Indian identity in American schools

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Oerdin
This is bollucks. Indians aren't put down upon or given short shrift at all. They very fact that some many Indians do so well in the US shows how few barriers there are to Indian immigrants here.

You didn't read the OP at all did you?

[Dinner]

Got bored after the fifth paragraph. In any event all of these "the mean movie companies sometimes depict us in a bad light" whines are garbage and lack merit. Does anyone ever complain that Jim Carey demeans white people with his comedy act? Or that a British businessman being yet another villian in a James Bond movie unfairly harms the reputation of British people? This is just whining.

[Lonestar]

Oerdin is correct.

Indians are mistreated/viewed poorly in American Public Schools? Then how is it most of my High School's debate team/DECA leadership where Indian/Pakistani?

(Actually, our Debate Team Prez was Iraqi...shhh!)

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Got bored after the fifth paragraph. In any event all of these "the mean movie companies sometimes depect us in a bad light" whines are garbage and lack merit. Does anyone ever complain the Jim Carey demeans white people with his comedy act? Or that a British businessman being yet another villian in a James Bond movie unfairly harms the reputation of British people? This is just whining.

Read the rest of the article. The main point isn't about the entertainment industry.

[Mao]

Originally posted by Patroklos
I would be very interested to know what the European and American history segments in India look like.

India was taught when it had relevance to OUR history, or rather when western civilization interacted with Indian civilization or hinduism.

I don't remember ever being taught anything negative about Hinduism/India. Usually the only thing a high school student would come away with was that the British Empire oppressed you and Ghandi won your independance which I would consider positive.

And of course every US high school student gets a soft porn fix of the Karma Sutra when they discover it, I would not call that negative.

QFT. For better or for worse, that's how it was. Other civilizations were taught about in relation to the West and in relation to their interaction with the West. I don't really remember anything negative about it in my education either...

[CrONoS]

Deleted

[Mao]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Got bored after the fifth paragraph. In any event all of these "the mean movie companies sometimes depect us in a bad light" whines are garbage and lack merit. Does anyone ever complain the Jim Carey demeans white people with his comedy act? Or that a British businessman being yet another villian in a James Bond movie unfairly harms the reputation of British people? This is just whining.

The difference is two-fold. First, there's a power-dynamic at play here, white people have more power in our society (deserved or not, I don't know, but it happens).

Secondly, the difference is that while there are British businessmen villains in popular media, they're also portrayed positively many times as well (James Bond is a Brit). OTOH, if you look at minority depictions, many times they're just one archetype and lack the depth of real human beings. This can be seen in Asian-Americans in the "karate warrior" stereotype or the Asian prostitute stereotype. Some recent works have done things to dispell this image, certainly ("Better Luck Tomorrow" "Harold and Kumar" "Saving Face" etc.) but by and large the archetype is still there and it's the dominant image in the media (did you ever hear about the "Gay or Asian" thing?). The same can be said of other minorities in American society. While your point does have merit, I don't think it necessarily takes into account the reality of the situation and the "bigger picture."

[Lonestar]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui


Read the rest of the article. The main point isn't about the entertainment industry.

Stop using logic, Imran. I beat you were on the Speach/Debate team in High School, weren't you?

[mitch]

I can't recall learning anything negative about India in our history classes. I don't really remember learning anything much about it at all actually, except maybe some stuff about Gandhi (oh and its hard to talk about British imperialism without bringing up India). And as an Indian who went through the public school system in the south I didn't really notice anything bad at all. I might have gotten the "do you guys really worship cows" thing a few times from a friend, but I can barely even recall that.

I can't really fault the system for teaching more European history. Would it be better if they taught more about places like India? Probably. I do like it though how some high schools will offer an elective Eastern history course. As the Indian population in the States grows more and more will be taught eventually

As far as the article you posted I was unimpressed. He says that Indians are getting stereotyped by the education system. The only stereotype of Indians that I have ever witnessed from the almost 20 years of education I have had in the South is that Indians are academic nerds. And that comes from the fact that most Indians in America are very academically motivated. The author doesn't bring up that many examples of anything really bad occuring. And as an Indian who went through it personally in the Bible belt I can say I have never really had a negative experience.

I would say Native American Indian identity in American schools is much more of an issue.

[Mao]

Originally posted by mitch
I would say American Indian identity in American schools is much more of an issue.

Asian American identity in general is I think.

[Jon Miller]

uhh, I think he is refering to Native American Indian..

and yes, that is a huge issue (I think reservations need to end, you can't have seperate but equal...)

but yes, very little on Indian (and most of that from references to Indian interactions with the West or early history), and mostly positive in education system (some negative in entertainment.. as all foreign cultures get)

Jon Miller

[Dr Strangelove]

IIRC the only treatment Indians got in my entire elementary and secondary education was to point out that American Indians and East Indians were completely unrelated. At some point in world history class something was said about the importance of East Indian trade in the 18th century and the struggle between England and France to control it. That was about it. More was said about Europeans in India than about Indians themselves.

Now if you want to talk about a people being mis-treated by various history and geography teachers during my childhood we could talk about American Indians.

[Barnabas]

I bet India was also mentioned with Columbus wanting to reach India for the spices.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
uhh, I think he is refering to Native American Indian..

and yes, that is a huge issue (I think reservations need to end, you can't have seperate but equal...)

but yes, very little on Indian (and most of that from references to Indian interactions with the West or early history), and mostly positive in education system (some negative in entertainment.. as all foreign cultures get)

Jon Miller

Don't know if its sarcasm, but if not, hilarious

[Asher]

Nobody cares about Indians in US schools. Except the kids playing Cowboys and Indians.

Impressions of India were given in the Indiana Jones movies.