Racism, Racial Math, and the Social Asteroid Theory of Human Interaction

 

Racism, Racial Math, and the Social Asteroid Theory of Human Interaction
A Field Guide to Culture, Chemistry, and 20-Second Verbal Combat

Let us begin with a bold anthropological observation: people tend to hang out with… people like themselves. I know. Shocking. Call the universities. Shut down the sociology departments. We have cracked the code.

Indians who’ve been in America for decades have mastered a powerful survival technique: they have Indian friends. They attend Indian parties. They eat Indian food. They argue about cricket. They complain about mango prices. This is not a secret society. This is called “having shared culture.” Italians do it. Nigerians do it. Texans do it. New Yorkers do it. The only group that pretends not to do it is people who start sentences with, “I don’t see culture.”

Meanwhile, somewhere in the corner of this grand social geometry, I exist as what I call a social asteroid — zipping through orbits, crossing trajectories, occasionally causing minor gravitational disturbances at potlucks.

The Cultural Gravity Principle™

Here’s the rule: the larger identity wins. Culture has gravity. Language has gravity. Food has gravity. Religion has gravity. You can be the most open-minded, globally enlightened, TED-Talk-watching human alive — but when someone says, “We made biryani,” your DNA lights up like a Diwali festival.

This isn’t racism. It’s statistics. If you go to a town with 3,000 Indians and 20 Bulgarians, guess what? The Bulgarians are not dominating the WhatsApp groups.

And yet, there are always a few of us — the asteroids — who zip across cultural boundaries like intergalactic Uber drivers. We show up at Indian gatherings feeling vaguely Bulgarian. We show up at American gatherings feeling vaguely anthropological. We are cultural Switzerland with Wi-Fi.

The Doctor, The Wallet, and The Best Behavior Olympics

Picture this: a local Indian doctor meets a white patient at the clinic. Suddenly, everyone is on “Best Behavior Mode.” The doctor is professional. The patient is polite. Insurance cards are exchanged with ceremonial dignity. The co-pay is paid with the solemnity of a peace treaty.

No racism. No drama. Just billing.

Because here’s a strange truth: capitalism has a remarkable ability to temporarily cure bigotry. Nothing says “unity” like a properly processed invoice.

The Seven Lifetimes Dating Plan

Now let’s talk about interpersonal chemistry — that rare, mystical phenomenon where two humans actually understand each other.

Someone once said it might happen once or twice in a lifetime.

Hindus say, “Relax. It’s the same couple over seven lifetimes.”

Which is both romantic and slightly exhausting. Imagine finally resolving an argument about who forgot to buy milk… in your fifth reincarnation.

But the point stands: deep chemistry is rare. Shared culture increases probability. Shared language increases fluency. Shared references increase speed. When someone laughs at your childhood cartoon reference without explanation, that’s intimacy.

Racism: The Three Flavors

Now, before anyone accuses me of turning sociology into stand-up comedy (which I absolutely am), let’s talk about racism.

Racism is not “liking biryani.” Racism is emotional violence. It’s assumption. It’s dismissal. It’s the casual remark that pretends to be a joke but lands like a paper cut dipped in lemon juice.

There are three main types:

1. The Ignorant Kind

This is the “Oops, I didn’t realize that was offensive” variety. Most of us have committed it. We’re all walking around with outdated software in some part of our brain.

This kind is fixable. You talk. You clarify. You say, “Hey, that landed weird.” They say, “Oh wow, I didn’t mean that.” The relationship deepens. Everyone upgrades their firmware.

Humanity continues.

2. The Fragile Peacock

This one is fascinating. You’re at a party. You haven’t even located the samosas yet. The first person you meet launches into Casual Racist Comment™ like it’s an icebreaker.

You gently push back. Not aggressively. Not theatrically. Just a small nudge.

And suddenly the peacock deflates.

White fragility (or any fragility, honestly) is an extraordinary thing. It’s like someone installed a smoke detector in their ego, and your mere existence set it off.

You didn’t insult them. You didn’t shout. You just declined to accept the premise.

They vacate the space.

Anthropology in motion.

3. The Sinister Slow Burn

This is the dangerous one. The person who grows more comfortable and simultaneously more racist. The one who mistakes familiarity for permission.

You can almost see the trajectory like a weather forecast.

“At this rate,” you think quietly, “we’re about six months from a headline.”

And you make a mental note to stand far, far away.

New York: 20 Seconds to Glory

Now let’s compare social dynamics.

In smaller towns, misbehavior triggers calculation:

• “Do I know their cousin?”

• “Will we see each other at Costco?”

• “Is this person my dentist?”

You might think twice before responding.

But in New York City? Ah. In the gladiatorial arena of New York City, you meet someone you will never see again. Ever.

You have 20 seconds.

Twenty glorious seconds for a perfectly legal, linguistically devastating, impeccably timed verbal takedown.

No fists. No threats. Just vocabulary.

It is Broadway, but with microaggressions.

And the audience is indifferent pigeons.

The Scripture Clause

Now here’s the philosophical twist: every major scripture — whether it’s the Bible or the Bhagavad Gita — assumes something radical.

It assumes your moral obligations do not stop at the culture boundary.

You don’t get a special exemption that says:
“Be kind… unless they pronounce ‘yogurt’ differently.”

Good behavior is meant to operate at the human level. Radical idea.

The Asteroid Conclusion

So where does this leave us?

People cluster. Culture has gravity. Language creates shortcuts. Chemistry is rare. Racism is real. Ignorance can be fixed. Fragility can be exposed. Sinister intent should be avoided like expired yogurt.

And then there are the social asteroids.

We zip across communities. We attend parties where we are one of twenty. We cross languages mid-sentence. We test whether moral frameworks actually apply across differences.

Sometimes we collide. Sometimes we spark. Sometimes we just observe.

But here’s the real punchline:

The more individually diverse we are, the easier it should be to understand collective diversity.

If you can accept that you are weird in your own unique way, it shouldn’t be that shocking that entire cultures have their own quirks too.

Racism is not recognizing difference.

Maturity is recognizing difference without turning it into hierarchy.

And if someone grows more racist the more comfortable they get?

Smile politely.

Adjust your orbital path.

And let the asteroid continue zipping through social space. 🚀