin, and perhaps sport can lead the way

Sambit Bal11-Jun-2020What should we feel, and I ask my fellow South Asians this, having heard Daren Sammy raise the issue of being called for the short, in the subcontinent might not feel racist in the way the world understands it. But even without the scars of slavery and subjugation, colourism carries some of the worst features of racism; it is discriminatory, derogatory and dehumanising. And like all other forms of casual racism, this is, in so many ways, more pernicious than naked racism. Because it is often disguised in humour, it is easily normalised; it spreads more effortlessly; and because it is coded into the subconscious as something harmless, it much harder to erase.The right response to Sammy is not to question why he didn’t raise the matter at the time. He has already explained that he didn’t understand what the word meant. It is not even about establishing guilt and punishment. The whole episode must lead to an enquiry into our own prejudices. Cricketers are not only role models and flag bearers of the spirit of their sport. They are also, more than ever before, global citizens, and ignorance shouldn’t count as an excuse or serve as a shield.