South Asian Stereotypes

One of the greatest lessons that I have learned in my three years in America is that there exists a tremendous lack of understanding and a generally high rate of hilarious stereotyping on both sides of the globe.

In Nepal many people still think America is all about skyscrapers, beaches, big cars and one-night-stands. America is imaginatively reduced to be made of New York City on one side and Los Angeles on the other; while everything in the middle is a big farm and everyone is a cowboy. Similarly, a surprisingly high number of people in America assume that just because Mt. Everest is in Nepal I have climbed it. And another thing, just because I am from South Asia doesn’t mean I can help you with your math homework or fix your computer.

Photo from: http://158.130.17.5/~myl/languagelog/archives/SouthAsiaLocalLang.png

There are many reasons why ill-informed people think of South Asians in terms of stereotypes, so I will list a few of these stereotypes and try to dispel them .

Everyone is a Hindu: Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism was born in Lumbini, present day Nepal. Over 10 percent of the Nepali population belongs to the Buddhist faith. In India, which most people associate with being Hindu is home to more than 138 million Muslims, that means more Muslims than Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman combined. Closely associated with this stereotype is the notion of cow worship. Cows are considered scared but by no means do we bow before the “holy cow” everytime me see one.

Monkey brain eaters: Now, I am as great a fan of Indiana Jones as the next person, and I personally think The Temple of Doom was one of the more interesting Indiana Jones movies, however I can’t help but laugh when I think that people actually believe that people in India eat monkey brains. I lived in India for 10 years and can assure you money brain is not a delicacy.

Tech support: Just because India has become the IT hub of the word does not mean that all of us know everything about computers. It’s like saying just because the American car industry is famous all over the world everyone in America knows everything about cars. I know tens of thousands of people who have no clue about what to do when their computer crashes (including me).

Inferiority Complex: This has to be my favorite. This stereotype has been reinforced over and over again, so much so that many South Asians have started to believe it. Many people mistake our humility to inferiority complexity.

Terrorists: Actually, this one is definitely my favorite. I understand that my friends from the Middle East are more subjected to this than South Asians. This is beginning to be a problem for all “brown people”. Firstly, there is a growing belief that all “brown people” are Muslims. Secondly, attached with this notion is the growing sense of Islamophobia. This is ridiculous to me and, I must admit, vaguely amusing.

I hope this helps you to root out stereotypes when you see one. It’s also important to remember that communication helps break barriers and misunderstandings, so start talking.