Bigot Blog, a red herring narrative, attempts at bringing about issues randomly and dissecting it, er, partially. It is authored by a certain Siddharth Singh, who keeps trying hard to not fade away into obscurity in this digital labyrinth.
Siddharth is a reluctant tree hugger, currently putting up in New Delhi, India. He prefers reading and scraping dead skin cells from the inner walls of his cheeks in his free time. Economics, state, society, culture, cricket and women’s underwear are his subjects of choice. He is a feminist, except when he is driving.
Siddharth’s hedonistic indulgences often get into the way good-ol’-fashioned-liberal-guilt, and he prefers to drown this cognitive dissonance with a few mugs of lager.
He wishes to be a film-maker someday. He is in denial of his inabilities.
The Learning Curve, a comic that resulted from boredom that Siddharth has to deal with every now and then, has been well received by all those who were too formal with him to tell him it was awful.
You can friend Siddharth on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter.
34 Comments
September 24, 2008 at 6:13 pm
nice one!!!
October 3, 2008 at 4:15 pm
hey buddy,
very interesting……………….noteworthy for sure……
not read everything yet in d process!!
October 7, 2008 at 12:07 pm
well i think you should re-phrasethat to a tree hugging liberal atheist
October 7, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Since when did tree huggers become non-liberal?
February 18, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Dear Valis,
Test cricket is the purest. Love it. And I’d love to be shown around if I visited. Though it wouln’t be any time soon :(
And SA and India are looking to seal the No. 1 spot. 2009 will be exciting!
Now that the FIFA world cup is coming to SA, SA is in overdrive with its advertisements across the world. I’m rooting for you!
February 19, 2009 at 8:42 am
Absolutely agree, Test cricket is the purest form of the game.
I feel we’re in a very strong position at the moment, have a great team, our morale is high and we’re playing at home. India will have to pull a rabbit out of a hat against NZ, as they’re playing well too!
Seems like there’s more excitement overseas than in SA itself re the World Cup. I think everybody’s sick and tired of construction works everywhere disrupting our lives ;-) There’s also been a lot of contention here about the World Cup, a lot of people are calling for it to be cancelled or boycotted. I don’t think you’ll see too much about that on TV!
February 19, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Yes you are. And I think India has a rabbit hidden in it’s hat, so I won’t be surprised if we do. Game on!
Haha well Delhi has the Commonwealth Games due in 2010 so I know what you mean by that! (of course, the scale in all probability is nothing compared to what a FIFA WC demands)The entire city has been dug out as they are extending the underground rail services to everywhere. The airport, hotels, everything else is in a mess as they are expanding and renovating everything. I can’t wait till AFTER the games end.
Hmm..interesting. We have had protests about the Commonwealth Games too, so again, I totally know what you mean!
February 20, 2009 at 11:02 am
I won’t be too surprised either, India have a very good team atm :-)
Yes, I’m glad that the government is spending money on upgrading infrastructure, one good thing to come out of the WC!
Mmm, no kidding. What would be the reason for that? People here are protesting because of the high crime levels. As you may or may not be aware, we have the highest violent crime, rape and murder rate in the world. There are two reasons people are protesting, one is because they say the government is spending so much money on this international event but so little on protecting its own citizens. The other reason is because all the overseas visitors who will be coming here for the WC are going to be sitting ducks for the criminals. The customs officials at the airports work hand-in-hand with the criminal gangs. When an overseas tourist lands here they will instantly let their accomplices know exactly what valuables the tourist carries, as well as where they are going to be staying, making it easy for the gangs to hijack, rob, rape and murder them.
There have even been websites set up for the express purpose of warning visitors about the dangers of coming here. There have also been petitions and letters written to Sep Blatter to stop the WC. Pity such a massive international event is going to be harmed by vicious gangs of criminals :-(
February 20, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Yes I’m aware of the crime situation in SA. But I was most certainly not aware about what the customs officials do! It is appaling!
India has a high enough crime rate (although not even close to SA levels), but the problems that worry us are poverty and the state of the agricultural sector. There have been protests on account of the government spending a lot on the games, but not enough on crucial sectors in rural India. Then there is coercion of slumdwellers along the banks of the river which is the site of the games venue. And there have been protests by environmentalists too.
But I’m sure by then there would be enough know-how for the tourists to take preventive measures like not carrying valuables, travelling in large groups etc by then. Hopefully people would be aware.
February 23, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Well, it doesn’t matter how large a group the tourists travel in or what measures they take, they will still get robbed and murdered. The criminals here are highly organised and carry out operations with military precision. In fact, most of them have military training (from all the civil wars raging across Africa). They plan their raids down to the smallest detail, they all wear body armour and are heavily armed with fully automatic weapons, hand grenades and rocket launchers. They set up ambushes around the perimeter so when the police arrive they simply kill them. They even attack and rob the police stations!
Not carrying valuables won’t help either, they kill people just to take their shoes, or for no reason at all, just because they can.
We, the citizens, are in a state of war with the criminals. All houses/apartment buildings/businesses are built like fortresses, with high walls, barbed wire, electric fences, private armed guards, cctv cameras and electronically controlled security gates at all access points.
However, the government is desperate to keep this state of affairs under wraps. They have made it illegal for anyone, both the police and private instances, to publish or disseminate information about crimes that have taken place. I have also commented on another thread that parliament has passed a law recently that ALL publications and media, including newspapers, magazines, TV stations, radio stations and websites have to submit ALL content BEFORE publication/broadcast to the government censors for approval! This doesn’t just apply to news/current affairs, but includes entertainment programs and articles as well. In other words the government gets to control ALL information, akin to the Stalinist Soviet Union. I’m pretty sure you weren’t aware of that! :-)
The other problem is that the government itself commits crimes. A large number of government officials and ANC members have served/are serving time in jail. When they finish their sentences they just go back to work. These are the ones unlucky enough to come before an honest judge. And there aren’t many of those. It’s actually quite cheap to pay off judges and prosecutors here. They work on a sliding scale, with murder being the most expensive at about US$1000. The only criminals who go to jail are the ones who can’t afford the bribes. Also, the government has now disbanded the Scorpions, a specialist police anti-crime unit, because they were arresting and charging so many government officials and ANC members. So now it’s even easier for them to get away with it.
We will also be having an “election” in April here, after which our new president, Jacob Zuma, will take power. He has 79 criminal charges pending against him, and he’s still going to be president. The feeling here is that parliament will push through a constitutional amendment that will give him immunity from prosecution. They can do this as they have a 70% majority in parliament. As the elections are rigged nothing is going to happen to change this.
Reading this I’m sure you must be thinking I’m exaggerating or may have some agenda against the ANC government. Well, every word is the exact truth. Also, I was smuggling arms for Umkonto ‘i Sizwe back in the 80s during the liberation struggle, and was proud to vote for the ANC during the first democratic elections. However, I am now appalled at the way in which the ANC have become even worse oppressors and racists than the Apartheid government used to be. I am just sickened at what has happened to my beloved country. Sorry, but I just had to get that out.
February 23, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I didn’t know they were in that league! That’s scary!
I once heard someone say that the society will be serious trouble the day people walking down the road realise that the value of the shoes being worn by the person in front is worth more than what they can earn.
But what they do sounds terribly barbaric! I didn’t quite expect something like this in urban SA.
And yes, this is indeed news to me! I think I’m going to research more on this. I thought there’d be an outcry by the international media or something, given that the WC is on. In India, the problem is exactly the opposite. Barely any government control of the media, so much so that incorrect information and elitist propaganda often finds its way to the popular media. I even wrote a post calling for greater regulation in India. But what’s happening in SA sounds preposterous.
There is corruption in the judiciary in India too. And while I’m not aware of it, I’m sure there are going rates for criminals here too. However, media pressure ensures justice at least in high-profile cases, especially any involving government officials. And all governments in India are known to use police and other investigating agencies for political vendetta. Extreme political vendetta.
Our current government is surviving because they managed to “buy” Members of Parliament to reach a majority. India is very corrupt too, but I’m very surprised about SA.
I knew of Jacob Zuma though. But did not expect the ANC to rig elections in such a way. What role does Mandela have in such a situation? Does he speak out?
And I’m impressed with your role in the 80’s! The gravity of the situation must have been enormous. (I’m sure you have many a interesting stories to tell. My wannabie-filmmaker mind is very curious.)
And don’t be sorry about it! You just informed me of some very important facets if SA. I’m off to find out more.
Excuse me for being so unaware about SA.
February 23, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Yes, I am just sick about it. I had such high hopes for my country after the end of Apartheid, but now it has all been shattered. And the government is keeping it extremely quiet and painting a rosy picture of the country.
They also lie about the state of the economy. For instance, there’s a 40% unemployment rate, but they put it much lower. The reason is because most of the unemployed have given up looking for jobs as there just aren’t any.
This government is extremely corrupt. Billions of Rands just disappear out of the Treasury and nobody does anything.
I’m afraid Madiba is too old now to have any influence any more and has in fact withdrawn from public life. One of the proudest moments in my life was meeting him once and shaking his hand ! What an amazing feeling that was :-)
I can tell you some interesting stories about fighting the struggle. I was even arrrested by the security police. They were not very happy that this white guy was working to overthrow the government ;-)
I also like hearing about what’s going on in India. You can never get the true picture by reading the mainstream media.
February 23, 2009 at 6:09 pm
I do hope there is change, and change is most likely (when compared to other systems) in a democratic setup. It will be tough, but you have seen worse, so I’m sure you know a thing or two about how possible it is.
And 40% is quite a high figure. I understand the nature of government estimates as I had to study them rigorously while graduating in economics. Indian figures are also tampered with.
In India, the current government enacted the Right to Information Act (RTI) by which any citizen can ask for any government record/file for a small fee and the government would be obliged to give it within 20 days. Any citizen can hence put the government to task in a court of law for fudging records etc. However, it’s not as rosy in real life. While the government is fairly prompt in giving out the files, there is incredible official harassment, pressure and even other strong arm tactics by the government to not take any action.
Now you say there is a lot of corruption in SA, but by these rankings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index ), India is much much worse when it comes to corruption! So you can only imagine what goes on here! Billions of Rupees get eaten away here too! However, things are improving thanks to the RTI and other policy measures. Then there are other things about India are shameful. In India, one farmer commits suicide every half-hour! That brings to light the condition of the agricultural sector. We have Hindu-Muslim riots and hundreds (sometimes thousands) get killed. Government often takes sides during such riots instead of bringing them to a stop. Thankfully we haven’t had one in a long time now. However, L K Advani might just end up being India’s next PM, and he has been involved in acts that led to the murders of 3000 muslims! Yes, that’s no exaggeration. (The killings were a result of his actions, not a part of his designs though. However, his hand has been proven, though not yet in a court of law. The case is still in progress, even though its been close to 20 years. This shows how lax our criminal courts system is).
I am so green-eyed about you meeting Madiba! Lucky-lucky you! It must have been such a wonderful moment!
Wow yours looks like a story worthy of the silver screen! I’m sure it (you fighting their government) must have defied their logic. I’m glad to have chatted up with someone with such a story to tell. Thank you for discovering my blog!
February 24, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I’m not hopeful for any change soon. You may have read about the split in the ANC, a break away party called COPE being formed. Problem is, they are just as corrupt as the ANC! It is going to be very difficult to have any meaningful change taking place. They have now also changed the way the inflation index is measured. The CPI has now dropped from around 13% to about 6%, all the while prices are shooting up!
You are lucky to have the RTI act in your country. No information is ever given out by our government, not even if requested by the opposition parties in parliament.
I had a look at the article you linked, there seems to be some doubt as to the accuracy of the information. It states the perception of corruption, rather than actual corruption. In Africa bribery, fraud and cronyism is seen as normal practise, not corruption. For example, a government official is tasked with putting a government contract out to tender. The official will then register a private company in his own name. He will then put in a tender for this contract as a private individual. The same official will then award the contract to himself! He thereupon pockets the money and never fulfils the contract. As he is responsible for overseeing the work too he will obviously not demand from himself that the contract be fulfilled. And so it goes…
What makes me the angriest is that it is the poor people who suffer the most from this practise. The ANC promised to build houses, only a few substandard houses were built and they fell apart a few years later. They promised jobs, 40% are out of work. Only the ANC elite have profited from the end of Apartheid, growing wealthy off the fat of the land. I didn’t go through all that pain and suffering just to see the poor people worse off than ever before Also, they have completely destroyed the educational system in this country. Teachers don’t even bother turning up for work most days. What do they care, they get paid anyway? I’m sickened by this culture of entitlement, just because they’re cronies of the ANC. I could’ve been riding the gravy train myself, but I refuse to do so at others’ expense.
Thanks for the info you are sharing with me regarding what is happening in India. You can’t get this from the normal media sources. I am saddened to hear about the religious riots there. That just shows how religion poisons everything. Twenty years, that is incredible! And we thought the eight years the Zuma case has been dragging on is long.
Meeting him was the highlight of my life
Here are a couple of links to topical stories here in SA: There was a big furore about Madiba travelling to an ANC rally at his age – ‘Mr Mandela is no longer a prisoner’
Also a typical crime story – ‘Your life is never safe’ This is a daily occurrence here, I live near where it happened. I’ve also been through similar experiences, as have most South Africans, rich or poor, black or white.
Yes, I’ve always been against the mainstream. I grew up in a typical conservative Afrikaner family but rebelled against the Afrikaner culture at an early age.
If you want to be a filmmaker you should definitely travel to South Africa We have a lot of international films being produced here, due to the beautiful locations and the low costs. Also we have great technical expertise. I have several friends who are in the film industry as well. I myself, at the risk of sounding immodest, have played in a few films.
Well, there are several Test matches starting on Thursday around the world, I’m really looking forward to it. I’m planning to go watch the first Test at Wanderers this weekend
February 24, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Yes you’re right about it being only a perception index. I hadn’t noted that in my hurry of finding the table. However, there is surely a correlation of how the public perceives corruption and how much corruption there actually is, as people usually have to interact with the government fairly often. But the knowledge of how much there actually is depends on a host of factors as you rightly pointed out, and hence the difference of perception can occur. However, that the Indian government is very corrupt is an acknowledged fact.
In India, there’s a state called Andhra Pradesh. The family of the Chief Minister of this state had a combined wealth of 40 million Rupees at the time of the last election. (In India, it is mandatory to reveal the wealth in order to run for office). Today, 5 years later, he reported it to be 1 billion rupees. And they barely have businesses etc to show it.
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The story that the link carried has shocked me (It must be scary to live with such knowledge everyday). It reminds me of the stories I hear that took place during Indian communal riots. If you can, download “The Final Solution” from the internet (the director acknowledges the need for greater awareness and has said before that he wouldn’t mind illegal downloads of this off the internet). This documentary movie is about the Gujarat riots where hundreds of hindus and thousands of muslims were killed by rampaging groups from either side. First, muslims burnt a compartment of a train carrying hindu pilgrims following provocative language and a spat between the two groups near a station. Women, children and men were charred beyond recognition. Riots followed, and with the help of the local government, hindu mobs killed 2000 muslims. The stories are horrific, as shown in the movie. In one very scary case, a hindu mob slit the stomach of a pregnant muslim woman, pulled out the foetus and burnt it. There were several such barbaric cases. The perpetrators of these crimes still roam freely, and the Chief Minister of this state, who is an accomplice in inaction, is now touted as a future Indian PM.
Such stories send shivers down my spine. And there are those who still believe religion does more good than bad.
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Wow that is really brilliant! You indeed have been through some incredible moments and have had a very fascinating story to share. I only hope I can live and experience half as much as you have.
I would love to come to SA and shoot movies and involve myself in photography there. However, being busy with work, it won’t be possible for me to seriously think about movie-making as a career option for at least the next five years.
While I don’t think T20 is real cricket, I am looking forward to India v. Blackcaps tomorrow. I can’t wait to see what Yuvi can do on the rather small NZ grounds. But the tests will eventually satiate my urge to watch good cricket.
February 25, 2009 at 8:23 am
You are quite right, I have also read a lot about how corrupt the Indian government is. Also you’re right that there’s a strong correlation between perception and actual corruption. However I still feel SA is much more corrupt than is perceived. Another example; If you need to get a driver’s license (which most people do here, we are a nation of cars, there’s almost no public transport) you go to one of the licensing offices to book your driver’s test. At each of these offices there will be a person sitting at a table outside the door. You can buy a “genuine” driver’s license from this person for about the same cost as taking the driver’s test. They collude with the officials inside to supply them with the documents and then split the profit. This is done completely openly and is seen as normal, not corruption.
Also, my friend who is Palestinian bought himself a genuine South African passport for under a $100. Ok, he was arrested when he got to New Zealand, but that is another story ;-)
Stories like that are happening every day in SA, most of them don’t even get reported. Cash-in-transit (armoured bank cars) heists get reported as part of the traffic reports, they are so common. Every day when driving you can expect the bullets to fly.
That is a shocking story you tell me, I knew about the religious riots, but had no idea it was so bad. Religion does poison everything.
In SA we have ethnic violence between different tribal groups, of which there are about a dozen. We also have a lot of xenophobic violence against immigrants, especially ones from Zimbabwe. Then we have riots about lack of service delivery, jobs and housing. Then there was a recent incident when Metro police officers were protesting (against their corrupt bosses!), the SA police tried to disperse them and both sides opened fire on each other. None of the culprits were ever arrested.
Aargh, I hate T20! It’s making a spectacle of the beautiful game of cricket. I’m not fond of ODIs either. I see India is starting with that and then playing Tests later on. We are starting with the Tests first, then the short forms later. I’m really looking forward to this series!
February 25, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I understand what you mean when you say how people don’t perceive certain practices as corruption. There are a few instances where the same can be applied in India too, although I think it’s at a greater degree in SA, as you describe it.
I once accompanied this old friend of my parents to the airport. She was arrested within minutes for holding a fake passport, and they even stopped us for interrogation thinking we were accomplices! They later found out that she ran a racket and helped illegal migrants into other countries. Given how notorious the Indian police is, I’m relieved they didn’t falsely frame us to get the case over with or to extract bribes.
Yes I once read about violence against migrants in SA. I think it was on the news a year ago too. And at the moment in Chennai, lawyers and the police are having a stand-off, complete with stone throwing and occasional firing. I guess protesting and rioting are our countries’ national pastimes.
Haha well I don’t hate T20’s; I’m just vary of them. Like an unwanted prequel to the tests. It’s like having to do with mashed potatoes in the absence of good homemade food. It might not be as good, but it’ll do until I can get my hands on the real thing. :)
Here is my newest post: http://bigotblog.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/ideology-trumps-reason/
February 26, 2009 at 7:06 am
I also forgot to mention the arrogance of government officials here: Blue-light terror on the highway
My friend had a “genuine” passport, but he made the mistake of keeping his Jordanian passport as well, that gave him away. He spent a year in a NZ prison before being deported back to SA.
Good grief! Our countries seem very alike in that respect, lol!
The reason I hate T20 is because I believe it is ruining cricket. Batsmen get into that mindset of trying to hit everything for six, to the detriment of their technique when they play Test cricket. Also, the spectators get used to the spectacle of T20 and when it gets to a Test they act rowdy and can’t seem to sit still. I especially hate it when they walk around in the middle of an over.
February 26, 2009 at 12:40 pm
In India too the Police often goes overboard in the name of VIP protection. However, increasing media spotlight has meant that the police has had to mellow down. But it is still nowhere near for it to be called anything but rude.
I guess all developing nations have to face such problems of over-reach of government powers, riots, corruption, crime etc. What matters is which direction we’re headed in. In India’s case I believe it is getting better. However, problematic neighbours are slowing us down. I only wish the entire region would progress together, rather than be rival.
I absolutely agree with you on this. Batsmen now grow up learning to hit, not to last. The elements that made test cricket a ‘test’ are being diluted. I only hope ICC is conservative in its approach towards T20. However T20 is also a tool to take cricket to other nations, and hopefully over time, we’ll have more test playing nations (of good quality, not for the sake of it).
February 26, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Our countries seem very similiar then :-)
Problem here is, the ANC doesn’t feel any need to change their attitude. They believe that “God gave us the right to rule, and we will rule until Jesus comes back”. That is a direct quote. Note the use of the verb “rule”, not “govern”. They believe they are the aristocracy and the people are here to serve them. This is the kind of arrogance that sickens me so much. Whatever happened to egalitarianism?
We have the same problem with our neighbour Zimbabwe, as I’m sure you’re aware. Would your “problematic” neighbour be Pakistan? I would love to hear more about this issue.
Sure, but what’s wrong with the one day format? That brings the game to the masses, without being such a spectacle as T20. I think this T20 format is just a money-making scheme. I mean, look at the IPL, big money involved there! I mean no offense, but the Indian book makers and money-men are having a detrimental effect on the game.
Well, we had a pretty good day today, except for the idiot Smith dropping a simple catch. It is bucketing down now,will hopefully carry on tomorrow.
February 27, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Nice blog and nice comics!
February 27, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Thank you! I quite enjoyed your blog too.
February 27, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Is that so? It’s incredible how religion and state just never seem to separate. Here in India, the nationalistic opposition party too keeps calling for a “Ram-Rajya”- i.e. the type of rule that took place during the empire of a mythological Hindu god Ram. I find it outraging that in India too they use ‘rule’ rather than ’serve’ or ‘govern’.
Before I get to telling you why Pakistan and Bangladesh in my view are problematic to India’s progress (and also telling you why in turn India is problematic to Bangladesh’s progress), I would love to know what you, as a foreigner, think of the issue of India-Pakistan with whatever knowledge you have of the issue. I’m not a nationalist, and I take criticisms of India very well, so no worries.
Fair enough, I’ll take that. Yes Indian money hasn’t been good in many regards. IPL started to counter ICL. Before that, India was the last country to have taken to T20. I think if there was no ‘official’ ICL type tournament, then we would have seen many MORE international players leaving to ICL. That would have been as bad. And at the moment, SA isn’t really at a pretty position!
March 29, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Nice blog. Keep up the good work. Hey, by the way, do you mind taking a look at our new website http://www.indianewsupdates.com. It has various interesting sections. Who knows, it might just have the right kind of stuff that you are looking for.
Also, if you like this website, can you please recommend it to your friends. Your little help would help us in a big way.
Thank you,
The Future Mantra
March 30, 2009 at 9:31 am
I love your site. Keep it up !
April 6, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Thank you!
April 7, 2009 at 3:09 am
Loved your blog— keep it up! Very intellectually inclined and interesting at the same time!
April 12, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Lovely blog ……….but its odd to find discussions on about page .. ;)
still reading ………
April 13, 2009 at 5:19 am
Thank you, Lucky! Yes I know, and after the long discussion, I wanted to move the “about” page somewhere else. But I don’t want to lose the comments! :)
May 28, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Love your tag line, “Since when did ignorance become a point of view?”
May 28, 2009 at 7:03 pm
I love it too! :P
And thank you!
May 28, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Oh, and I think, my new tagline should be, “Indian Homemaker visits this blog”! :)
It’s wonderful having you stop by every now and then! :)
June 21, 2009 at 7:03 am
Been looking though your blog and really liked it. I find we share the same intellectual pursuits- I, too, take an (academic) interest in women’s underwear, specializing in the silken sort. I also liked the cartoons. An image of two men sitting on a couch watching TV reminds me that there is still good in this world. Go TV!!
A word of warning- since you blog about religion, be respectful. Ideas such as pregnant virgins, people coming back from the dead, floating bridges of loose stones built by fighting monkeys deserve your respect. Failure to observe this rule will result in the Flying Spaghetti Monster consigning you to torment inside a celestial teapot while awaiting your rebirth as a stink worm.
June 21, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Hola, welcommen!
TV and porn (the self-help kind) are the two sureshot solutions to all problems in the world. I guess they aren’t getting any.
But stink worms are good! At least they don’t kill in the name of pedophilic messiahs. Oh, and they stink less.