if i never had to wonder

Anil - sorta know where you're coming from, though it's obvious we see blacks in the media more often than other non-white races. Folks like to think they already know my POV on an issue, solely due to race and are "shocked, shocked" that all black people don't think alike (I missed the meeting I suppose. We all go out and play basketball after, even.)

As a pakistani muslim with an American passport and an equally "American" , devoid of the Apoo "would you like a slushy", accent. I tend to come across the same situations. In terms of "race awareness", I exactly fit the bill for the "guy" they are looking for at the airport. Although vigilance is a good thing. I fear the thought of a random person pointing a finger at me and the subjugating me to hours of harrasment / interrogation. Perhaps it's paranoia, but what I've seen recently lends credence to that idea, and it really, really, really scares me. Now, more than ever, like Oliver, my POV and personality are permanently tied to my "Arabesque" appearance. (I guessed I must have missed the meeting too, because we're not all a bunch of bomb toting zealots, really)

Your post kicked ass, and I hope you keep talking about whatever you feel the urge to talk about.

It sounds like the programmer tendency to oversimplify the complexities of the real world extends to race issues as well. But what do I know, I'm a programmer and I may be oversimplifying their reactions myself.

Anil, seeing that you aren't eligible to wear the Maple Leaf and Red-and-White 24/7 like Jish, you probably should look into getting one of those pins people are/were handing out at the Gurudwara or Hindu temples that read: "United We Stand - I AM A SIKH - God Bless America" and "United We Stand - I AM A PROUD HINDU INDIAN-AMERICAN - God Bless America". Both pins prominently displaying the colors of both American and Indian flags.

I saw a few people wearing them in the streets and was templed to ask someone for a trade. Then I realized I don't carry any "cool" pins in my bag anymore. I had nothing to give them in return.

[The weird thing is that I sense some sort of Danny Glover syndrome creeping into me, and it is not because of how I look or sound. Judging from how frequently people fall asleep on my shoulders in the subway (higher than pre-9/11: at least 3 times a week), ask for directions in at least 4 languages, 3 of which I do not speak, (same as before: steady at about 4-6 instances per day), strike up random conversations to waste dead time (way higher than pre-9/11), and flirt (same as before), I don't think my looks or sound has anything to do with it. But increasingly I find myself, at least in my head, identifying with the "lowest common denominator" of "how people see me." And it's not good. Nor is it healthy.]

As much of a melting pot as America is compared to many other countries, we still cling to an idea of what an 'American' looks like. Maybe one day that will change. I hope so.

Still, if I lived in a Middle Eastern country would I be asked where I'm from? I'm guessing yes. Heck, I was in Ireland recently and I faced that question constantly, and I'm Irish!

You should try being white.

I love playing basketball, but the courts I prefer are normally all black. I always get picked last until they find out I can play. I'm guessing they look at me, see my white skin, and assume I can't run, jump, or generally play the game.

And you know that way white people are suppose to talk? That high, whiney voice black comedians have made such a staple of their acts? I must have missed that memo, because I don't talk anything like that.

Then there's dancing. I'm suppose to do that little shuffle, swinging my arms back and forth like Carlton banks from the fresh prince, who was a running joke with all his 'white' characteristics. I dance nothing like that. I guess I missed THAT meeting.

Seriously, I'm not equating my experience as a white person in the U.S. to the experience of an African American or any other race. I realize that I will never face many of the challenges and obstacles that others face.

However, generalizing and putting people into little, confining boxes isn't restricted to white people, nor American people. It's a human trait that, regardless of the negative implications, is in every one of us, and not dependent on race.

It's a human problem, and one that, as humans, we ALL have to work on.

Tamim: Danny Glover syndrome? I don't know the term. Will you break it down for me gently?

George, I don't think it's a clinical term, and I have not seen anyone else use it; but I use it to define "assuming others see the worst possible stereotypical thing imaginable when they see me," stemming from Danny Glover's 1999 brush with cabbie-racism. I'd've named it after anyone else, maybe someone White, Chinese (or other Asian), or even Hispanic, if they were lumped into the "lowest common denominator" of stereotypes as prominently (or even as frequently) as Glover was.

Also, for some reason whenever I try to go over to your blog, at least for the past few months, I only get an XML error and nothing else. Deleting cookies didn't help.

Funny how I thought that would be different in the United States. I live in the Netherlands (Europe) myself, and I had that conversation you describe many times (but being a girl, it usually turns out to be a pick up line... geez, when will people learn ;). Still, I wouldn't want to be "plain Dutch", but not "another foreigner" either.

When I get into a store, I automatically assume that the (white) security guy is keeping a close eye on me. I'm careful not to leave the house wearing a sweater that might smell like curry or massala. I do feel like I'm responsible for the Dutch view on what is called "the multicultural society".

A bit of Tamim's "Danny Glover syndrome" there, I guess. And I agree, it isn't good, nor healthy, and sometimes I wonder why I don't give the people around me a little more credit...

Almost everyone everywhere in the world has some kind of bias or other. It is naive to think that people elsewhere in the world don't think in terms of racist/communal/provincial/parochial steriotypes. I grew up all over the place in India and moved to US about 3 years back. I have run into biases/steriotyped opinions almost everywhere I lived in India - sometimes the biases favouring my ethnicity, sometimes not. At the risk of sounding like an elitist, let me just say that most people who havent seen the bigger world (and many who have) have a very blinkered view in the world and you have a fat chance of changing that. I have found much less bigotry in US than in many parts of India...but that is not saying much.

At the end of the day, you gotta decide what is important and what is worth fighting for. For at least in the foreseeable future, this world of ours isnt gonna change. Sometimes, you just let it go. Sometimes, it is important that you make your point. Like now when I have 3 mugs of beer inside me :-)

Kaushik: It's true that everyone is biased in one form or another. But the image that we Europeans, or at least those of us in the Netherlands have of America, is heavily influenced by years of exposure to American television.

It's very difficult to shake off that image of America as the melting pot, where every single citizen is alike in being an immigrant somewhere along the line. Especially in urban areas, where one would expect some sort of higher awareness, because of the high mixture of cultures.

But I guess everywhere is the same. It's a shame though.

I can fully sympathise with you, Anil. It's just a shock that in 2002 people still need to know where you're from "originally" - as if it matters. In the Netherlands, things are a bit silly when it comes to those of us with parents from a foreign country. We are called 'allochtonen' - even though we were born in the Netherlands, our parents are legal citizens (immigrants), we are bestowed a special status that identifies us legally as not-Dutch.

The idea was that this group of people were to be given special opportunities to facilitate integration into Dutch society. Reality, however, turned out to be different. The term 'allochtoon' has become nothing short of a derogatory term in non-political context. That's why Kyren is probably surpised, she is an 'allochtoon' in her own country, and thought that in America, things would be different. Too bad, they aren't.

Hey, I'm white and people still want to know my ethnic origin. But then, I think we Americans sometimes have difficulty with just saying, I'm American. We're German-American, or Irish-American, or Italian-American, or Indian-American or whatever.

I understand, though, to some extent, the experience of being seen first by my color, of having my worth filtered by that. I lived, for a time, in Hawaii, on an island where I was clearly in the minority, both in the sense of being a mainlander as well as being WASP-y white. People tended to see me first as a haole (the Hawaiian version of 'gringo' or 'honky'), secondly as an actual individual. I got wicked sick of being expected to represent, as Anil says, a whole group of people. But by the same token I was always aware that this experience was not, for me, nearly as exacerbated as it is for people of other races, and could easily be avoided by simply moving to a different area. I'm cognizant of the fact that moving to another area will not help this issue for most people, so I of course do not understand fully what it is like to deal with this day to day, year to year.

I also come from a very interracial family, so I'm constantly aware of the race issue. My sister is 3/4 Native American. A foster brother was Mexican-American. My cousins are Philipino, Hawaiian-Chinese, Korean, Mexican. I'm painfully aware that I move through life with less hassle than many of my relatives, and wish it were otherwise, and do what I can to promote tolerance where I can. And I'm sure that what I'm able to do is not nearly enough.

My only comment, Anil, is that we're lucky to be in one of the most multi-cultural nations, built by immigrants since the beginning, and in one of the most multi-cultural cities.

I suppose it's easy to look at that as glass half-empty and be depressed, but be thankful that you're not in a more ignorant or less diverse part of the nation.

Also, I'm not sure if you've travelled in India much, but you can physically blend into India because of your heritage, as I can in Japan. Sure we're not wholly Indian or Japanese respectively, but that's something that people who don't have our pigments can't do. There's value there, albeit we may not benefit from it much.

I think it's a matter of perspective, and I've always seen my heritage and background as something that has separated me from others, (as opposed to blending in with the dominant culture) which I have valued much more often than not.

Gen

I think Anil is making far too much of this. I'm also a South Asian born in the US, and while I can't speak for other races, I do know that South Asians face next to zero practical discrimination in the US. South Asians - like East Asians and Jews - do well academically and economically. If racism is an issue, it's not much of one, or else these groups wouldn't have mean incomes far above the national mean.

Anil, are you *really* pissed that someone politely and indirectly asked you what your ethnicity? While America is a land of immigrants, many of the whites are "mutts" - mixes of European stock - and so it's unusual to ask them where their ancestors are from because they probably don't remember . The same is true for most American blacks. People ask about things and people they aren't familiar with, and Indians (and to a lesser extent East Asians) are uncommon enough that we're asked where we're from. If Indians were a substantial fraction of American society (as they are in the UK), you probably wouldn't encounter the question.

Still, if a white or black person had an accent, I would certainly ask if I couldn't peg it immediately. I also ask people who are of obviously multiracial heritage, and even if I don't ask, I wonder - as does everyone. I might not ask about ethnicity right off the bat, but it's potentially fertile ground for an interesting conversation that rises above the mundane particulars of day to day life.

The determination of race and ethnicity is a natural and instinctive reaction in interpersonal encounters, just like the determination of sex and attractiveness.

As an aside, you'll probably grant that multiculturalism is to some extent a shorthand for the peaceful coexistence of people of different *races* rather than different cultures. A more accurate name would be "multiracialism".

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from reading your blog, you seem likely to be a rather determined defender of the academic manifestation of multiculturalism/racialism. A question then arises: how do you square your support for multiculturalism with your offense when someone asks you the first question about your "culture" (meaning race) which is your place of ancestry?

After all, multiculturalism is predicated on the idea that different races can coexist and communicate, and a prerequisite for cross cultural/racial communication is an acknowledgement that differences exist and can be inquired about...

I don't doubt at all that a good deal of curiosity about my background is not only well-intentioned, but very kind and valuable. Shannon explains this very well, as I mentioned in my sidebar.

I also understand how fortunate I am to be in one of the least xenophobic, most progressive cultures in the world. It's not some binary love/hate thing. I resent the negative parts and love the positive parts, like any relationship with friends or family.

What is odd to me is that people assume, because I point out negative parts, that I'm not just as passionate about the positive parts. I criticize because this country and its culture matter enough to be to critique them. I don't criticize extremely xenophobic cultures because I consider them anachronisms that are beyond repair and which will soon fade away.

Tamim, I'm sorry you find yourself identifying with the lowest common denominator. Do you have a plan to counter this somehow, or do you feel that it will pass with time?

I think well of Glover for speaking up about not being able to get a cab. The brush he had with the issue didn't just go away; I hope it's improved since then. Using his name when you call it a syndrome makes it sound as if him not being able to get a cab is his fault, or as if it's something he orchestrates to get attention, or out of self-pity.

The problem, dear Tamim, is not in our stars, but in our cabbies.

Your trouble with my page is probably my design. A short-term fix may be to try my domain's "nude.html" page.

George, I realized that I ran the risk of inadvertently incriminating Glover by calling something "a syndrome" after him. It was not my intention. I think I clarified it enough that Glover was not the one at fault, but the victim (of prejudice). Also, naming something after the victim is not totally out of the norm (see: Megan's and Brady laws). Of course I don't fault Glover for calling a press conference about the whole cab issue. It was about time someone, someone with some credibility (meaning NOT Sharpton, Dinkins, or Jesse Jackson), did it. I don't know if the situation has improved since then. Prejudice doesn't go away just because there is a law against it.

I actually don't have a plan to counter this whole lowest common denominator issue. I don't think it'll pass with time either. People will see what they want to see.

[I wrote a long reply, eight more paragraphs; that on preview looked too long, rather boring, way too personal, and probably irrelevant to most of Anil's readers.]

BTW, thanks for the alternate URL.

My readers, apparently, love long, boring, irrelevant and personal! Post away!

Yes, Anil, we do. I can relate to what you're saying.

I once witnessed a third-generation Irish-American repeatedly questioning a fifth-generation Chinese-American about where she was _really_ from.

Soon after 9/11, I went to NYC to stimulate the economy as Guiliani asked (no kidding). I couldn't get any cabs because, as one cabbie finally told me, they were afraid I might ask to be taken to Queens.

happens all the time, everywhere. i used to be best friends with this indian girl. (we drifted apart when i shifted to another place. ) but i remember that they'd been unkind comments about her. and i could never really understand it. even if there isn't all out racism or prejudice, there's always this underlying sense that a person of a different race is not what they seem.

Addendum: To show how people are grouped together by the identity others foist upon them, look at this hispanic congregation in Nebraska, which felt compelled to show their solidarity with the victims of the bank robbery murders. Had they not done this, would the town have assumed they were on the murderer's side, simply because they were hispanic?

No, they had to have this service to protect themselves from locals who would have lumped them with the criminals.

I guess I'm one of the few people out there that doesn't assume when I meet someone of Indian descent or Mexican descent or whatever that they're not American.
I suppose that contributes to my (apparently naive) philosophy that Americans should never be hyphenated, because to me we are all Americans, plain and simple. It's sad when I read about experiences like yours that confirm that not everyone shares this view.