When negative virtual codes can let loose violent provocations

There was this incident. It was connected to the fact that for a long-time, I had stopped addressing anyone with a lower indicant You and referring to anyone with a lower indicant He, Him, His, She and Her/s. Though this attitude sprung up from my own inner intellectual visualisations of the negativity in these codes, it was seen socially as a weakness in me. A weakling, softie and effeminate in stances! Well, that was not actually the issue. The real fact as I experienced it was that it really required a lot of mental stamina to hold on to this stance. For, many times I was severely provoked to go on the offensive. However, in a calm mood, I would withstand these urges. Yet, at times when the provocation becomes too much, I go in for the offensive which would then feel as if it is from quite a different personality. For, only in real violent outburst would I do such a thing. After that, I would regret that my resolve has been breached by nonentities.

Now the incident. Ashwina and I were taking my mother’s small dog (Rikki) for a walk. If I don’t do it, it remains in the house for days. Which is a very miserable experience. So, I do it frequently. On this particular occasion, as we came out two small boys of age around 10 were coming towards our direction through the foot path. Usually, in such cases, we move out. The place has a lot of Muslim population. (Some of them are my students). There is off course the issue of language also. In Malayalam, if I address the local kids with a Nee, it would give me a power and leadership over them. However, it was a known thing that I wouldn’t do it. So, there were many youngsters of age up to 25 who used to taunt me with catcalls, and even snigg*r English greetings, like Good Morning etc from the sideways, in the earlier days. I had to take it in the stride. For, to react to them would force me to use powerful Malayalam words in a soft manner. When using such powerful Malayalam words as Nee, Mone (son) etc. one need not raise one’s voice. A soft dialogue would put the youngster in his position of subordination. However, I wouldn’t do it. For, it would be a powerful shift from my position that I would not use pejoratives to subordinate sections if I can help it.

There were vehicles coming on the road, and the Rikki was not leashed. He was held on voice command. I couldn’t ask the dog to move out of the footpath, because of the vehicles. For, I wouldn’t be able to control it from getting on to the road. The boys were standing as if waiting for me to move away from the footpath, for it was the expected stance of mine. And in their own local understandings, I was a softie. On this occasion, I asked the boys in a very soft voice to move down from the footpath. Just a minor move of around 1 foot and cross us. The boys did that, with one boy acting a pose of surprise. They came near me, and one boy spoke to me. I thought they were asking something. The boy said, ‘Ninte nayikku matrame pokandu?’ In English this dialogue would only mean, ‘Only your dog can go?’ However, in Malayalam, the words are equivalent to asking, ‘Only you s**t’s dog can go?’ For the word used for You by a very small boy to me was Nee. I must admit that I was very much provoked.

Any human being who understands Malayalam would react in my position. However such a thing would rarely happen. For the boys would be properly placed in Malayalam, by the senior persons by pejorative addressing of them. However, since I was averse to doing that, the communication code had changed. They naturally positioned me as the subordinate.

The violence in my mood was evidently visible. For I, in a very measured tone, asked the boy, ‘Mone, nee yentha paranjathu?’ (Son, what did you say?). The menace in my tone was obvious and I had for the first time in the locality used the pejorative word Nee to a boy. The other boy simply held him and said, ‘Let us run!’

A very significant observation here was that Ashwina couldn’t understand why I was provoked. For, there was no rising of voice by the boys. However, she did ask me what the issue was and what was going on. This is the exact issue with the native-English speakers. They do not know that a very formidable change of codes has happened and that it has the capability to create violence.   

I have many years ago written about an incident wherein a Chinese school janitor had attacked school children. The standard contention was that the janitor suffered from some demented mind. The real fact is that the disease would be in that particular Chinese dialect and improper positioning of persons. Many modern psychiatrists and psychologists who write volumes about mental trauma, mental violence, schizophrenia, paranoia and much else do know nothing about what I am alluding to.

SEE THIS: CHINESE JANITOR

DIGRESSION

The exact unintelligence of England and other English nations interfering in civil wars and other belligerent issues in feudal language nations has to be understood from this background. Even when they are there in the geographical area, they do not really get to understand the exact provocation that creates the belligerence. When they take sides, there is always the immense chance that they might side with the wrong side. For, the actual criminal provocation that was sown by the wrong side would never be understood by them. Unless, it is properly explained in words similar to what has been given here.