my cousin just arrived in the U.S two weeks ago from India and people ask her the stupidest questions. Isn't India mainly desert? Did you ride an elephant to work? Are there snake charmers and palaces everywhere? WOW! I'm hoping this isn't what the average american thinks. Only the state of Rajasthan has some desert. Elephants are only in rajasthan mainly. Same with palaces and forts...Have americans seen pictures or videos of bangalore,hyderabad, mumbai and new delhi? If not check these..An example of growing India
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=+connaught++place&m=text
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=mumbai+skyline&m=text
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=India+malls&m=text
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=kolkata&page=2
Each country has good parts and bad parts. The media only shows the bad parts.
2007-02-09 04:33:08 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
I have been to Mumbai and Pune and thought there was a great deal of beauty and the people were very nice. I think that most Americans do lack some knowledge of other countries. It is sad that an understanding of great world cultures is not stressed enough in education here.
2007-02-09 04:39:14 · answer #1 · answered by Boilerfan 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, we don't all believe that. Maybe I could see a four year old asking that since his only exposure to India probably came from Disney's Jungle Book.
Some children are often petty and cruel, and will ask things like that, thinking that they are being funny and not an ignoramous.
Many of us on the other hand see it as what it is. An overly populated country with a new emerging middle class where companies have been putting IT jobs for cheaper labor.
Truthfully... All I want to know about India is what I hear from comedian, Russel Peters.
2007-02-09 12:40:14 · answer #2 · answered by Ryan 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
While it would be a broad generalisation and quite racist to say all Americans are ignorant, there is some truth to the claim. It is not so much ignorance, though, as the effects of being so insular. For example, only 10% of US citizens have passports. The World Series is only American teams. Having travelled quite extensively (including in India -- isn't Rajastan amazing -- loved Udaipur!), I've noticed the lack of Americans outside the US. If your entire experience of other cultures comes from the media, you're going to be biased at least, ignorant at most.
2007-02-09 12:39:21 · answer #3 · answered by lazer 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not all Americans are that way. Most Americans rarely travel more than 50 miles from their own homes. And then they sit and watch untold hours of non-sense type TV. But some of us appreciate all of the earth and just want to know what its like to live somewhere else. What is the stereotypical American in India? War pig? Oil tycoon? I'm sure you must have grown up with some pre-conceived notions of American life. Was everything as you expected it to be when you got here?
2007-02-09 12:41:05 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't generalize the whole population of America based on encounters with a few people. Sterotyping is nothing new, and it even happens among people of the same nationalities, but living in different regions. The media in any country is biased as well, so one has to be careful when making judgments.
2007-02-09 12:42:13 · answer #5 · answered by Pesto 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They were beautiful...yes it is sad that countries only are known for the negative media they see...It hurts that I as an American is judged by the trash they see on tv/computer....it is no wonder we are called Imbecile...I am a very kind loving person...but the world will not judge me as an individual...I am lumped in with all the garbage that is seen on tv...just because I live in America...it makes me sad.
2007-02-09 12:42:53 · answer #6 · answered by ticklemeblue 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How much do you know about the rest of the world,You probably only know what you have seen on the TV or in books,I have never been to a lot of country's so my image of them is what i see on TV and read about,People prob only asked your cousin about what they think they know about India..Don,t take thing,s so personally...
2007-02-09 12:42:48 · answer #7 · answered by Bella 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We Americans know more about you Indians than you can think off. We can check through Sattelite what you guys are doing. By the way, did you have to sell the Camel to buy the computer?
2007-02-09 12:37:32 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
No, I'd say she has been running into some very uninformed people. We all know that India is packed w/ hundreds of thousands of destitute people living in squalor. jk
2007-02-09 12:37:51 · answer #9 · answered by absynthian 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe you should not be offended that Americans are trying to educate themselves about a culture and country that they are not familiar with.
2007-02-09 12:36:18 · answer #10 · answered by girldog66 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋