Dear NRIs and ABCDs,
Not all of you. Just the stupid ones, read on.
Here are some things you should know in order to not appear like the self-centered, ignorant dimwits you seem to be right now.
1. India has a postal system, has had one for decades. No you don't have to mark your envelopes to be delivered to "the first left after the chicken farm." A simple address with the pin code, or zip code if you please, will suffice.
2. We know English. No, we don't type on keyboards with Hindi characters. We could if we wanted to, though.
3. Yes, we can sell your stuff to someone in your country, while sitting comfortably in our own, and get you to pay us to do it because apparently, you aren't smart enough to do it yourself. All this, while using "your" language, because the English, of course, have nothing to do with English. What a ridiculous thought!
4. A hungry tiger does not racially discriminate. Stop asking me if I have tigers in my neighbourhood. If it's hungry, it's going to come get me. It doesn't care if it's my country's national animal.
Oh, and by the way, I don't expect you to know everything about India, just in case that's the impression you got. It's completely acceptable that you know zilch about my country, but have the audacity to say so.
If you happen to be among the few who do know something about it, feel free to criticize it all you want. Take a stab at its poverty, caste system, corruption, stench, pollution and any other stereotypical argument you can make. Heck, I'll even join you. But for heaven's sake, say something smart and well-informed. That's really all I ask for.
Get your head out of the 1960s. Wake up.
Until the next time you make me mad,
Your Average Indian.
20 people had something to say:
Oh C'mon! You didn't have fun going to school on an elephant?
And you're an Indian woman who's talking about work? Aren't women in your country not allowed to work?
/Ignoramus-American-Economics-Student
Tell 'em girlfriend!
@ Purely Narcotic: Hahaha, you could put them to shame..
@ Ayeshoo: Sorry about the rant today :P
Ahh,now that reminds me of some ABCD's(American born confused Desis) I encountered!
Trust me,they were clicking photos of the lights and fans on the train coz they were 'pleasantly surprised' to find that we had electricity in areas other than the Metros!
And it's ironic they are such firm crusaders on globalization!! :D :D
I have very mixed feelings about the whole thing. The whole, but you-speak-such-good-English thing.
See, I firmly believe - not without reason - that the average American is *extremely* ignorant. That's a fact. Blame it on whatever, their location sitting where they never historically have had to worry about anyone else in the world or what have you - they really don't know much. Not even about their own country.
Once I tell myself that, forgiveness comes easy and I entertain their questions just as I would of a curious 5 year old. Patiently, and without using very large words :)
As for the surprise with good English, I mean, I live in a fairly diverse place, and people from other countries do speak crappy English (or engrish, if you please :P). They don't look at it as "Indian speaking good English", its more like, "foreigner speaking good English". Which always surprises them. And even among Indians, they find certain accents easier to interpret than others, so maybe before you they only knew bengali-english, or andhra-english, or punjabi-english or something, and yours just came as a surprise, you know? I like giving them benefit of the doubt as much as I can, it keeps my blood pressure in check :)
I had a few friends who'd been interning there all summer...and I don't have a good opinion of the country at all. :D Most of our discussions were punctuated with "Yaar itne c****** kaise ho sakte hain!?" :D
And firangs who come to India are seriously stupid...a large percentage of them...
Wow!
I've begun to look forward to your posts.. :)
@ Dark Side: I know what you mean. I've been lucky to make some smart ABCD friends who actually know something about their countries of origin. But besides them, oh well, I don't want to go there :P
@ Geetika: That's the thing! I'm totally okay with them not knowing anything. It's fine by me! But what I can't stand is when people pretend to know everything and haven't even read about the country ever, let alone visited it. Someone who doesn't know anything, and admits to not knowing, gets my respect.
@ Rene: I actually like the firangs who come over. They may not know much, but in most cases, they're there to find out more. They don't have to like India, but at least they bothered to find out, you know?
@ AD: I know, I know, I was angry. Gotta keep that in check.
@ Netika: And that's something you didn't do pehle? :P I'm kidding! You're checking in after really long! How've you been?
:)
No no.. You very infrequent in your posts so I never really got to see various shades in your writing but now that you're back to it, I like to read what you write :)
I've been Fine here.. I always have been :P
YOu temme ..how's life treating you ?
BTW, what are/were you studying ?
I havent really met any dumb Americans but we had this really dumb Brit exchange student over in our hospital last year.
And you know, Brits are like more knowledgeable about Indians you'd assume.
But no, this one was probably from the Dark Ages.
After a clinical discussion that he attended with us in which I'd been presenting a case, he turns to me and says, "Where'd you learn to speak such excellent English? I thought you guys only spoke in Indian."
I cudnt believe how ignorant and patronising that statement was, and told him, "Well, I was taught by the same lady that taught you to speak English. The Queen of England."
I dont think he liked me very much after that day. But it was so worth it, atleast I'd stopped him asking me if I had cows at home. :D
But felly, awesome awesome post..
I've so had it with trying to explain away the stereotype Indian all the time..
@ Netika: Life is busy, which explains the infrequent posting. I'm studying public relations. Btw, are you friends with Shivani on FB?
@ Tangled: I am trying not to get started here again. Trying really hard. :P
Also, remind me of the Russell Peters video where he tries to explain that there's no language called "Indian." haha :)
hehe.. nice one.
but ppl all over are like that- ignorant. what does the avg indian chokra think abt the gori? he think she's an easy lay. and why is that?
our perceptions are formed by our exposure. a person who has traveled around will obviously know more.
but the avg guy on the street any where in the world is an idiot. no doubt about it. yours truly included in that. :) try and adjust with us na... pleeech!
Hahaha, will try!
But you're right. I never thought about it that way. But I'll tell you this - America is in a position where it doesn't really *need* to know much about the rest of the world, so it can afford to be comfortably self-involved. Which is why I think the average Asian is more aware, and I know this is a huge generalization, than the average American.
It has a lot going on for itself, and that seems to be its biggest disadvantage at times.
Yups.. I do know her through FB? :)
hee hee. someone said something?
You go girl! Tell 'em who's the shorty!
Er... yeah I know it makes no sense. But you already know what I mean from your other blog.
@ Pankaj: Yeah. You know, from the other blog :P
@ Ramit: LOL, yes I know. Though shorty is a nice new nick name, hahaha.
Ha ha enjoyed reading that.
"the first left after the chicken farm." ....... people actuall write that ?
..... and 1960s ? No....I think it must have been somewhere in the 1940s
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