In reply to: What Your Schools Didn’t Teach You

OKAY.. So while I was scrolling up and down my newsfeed as usual, I came across this interesting article which was shared by one of my friends under the caption “I am deeply offended that I am being branded as a racist just because I went to Ananda College”. Naturally, I was curious and I decided to look into this article to find out how one can become a racist by simply having gone to a nationality based education institute. After reading that particular article, I decided NOT to share it. Yep, NOT SHARE it because I don’t want to spread the wrong impression about my Alma mater (Yes, I am an Anandian) or any other nationality/religion based educational institute. I simply refuse to share it.

The article, “What your schools didn’t teach you”, was written by a very well-educated girl who has won several awards and is the youngest nominee to something. I’m sorry ma’am, I’m not really good at literature like you. In fact, this is the first time I felt like writing a rant for something like this as a reply.

I shall go through the article by the points she made on her article. 

 

#1. Okay. She’s saying school is only one step of the way and life does not end there. So according to her opinion, we took only one step in our life for 13 years of our school life. Such a wasted life! But no, I disagree. I have taken not one, not two but many steps during my period in school; big steps and small steps which only took me forward in life and for this reason I am happy and grateful. I am sure everyone else has done the same regardless of whether they were from a Sinhala-Buddhist school or not. We learned how to live, how to love and how to treat people. We weren’t just raised as a biased “SinhaLe” people. Our best friends were people around our school; Muslims, Tamils, Burghers. We were in harmony and none of us hesitated to help another whenever it was needed.

She is comparing the annual Harvard-Yale game in USA with our culture in Sri Lanka. Really sister?! First of all, is it mandatory to import their culture to Sri Lanka? Second of all, when you mature, you will understand that there’s something called perspective. This works in real life as well. You see Harvard-Yale game is an event which ‘promotes a certain culture of academic thought that they collectively take pride in’. There are countries which are in a worst situation compared to us. Think about them looking at us in the same perspective of you looking at Harvard-Yale game. As we all know we are not confined to just football, rowing or any other sport.  Although cricket is the game that takes Sri Lanka around the world, many other sports are also getting popular among Sri Lankans giving rise to very talented sportsmen and sportswomen. Since you love statistics, I welcome you to check how many national players have emerged due to these non-profitable, not so Multi-million dollar sport events called big matches.

Also, why is it wrong to go back to school events or wear the school uniform again? You said that it is demeaning- “ you attend these schools when you are a child, before you’ve matured into an adult: a time in our lives we treasure quite a lot, but not enough to go back to our sports-meets dressed in our uniforms.” School is where you spend your life learning a lot of things about life, it’s the transition zone where everyone gathers knowledge, wisdom and mature through learning; a very vital phase in life! Therefore, in my eyes, revisiting the school, wearing the uniform even after your school days are over is merely a way of showing how much pride you take in having gone to the school, showing your respect, being reminded of all the things that you have learnt while wearing the uniform that has contributed to who you have become today.

Yes it is true; may be only 10% of our annual graduates receive entrance into distinguished universities. Blame it on the Z-score, if you have ever heard of that. Also just because someone failed a 3 hour exam paper, does not mean they are bound to live a low life. Again, I welcome you to google most successful persons in the world and about their drop outs. Everyone has their own talent. Just saying. Because I personally know a few people like that. 

#2. Misogyny? Never heard of that. Let me google first…   Ohh this. I know it! Too bad I didn’t know the exact term. I am not ashamed to admit that I always skipped the English class and used that time to learn something else for life. While googling for that term, I also happened to look up the definition of rape and this is what I found: “Unlawful sexual intercourse or any other sexual penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth of another person, with or without force, by a sex organ, other body part, or foreign object, without the consent of the victim”. I would like to know when such an event happened when boys broke into your school and ‘vandalized it’. If something did happen, then you should report to the police immediately. It is a serious crime. Just don’t take is as a joke like you have mentioned in your article.

I agree on one thing though; no one should be sexually assaulted. Not in their school, work place, public transportation or anywhere. It’s just a rude and disgusting act of cowardness regardless of whether it was a man or a woman who gets assaulted. That’s something I have learned from my school.

 

#3. I’m not sure about where other schools stand when it comes to this; Men dressed up as women and behaving in a degrading manner. As far as I know, it doesn’t happen in Sinhala-Buddhist school parades. Please fill me up if I’m outdated. But you say it’s an ignorant act of misogyny and transphobia. Not sure where you get that information. Did you do a psychology course somewhere? It’s a good subject; I have always wanted to learn people. I should consider that. But again I know something. Being gay is not uncool. It is just illegal in Sri Lanka. Next time when someone call you ‘Gay’, stand up and say ‘Yeah I’m gay and proud’. That would change the mindset of people who think being called gay is something uncool. IF you really care for it change your facebook profile picture with rainbow filter. Lol.

Back to dressing up as women. GODDAMMIT they are not trying to insult transgender or women! But since I have no knowledge or experience in such things I’m not going to justify it here. *Closing this tab and watching The Danish girl* 

#4. Okay. Here comes my favorite part; where everyone calls Ananda and Nalanda (Mostly Ananda), a Sinhala-Buddhist school and puts the racist card on us. I have a question: Have you ever been to the Battle of the Maroons or are you just using your imagination?  I agree, sometimes these battles do become real battles between old boys and sometimes students. Like our grandparents said ‘Boys will be boys’. At the end of the day they all go out together. Some even go to same work place together the next Monday morning. 

As I have mentioned earlier, we had a good bond with other people around our school. We were surrounded by Muslims and Tamil people for almost 130 years now. So please stop teaching us how not to be racist. We know how to answer when it is needed. We stand for our nation and religion as we stand for other religions. 

At the end of the article you mentioned something about how to raise your kids. Well this is also interesting. The little boy who grows up seeing this culture has two options: Become a part of that culture OR step away from it and be a decent person in the future-just like his school teaches him to be. The little boy has 13 years to figure it out. Let him be. If he figure it out in the right way he will know how to treat women right and how to raise his own kids. Or chose the other way which will lead him to become some ignorant prick who assault women like you have mentioned in your article. This is not a perfect society, this wasn’t and this won’t be. It should start from you first. Then your friends. I guess in that way those little boys will make this society a beautiful place. 

I’ll end this long rant here. I have learnt a lot things from my school and they taught me really well with real life experiences. I guess it is time for you to catch up with those things you missed during your 13 years in school.

We learn what we want.

Problem is using it for greater good.

PS: You should come to Ananda one day. You’ll meet many nice little boys who will be taking the right path under the culture of Ananda. Also I admire your article, but there are so many plot holes, biased and judgmental opinions which is not nice. (May be you missed that lesson during that 13 years)