Indians !!!!
This morning was a lil late to work...had to rush. My mind was alive and ...kicking :)
Was hurrying down the stairs and a blonde fair-skinned lady was holding a tray filled with goodies, (looked like a nice morning meal) and taking the security personnel to task. Apparently he couldnt understand her language, even if he could he prolly couldnt have understood the accent. She was looking for a particular person and had no idea which block/flat the person was living in. She asked me, "Is this guy paid for not being able to give the information I need?". I told her she might have to go to the office to figure out where her so-called friend stayed and there is no way this guy wud be able to remember where each person stayed in 250 odd flats. She was exasperated, muttered a few curses and said "Awwww these F**king Indians!"
It took all of my self-control to not say "freaking DUMB Foreigner" { sorry but i think anyone would have reacted this way} and let that comment pass. I mean who asked her to venture out with food looking like a waitress without knowing where exactly or at least approximately her friend stayed? Instead of picking out on some confused and nervous guards. Those poor guys didnt even know what she was saying. I should have given her a piece of my mind, but instead I chose to ignore her. After all she was the one who was gonna look stupid.
Finally I had to rush, and chose to put it all behind me for the time being..at least. It wasnt working. The anger was still there. Sorry I had to take it out here. I am still not sure if I did the right thing.
Had me wondering on the way to office. Why do people the world over speak of Indians thus? Generalisation apart, why do these foreign people act all high and mighty? Why do they pretend they are doing us a favour when they actually ask us for directions or need help? And many Indians still are suckers for white skin. Many still seek to please these foreigners?
I wonder if many NRIs actually say "F**king Indians"(in a similar tone) when they come down to India?
Listening to: Yarron --KK
posted by Kiran @ 11:55 AM
4 Comments:
Your post made me upset. Not your opinions, but what that woman said. I'm not sure what an NRI is, but the idea of someone going into a country and insulting its people is offensive to me.
If (or when) I travel to India, I hope someone slaps me if I said something like that. (Which I wouldn't.)
Another issue is the language barriers. I live in an area that has a decent sized Hispanic population, and many of the Hispanic people who come into my job at the video store I work at speak little English. I'm torn by being frustrated with them for living in a country and not learning the language, but at the same time admire the idea that people come to the States to create a better life for themselves, regardless of the difficulties they may face, including language barriers. But I do think there's a certain responsibility that you have when either relocating or simply traveling to at least be able to have simple conversations with people in their native language.
Anyway, sorry you had to deal with all of that today. It's crap, really.
hey sara...
i am sorry for making u upset.. but trust me it really hurted me a lot.. one thing i dont appreciate is that she is here in india coz of her husbands job and y should she speak about indians that way..she has to live here.. infact she should try to know more about this place coz she has to live here for a few more yrs..
She comes often to our home and talks to my mom and has learnt a lot of indian dishes, and i too liked her a lot for that. but now after she said this thing it really hurt me
NRI- Non Resident Indian.. that means indians staying in foreign countries..
And hey sara.. u dont have to apologise for this.. life is a learning proces..we keep learning something or the other till we die.
take care
Kiran,
The idea that this woman has been a guest in your home and then made that comment is infuriating. Honestly, I don't understand how people can be so high and mighty when they clearly have no business in doing so. It's just rude.
I've been to India a few times. I'm not an Indian, but I have visited there. I was in Bangalore in December of '02 with my girlfriend. She was asking some guy for directions. He went (needlessly ?) well out of his way to help her. I noticed this more than once. That Indians seem to be in awe of the caucasians.
Most 'foreigners' as you so elquently put it do not act high and mighty. The problem is that a lot of the Indians think they are inferior to the Whites. Where else in the world do you get cosmetics to become fair?
Also, as Sara said, the language is definitely an issue. Though, I did always manage to get my point across. Most people seem to speak english.
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