<B>By Deepa BHOOKUN</B>

A racist is defined as someone who believes that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others. So, are you a racist?

Don?t adopt the holier-than-thou attitude and answer the question as honestly as you can. You will probably say no.

Any wonder? Racism is an ugly word. And we don?t like ugly things, do we?

Are there racists in our country? Most definitely. There are racists everywhere. Overtly racist people, however, are a dying specimen. How could it be otherwise when we are living in an era that is increasingly about human rights and equality? An era defined by the intermingling of all races. But racism hasn?t died.

Overt racism has adapted to the new ?equality? era and has reincarnated into something subtler and more insidious ? internalised deep-seated feelings of inferiority or superiority.

People who are vulnerable to this virus ? and we all are, let?s face it - then act in a racist manner but would strongly deny being racists because, hey, that?s not what they are. They have friends from different ethnic backgrounds, don?t they?

Of course they do. That?s how insidious racism has become.

I hope that when Prime minister Ramgoolam was having a go at the ?racists?, that?s what he meant. If he did, he would be right. Some people have probably opposed Woochit?s lease for various? and relevant - reasons but chances are they wouldn?t even have batted an eyelid had the lease been granted to say, a big hotel group. It?s not so much racism as racism?s progenies ? prejudice and bias. But was Ramgoolam justified in his outcry? Probably not. The point he could ? and should have made ? was lost in yet another go at ?them?. But ?they? are not all racists. Some definitely are. So are some of ?us?. Unfortunately, some of us are ever too ready to play the ?race? card. I fail to see how the fact that Rama Sithanen?s son was not granted entry at a ?private club? is racial discrimination. It could be but we shouldn?t be in too much of a hurry to jump to simplistic conclusions. I personally know of one such club in the north where a lot of people are not allowed in. I am. Some of the ?persona non grata? are admittedly of the darker variety but the discrimination extends to people of the lighter variety as well. I have personally witnessed it. The criteria are the cousins of racism ? they discriminate on the basis of status, money and physical appearance (nothing to do with colour.) What is my point, you?re probably asking. I?ll tell you what it is ? that racism will always exist in one way or another and it takes many forms that don?t always have to do with race, ironically enough. And we have all, at some point, been guilty of it.

So, are you a racist?

My answer is, I try not to be. But sometimes, I too, fall short.