Intel's new ad cracked me up real hard! The caption reads "Our rock stars aren't like your rock stars" and has an Indian guy (who reminds me of old Tamil comic actor, cannot recall his name) with thick moustache and very macho cum supposedly cool expressions :). The guy is named Ajay Bhatt, co-founder of USB, played by comedian Sunil Narkar. The ad is a nice approach to promote the makers of such huge tech businesses but on the other hand the representation definitely is based on the Indian stereotype that prevails in the US. No i am not too touchy about it, just got thinking about the whole business of stereotypes.
Who better than us to understand stereotyping. We are such a diverse and different country that it is difficult for us to live without it. Be it Gujaratis, Up-ietes, Tamilians, Bengalis, Biharis, Malyalies, Maharashtrians etc. We have the stereotypes and stuck up notions for every part of the country. Not just the states, dig in a little deep and the regions within the states too have stereotypes for each other.
We have perceptions of different states based upon what we read in media or the political wind that surrounds the state. I remember how i used to have a stuck up notion of Patna untill i actually visited that city. I also recall an incident where a colleague's mother from a state in south India would not allow his younger brother to study in a premier Engineering college in a particular northern state. And i am talking about the topnotch one here! Her fear was simple, there is too much goondagardi and my son might get killed. We all had a good laugh including my colleague, on her little innocent remark but she isn't the only one. There are many nonsensical stories that prevail about how in a particular state down south they beat you up for no good reasons if you utter a single word of Hindi. Of course I am not denying these allegations completely for any regions but the fact is there is definitely more to these states than sheer stereotypes.
I guess a little humour doesn't do any harm as long as the this whole business of stereotyping doesn't reflect in our basic perception of people. As a UP born, growing in Gujarat surrounded by mallu aunts and tamilian uncles and goan, punjabi, maharshtrian neighbours and working in Bangalore with the same heterogeneous bunch has taught me something of more profound importance. That beyond these little perceptions and fun emulations, the people who you will really gel with, connect with and count on, will be the ones with whom you share that grey matter up there. The rest could be just facade.
You may say 'Not Always' and Yes i agree completely but at times if you let go of that little obsessiveness of food and language you may find that despite having not one bone in common, the friendship that you may have could be more fulfilling than just the language that you share!
Too profound of a thought or just plain simple? you decide!
BTW Here is the ad that started it all ;).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-8GVi2Fdi4
And here is the real Ajay Bhatt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-MJvNLQCF4&feature=related
Who better than us to understand stereotyping. We are such a diverse and different country that it is difficult for us to live without it. Be it Gujaratis, Up-ietes, Tamilians, Bengalis, Biharis, Malyalies, Maharashtrians etc. We have the stereotypes and stuck up notions for every part of the country. Not just the states, dig in a little deep and the regions within the states too have stereotypes for each other.
We have perceptions of different states based upon what we read in media or the political wind that surrounds the state. I remember how i used to have a stuck up notion of Patna untill i actually visited that city. I also recall an incident where a colleague's mother from a state in south India would not allow his younger brother to study in a premier Engineering college in a particular northern state. And i am talking about the topnotch one here! Her fear was simple, there is too much goondagardi and my son might get killed. We all had a good laugh including my colleague, on her little innocent remark but she isn't the only one. There are many nonsensical stories that prevail about how in a particular state down south they beat you up for no good reasons if you utter a single word of Hindi. Of course I am not denying these allegations completely for any regions but the fact is there is definitely more to these states than sheer stereotypes.
I guess a little humour doesn't do any harm as long as the this whole business of stereotyping doesn't reflect in our basic perception of people. As a UP born, growing in Gujarat surrounded by mallu aunts and tamilian uncles and goan, punjabi, maharshtrian neighbours and working in Bangalore with the same heterogeneous bunch has taught me something of more profound importance. That beyond these little perceptions and fun emulations, the people who you will really gel with, connect with and count on, will be the ones with whom you share that grey matter up there. The rest could be just facade.
You may say 'Not Always' and Yes i agree completely but at times if you let go of that little obsessiveness of food and language you may find that despite having not one bone in common, the friendship that you may have could be more fulfilling than just the language that you share!
Too profound of a thought or just plain simple? you decide!
BTW Here is the ad that started it all ;).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-8GVi2Fdi4
And here is the real Ajay Bhatt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-MJvNLQCF4&feature=related
Euphemism for internal racism!
ReplyDeletewaise yeh UPites kya hai?? Arre, bhaiyajis! And thats gender stereotyping too!! :D
Haha ..yes kakkaa..but imagine being called behenjis!
ReplyDelete