Comments on: We are the World, We are South Asian

By: DesiDudeInAustin

DesiDudeInAustin — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 04:04:46 +0000

anyway, tomatoh tomatoh (i dont really know the other ways its pronounced)

tuh-may-toe

By: ajax

ajax — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 03:37:10 +0000

antibiotics? yeah. sasa...was off the chain and true story- one of myfriends came back with a souvenir. but i don't think anyone learned that much.

on a different tip, anna, i'm real sorry to hear about your loss. keep ya head up, lady.

By: Sahej

Sahej — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 03:26:43 +0000

I'm sorry, in the context of your post Anna, me disagreeing with your feeling on not looking american (to others) is not something I can actually disagree with, as its your feelings

but just that its related, but i don't feel that people assume i was not born in the us. ok, old fogeys yes, but people my age saw me and my sou/indi/brown pals grow up with them so they aren't like that for the most part

anyway, tomatoh tomatoh (i dont really know the other ways its pronounced)

By: daycruz

daycruz — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 03:26:02 +0000

Guys, time to move on- all the cool people have already left this post behind...

then why am i here?

weird..

By: DesiDudeInAustin

DesiDudeInAustin — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 02:49:40 +0000

Razib makes a good point in post 189. It is just that we need not choose from between a South Asian or an Indian identity. There are times when one emerges more strongly than the other and that depends on the context. For instance, at a Pakistani or Srilankan restaurant, or at my Bangladeshi grocer who is the only person in town that stocks fresh-water fish, I feel a deeper richer subcontinental connection with all the brown people around me. The fact that they are Pakistani or Indian or Bangladesi seems immaterial. We share the same values, music, culture and food. And being in America, anything that even remotely approximates Indian culture seems so refreshingly nice. At times, I have even spotted cognates of Hindi words in Farsi and Arab songs that some of my labmates play.

But, I guess being a first genner, my national identity is something I cling to as dearly as my passport. I guess it sort of comes out when someone disses India or Indians -- I don't think I would react as viscerally if someone were to similarly diss any other subcontinental nation. Yes, I would be offended, but I would take offense intellectually. I would claim discrimination -- and shout foul-play. But I would be led by my principles and my intellect. Or for instance in a cricket match when I would definitely cheer India over any other country -- even though cricket is not my favourite sport.

I think the texture that other commentators have spoken of can be best understood when I cheer for India along with all these other people sitting on one side of the Pakistani restaurant while the SriLankans/Pakistanis/Bangladeshi's cheer for the opposing team from the other side of the aisle. Yeah, and they make a terribly spicy (don't knock me on this one guys) Rogan Josh too!

By: Deepa

Deepa — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 02:00:57 +0000

…antibiotics?

By: ajax

ajax — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 01:07:14 +0000

ditto, eddie. this type of discussion is why i went to sasa…except all i got there was a hangover. mad props to sepia mutiny for giving us so much to think of. i don’t know what side i’m on but the next time someone asks me what i am…i’ll have to think about it. sepiamutiny- all the knowledge, none of the drama\antibiotics (of sasa)

By: Eddie

Eddie — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 23:05:11 +0000

Wow. Aside from the below-the-belts on both sides : "addle-brained, bigoted, myopic, megalomaniacal," this has been a very informative thread. There is passion on both sides here. In fact, this has the makings of an emerging intra-brown culture war. As sidharta said, this isssue is far from settled.

Suresh (#108), thanks for the reference, I'll check it out.

By: DesiDancer

DesiDancer — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 19:54:24 +0000

it seems this post now leads, as the last post with the most comments, was closed for commenting at 213.

Again, another lovely "identify my way or else" thread... [sigh]

By: Msichana

Msichana — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 17:08:36 +0000

What's the record for most Sepia comments?

My guess is that this post is in the running...It has been pretty well, eventful.

Anna,

Talk about a small world...and don't ask how this came about. I was partying at 'Cloud' in Dupont Circle on Friday when my husband started talking to some girl about SM. Turns out, she knows you. Her name is Sophia and I think she said that she was from Atlanta. Rings any bells?