Why is that that indians are always branded as lazy??????

Question

we indians hve evrythin-the brains and the power.But still we are branded as lazy?Is this fair or is this actually the harsh reality????
Wat can we do or its like a rather what 'must' we do????

Answer 1

I pass on a provocative email I received below. It is from an Indian
student in a US college writing about South Asianizing the Indian identity
after kids leave their parents home to go to college. I wish this topic of
American INSTITUTIONAL RE-ENGINEERING of Indian identities gets discussed
more widely, and I have written much about its causes and implications.
After his email copied below, I give my comments:

- On 11/3/05, IsipzI wrote:

I have read many of your articles and you often talk about how Indian's
identities often get reprogrammed to 'South Asian'. Until reading your
articles I never really gave much thought to this 'South Asian' movement on
campuses. I am currently enrolled in college and I have personally seen
many of my own friends reprogram their identities to 'South Asian'. It is
alarming to me how impressionable many Indian youth are while in college.

Nowadays most Indian kids are more concerned about being politically
correct and appearing "open minded". After reading your articles I have
tried to my best to convince people to assert an Indian-American identity
however, I believe my efforts so far have been failures. You have written
about how Indian's identities are "South Asianized" but you have not
written why so many Indian youth have followed this path. I think one
reason is that this 'South Asian' movement has been successful is because
Indian kids often have strict upbringings and this creates a rebellious
mentality in many youth. I believe that Indian girls are often the most
susceptible to brainwashing of "South Asianists" because they are often
subject to stricter treatment from parents and the rest of the Indian
community then boys. "South Asianists" seem to exploit this and exaggerate
it to the point where Indian/Hindu culture is associated with social ills
against women. These "South Asianists" also exploit the way Indian parents
push their kids to enter wealth generating fields and denounce this as
being materialistic and superficial. Another trend I've also noticed is the
way "South Asianists" dismiss the success of Indians in America as not
being the result of hard work, intelligence and education but because of
"immigration law" as Mr. Vijay Prashad put it.
http://www.asiansinamerica.org/museum/comm_ind.html

Even my own sister constantly tries to propagate this to me. It amazes me
even more how almost all the people getting caught up in this 'South Asian'
movement are Indians. Pakistanis and Bangladeshis always join their own or
Muslim student organizations. Every time I point this out to fellow Indians
none of them can ever give a valid reason or beat me in a debate as to why
Indians should bother with the 'South Asian' tag. I grew up in a mainly
Bangladeshi and Pakistani part of Brooklyn. From when I was a little kid I
understood how different and how little I have in common with non-Indian
South Asians. I believe Indians in Britain are much more aware of their
Indian identity because skirmishes and fights between the Indian and
Pakistani youth there are a common occurrence from what I have heard. On
top of that is the well documented gap in education and achievement between
the two communities with Indians rising to the top and Pakistanis confined
to ghetto areas like the ones in Bradford and Birmingham. Because America
is a big piece of land and also the fact that the more affluent areas where
Indians are more prominent and the working class neighborhoods/ghettos of
NYC where Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are more prominent, are so
geographically isolated, Indians living in places like Long Island and
Edison, NJ have no idea how different their ideal of South Asian unity and
how reality is. I commend you for what you are doing for the Indian-
American community. It is absolutely essential that we do whatever we can
to make sure India is portrayed in positive light.

- Swarup Mandal

Rajiv's comments in response:

He correctly observes that while Pakistani and Bangladeshi organized
counterbalancing initiatives also exist on campuses, Indians have more
willingly internalized the British imperialist structures and now are
available for American institutionalized reprogramming. In some call
centers in India they are being "taught" to think, feel, dress, eat and
talk like Texans, New Yorkers, etc - some specific white identity they can
select from a catalog.

"South Asian" seems to be a temporary/unstable state pending further
engineering - it suggests, "I am ready to be tutored to become whatever you
want." Its significance is not based on what it is, but based on what it
leaves behind (by way of implied and polite rejection) so as to clear the
space for fresh programming.

The emerging global caste system has whites at the top, whiteness (as
cultural identity for people of color) as second, and South Asian just
below whiteness for those still unable/unwilling to claim full whiteness.
Those who remain behind as "native" Indians are seen as the new outcasts;
they are vulnerable to future genocides resulting from overpopulation and
civilizational clashes. Are we Indians turning into global shudras-for-hire
with no identity of our own other than whatever the latest master assigns?

Postmodernism is an imperialist export - via co-opted (whitened) third
world intellectuals - to distribute "theories" that support this trend as
being desirable and/or inevitable. Whitened intermediaries like Harvard's
Homi Bhabha are rewarded with cushy Ivy League jobs and turned into role
models for facilitating the bandwagon effect among Indian intellectuals who
are anxious to escape the "problems of Indianness." Meanwhile, the Harvard
cabal under the choirship of Sugata Bose dishes out demonology against
Indian culture to make the carrots more attractive for assuming new
identities: hence the role of Harvard as the epicenter for studying sati,
dowry, incest, caste, gender conflict as Indian "essences."

Indian culture which is deemed valuable is repackaged as "white" (such as
yog/meditation these days...) and this appropriation is sold to confused
Indians as being a compliment by the whites. Whatever is left behind after
the scavenging is branded as backward/facsist Indianness. Between these two
extremes of whiteness and Indianness, the South Asian labeling provides the
safety of a middle ground with enough ambiguity and wiggle room to
customize and personalize. The student who wrote the email rightfully
blames orthodox parents. I would add to his list the role of US based lazy
and pompous Indian cultural leaders who naively play into this
phenomenon...

regards, rajiv
- End forwarded message -

End of forwarded message from viji

Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti

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http://www.mantra.com/holocaust

Hindu life, principles, spirituality and philosophy
http://www.hindu.org
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The truth about Islam and Muslims
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate

The terrorist mission of Jesus stated in the Christian bible:

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not so send
peace, but a sword.
"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in
law.
"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
- Matthew 10:34-36.

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Answer 2

Indians are always branded as lazy because they are lazy. Just brain power is not sufficient, it should translate into action. Only proper and correct action can remove the 'lazy brand'. We have problems of overpopulation, unemployment, poverty, corruption, terrorism etc. We are not moving a finger to end these problems. What is the use of the brain power ?

Answer 3

This dubious mark of being lazy hasn't been branded on us just like that. Our history states that from ancient times, we like a leisurely life, full of extravagances.
But, every Indian is not like that. So, its partly unfair to brand us like that.
The only way to rub away this blot is that we should work hard and also make our voice heard in international meetings. Its the responsibility of each and every Indian, to make the country developed in all aspects.

Answer 4

American Indian?, South American Indian? Asian Indian?
American Indian, with the Emergance of all those Casinos and the Memory Of Jim Thorpe -Not considered Lazy
South American Indians, Still in poor economies or in Jungles, cannot call them lazy and by what standards.
Asian Indians , own businesses around the world and have the 4th largest economy, not lazy.

Answer 5

This steryotype is utter rubbish. I think that Indians, not exactly known to be the hardest-working(that might go to the Chinese), are not lazy at all. If there are any out there who think so, it must be those clueless people who think that India is still a backward country, and that its population is still uneducated. So, here's a wake-up call for those 'illiterates' out there who don't know that 68.6% of India's population is literate. Come to India, and watch our people toiling everywhere, in villages, in cities, towns, and then dare to call us lazy.
In fact, maybe we should be the ones calling the other peoples of the world lazy, with their gadgets, sitting in their couches and having everything done for them, including agriculture and everything else that requires even a little bit of exercise.

Answer 6

Our life style, religious beliefs and educational system is to be blamed apart from white collar job attitude. We are never taught to work with our own hands and the brahminical thinking is that only people of lower caste can soil their hands. Also, we don't give much importance for physical fitness and due to huge manpower we always get some assistant to do the tough job. We are good supervisors but can not work independently.

Answer 7

actually the real thing is like a tortoise and rabbit race can be compare to our indians. We Indians are thinking they are like rabbit anytime they can run and won the race, but finally we falls. this is the reason for us called lazy, but this thing cannot be go longer, we going to be the best of best in the world also the Universe.

I sure about this, I am very confident on me and my friendly Indians

Answer 8

Don't get overboard by saying that Indian have everything. It looks like you have not travelled the world yet. I think with all the budget airfare you should go around and visit other countries. Otherwise you can start begging in the Internet and chances are there may be some sponsors!!

Answer 9

If we are Indians are lazy, then, who can we do reahed in flims
no.one position. ? If we are lazy, then how can we built a grater India. ..? in case of Industry, We(INDIA) do have a position.
Do U know Mr. SWARAJ BASU (BENGALI) is the best industrialistin the world..
How can it possible..? If, we are Indians are lazy, Then, why, other countries are welcoming us for job..? IS there any AMITAV BACCHAN in the world..?
thats all.

Answer 10

We are always branded as lazy uptill now due the lack of many facilities which act as norms for becoming active,for which we are personelly responsible,HARI OM

Answer 11

Indians are'nt always lazy..if it is to get something for themselves. but if it is to do something for the firm,or the feild we're workin in or our country...we have to think twice and put it off.

why do indian people crave for govt jobs?
so that they can take rest for the latter part of their life.