I am prompted to write here, simply because I heard this audio file, related harresment of Indians, working in call centers, by some radio jock on his show.
Audio File
It is very well known now, how outsourcing jobs to indian companies have enraged quite a many americans and we are in some ways accostomed to the rallies protesting such outsourcing. However, never in my 3 and 1/2 years of stay in the states have I ever experienced any kind of racist behaviour or any sort of discrimination against Indians and in general any brown population. This is a country which cherishes meritocracy and if ur good u will find a way to succeed here, no matter what background u have and no matter where u come from in the world. I have grown to love america simply for this reason. However, it was a shock for me when I heard the above audio.
Its been in the press now for sometime, the harresment of indian callcenter workers by callers here, but this is just too much.
I am happy to know that there was wide spread protest by indian community here, an apt response to such behaviour. In this country no one will tolerate such nonsense.
However I am not very happy with the punishment levied on that jockey, who supposedly has been suspended for a day.
i hope such events will not happen again, it will only tarnish the already bad image that Americans in general evoke around the world. To this end, I would also like to mention about an incident that happened in France, told to me by my friend.
This blonde girl goes to ticket station and is asked by the French ticket collector about her destination, ofcourse in french. This blonde american couldnt understand french and she told the guy in english that she couldnt understanf french, the response she got, shockingly, "So, I cannot help u then". My indian friend close to her was watching this incident unfolding and he had to intervene and speak to the ticket collector (ofcourse in english), to help this blonde american get her tickets. Surprisingly enough, this indian friend of mine dosent know french and he managed to survive in france with english pretty decently.
So there does exist discrimination against americans outside america in some way, I only hope americans in general realise this and take all measures to prevent such discriminations in this country, if for nothing else, to avoid any more 9/11s.
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6 comments:
Every person I know, irrespective of his/her nationality, is outraged by this. And ofcourse I dont feel those idiots represent American sentiments in general. I signed the online petition and was tempted to make a phone call to the FCC.
But what surprises me is that we Indians are so easily outraged when an incident like this happens to us in the US of A. Back home, we are one of the most racist people. Take the caste system for example. Forget about the metros, in sururban India it is so wide spread that my Grand Maa will die before drinking water from an untouchable well. She had once refused to eat at our house because the cook was a muslim. Yes, that is precisely the situation in India. We turn a blind eye to all that. Those incidents back home are a greater insult to me as an Indian than the remarks of an idiot here.
I have heard this quote too many times in India.
"If you have a choice between killing a snake and X, kill X".
This X is a racial tag replaced, depending the situation, with Muslim, Sindhi etc. Clearly, there is need to see within. There is a need to feel outraged.
Had Americans been stealing ( or acquiring ) Indian jobs, I am sure that backlash would have been more racial.
--Satya
I'd agree with Satya in that casteism is also but another form of racism. Being brought up in Bombay shields you from too many such incidents in day to day life, but they do occur. In general, today's world is full of hate and repressed anger that manifests itself in these forms. Intolerance is high, and adjustments are hard to come by. I am glad that for once, Indians did put up a collective face
Hey,
being brought up in Delhi also shields you from 'caste-ism', but Satya the reason people are more outraged when this kind of stuff happens in America is because Americans hold themselves to a higher standard then the rest of us. They are the ones who perpetually broadcast that they are greatest country in the world, founded on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If the same kind of racism that happens in India and other countries happens in America, what gives America the right to say it is better, or to even dictate anything to any other country? When Americans torture prisoners, with absolute disregard to the Geneva conventions, what gives them the right to call any other country evil? The fact that they are torturing in the name of Justice? The fact is, that an average American is just an average anybody else - ignorant, and only looking out for him/herself. People always talk about how Americans are always very friendly, and they smile and say hi to you when you walk down the street and are willing to lend a hand.. I only ever got blank faces whenever I walked down the street. Helpful? My female friend got a flat tyre, and there was not a single person around to help. I used to carry 5 bags of groceries back to my apartment in Seattle every week. I couldn't open my apartment complex gate, but u think somebody would stop to help? Rubbish. In Delhi, I was walking back from a class I was taking, and these guys whom I didn't know stopped their car and said: "You're in the same institute as us, would you like a lift to wherever you're going?". Any time my car has had a flat tyre on Delhi's roads, one or two people will help - and no, they are not the ones who purposely put nails on the road so I would pay them some money to replace their tyres - because I don't pay them. But all you see in our Indian newspapers are cases of people who closed their eyes to murder and rapes - I don't know what was wrong with those people, but I can promise, it is not only an Indian phenomenon. Another unrelated example - All of us were standing in line at a Six Flags amusement park. It was a very long line, and this was summer. A gang of 7 black thugs just jumped the whole line, cursing and daring anybody to say anything to them. Not a single person said a thing - they all just stood like a bunch of sheep. Was that India? or America? I can no longer tell the difference. Further, I have to disagree with Sachin's comment about how America is a meritocracy - I have seen, at every stage of life in America, the same kind of incidents that I saw take place in India. Friends of friends being promoted, nepotism, white people forming their own little cliques, discrimination, slow beaureaucracy, and even some cases of corruption. This great meritocracy that we talk about - it is the same one that didn't allow black and white people to drink from the same water fountains until the 1960s. Is that really so long ago? It is only 30 years. That is not a long time in my opinion. Black and white people went to separate schools. Is that not the same as Apartheid? So far all of the people who have become leaders of this great meritocracy/democracy, where anyone can become anything - aren't all they all old, white, rich men, from political families? e.t.c. My point is this - America has very many of the same faults that a lot of other countries have. But it has the luck of no cultural baggage, lots of space, and neighbours that don't hate it. Give any country a start like that, and it will do well (well you need to have democracy and capitalism as well). In my personal and very controversial opinion, it has nothing to do with one's race, or one's culture. That being said, the real reason there is so much anger towards outsourcing is not just that Americans are losing their jobs, but that they are discovering that they are not so unique - there are droves of 'third-worlders' out there who are managing to do the same things they are, for a lesser cost, in their own countries. That's got to rankle - it goes straight to their pride.
Although it now sounds like am a complete America-hater, I'm not - I did go there to study after all, and enjoyed most of my time there, but I get tired of all the propoganda that is continually spouted by everybody, about America, about India, and now I'm tired of typing, so good bye!
TTG:
It seems u did go through a hell lot of tying to get your point out. U did mention a few examples of how ur were stranded with 5 grocery bags and no one to help and how ur friends tyre was flat and no one helped. To that I would like to comment on my experience which was not exactly like urs.
I did have flat tyre, at absolute no where place, at absolutely absurd time, 2 am in the morning. Had it not been for a an american, not only, getting out of his jeep, to help me but also drive me in opposite direction, to the nearest motel, I would have had much much harder time.
My point is, u always will find cases when people are helpful and people are not. Mentioning about, black white discrimination, which was in the fray up until 1960s, this is also a country where u get documentary movies like Farenheit 9/11, and the guy goes on to win Critics best film award too and may be he will also get oscar for best documentary of the year.
As of today I do think, America is one country where caste and racism based discrimination is at its lowest and there are storng laws existing to prevent any such discriminatary behaviour.
Hello,
Very interesting discussion. I believe that people are the same everywhere.
Just that, in USA people are probably more cautious about displaying racism. Racism for me is something in the mind (even if it does not translate into action). But sometimes it will manifest is some way or the other even if people are cautious (like groups in offices – which technically would not count as racism). The telephone call in the blog is also "easy", cause its directed at someone not in USA.
On the other hand, in India, people especially in rural areas or some older folks don’t even think about it as racism. It’s a way of life. This is not a justification for their behavior. Just saying that a debate, in some sense, about better or worse isn’t probably correct. People are racsist everywhere and then again there are those who would stop by to help with the flat tyre!
sd
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