From Apu the convenience store owner in the Simpsons to images of cows, poverty and Mother Teresa, stereotypes of South Asians are plentiful. Anyone who is not one of “us,” is therefore part of “them.” How we perceive “them” is often a stereotype that serves to separate “us” from “them” and widens the gap between people,
This perspective is nicely spelled out in a blog published in Boston.com by Rajashree Ghosh, a resident scholar at the Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University in Waltham.
I never seen stereotypes described this way. So simple yet so eloquent and from my perspective, so accurate. When we stereotype people, it means we don’t bother to get to know people as individuals. That would take effort. Falling back on stereotypes is practically effortless, and frankly downright lazy.
But Ghosh also challenges South Asians to rethink how they see each other and perhaps themselves.
She writes:
LATEST STORIES
“Within the country looking inward, dark-skinned people are deemed as undesirable and less economically advanced and civilized. Fairness creams are endorsed by popular film actors who have large fan followings. Matrimonial ads ask for fairness as a prerequisite for brides (not necessarily for grooms).”
You can rad more about ghosh’s views on stereotypes in Boston.com
