The standard norm for the portrayal of Indians on American
sitcoms is that they’re skin color is dark, they have an uncanny accent which
sounds suspiciously like a badly disfigured South Indian and are always subject
to making fun of Indian culture. Factually speaking, Indians are known as
proud, self-respecting and yes, brown people all over the world. American
sitcoms however, delineate them in a completely different light.
The most common example one can take is from the Big Bang
Theory where Raj (an Indian) is one of the five main protagonists of the show.
Raj had a psychological fear of speaking to women and has an accent which you wouldn't a single Indian speaking in anywhere in the world. He is often shown talking to his parents
through a webcam where they keep him updated on their sadly
misinterpreted-by-the-American-director’s, ‘Indian’ lives and who he should
marry, in the same outlandish accent. If you look at today’s generation of
Indian parents and their twenty- something children, especially those who are
living in the US, you will hardly find any or maybe no parents who pressure
their kids into marriage. Raj is also known not to like Indian food, refusing
to eat it when the group buys it for dinner. This brings to light Raj’s dislike
for his Indian heritage as he claims he is sick of curry and rice something
that he has apparently had every day of his life while he was in India.
Another example can be taken in the form Principle Figgins
from Glee, where he is seen to be talking in the same ridiculous accent, the
same stereotypical appearance and the same misconceived behavior and gestures.
These are just two of the many Indian characters who are
portrayed in the same norm. In reality, these conceptions of Indians are really
not true. It’s undeniable that Indian’s can be loud and unruly sometimes but
judging them by that and not looking at their sophisticated and well behaved
population, isn't fair. Also, Indians can be white. So to the directors, “Go
get a reality check.”
No comments:
Post a Comment