The people of India--the second most populace country in the world--can be seen all over the media here in the US. But exactly how are they portrayed? This was my question as I searched through my own memories of this culture. Words that came to mind were: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, arranged marriages, Hinduism, exotic homeland, spicy vegetarian food, beautiful saris, bindis, Gandhi and the Simpson's. Yet there are so many other things to this culture; so why do I think of those aspects? To discover the source of my information I turned to the media. Every day in tv shows, advertisements, and books we see pictures, depictions, and imitations of India's perceived culture.
Since white Anglo-Saxon Protestants are the majority culture here in the USA, we view our culture as the "right" culture or way. Anything that is different from us is often perceived as "weird" or "backwards". A great example (or should I say a sad example) is of the video clip I've included called "The Singhsons". It gives a brief overview of what the average American probably associates with India. This kind of cartoon is a great example of passive racism.
In several different sources I found things that referenced India's large population: several political cartoons and the pictures of Apu and family from the Simpson's. Again passive racism is being expressed by the making fun of India's large population by way of cartoons. The culture of power here has decided that large families aren't what are normal or usual anymore, and so when others do have large families, they are looked at as abnormal. I think another facet of this is that many in America know of the large number of impoverished people in India and some believe it is irresponsible for the people to still have large families.
The exoticness of India also appeals to many Americans. The stunning Taj Mahal, henna tattoos, Hindu artwork, elephants, shimmering fabrics, and dark skinned beauties are also used to expose the striking beauty of India. However, besides the beauty there is the "unknown and misunderstood" part of India's culture. I've posted some pictures and such that reflect the unknown and what we are afraid of, such as poverty, monkey brains (Indiana Jones), Hindu-God flight attendant and some reflections on the political situation there.
These conceived notions of India's culture that circulate via the media do affect how American's treat people from India. Growing up one of my teachers had married into an Indian family and so he never cut his hair and his daughter wore a bindi. Some children didn't know why she had a red dot on her forehead and would make fun of it. Others made fun of her sari because it was different. Children (and adults) make fun of what they don't understand sometimes, which can really have a negative influence on the person being teased.
As a teacher, I think it is good to know of the impressions others may have on a minority culture because that way we can go about disproving the false notions. It may be appropriate to have a culture day about that specific culture and replace facts for falsehoods in the other student's minds. Being able to broaden their horizons to and help them understand the beauty that lies within diversity while still being unified is an amazing thing. Cultural understanding needs to be cultivated and appreciated more in our society.
