Comments on: The age at when you learn what’s what

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:37:57 +0000

i think that is interesting story but the intent in story is qiuet simple and dull.I want the story have more funny.By all means,i felt so comforttable when i read this story.Thanh you so much

By: Ironik

Ironik — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:33:32 +0000

Tip from brown goldiggers anonymous : Find the [preferrably brown] rich dude and get him to bail you out.

By: ZacharyLatif

ZacharyLatif — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:10:31 +0000

Your story reminds me of what my Russian friend A did for my Indian friend S.

A set S up with a colleague of her, who eventually became her husband.

I asked A what made her think that the two would be suitable and she simply said "they're both brown".

So sometimes I guess it does work.

By: sneilly

sneilly — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 02:35:23 +0000

I forgot to add, they also love to pair up Indians with Malays. That is to say, they see an Indian within 5 metres of an opposite sex Malay, and start giggling and nudging you to be an item with the Malay. Yes, both Indians and Malays are brown, but then again, you could just as well say that both Malays and Chinese are yellowish. Culturally, I don't see any strong similarities between the Indians and Malays here; the two ethnic groups are separate for the most part.

This is the extent of their idiocy; it's baffling and depressing.

By: sneilly

sneilly — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 02:24:30 +0000

I was born and raised in Singapore, and I too keep facing this pairing up of browns, whether it's at school, work or social situations. Over here, it's not just an innocent assumption that an indian would naturally have things in common with an indian. Rather, it's a source of endless amusement (esp. for some of the Chinese*) to pair up random browns together; brown love is apparently that hilarious. (Actually, all things Indian are the object of ridicule here in Singapore.) Even though I have a preference for Indian men, this joke really gets on my nerves; there's something very racist and juvenile about it. I don't understand why this joke tickles their funny bones so much; all I know is, too many people here suffer from low EQ and lack of empathy. Thinking back, the random Indian dudes I was matchmade with had nothing in common with me and we barely spoke; usually, the matchmakers themselves only knew both parties on a very superficial level. I guess when you see two brown people within 5 metres of each other, the urge to snigger about them as a couple can be irresistably strong.

There's also a trend here where some Indians avoid socialising with other Indians, especially among the more educated males. It's the exception rather than the norm, but I have a strong suspicion that it has something to do with wanting to avoid the usual pairing up jokes.

(*To be fair, I've met plenty of gracious, intelligent, anti-racist Chinese people here; they're not at all uncommon.)

By: Joe Jake

Joe Jake — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:33:35 +0000

Awesome post! I do wish commenters will share their experiences in this context. I moved to the US when I was 21, so don't have any similar experiences to share.

But the take way seems to be that we are shaped by others view of us. Abhi was very shocked by the others associating him with brown when he was 10 - and is now an active participant on all things 'brown'.

By: kaushik

kaushik — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:37:57 +0000

nice one thanks for uploading keep up and keep posting…

By: Arti K

Arti K — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:25:31 +0000

That’s a great story, and an even better telling of it. I can see why it was a watershed moment for you. Even as an adult though, people don’t stop playing out these assumptions. For example, I work in the financial services industry. Every place I have worked, I usually end up being friends with at least one Indian person, but that’s not the story. Regardless of how many other friends I make at this workplace, I better be ready to explain to every one of them why I don’t want to be married to my one co-worker who also happens to be Indian. People don’t even hesitate to ask any more. Weird.

By: ZacharyLatif

ZacharyLatif — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:44:14 +0000

Very different to the British experience where “culture” is much more operative than race. Frankly until I moved to Britain I had no understanding of what “Brown” meant. But what I love about Britain is that they’re so many Asians here I’m never home-sick for the Desh. Also “Asian” (which means Indian not Chinese here) culture being so dominant here that the Muzzers (Muslims) are divided into two cohorts. The Goodness Gracious Me generation, when we were all Asian (http://www.google.co.uk/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=goodness+graciousness+me&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&channel=suggest) and you know you were in because you knew what Chaddis meant.

Then its the post 9-11 generation where now the anti-racism politics have been completely replaced, now we have Sikh Muslim violence being actively baited (when social workers and Brit govt policy was precisely to damp down that communal violence).

Sorry for the rant but I love being British Asian; I find the condescending attitudes of elite peers from India & Pakistan looking down at the Diaspora to be super-annoying. As a person of Pakistani origin it is now the diaspora that’s the most exciting place to be.

By: Alina

Alina — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:45:15 +0000

the comments are a disappointment. Lots of brown losers bragging about their romantic liaisons with whites.

Haha literally no one here has done that, which leaves only 2 options: - Not so good with the Angrezi bro? - you’re a bitter virgin who spends his time trolling the internet for attention…i mean why would brown folk dare to date non-browns when there’s clearly indian stud machines like raj available? pshh must be losers! better blame it on whitey, however irrelevant it may be here…