When the statistics speak . . . You ought to listen!

I like to check out the statistics of my blog. Well, who doesn't. I enjoy seeing the countries from where people read my blog and imagine how they would respond reading something that I had liked to write. Well, off late I have been observing at the posts that get the maximum hits overall and the top three posts were:

1. Forgiving and Forgetting . . . I could add a clause there

2. Working hard to reverse stereotypes

3. Good stereotypes and Bad stereotypes

Now, I assume that if people land on my blog searching the keywords forgive and forget, then that means there are many people who seek for forgiveness and try to search means and ways to overcome the feeling of hatred and anger in order to forgive and forget. I admit that forgiving and forgetting are two difficult aspects and they are better said than done. One can lecture to people on forgiving and forgetting but it is something that is quite hard to practice especially if we've been let down by people who are very close to us.

The second and third most popular posts are those on stereotypes - One just has to observe oneself and lo behold, we would find that there is at least one thing that we base on stereotypes be it the fair and lovely or the slim and beautiful or the dark and poor - Well, I'm just thinking aloud. Can we say that we are completely sanitised of stereotyping? I don't think so. I guess that out of sheer desperation and wanting to find some solace that one is not alone in these afore-mentioned traits, people seek out search engines and somehow land at my blog using these keywords. I just wonder what they think after they read the post.

Well, I have found many wonderful sites by typing some random keywords and till date some of those bloggers are my friends. There are many who land up but don't leave any comments. I don't think that many will but I'm sure that they left in peace or at least a with a chuckle.

What do your statistics convey? Care to share, dear readers?

Image 1: Internet
Images 2 & 3: VV Vinod Photography

Power corrupts and even the love of God cannot save you

A ring is lost, (no no, Not the The Lord of the Rings). You are careless enough to misplace it and forget all about it until one fine morning you discover your rings to be lost.

Reaction: You panic and try searching every where. After all gold is a precious metal and you cannot afford losing it. You think of all the years that you had toiled or maybe your parents/husband has toiled to get that wee ornament. Sentiment and panic create havoc in your senses. What do you do?

Suspect: Almost always your very kind and compassionate self zones down on the domestic help. Why? Common sense - she is the only outsider to come into the house and so she is THE one who stole it. You don't have proof but you think you know and your gut feeling is never wrong.

Course of Action: Try to scare the poor domestic help and brand her a thief.

The day after

You rummage your bags and voila! there are the wee rings nestled safely in the folds of the ancient suitcase that was passed on to you by your great grandfather.

Reaction: I always knew that it would be somewhere at home.

What happened to your gut feeling that suspected the domestic? Well, who cares anyway, now that the rings are found!

The above mentioned incident could happen anywhere and at any given time but why do majority of the people suspect the domestic helps almost always? Power corrupts, they say and since one has the power over the help, they are always seen as a potential suspect. This behaviour is appalling and quite crass. Class always plays a role in this situation - the attribute of being poor and belonging to a lower strata always implies greed and thievery. Sad scenario. The faithful help who cleans your dirt and polishes your floors to give you some free time has to bear the brunt of your branding. Why? The virtue of being an outsider does not necessarily mean suspicion. Well, there are some who do steal, I don't contest that but stereotyping all helps as thieves means that there is something drastically wrong with your sense of ethics and general human understanding.

You might love god and feel compassionate towards beggars and lepers, you might be a hardcore feminist fighting for the rights of women, you might even run the women's welfare organisation but all that is a farce when one generalises that domestic helps are thieves.

This post might have the tone of an angry individual who is bashing out at every one. Well, I am angry and quite unhappy at those who are educated but not quite educated enough to not be biased and prejudiced about certain sections of the society.

What's your say?

Images: Karthik Pasupathy