# Indians (India) in Western Culture **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 30, 2014, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015 "2014-08-30T23:14:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/21 "2014-09-01T10:34:00Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Although one thing I’ve noticed is that 2nd/3rd generation Indians in the UK tend to support the Indian cricket team when they play England. The same goes for other Asian sport fans such as Pakistanis and Sri Lankans. Many other people with immigrant parents/grandparents (such as myself) would support England when playing sport against our parents country. I think that shows an interesting cultural difference - although it’s not necessarily an explanation to your question. This article may interest you. It’s by an Indian origin Britisher explaining his stand on the ‘cricket test’ - [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/25/opinion/kenan-malik-on-britishness-and-belonging.html](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/25/opinion/kenan-malik-on-britishness-and-belonging.html) > [@](#): > > How times change. Last week, I was at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London — the “home of cricket,” as England’s cricket officials like to boast — to see England play India. I was born in India, yet I was cheering England. > > Thirty years ago, I certainly would not have been. I can remember the Indian cricket team touring England in 1986. India won that three-match series 2-0 (with one draw). I was ecstatic. > … > Thirty years ago, Britain was a different place. And I was a different person. I grew up in a Britain where racism was woven into the fabric of society in a way that would be difficult to imagine today. Racism was vicious, visceral and sometimes fatal. Assaults and stabbings were common; firebombings of Asian houses were almost weekly events. > > My parents were of a generation that accepted racism as part of life. I was of a generation that challenged it, politically and physically. We confronted far-right thugs, organized street patrols to protect black and Asian families, and stood up to police harassment. And this inevitably shaped our sense of who we were. > > My generation did not think of itself as “Muslim” or “Hindu” or “Sikh.” We wanted to be seen as British. When Britain told us, “You don’t belong,” we responded both by insisting on our Britishness and by identifying with those who challenged British identity. Such is the contradictory character of belonging. > [@eltro102](#): > > is it just me, or does this board act as a magnet for self-hating indian men? Considering how similar the topic of this OP is to the last one, I suspect the board is a magnet all right, but for a different species than you’re suggesting. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/22 "2014-09-02T14:25:11Z")
What religion do you follow (or nominally follow/identify with)? In my experience, Indians (from India) tend to be either Hindu or Muslim. Some are devout, many are nominal/cultural followers. Latin Americans tend to identify as Christians, predominantly Catholics with some Protestants. Even if both of you are nominal followers of your respective faiths, “mixed” marriages don’t typically get well accepted in extended families. I think your average Latina is going to want someone she can show to her mom and say, “look ma, he’s a Christian too \<3, even if nominally so”. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/23 "2014-09-02T14:27:57Z")
How many Latinas are there in your area? If you are really serious about this, you could try moving to an area where there is an abundance of Latinas. E.g. Miami, Orlando, some neighborhoods of NYC, etc. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/24 "2014-09-02T14:45:37Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > How many Latinas are there in your area? If you are really serious about this, you could try moving to an area where there is an abundance of Latinas. E.g. Miami, Orlando, some neighborhoods of NYC, etc. …Mexico, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador… ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/25 "2014-09-02T14:52:12Z")
> [@IndianStones](#): > > Discuss the weather. It’s really hot here in Taiwan. Humid as well. I’m afraid to leave the house or I’ll stink as bad as some poster’s father. We’ll likely get typhoons though here. > [@IndianStones](#): > > Discuss sports. I’d rather not. Ever since the Jazz stopped doing well, I prefer discussing the weather. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/26 "2014-09-02T14:58:07Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > **Moderator Action** > > I don’t see a factual question here. > > Moving thread from General Questions to Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS). So why did it end up in IMHO? Was there a glitch in The Matrix? ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/27 "2014-09-02T16:11:05Z")
This is off-topic (at least insofar as I understand the actual topic), but NPR did an interesting [story](http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/07/17/332380449/how-turbans-helped-some-blacks-go-incognito-in-the-jim-crow-era) a while back about how some black Americans posed as Indian in the mid-20th Century. Not a lot of Americans had come into contact with actual Indians, so a black American could don a turban and exotic robes and pass as a visiting dignitary form India. One black musician, John Redd, adopted the persona “Korla Pandit” and made a career out of playing “Exotica” in the postwar era. None of that helps the OP find a girlfriend or sort out whatever issues he’s facing, but I thought it was interesting. Anyway, I guess I accept Indians just fine. My Indian wife is quite lovely. Her parents are cuckoo, but I don’t think it’s because they’re Indian. Anyway, in our social circle, intermarriage seems pretty common. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/28 "2014-09-02T18:07:02Z")
> [@eltro102](#): > > is it just me, or does this board act as a magnet for self-hating indian men? or maybe a magnet for trolls acting as self-hating Indian men? ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/29 "2014-09-02T18:18:20Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Indians seems pretty well accepted in my part of the Western World (UK). > > Although one thing I’ve noticed is that 2nd/3rd generation Indians in the UK tend to support the Indian cricket team when they play England. The same goes for other Asian sport fans such as Pakistanis and Sri Lankans. Many other people with immigrant parents/grandparents (such as myself) would support England when playing sport against our parents country. I think that shows an interesting cultural difference - although it’s not necessarily an explanation to your question. I guess many of 2nd/3rd gen. support England too , many do not support either or support both. Many are just happy to be at the ground and are in a mood to celebrate which is why they may seem zealous in support. But I find that interesting too. I am an Indian living in India btw. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/30 "2014-09-02T18:55:48Z")
> [@IndianStones](#): > > Discuss. I’m thinking maybe it’s you. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/31 "2014-09-02T19:00:54Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > So why did it end up in IMHO? Was there a glitch in The Matrix? Pilot error. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/32 "2014-09-02T19:26:48Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Ordinarily, I don’t respond to demands for cites when I use deliberately vague terminology like “I understand” or “I heard” or “I read somewhere,” but I think this is what I am recalling — [Punjabi Mexican Americans - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjabi_Mexican_American). The city is Yuba City, California. So, a factual answer to the OP would be to move to Yuba City, CA, in 1907. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/33 "2014-09-03T04:56:38Z")
There were Bengalis who had no trouble finding non-desi spouses in New York, Detroit, and New Orleans: [http://bengaliharlem.com/](http://bengaliharlem.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/34 "2014-09-03T11:35:14Z")
> [@eltro102](#): > > is it just me, or does this board act as a magnet for self-hating indian men? This board is nothing. If you really want to see an endless list of self-hating Indian men, check out [www.quora.com](http://www.quora.com) Examples: [Do young women in the US find Indian men disgusting?](http://www.quora.com/Do-young-women-in-the-U-S-find-Indian-men-disgusting) [Do American women find Indian men physically attractive?](http://www.quora.com/Do-American-women-find-Indian-men-physically-attractive) [Is it hard for some Indian men to date in America Why or why not?](http://www.quora.com/Is-it-hard-for-some-Indian-men-to-date-in-America-Why-or-why-not) [Indian Men/How do westerners perceive Indian men?](http://www.quora.com/Indian-Men/How-do-westerners-perceive-Indian-men) [Stereotypes/What stereotypes do Caucasian women have about Indian men?](http://www.quora.com/Stereotypes/What-stereotypes-do-Caucasian-women-have-about-Indian-men) [Are Indian men the worst to date?](http://www.quora.com/Are-Indian-men-the-worst-to-date) [Why are Indian men hated everywhere?](http://www.quora.com/Why-are-Indian-men-hated-everywhere) [Are Indian men the most undesirable Why?](http://www.quora.com/Are-Indian-men-the-most-undesirable-Why) [Why dont white women normally date Indian men in the US?](http://www.quora.com/Why-dont-white-women-normally-date-Indian-men-in-the-US) [Do most Indian men believe they will be rejected by white women If so why?](http://www.quora.com/Do-most-Indian-men-believe-they-will-be-rejected-by-white-women-If-so-why) [Why do most women refuse to date Indian men as soon as race is mentioned?](http://www.quora.com/Why-do-most-women-refuse-to-date-Indian-men-as-soon-as-race-is-mentioned) It’s just… bizarre. As an Indian man living in the UK, the level of weird contortions that these men seem to put themselves through is mind-boggling. It’s tortured, and one of the things that put me off Quora. The OP appears to come from a similar mindset, as far as I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/35 "2014-09-03T11:55:26Z")
You want a Latina girlfriend, [make something](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Taj_Mahal_2012.jpg) for her. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/36 "2014-09-03T12:18:00Z")
> [@Dervorin](#): > > This board is nothing. If you really want to see an endless list of self-hating Indian men, check out [www.quora.com](http://www.quora.com) > It’s just… bizarre. As an Indian man living in the UK, the level of weird contortions that these men seem to put themselves through is mind-boggling. It’s tortured, and one of the things that put me off Quora. The OP appears to come from a similar mindset, as far as I can tell. Heh. Quora, for whatever reason, has a _very_ high number of Indians on it. I’m not surprised that some percentage of them are self hating types obsessed with white women. Personally, as I’ve gotten older and started discriminating beyond simply ‘female and vaguely well proportioned’, I find very fair skin to be somewhat unattractive even on Indian women, and the more extreme variety on white women slightly more so. So it’s not just the torture they put themselves through that I find bizarre. It’s also their taste 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/37 "2014-09-03T13:14:28Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > Heh. Quora, for whatever reason, has a _very_ high number of Indians on it. I’m not surprised that some percentage of them are self hating types obsessed with white women. Personally, as I’ve gotten older and started discriminating beyond simply ‘female and vaguely well proportioned’, I find very fair skin to be somewhat unattractive even on Indian women, and the more extreme variety on white women slightly more so. So it’s not just the torture they put themselves through that I find bizarre. It’s also their taste 🙂 I’m Indian and I’m naturally very fair. ☹ I’ve been mistaken for Puerto Rican many times. My ex-boyfriend’s mother hated me with a passion, but she did manage to grudgingly eke out one compliment: “At least she is really gauri (light-skinned).” ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/38 "2014-09-03T14:06:51Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I’m Indian and I’m naturally very fair. ☹ I’ve been mistaken for Puerto Rican many times. My ex-boyfriend’s mother hated me with a passion, but she did manage to grudgingly eke out one compliment: “At least she is really gauri (light-skinned).” Yeah, there are large swathes of the Indian population that are (evidently) enamoured with fair skin. And at the risk of being grossly impolitic, I’d say most of those swathes are also the worst equipped to actually date someone from a western culture. Which would explain these threads I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/39 "2014-09-03T16:16:23Z")
Anyone who starts his search for companionship with superficial characteristics like “I want a Latina girlfriend” really is destined for more than average frustration. ---
**Author:** ![IndianStones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ebca7d/32.png) [@IndianStones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IndianStones)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015/40 "2014-09-14T22:26:27Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > I see roughly as many Indian guys with Western girls, as I do Indian girls with Western guys. > > If they can do it, you’ll be able to. Ah, but how _attractive_ are the Western girls that date Indian guys? Not very, would be my guess. Because Indian men are the in the lowest rung of the racial social hierarchy of coolness in America. And yes, I’m superficial when it comes to this kinda thing. I don’t need the personality you think is deserving of girlfriends, to have girlfriends. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indians-india-in-western-culture/697015.md?page=3)