To assume otherwise is not okay
A few days ago, in a stroke of impudence, I chose to discuss US politics with a Clinton-leaning, white American acquaintance. Her first retort to my two paisas on the Democratic primaries, was that as a Pakistani, I should “go fix Pakistani politics” before commenting on American elections.
Note that it wasn’t an outburst of an exasperated American following an hour-long heated discussion, but the very first response to a brown non-American (how she assumed that I wasn’t American, is somewhat of a mystery) briefly commenting on the subject, without any of my trademark sarcasm. That sarcasm entered later into the discussion, when I implied that she should not be commenting on the state of affairs in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Russia, North Korea, South Korea, France, UK, Germany, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, India, all of Africa, and of course, Pakistan; and instead, focus on not coronating megalomaniacal, racist warmongers as American presidents.
I doubt we’ll be speaking again soon.
It’s 2016, and it still eludes many Americans that their voting decision not only shapes the politico-economic terrain of the United States, but also determines the fate of the rest of the world. Had the exceptional ‘US of A’ existed in a geopolitical bubble, with no foreign country being invaded, no foreign militant group being aided or hunted, no predator drones circling foreign villages, no sanctions being placed on misbehaving countries, no military aid being rendered to well-behaving states, no massive arms deals being struck, and global currencies not being pegged against the US dollar; perhaps if we lived in a world where the United States does not have more than 650 military bases in 38 foreign countries, or a myriad of other things that prompt Noam Chomsky and other leftists to use the word ‘hegemony’ so frequently that a Pakistani, like me, could reasonably be rebuked for having undue interest in American politics.
Most Pakistanis don’t pay attention to American elections. I cannot say that many Pakistanis have heard of Bernie Sanders specifically; most politically alert Pakistanis are aware of the Clinton family, though. Who isn’t?
And I? I feel compelled to pay attention to the events in America. Racism is not a phenomenon strictly contained within American borders. Although it’s pandemic, it is far more perturbing when exhibited by a person of great power and influence, say, Donald Trump. A statesman with the privilege of becoming the architect of the US foreign policy, if he happens to be racist, will bother more than just the people of color living in America.
Pakistani Muslim doctors looking forward to serving in the Land of Opportunity, for instance, may feel anxious about Trump’s proposed policy of a “complete shutdown” on Muslim immigration. These Muslims currently studying tirelessly for the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) in Karachi cannot be condescendingly told to “mind their own business” when it comes to American politics. The primary results in New Hampshire and Iowa, quite clearly, affect their goals, ambitions, and dreams.
Many Pakistanis who do know about Bernie Sanders cannot help but admire him. An unapologetically liberal activist-turned-politician, whose energy and ambition defies the grayness of his hair, exhibits no intention to “save the world” like his predecessor. Perhaps it’s too early to say because candidates typically focus on domestic issues in primaries rather than international ‘Presidenty’ dilemmas, but Sanders has expressed opposition to most American forays in foreign lands. He displays all signs of a classic left “regionalist”, who insists that the Middle-Eastern countries, particularly the oil rich Arab states, handle their own crises without US intervention. Instead, he chooses to focus on pressing matters at home; particularly wealth inequality, student debt, and racism.
This is perhaps also the reason why few Pakistanis have heard of Bernie Sanders; he has been far too occupied with grassroots activism in America, to trot the globe and “feed hungry African children”. I find this oddly comforting. The world does not to be “rescued” by imperialist forces masquerading as charitable expeditions. We need indigenisation, not more globalisation; the latter being of little help to the Southern Hemisphere, with the exception of the poorer hemisphere’s own top 1%.
The American with whom I had the pleasure of discussing American politics, insisted that she be allowed to offer unsolicited advice on Pakistani affairs, as she had “been to Pakistan five times”.
Yet, she does not speak Urdu, while I speak American English. She likely cannot name five Pakistani politicians, one for each of her visits; while I can name many American ones, and accurately describe where each stands on the political spectrum from left to right.
I am not an exceptional non-American, in this regard. This is ordinary. We happily melt into your pot; you have little need to melt into ours. Information flows unilaterally from the West to the East. We have things to say too, but who wants to hear it? Our news is local news. Your news is an international affair.
Although I cannot vote in American elections, how can I possibly pretend that American politics does not concern me?
