What,s weird, though, is that dark-skinned people never notice how much trouble ( and even danger) white-skinned people go through just to look darker.

Girls with straight hair have it curled. So much so, in fact, that by the time many of them are 40 they need a wig.

Both white boys and white girls roast in the sun for hours, even at the risk of developing skin-cancer, just to get a stupid tan.

And lately, thanks to Pam Anderson et al, we have the pneumatic *fishlips* look wherein even though you’re lilly white your lips are nonetheless African.

So let’s see, here; I’ve curled my hair, I’ve tanned my body and I’ve fattened my lips and yet, boo-hoo, I’m still “white”.

No one, it seems, likes their “racial” type

I’m not saying her thoughts are in any way acceptable, but I just know that if I were writing a story on her, that quote would be too good (controversy! more readers!) to leave out precisely BECAUSE it’s so horrible.

You also said: Its no sense trying to get to point E when everyone is still thinks moving to point B is too radical.

I disagree. I think most Indians are aware of the racism and discrimination and don’t want it, but are suckered into the system and afraid to speak out. I’m not.

I’m quite shocked how some people like seasons2006 have come to her defence as if this is some argument about political correctness. This is nothing to do with being PC, this is racism. Or shadism.

Interestingly, I was at Cineworld on Saturday (for Superman) and we were queueing next to a poster of her movie. My girlfriend said “look, there’s your racist friend, she’s so dumb” or words to that effect and a family overheard and asked what she was talking about. We explained and the family just nodded along, smiled and went to see the movie. They – a typical Hounslow Asian family – couldn’t care less. THIS is the attitude that needs to change more than Rimi Sen’s herself. The acceptance.

I guess I give the actress more credit than thinking she is just plain racist. She equates dark with ugly- not matter what. Her comment tells ‘ugly/dark’ Asians to stay in their place, but gives them an out. She knows who lines up to see her films (the majority dark skinned Asian public). As I said they can pretend this doesn’t apply to them- since they will be the first to say ‘I’m not black’. I had this conversation with a good friend of mine who calls me fair – my friend is Asian. He also mentioned Bipasha Basu (who is *several* shades lighter than him) as being dark. I didn’t want to press it with him- but if that girl is ‘dark’ that would make him black- and that’s just a no go area.

The argument is not why Bollywood should think afro people are beautiful. It’s about why so many Asians continue to support this shadism. Of course it’s not unique to Bollywood. However there is progress in other groups. I remember watching R&B/ hip hop videos back in the day- the desirable girl was always always white or mixed race looking. That’s definitely changed. [Now if we could just get rid of ‘weave mania’ it will be all good!] I’m sure Latinos and others will take up the banner as well.

I’m still blown away by the ignorance of many seemingly bright Pakistanis (that’s my background) back home, even within my own extended family who are always trying to get me to rub domestos on my own face.

At least in India there is a movement among women to challenge this – in Pakistan people look at you as though you are mad if you consider skin colour to be neutral in the beauty stakes.

And not just back home, I have a distant British-born ‘auntie’ in Bradford complaining recently about how her beautiful eight-year-old daughter looks ‘dirty’.

It’s going to take outspokeness on the part of us darkies and a ‘black and proud’ mentality to change attitudes.

I don’t agree with what Jackie Brown said. Bollywood people need to be told that their attitudes are shallow, ignorant and stupid. Not to mention racist. It’s not ok to be culturally relativist about these things and say ‘ah well, we all know Indians don’t like dark-skin so why have a go’.

Not only is this attitude racist towards black people, but it contributes to the negative self-image of literally millions of women across the world, who think they can never be fair enough.

Things are changing. None of my immediate family or Asian friends give a monkey’s about skin colour. And my mum was recently checking out a beautiful very dark-skinned Ghanaian girl at a wedding we went to, mainly because she knows that race and skin-colour mean jack shit to my brother.

But it’s going to take concerted resistance by Asian women (and men!)and no apologies for being dark-skinned before there is a real change. I’m proud to say I think that’s where British Asians are leading the way and sooner or later our Bollwood cousins will have to follow (I mean, they followed the west on dress, dodgy MTV-style dance routines and anorexia, so why not this?)

I’m not asking for her to be censored, or for her words to be changed.

My point is that unless we challenge racism where we find it, among others or among ourselves, then we cannot defeat it. Of course I’m going to pick up on bigots and challenge them, that is my aim as it states in the mission statement.

Without challenging the media’s complicity in this we cannot hope to change perception and the way racism is dealt with. This is not a call for censorship, but rather challenging those who perpetuate it. That includes Glamsham, Yahoo, and of course Rimi Sen.

THE SUN’s whole coverage on the Lebanon-Israel problem seems to be about how Omar Bakri the nutter is getting a taste of his own medicine now that bombs are dropping over Beirut. It just gives a ‘feel good’ factor over the whole bombardment. Such extensive coverage of Bakri also seems to give the impression that what kind of people are on the Lebanese side.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006330791,00.html

We can’t expect Rimi Sen and many other such actors, actresses to be politically correct, pure, sweet, truthful and straightforward. Can we? In fact i hate it whenever they hit headlines with their opinion on current political state of affairs

Ah .. but they are our new royalty – it actually works as a comparison as long as you only think stereotypes.

Though iam digressing a bit, can you tell me how you are going to react to her movies? I mean, would you be boycotting them or still watch them for what they are without worrying about the real nature of the person who acts in them?

I for ex know that a malayalam comedian called Jagathi has quite a few infamous sexual affairs to his name. But then people have never boycotted his films. He continues to make people laugh. And he would also be laughing at the same people who laugh at his antics on screen.

And should we actually be pressing glamsham for cheating us all by modifying it instead of pressing yahoo to take it off? If more people know her attitude it, they can react better.

I dont know if you have ever seen Spanish speaking T.V. in the states that cater to our growing Latino community but if you watch their news cast, morning shows, games shows, or the notorious Novellas (soap operas) it is the same phenonemna. All the actors are light skinned while the only time you see the Indians, those who arent either white or mestizo (mixed race) are the ones fighting like dogs on the talk shows. Hook up to Univision and see for yourself.

In any event, our true opinions will be reflected in the people we choose to love and not love. She can say what she wants but she will not get much love in America with that where Black has been beautiful for sometime now. Its a good thing blacks have got the larger society so “shook” about their ethnicity that people watch what they say.