Indian/ Black Relations
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elliotbkr — 20 years ago(March 28, 2006 03:47 AM)
Hello Ma'am, I was reading your perceptions concerning the beautiful and very talented Parminder Nagra on the show, ER and was disappointed, you would generalize all with a darker skin tone toward the bias and unbalanced interactions from a few. You are intitled Ma'am toward your opinions. I felt sad and ponderous when you stereotyped males like myself that do not live ethnic, urban, stereotypical, scary, and racist toward those that I oppose.
I was fortunate to know in America where I was born and raised, I have options and choices to be and form what ever personality and individuality, I feel comfortable within. I won't tell you those that share a darker skin tone are not what you perceed, but it hurts when someone like yourself who only experienced a negative situation or two, won't realize for example, my parents and friends would embrace any female including the beautiful Parminder Nagra (and you as well)within their lives, if it means, I am happy and content without bias and w2000ithout racism. Screw different cultures, I don't value culture because I know, it's what I make of it.
I love the story line in which she married the "african american" actor (sorry, I hate that racial term, I never felt african american and I'm sure I'm not the only one out there). No one can say, his character was stereotypical, racist, and inhumane. His character wasn't what folks see thru the media of some gang banger, criminal, and or drug dealer. In a way, that's how I emphasize. I don't talk in Ebonics nor do I associate with violent human beings.
Please don't continue and generalize all with a darker skin, from the disorder a few have given you. It's not fair to folks like myself. You seem nice, and I hope you find someone wonderful, but if he has a darker skin tone, please give him the chance before you generalize. Even if he turns out to be what you expected, don't generalize the next person. -
phillycaesar — 17 years ago(January 21, 2009 09:56 PM)
Dynamic Avenger:
Why don't you familiarize yourself with a little bit of the history and cultures and religions of the Indian subcontinent "whites" didn't have to poison any Indian's mind where dark/black skin is concerned. The roots of India's prejudice go all the way back to the Rig Veda. Light skin has always been prized amongst the higher castes. Race and caste and the desire for (and preservation of) lighter skin tones is long entrenched in much of Indian mindset, whether Hindu or Muslim or Sikh. -
robken0174 — 13 years ago(September 27, 2012 04:29 PM)
"For centuries white people have hated other white people because of silly things like accents, nationality and belief systems (just look at Northern Ireland - they're blowing eachother up because one version of Christianity is slightly different to the other)."
Uhh, I'm sorry? WHITE people have hated each other? Look at Africa? Look at India. Look at the middle east. Skin color has nothing to do with hate or not hating. I like how you refer to what white people dislike about other whites as "silly things." Many dark skinned people hate each other for less. Northern Ireland is hardly the only place "blowing each other up." because of religion. Also, it's not just the "slightly different" C238hristianity problem in Northern Ireland. Talk to England about the wars and misunderstandings up north in Ireland. It's a lot bigger than just "slightly." And they're NOT exactly blowing each other up, especially nowadays. You've been watching too many films made in Hollywood. -
alwilliams025 — 20 years ago(June 09, 2005 09:44 AM)
I saw this movie (BILB) on my wedding anniversary. I happen to be a Black American man married to an Indian woman. In our situation, her family isn't so concerned that I'm Black, they're more concerned that I and our children are fair-skinned and preferably have sharp noses. Outside of looking like a typical American mutt, outbred with so many ethnicities, we get along just fine. Indians tend to value fair skin, straight (and long) hair, and sharp noses just like many other cultures and sub-cultures. That conversation between Jess and Jules was an intimation a lot of Indian families discuss in private. And that's among the more "liberated" generation that have the "freedom" of choosing their own mates. I watch with piqued interest the more intimate, social scenes Parminder's character has on "ER." She attracts several of her co-workers out of their curiosity but doesn't let them get too close. As yet, there have been no other Sikh suitors so she hasn't allowed anyone closer to her than a longing look deep into her eyes.
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cleveland_1999 — 20 years ago(June 10, 2005 03:43 PM)
Your comments make a lot of sense to me. The reason why I saw this is because while I was in college, I used to work with a very beautiful young Indian lady. She liked me and I was very fond of her and I wanted to go out with her, but her father did not approve of us going out, even though we got along well and had some of the same common interests. To this day, I always wondered why it was that he did not approve of us. The next thing I knew, she was dating this Caucasian guy and her father was all for it. Needless to say I was disappointed, but I moved on to date someone else, but I always thought of her and wondered what if.
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alwilliams025 — 20 years ago(June 15, 2005 12:46 PM)
I don't quite know how to reply to that. Except to say that a lot of the more modern Bollywood movies deal with culture and race almost at the level of a Spike Lee movie. At the local Indian grocery stores, they have several DVDs that are in Hindi with English dubbing or subtitles that touch on your situation as well as several others, either entirely in India or over many continents. Outside of the movies, one great location for a mix of Black and Indian cultures would be Trinidad. It goes on so often, I believe they may even have a name for the kids that result from it.
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cleveland_1999 — 20 years ago(June 15, 2005 08:09 PM)
Cool, I have read about the influx of people from India on the African continent. One country in particular I remembered was Kenya. I'm gojng to research more about how they interact in Trinidad and in other places.
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Irish-Sunglasses — 20 years ago(August 09, 2005 08:33 AM)
I know an Indian woman and her parents forbid her to date. Instead she her parents will force her to get married to some Indian man that she does not know. Terrible, isn't it?
And even worse, they will spend thousands of $$$ to send them both back to India just to have the wedding, and then thousands more just to take them back to the USA where they will live out the rest of their lives.
It's CosmoHe's Chinese. -
cielphantomhive — 19 years ago(March 16, 2007 12:17 PM)
Ironically enough the divorce rate in those families that don't have arranged marriages, say I don't know, the US, is about say 50%.
Terrible isn't it.
I'm not saying I'm supporting arranged marriages, most of my family has had them, and guess what, they're happy? Am I getting one? No. But do I look on them as some travesty? No. -
mizladylala — 20 years ago(August 05, 2005 08:23 AM)
My family is West-Indian (non-Trinidadian though) and we don't pronounce 'dougla' as 'douglas' as in 'Michael Douglas'it's kinda like "Doh-glah". I have no idea where the term comes from. There's another term used to describe black/East-Indian mixes in Trinidad, Guyana, etc: 'Coolie' but it's considered VERY offensive
**Edit: check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dougla