Organization: Arizona State University
Date: Saturday, 7 Nov 1992 20:45:00 MST
From: <AUASV@ASUACAD.BITNET>
Newsgroups: alt.culture.us.asian-indian
Subject: MISUNDERSTANDING

To all those who seem to take offence so easily,

     I wrote a post titled "THANKS ALOT", and recently another one of my
brothers wrote "RACISM", well I just wanted to elaborate on this subject since
you people seem to take offence so easily.

     I wrote earlier that we need to stop all this bickering and do something
about a real problem.  Racism is high in our minds right now due to the
recession that all of us are experiencing.  I had a chance to talk to some of
you on the views of Racism, and to be honest people, I think you just may need
to get your head out of the clouds and get back down to earth.  I don't mean
everyone but just those who feel that since they have never been discriminated
yet, that it will never happen to them.  Well brother man, I'm here to tell you
that you couldn't be farther from the truth.

     When we first came to America, we lived in Yulee Florida.  It was a nice
quiet,mostly white collar homes, and we thought it was just peachy.  Well NOT!
In order to become a good member of the neighborhood, I decided to go to their
church.  I was welcomed at first but when I refused to go to their Sunday Sch.
and not go to their church regularly and practice our Hinduism, and they were
furious.  I was called a Satinist and a Devil Worshiper, etc.  My parents were
new to the country and realizing that the conflict may have a chance to
blossom to a persicution, they moved out to Houston Texas.  Texas was a very
desent place but here we had times so we moved to Louisiana.  Bad move!!!  I
was so scared by the KKK regular attacks and beatings that it traumatized me
until this day.  I had a friend back in Houston who told me about MLK and other
great civil rights freedomfighters of the US.  After being driven out of the
place we called home for over 4 years, we moved to Phoenix.  Here there was no
more racism that was easily sensed.

     In Phoenix there was so much diversity that we were a part of the majority
which is the minority.  I was mistaken for a Mexican where I got the name
"JULIO".  Phoenix is a quiet city which pretty much runs itself and bothers
almost no one.  It's a town where there are over 3000 Indians.  What sucks
about Arizona is that these Indians are fighting amongst themselves which may
routinely get a little violent.  A muslim family was beaten up when they did
not take of their shoes outside of the Cultural Hall.  It was so bad that one
man was literally taing on the entire hall.  How ignorant is that?

      We need to take a stand.  We need to educate our people about the risks
of being so ignorant and arrogent.  We are not the Best Civilization of this
World,  We are not better than any other nation, speaking as a Brahmin, we are
not any better than those who are of lower caste, our language is better than
no others.  We are not in a "Melting Pot" and we should not have to.  We should
live in a civilization which appreciates differences.  We should live in a
country which does't have the worst crime rate in the world.  We should live in
a country which does not tollerate any discrimination.  We should live in a
country which takes pride in it's diversity.  If you think you found all these
qualities here in America, then brother, Where do you live because I will do
anything to live where you are living.

     In conclusion, I just want to say that if we unite our differences, I
think we can be a part of this community again with a good standing.  Please
help me by helping youselves.  Always be alert to all unusual behavior of the
people whom you are with.  Don't be an easy prey.  Help out a fellow Indian in
times of need no matter what caste, monitary status, color, etc.  Help me pass
the words of Mohandas K. Ghandi  "Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner".

                                                  Ashish "Julio" Vaidya
Newsgroups: alt.culture.us.asian-indian