The English Speaking Elite
They’re repainting Sri Lankan culture. Painting the St. Anthony’s School wall, Kollupitiya
I am part of a dwindling and slightly pathetic race called the English Speaking Elite, or the Esé. Despite filling out Sinhala Buddhist on every police report (they ask), I cannot really speak Sinhala. If I’m under arrest it somehow comes back to me, but for casual inquiries I can’t. The Esé were once the dominant group in Sri Lanka (or Ceylon) or, more properly, the head niggers in charge. We were the government, we were the cops, we were the businessmen, we were the Ministers and we were the Minister’s sons. Now we’re not. Despite being an Esé myself, I think this is most certainly a good thing.
People talk about the Sinhalese and Tamils abroad. We talk about the Sinhalese and Tamils and Muslims and Burghers here. No one talks about the Esé. Perhaps because they don’t exist.
There is no mental sort for the English Speaking Elite in Sri Lanka, but it really functions as a race. People marry with in it, they network within it, they live in it. These are, specifically, people that speak English at home and speak Sinhala (or Tamil) functionally, badly, or not at all. In the past Tamils and Burghers were the dominant genetic components of the Esé, but they have since fled and they are now a race made of many spare Sinhala parts and a far flung diaspora.
The Esé have an inordinate influence in western media and politics because THEY SPEAK ENGLISH. They also have a (if only subconscious) grudge against the largely Sinhala speakers in charge because they are all but culturally more qualified to run the country and the sons of the soil are rubbing their nose in it. This is why Mahinda includes them in his lot of people that don’t love the motherland, because they don’t love the bastards she’s produced. Well Mahinda doesn’t name them because there is no name for the people he’s talking about, but let’s call them the nationalist Deviyo sect of the Esé. The opposite of the Yakkos, that being the nationalist sect of the Sinhalese.
Right now the Yakkos are in charge, led by their former mascot Mervyn Silva, trumpeted by the vicious Wimal Weerawansa and underwritten by the intelligent but racially virulent Champika Ranawaka. There is a Sinhala hegemony in the country which makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Especially the Deviyo and, to a mixed extent, the Esé.
I am Esé and it does make me uncomfortable, but I always remember that my grandfather could not have had the same opportunities he had if the Esé had been in charge. I remember for all the golden memories of Ceylon, that the vast majority of people here couldn’t dream of being President or Tourism Minister or much of anything if they couldn’t speak English, and now they can. Dream that is. Many of the Sinhala speaking people who hold power aren’t especially qualified for their jobs, but they are at least somehow more connected with the masses of people and at least exploit them in a localized manner.
Which is to say, they’re not colonizers, and they are not supported by the colonial class, that is, the Esé. The Esé speak English and liase with the West, which once made them supremely qualified to rule. Now they look rather like fools, and this makes some bitter. It made more leave and it moved one fundamentally Esé generation of leadership (SWRD Bandaranaike and Chelvanayagam) to support, respectively, Sinhala nationalism and Tamil separatism and set of the war that finally established a largely Sinhala speaking state by years of attrition.
But I digress. This is all just political cruft on top of a much more mundane subject, that being the Esé which are, after all, a race – like any other – primarily preoccupied with eating, drinking, living, loving and dying.
The Esé are the few thousands of people I hang out with. We appear to dominate what appears to be the culture of Sri Lanka – the restaurants, the clubs, the pubs, the businesses, the events and the arts. We speak English at home, we are educated and educate our children abroad, we read books, use the global internet, think and earn in dollars, etc. Of course, we don’t dominate anymore, the truly dominant business class is Sinhala-Esé and the political class is basically Sinhala-Yakko which strangely raises Sinhala-Esé children.
It is a weird race, nonexistent if it were not so necessary, because having a word for the English Speaking Elite suddenly makes it possible to analyze and understand Sri Lankan politics, the war and civilization a bit better than before. I suppose one could also say Ceylonese, but that’s a bit of a crippling from the start. I think most English speakers love Sri Lanka as much as anybody else, so I’ll call them Esé, Spanish for homey.
Today on the 
Janith has updated 
This is highly dubious. Miss Travel is a travel/social networking site that connects ‘Generous’ and ‘Attractive’ travelers. To, like, travel together, I guess. It all seems a bit like arranged prostitution and trafficking. This is part of a broader online trend to connect rich men to younger, attractive women. Sites like 
Sri Lankan domestics never say anything, they just stop coming. My maid just stopped coming and when I finally pressed her she said I needed to get a washing machine. I was hoping to ride this one out, but I’ve run out of underwear and I have no choice. I finally caved and bought a washing machine, from 
Nice. Love the way you analyzed it. It was almost a sort of taboo subject that nobody want to talk about. Really enjoyed this and thanks for the good work.
lol, i’m a malay Esé
This reminds me of a scene in the movie Apocalypto, where the protagonist teaches a native South American Spanish, and then in the end, when all hell breaks out, as you would expect when distinct cultures collide, this little native South American tells the protagonist in reply to remarks about friendship and trust: “I learned your language, but you never bothered to learn mine”. Something along those lines anyway.
You labelled yourself an Ese and then differentiate between ese and sinhala-ese. Maybe you ought to think about relabelling yourself ese-sinhala instead.
… Just trying to define yourself as Top Dog huh? Tragic isn’t it. Not only do you delude youbest rself and think that you are the best journalist in Sri Lanka you now think you are a historian! And of course you harp on and on in a negative fashion about Tamils with the poor ole Burghers thrown in there for good measure.
The bottom line is you’re just as racist as Wimal and you so need to get a life.
The fact that you claim to be in journalism but cannot and will not be fucked to learn your mother tounge says it all.
Bugger off back to Canada where you can be the second class citizen you are.
I would not define the English speakers as a race, it is a social class.
The British Social grade classification created by the National Readership Survey over 50 years ago, defined class thus:
Grade Occupation
A Higher managerial, administrative or professional
B Intermediate managerial, administrative or professional
C1 Supervisory or clerical and junior managerial, administrative or professional
C2 Skilled manual workers
D Semi and unskilled manual workers
E Casual or lowest grade workers, pensioners and others who depend on the state for their income
(This is in widespread usage during the 20th Century including in government reports and statistics.)
(cribed this from the wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_structure_of_the_United_Kingdom)
The English speaking elite of Sri Lanka would fall into A and B in the above structure.
I think this class included all races, not just Tamils and Burghers. The majority of this class have already migrated, in the 1950′s, 1960′s and 1970′s. It is only a small rump that remains today.
The ESE need to be flushed down the toilet, I say.
I wouldn’t go as far as to call us a race, a social class mabye but still, a brilliant analysis of it indi.
I think Ese ranks are being repopulated by and by. Just look at the mushrooming international schools where everything is taught in English plus the tuition in English and the media full of English language entertainment.
The children of upwardly mobile Naga -Yakka will become Eses too.
I think there is a difference between the old and the new. More people are trying to learn the language, but as I pointed out above, language was not the only feature of that class.
I think there’s a severe error here. No where is it recalled that the “English Speaking Elite” were incapable of speaking Sinhala unless under arrest. Even the burghers were could speak decent Sinhalese (or in majority of the cases, Tamil). In fact, most of them only got the perks or government posts they did because they could speak one of the local languages fluently and served as a good interpreter mudaliyar for the sudu sahib.
True, it’s only Indi that can’t learn how to speak Sinhalese, it’s far too complicated for him …
Let me rephrase that statement- I didn’t mean the majority of burghers could speak tamil, I meant that a fair portion of the “ESE” were tamil
Indi, while enjoying your analysis, I tend to think that you are trying to draw a line in continues gray scale and demarcate ESE as a race. I tend to disagree, and as someone here already pointed out, tend to think ESE is a social class. People move in and out of ESE, and ESE people move in an out of the country. Its all dynamic.
I come from a lower middle class background, and due to the above average income I get via my job in IT industry, I can raise my children to resemble upper middle class. Therefore I may not be the best person to judge if ESE functions as a race or not. If you are ESE, and if you claim it a race, a non-ESE like me will have to take your word for it.
True and thats because he’s racist not Sinhalist …
The thing is you raise your children with thought processes resembling your own. English has nothing to do with it.
Colombo is full of wannabe ESEs who made it easy for me to walk away with the Sinhala prize in school.
Your particular ESEness is what probably makes this blog popular, because it’s a different perspective of the peculiarities and hilarious contradictions in our society. Still, you may be missing out on a plethora of experiences for lack of command of the vernacular.
I couldn’t agree more!
“you may be missing out ”
There is no ‘may’ here Shammi, he IS missing out on a plethora of experiences.
Not all of them necessarily good.
You’re right. A few situations come to mind, and I’d hate to be the cop who arrests Indi if I didn’t have any English.
Why? Anyway, most cops can’t speak much English…
I had this image of your everyday cop trying to get through to an uncomprehending Indi, which would be frustrating ‘cos they wouldn’t be brave enough to dole out their usual treatment to ‘ESE’.
I used to feel sorry for the cops, but once had to make a complaint, and even with my excellent Sinhala, they just smiled and discussed at length among themselves and said they would look in to it soon. It took seven unpleasant visits to the station before we could convince them to intervene, by which time the damage had already been done. I would love to see the tables turned.
I don’t think cops are intimidated by people just because they don’t seem to be able to speak Sinhala any more. Perhaps 50 years ago, but not anymore.
Now it will just be a case of “Therenne ne??! Enang yung kooduwata. Naththang kshanikawa rupiyal panseeyak deela palayang”
My interaction with cops has been minimal, so I’ll take your word.
But I clearly saw the difference in the treatment they meted out to people who visited the station while I was there. Long story..
I’m sure.
Another thing you can be sure of is that money talks, and that the Sri Lanka Police seem to understand money extremely well.
I guess English has lost its importance but not yet its prestige no. Most of the Ese are probably living off ancestral wealth. In some sort of post colonial dream state. Their kids will move abroad and eventually a new class of Ese will take over. Maybe they will be the Sinhala speaking ese. But one set of elites give away to another. I am guessing the future ese will be not much different from the current
you are quite correct. Most of the Eses are living off ancestral wealth. I dont know and cannot comment that new generation of Ese would be similarly well off compared to their ancestors. One example would be, if you were drive around colombo 7 see how many lands got sub divided and lost beauty of the original house. See some houses need major renovations…
I have a simple question (if you don’t mind). if you’re based in Colombo, sure what prevents you from learning Sinhala? It’s definitely not that difficult, and I wonder why you (& many other people out there) say ‘oh I can’t speak Sinhala’….does this imply an ‘unwillingness’ to learn Sinhala and be at ease with that language?
I think the answer to that, is laziness… Same thing when you ask local school kids to learn three languages. Not everyone has a desire to be multilingual.
But given that, I think everyone should have some basic level knowledge of Sinhala and Tamil, especially the Ese.
Chutak wath you know kunjam kunjam…
Shouldn’t Indi have the freedom to operate solely in English if he wants to? He seems to get by, and also observe well enough to write a neat blog.
I just thought he was missing out on things, like the cartoons in the Sinhala dailies. Maybe even some interesting folklore. For instance, Did he know that Ritigala Jayasena who comments above is actually the bloodthirsty demon “Mahasona” who lurks around dark lonely places terrorising villagers? On the other hand, he’s taught me a few things about the characters of Ramayana.
No one is stopping him… I agree with what you say and in addition to missing out on that stuff, what about conversing with fellow man? Specially the everyday folk… He’s always complaining about the uneducated “masses”, but writes his blog only in English and can only communicate in English… that to me is some what sad.
Good thing he’s not a politician, or else he’ll be the likes of Rohitha Bogollagama and Ranil, who both fail because of their inability to associate with society at large.
Bogllagama is a prat! Wonder what’s become of him? Looks like he’s already history.
It’s actually a well developed and complex language just as Tamil is. It’s also unique, you think that someone who claimes to be proud to be Sinhalese, who says he is trying to help his country through it’s difficulties by using the power of the pen would leave behind the bimbos he hands out with at bare-foot and reach out to genuine Sinhalese young minds by LEARNING HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM ON THEIR ON LEVEL ….
Nahhh not Indi. I’m Tamil but I see and accept that Sri Lanka is home to a unique and defined nation. It and it’s people need to be true to the principals of being an ancient civiliazation, culture and of course Buddhism.
While ever we are subjugated by false gods and prophets who take advantage, we are all lost and so is our country.
Errr … of course and someone of us need to remember that the country Sri Lanka has also always been shared.
The sooner the “Eses” burger off the better. They should take Ranil with them and retire in some lower middle class suburb in the outskirts of Washington DC, Melbourne, Toronto or London.
Remember the most effective weapon the British ever used was the principal of “divide and rule” … let’s move on because the way of the future is not competition it’s co-operation.
… and of course, one does have to stop killing one’s neighbour just because he’s not exactly like you …
Tamil is not a “well developed language” in my opinion. Tamil can’t even differentiate between the sounds “ba” and “va” or “ka” and “ga” or “cha” and “sa” or “mat” and “mutt” or “bat” and “butt” etc etc. I find it to be a deficient language.
You’re a complete and utter imbecile, Ruki.
Ruki,
Sinhala doesn’t differentiate between the ‘W’ and ‘V’ sounds. The Eses never fail to snigger when someone struggles with his/her ‘O’s. There’s no ‘Z’ sound at all. The ‘F’ sound is only a recent introduction, and many still haven’t mastered its usage. So by your standards, Sinhala is a depicient language too.
I believe that Japanese has an even smaller stock of sounds than either Sinhala or Tamil. And we all know how undeveroped they are.
Honestly, the most ‘deficient’ language I’ve come across has to be english.
Look if a language can’t make out the difference between sounds such as “babaa” and “papaa” or “silly” and “chilly” or “chap” and “sap” or “sat” and “cat” (actually Tamil can’t even properly write out those two words as it can only put out “sup” and “sut” as replacements) it is deficient. As for sounds like “bra”, “pra”, “kra”, “tra”, “sra”, “vya”, “bya”, “pya”, “tya”, “nya” and every single aspirated consonant like Dha, Bha, Gha Tamil FAILS as well.
So yeah, I think Tamil is a deficient language.
Rajivmw, I idly wondered about your usage of the word deficient above… couldn’t decide whether it was a typo or intentional :)
Anyway, there is very little point arguing the relative merits and deficiencies of a language in this context. If we were in some kind of linguistic class, perhaps. If we were a newly formed, truly international body trying to work out which of the major languages was most suited, in terms of the logic it employed, the clarity in which it allowed a point or concept to be expressed (with the least amount of ambiguity), for important documents or contracts to be drafted in, perhaps (incidentally the UN has obviously found itself in this position in the past and seems to favour the French language).
But in this context it is a moot point really, because we’re stuck with two of the languages used in our country for historical and cultural reasons, and the third language is used in our country is the only truly international language in widespread use in this country.
Lets face it. We need English. Everyone in Sri Lanka should try to learn English. Forget the fact that we need it when dealing with people from overseas – we need it if we are to progress within our own country. For example, I don’t think you’ll find many top CEO’s in SL who cannot converse or write in English.
However with regards to this whole “ESE” debate, I have to say that I personally regard some Sri Lankan people who choose to only speak in English, in order to somehow differentiate themselves from the masses, with contempt.
Please note the use of the word “some” in the sentence above – I personally wouldn’t apply this to everyone who could only converse in English, for example, this Indi fellow. However, I would strongly recommend that he went and taught himself some Sinhalese and Tamil, given his chosen line of work.
And I still think Ruki is a complete and utter imbecile, and a troublemaker. It is people like him (or her if that’s the case, although I’m beginning to favour “it” in reference to people like this) that cause problems in a country like ours, who choose to add fuel to the fire of racial tensions and hatred at every given opportunity.
Have a cry Mahinda. I’m entitled to my opinion and if you don’t like it feel free to go and suck on an egg. I think the Tamil language is deficient and I also think it is a particularly ugly sounding language.
Yes you are, as am I, and I have aired my opinion on you above. In summary, you’re a foolish bigot.
None of your comments have ever made me want to cry, much less want to suck on an egg…
Why would anyone want to suck on an egg? Have you heard of Salmonella?
Well, purely aestheticall speaking tamil does sound a bit ugly. So does Sinhala. Hindi sounds nice.
hmmm
:) That hmm was Fun..ny!
The aesthetics of Sinhala & Tamil would depend on the tone of delivery as well, while even a tonguelashing in Hindi might sound nice when you don’t understand it.
Well thanks Mahinda, just so you know I think you are a right royal twat. Now go and cry me a river. I think Tamil is a FUGLY sounding language and that is my personal opinion. Your yapping and prattling ain’t gonna change that.
No, Ruki. I didn’t expect I could change you. You’re a lost cause.
Then stop whining like a banshee on heat will ya.
Look what I found, indi speaking Sinhala… trying to at least… You don’t even know how to say “throw up” in Sinhala… and I thought my Sinhalese was bad…. You’ve made my day fool!
http://vimeo.com/1992417
After seeing Indi in action, I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s one scrawny little faggot…
Da problem with dat video is basic dishonesty. Indi, bein a chap dat writes to the Leader n whateva, is it ok to put up blatant lies like dat
Two girls one cup is not about vomit mi friend
Say what? How is he being dishonest?
In the video linked above, Indi directly misleads with his explanation of ‘Two girls one cup’ being about vomit n tis not!
U don’t need to be a political anal cyst to kno dat!
lol… I think he “lied” to her for good reason… no matter how scrawny indi is and what languages he speaks or his political affiliations, he’s one of us nae… adu ganna ou lankaweta awith mokak hari karanewa nae… unlike some people who get state education and go out of Sri Lanka and don’t even look back… I think you’re jealous of Indi…
“mokak hari” can be either bad or good..
I think it gives balance. Good for one person can be bad for another. That’s how a country should be run… opposing political forces get their turns.
But one things for sure, there has to be a common ground… like our sovereignty for example.
I’ll be brutally honest, but I think a lot of the kalu suddas are actually a fucking pain in the ass and a drag on Sri Lanka. The sooner they can be exterminated, the better.
You should watch Two Guys and One Horse
Look guys let’s me fair to Indi. He grew up in Canada. So he wasn’t probably exposed to the language until much later on in his life. Most people learn their languages through practicing it and using it from a very young age. if you’re not exposed to the language at a young age it becomes pretty difficult for you to grasp a language later on in life. This is probably more true for a native english speaker trying to grasp sinhala which looks far more sophisticated and fundamentally different
Not necessarily. I know a man in his mid 20′s who lived all his life in the UK. He speaks better Sinhala than I do, albeit with a funny accent. There’s nothing wrong with not being able to speak Sinhala, except that what most of us here are trying to point out is that Indi’s case, he is missing out on a lot of things being unable to communicate with certain people, which might affect his political analysis and outlook on life in Sri Lanka in general.
Well, I was referring to all the people who were making fun of indi for being a crappy Sinhala speaker. Cut the poor guys some slack.
“he wasn’t probably exposed to the language ” – either that or his parents were half-arsed in teaching him Sinhala?
Hmm…
It’s probably better if indi responds to this in person
It is Indi’s so called ‘Ese’ race that has helped to develop this country in every sphere. If not for them Sri Lanka would still be floundering aimlessly. The level of badly hidden jealousy of the ‘Yako’ classes is very evident in most of the comments put up here. For all you ‘Ese’ haters, just cos you envy us, doesn’t mean we’re going away anytime soon. This present ‘Yako’ culture will soon consume itself in a ‘dog eat dog’ frenzy and the ‘Ese’ class will be there to take our rightful place in running this country! :)
He he..
We have a comedian in the house
Not really, the ESEs were shown the door at independence and they are pretty powerless politically. The fact that the ESEs use the term “yako” to refer to the non-ESEs just goes to show their depraved mentality.
The ‘Yako’ reference is used in the original post, hence the use of it in my comment. Either way, I believe it is a very apt description of the present day ruling classes. As for the ESEs being politically powerless, you would be surprised as to how much string pulling is going on behind closed doors! :)
Actually, no .. the ESEs are desperate for some strings to pull… and there is not many, especially under this administration. That is why they are so pissed off and whining day in and day out. The ESE’s default party the UNP is in the doldrums and shows no sign of recovering from the ass raping it received from the SLFP.
UNP isn’t the default party of ESE. UNP is the default party of the wealthy business owners as well as upper class sri lankans. And these seem to spawn alot of ESE. But the majority of these ESE are the ones who think the last E is an entitlement that comes free with the first E. These are also the type that mindlessly ape the popular liberrazzi western ethos without comprehension or reflection, much like the monkeys in the ‘thoppi welenlda’ story. In short this is the bourgeoisie of Sri Lanka. every country has them, an unavoidable by product of capitalist economies.
It is these morons that are getting kicked out.
Oops! i pressed ‘add comment’ by mistake.
Anyways. The ‘Yaka’ type people are always jealous of bourgeoisie, and bourgeoisie always look down upon the Yaka type. But in reality substituting one for another really doesn’t change things, both social classes are useless moronic drones without any real capacity to change things for the better or for worse. And both have done nothing for the country except fill there assigned economic roles and whine like little bitches when shit doesn’t fly there way. What you see today is shit supposedly flying the way of the Yaka’s, hence the incessant bitching of the ‘ESEs’ about this and that.
The people who have actually changed this country, for better or for worse, are also ESE but they’re tend to be Elite first and consequently speak English. People shouldn’t think this type is interchangeable with the bourgeoisie, although there is an intersection of the two types. The ones that matter are these type of people and you can find them running the show in every government in Sri Lanka. The present regime is no different, despite the popular sentiment that the PA is run by a bunch ‘goday veddahs’ the reality is much different, you need to scratch the surface for these people emerge.
“Not really, the ESEs were shown the door at independence and they are pretty powerless politically.”
Lol, lemme guess, you were born in the ’80s or ’90s, right, Ruki? In reality, SL has been governed and controlled by the English-speaking elite throughout the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and into the ’90s. Premadasa was probably the first middle- or working-class prez. Letting the masses think they were truly the decision-makers has obviously been successful. The Rajapkasa seniors may not be part of Indi’s ESE’s, but their children clearly are, and if this dynasty stays in power, we’ll eventually be back to the status quo — ESE’s rule, educate their kids, and run the show, while the masses think “apey minihek”. It’s mostly the same in the mercantile and private sector too. Have a good look at that glass ceiling.
Mrs B was not an ESE, and neither was Chandrika (Chandrika’s children yes, but not Chandrika). Ditto for JRJ, DB Wijetunga and Premadasa and Rajapaksa. On the other hand DS Senanayake and Mr B and Ranil they were/are ESEs of the hardcore variety. The ESEs are a desperate lot these days, political orphans whining and crying in the darkness.
Ruki, What the hell are you talking about? Chandrika, Sirimavo are ESE through & through.
And david is right, Premadasa is probably the first Non-ESE leader in this country. Mahinda was the next
Nope… SWRD Bandaranike was an ESE but not Mrs B or Chandrika. Chandrika did not speak in English to her mother and vice versa.
Chandrika was educated in Europe, if that’s not ESE, Ruki, I guess you don’t really understand the discussion. There’s also a lot more to being the above than what you talk at home. Even if Sirima wasn’t ESE, her entire administration was, which is the point. Premadasa’s and MR’s are not. Seen past the trees much, Ruki?
Chandrika went to the Sorbonne, enough said. I don’t think CB eseness is an open question.
Nope Chandrika was not an ESE. She was an SSE — just like her mother.
I suspect Chandrika is part of the even more rarified French Speaking Elite.
Yeah, the Sorbonne is the type of place where the European aristocracy send their daughters off to.
As I said, Ruki, you don’t understand the discussion — as usual.
Yeah, only you do David Blacker. YAWN.
I will sort of back up ruki on this because blacker can be a bit pompous, but I don’t like ruki so I’m going to add that I think ruki is a coconut donkey. There. I’ve pissed both of you off. Ok guys, feel free to take your best shot at me :)
To be honest, I’m not expecting much from ruki, but I would like to see you employ some of your creativity here, blacker ;)
The problem seems to be with the definition of what constitutes the ‘ese’ class, and also with the very term ese. The chief distinguishing aspects the class are their system of values and whole thought process even. This is not equivalent to just speaking English at home. You can be a Mahajanaya and speak English at home. A good example is Namal Rajapakse. I suppose Indi bring this out in a way with ‘the political class is basically Sinhala-Yakko which strangely raises Sinhala-Esé children’. A more accurate term for the ese would be Colonials.
its not that hard to learn a fucking language
i guess social ‘class’ pretty much sums it up
No it’s not and if you were committed to supporting and helping Sri Lanka surely you would when you are claiming to be a journalist promoting truth and reality in your country.
Indi not only needs to learn Sinhalese, he needs to learn Tamil and he needs to stop trying to take the mantle from others who do speak to everyone and therefore stand for everyone.
All through the elections he back a dud horse, Ranil (this time and last). Then he writes turncoat articles praising the current government but always sticking in some sort of a back-hand comment.
Then he rambles on as if he’s the big authority about Tamils and Burghers and Muslims and Vedhas and Norwegians …
I mean even Sittingnut is better to listen to sometimes.
No, if we are ever going to have peace and harmony bring back the “Eses” and kick out Indi.
Sadly, some people seem to be unable distinguish between the people who are elite merely because they speak English and the elite people who happen to speak English.
Very important distinction.
Yeah not many know of the likes of Ariyaseela Wickramanayake or Daya Gamage to name a few. These kinds of people are the real elite.
the eses as the ones complaining because Mahinda Mama told the west to fuck off.
if you really want to face the blowing wind, shut the fuck up about a dying language and learn Mandarin
Totally agree with your first line. The ESEs are such whiny little bitches, its funny to watch them cry, and moan, and beat their breasts in agony.
The second line, not too sure about…
good point.
I meant hombre, not Ruki, in ref to his second point.
Oh wow. A series of rash, broad generalisations – both in post and in comments.
Just one example : ‘Most of the Eses are living off ancestral wealth.’ – Wow. Really?
I think many of you have some archaic understanding of what it means to be English-speaking. It really no longer means that -
a) one is wealthy
b) one is from a wealthy family
I think speaking English has little to do anymore with wealth or social hierarchy – I think it’s much less exclusive now. I think you are mistaking the English-speaking ‘elite’ for a different kind of wealthy, urban elite, which definitely exists, but for whom speaking English is no longer really a defining characteristic but just one in a number of defining characteristics.
But speaking only English is one of those defining characteristics?
Screw the ese and screw everyone else… I’d like to see a Sri Lanka where people don’t feel superior or inferior (depending on who you’re talking of) based on the way people are dressed, the amount of money they have or the languages they speak.
It seems some people need to learn how to respect themselves more, while some others need to learn how to respect other people more.
After all this is all our home, is it not?
Yes it is. But the ESEs think that they own everything and everyone else.
Typical bourgeoisie sentiment. The yako’s also carry very similar sentiments
I think the head of the bourgeoisie in Sri Lanka – Ranil Wickremasinghe – should be sent to the gallows as an example to the rest of the ESEs. He decapitated body should then be pelted with cake.
A party like the UNP which has extremely deep pockets and one that fervently endorses laissez-faire economics is never run by the bourgeoisie. Like I said the bourgeoisie despite their wealth are rarely a main player in politics. The UNP is run by big shot cooperations. I can safely say there are a couple of business men in sri lanka that can make the UNP top brass bark like dogs if they wanted to. Ranil may not even that much control of what is going on anyway.
Mahinda has similar “business men” behind him too… from what I hear, certain of these business men played a double game in 2005 elections (supporting both sides with huge sums of money), and Mahinda just turned his back on them.
mahinda was smarter. He managed grant certain favors to certain people which in turn enabled these people to climb to the corporate ladder. Which in turn meant that mahinda has people in places that owe him favors. The man is sly as a fox, I tell you.
Agree with TWOTD again in the last post above. Lots of people, especially in the UNP camp think that Mahinda Rajapakse is as dumb as a tack, but he isn’t. Mahinda has actually been butt fucking (pardon my French) the UNP ever since he popped on the scene and the UNPers still think that they can take him on with Ranil.
That’s why people who can do things, should try to make their peace with Mahinda and try to do some good for themselves and the Country. There are people who do just that, I know certain directors of well known charities, who are as noble as they come, and they get Mahinda’s support to get things done. So it’s not all so bad…
But at the same time, we need people like Indi, because an opposition is necessary, too much power is not a good thing.
That said, if indi spoke some Sinhala, I’m sure he’ll reach out to far more people than a select few Ese… he’s preaching to the choir… lol…
Actually, there are a lot of ESEs who don’t agree with Indi’s views.
I thought it was implied that those Ese are not the “pure” kind.
Why do the commenters on here not know how to disagree without being completely disagreeable? The personal attacks on Indi are completely unnecessary
And face it, if you are a Sri Lankan on the internet, responding to a blog in Englilsh, you are definitely part of a very small elite (whether you were born into it or not). I’m not sure how much any of you can speak for the masses. You all probably have far more in common with Indi than you do with the average Sri Lankan.
You make a good point. We really are a belligerent bunch. We do spend a lot of time pissing each other off. I guess its a sri lankan quality…
Aney me, nikang innawa pandithayek novi.
Aney, me, gihilla paththakata wela hitapang, baila dodawanne nethuwa.
Gihing thoge ammage sariya asse ringaganin
Looks like you touched a nerve there, Al.
You see, Ruki, we’re proving this buggers point for him.
aney aththada???
Ruki,
Weren’t you brought up not to drag parents in an argument? Don’t you understand each language is unique in its sounds and by the same token your own language might seem funny or ‘ugly-sounding’ to an American or French?
You’d do well to stop trying to fuck your own ass & switch your frickn brains on.
I don’t give a fuck if each language is “unique in its sounds.” Tamil is a FUGLY language to ME. It just is not a pleasant language to listen to. Other languages that I think are fugly are German and Dutch. Although I dont think they are as ugly sounding as Tamil. Tamil is just a butt ugly language. Others may have a different opinion.
I remember Tamils writing into the TV times magazine of The Sunday Times asking why Hindi films were shown when there were Tamil alternatives. They queried why Tamil alternatives couldn’t be screened, and for these to be subtitled in Sinhala. The truth is most Sinhalese find Hindi to be a faaaaaaar more beautiful language than Tamil to listen to. Plus North Indians are a heck of a lot better looking.
You’d do well to pull your thumb out of your ass and suck it good.
Who said you are an elite? To me you are a son of ordinary Sri Lankan parents. Not an elite….
There are many types of elite. The type you mention is just one. The snobbish type. I think Indi has categorised himself based on the criteria he has outlined in the post.
What I would call a true elite would not depend upon who their parents were but on how inspiring a human being they were.
Indi could very well aspire to be one of them. His heart seems to be in the right place.
Oh, the above was a response for Shan, and Shan, don’t you see that the picture Indi presented of the ESE was more of a caricature than anything else? Looks like he was laughing at himself mostly, not being pompous.
Just wondering shammi,
Do you know this indi personally?
No, not at all, but whether I did or not what does it have to do with anything? What makes you ask?
Just curious…
Didn’t mean to offend.
Ehenam kamak ne.
I think we should take some of this stuff and create a forum. That allows for better discussion and more mature dialog. What do you guys think
Count me out of that one. I’m often told that I’m absolutely incapable of mature dialogue!
This is sort of a forum, isn’t it?
What I mean is that Indi posts something, everyone has a quick read, then starts using this space to air their own views and spread their own message or start their own little (quite often completely unrelated) arguments or whatever…
Its got an organic quality, which I think is quite nice…
Yeah, I seem to be enjoying it too, considering the number of times I visit the blog. Probably too much.
The thing is with a forum it’s easy to discuss things and reply properly, indi’s reply system is a little broken. you can also start your own threads instead of spinning Indi’s work all over the place. This makes tracking conversations much easier. Sometimes it’s annoying tracking a conversation on Indi.ca because of the way discussion tabs are organized. Plus there is something like 500 discussion on one page, which is bit of a cluster fuck. Also it can be properly moderated to kick out all these trolls and racists.
Don’t have the faintest about how it’s done. But sounds good to me.
But this might upset indi, no?
Cos it will reduce traffic to the site and hence his potential google adsense earnings…
Speaking of which, who clocked the “Ultra-Modern Spoken English Program with ACCENT Training” ad that appears under this ese post?!
Why should it upset indi. There are literally thousands of blogs in Sri lanka. IMHO, another forum isn’t going to significantly change the landscape.
Ad sense money? Where are the ads on this site? I don’t see any…
I don’t see any ads either.
Look harder.
Right below the actual post.
I bet this is upsetting indi, the fact that no one has noticed the damn ads ;)
Indi, can I have a commission for pointing them out to people? Say 10%?!
No, I still don’t see a thing. Someone must have kindly fixed me with a filter or some such.
So Dodo, Are you still gonna set up this forum thing? Things are pretty dull around here these days, aren’t they?
Oh right. Sorry. They are there tho. Honest :)
mahinda’s right, there are some ads on indi.ca. They’re there in between the actual article and the comments section. Shammi, i can setup a forum. What type of forum do you guys want.
There are types? No point asking a complete technophobe like me. You should probably keep me away from the site if there’s any danger of someone completely destroying it by pressing a couple of wrong keys. I’m sure to stumble upon the very combination. But pls. dont.
Does it take a lot of work?
About not seeing the ads, could it be due to archaic hardware/software? No? Then it must be my eyesight.
I only see three lines below the post:
1. The date and categories of related posts
2. The titles of the previous and subsequent posts
3. Link to ‘ RSS feed / Trackback URI’
Below that is the no. of comments and the comments themselves. Wonder what Rangouk sees? Maybe the info will help Indi correct it if he wants to.
Does it take a lot of work to setup the forum, I mean.
Shammi, your browser may have an ad blocking software installed. as for the forum, i was talking about content and the type of atmosphere you guys would like to set. we can have a very unmoderated forum like 4chan where anything goes or we can have a modded forum with posting rules. I’d also like some input on the type of boards people like subject matter wise
I think you should do what you feel is best where moderation is concerned.
Indi.ca seems to cover a broad range of subjects, which is rather nice, as you never know what the next post is going to be about. (He hasn’t posted a thing for a week though)
I like politics, the economy, current affairs, behaviour, the natural sciences, anthropology, archaeology and history to name a few. Let’s see what the others have to say.
I was joking, my friend.
btw will you let me on your new forum or will you kick me off for being a troll/racist? ;)
You get three strikes. But honestly I’d keep you around for shits & giggles. :p
That’s mighty white of you, buddy ;)
It’s alright, i am not know for my charity
Do we get to ask you why you think you’re a vanishing breed?
err… vanishing breed??!
TWOTD… the same way, to eventual extinction.
Uh-oh! looks like that one’s classified under ‘troll’. : (
http://trollcats.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/requires_no_caption_trollcat.jpg
Dodo I’m sending you these :)))) for the adorable trollcat, since my reply is not registering there.
Hey mommy! daddy! tell us how you met again! please! please!
Well kids, see there was this blog that belonged to uncle indi…
I joke, I joke, I kid, I kid. If I offend, I’m sorry please, please forgive ;)
And then there was this awful, evil wizard ……
Don’t mind him Dodo, He’s just jealous ‘cos he could never think up such a sweet gesture. You may send me any number of cute trollcats.
And Mahinda, I’m already telling my kids a different story.
:)
Oh you’re already a mommy, eh? Would never have guessed!
Oh? But there was never any need for you to guess was there? Besides, I’ve already mentioned my kids on this blog a couple of times. Sorry you weren’t tuned in.
[...] now, some of the English Speaking Elite (ESE) media is almost entirely negative towards the government. Many diaspora Tamils are still [...]