Ah, Our First Flamebait!!!

One of us found this post earlier today. One wonders what is more hilarious about the post - the clueless ignorance that comes out of living in a desi-only coccoon or the deficiency of a sense of humor? And of course the inability to comprehend what is written.

The comprehension first. A slow and simple reading of this blog will make it clear that it is NOT interested in the superficial and even incidental quirks like "white sneakers, a very un-cool accent and saving money wherever possible". Making fun of people for something like their accent is as bigoted as making fun of people for the color of their skins. That is not the game we are in. Reading the rants already posted makes it clear what we aim for.

The clueless ignorance next. Indians are the only ones who either glorify or ridicule their culture? The only person who can have such a distorted sense of reality is someone who surrounds themselves in a coterie of Indians, and whose only contact with non-Indians is at grocery stores, restaurants and the workplace, where the contact is strictly small-talk.

Americans are the ones who excel in both ends - over-glorification as well as over-ridicule. Talk radio at one end, and stand-up comedy at the other. Ever heard of "You know you're a redneck if" jokes? Probably not. The kind of person who makes utterly wrong statements like the ones on that blog usually have subscriptions to StarTV, ZeeTV and SunTV, which they watch every night, completely oblivious to the nuances of the nation they are actually living in. There is also a lot of self-depracating humor among Asians, Europeans, Latinos.... in fact I daresay that Indians are on an average, the most touchy about ridiculing their own type.

Which brings us to the third point about this flamebait post. An utter deficiency of sense of humor.... or an inability to take a joke at oneself. Which is seen a little too commonly among Indians in general and FOBs in particular. They will joke at the expense of anyone and everyone else, often in blatantly racist tones, but turn the spotlight on the, and see how they bristle! It is so sad, that it is funny!