what's the appeal of going abroad/desi identity crisis

[Bad Boy]

It is more than obvious if I find a button "edit" up above my post on the right corner. It would be logical to make use of it!
Isn't it so, Kannumma?

It is more than logical that you are sticking to logicals and not to logics

[kannuma]

It is more than obvious if I find a button "edit" up above my post on the right corner. It would be logical to make use of it!
Isn't it so, Kannumma?

It is more than logical that you are sticking to logicals and not to logics

even the best of us err.

[blahblah]

Hi all hubbers,
I don't know why people call it 'personal attack' when their ways are criticised.However I will try not to address any one personally in this thread.
If the Indians in America try to speak with an American accent,it is because they wan't to adapt to the new culture.I can't think of speaking butler English when I am in U.S..
The perception that everyone is dying to get out of India is wrong as pointed out by someone else in this thread.Or to say the least,the trend is decreasing.
If someone feels that everything foreign is being glamourised in this country,may be that's the difference between a rich and poor country.
If you say that there is an alarming trend of shunning everything Indian,well,may be I heard about it from the wrong source .

[kannuma]

Hi all hubbers,
I don't know why people call it 'personal attack' when their ways are criticised.However I will try not to address any one personally in this thread.
If the Indians in America try to speak with an American accent,it is because they wan't to adapt to the new culture.I can't think of speaking butler English when I am in U.S..
The perception that everyone is dying to get out of India is wrong as pointed out by someone else in this thread.Or to say the least,the trend is decreasing.
If someone feels that everything foreign is being glamourised in this country,may be that's the difference between a rich and poor country.
If you say that there is an alarming trend of shunning everything Indian,well,may be I heard about it from the wrong source .

it not a personal attack when you give constructive arguments. it is a personal attack when you tell me my perception is due to the fact that i must hvae went through an identity crisis(rephrased, but thats the gist of it).
i am glad to know the trend is decreasing, but i do know many many people, in india or abroad who diss india. by that i also mean people i stand in the line with at immigration or whtever in india. face it, there are a lot of people who shun indian culture. however there is a part of the desis who shun everything foreign. i was an observation. im just asking to discuss. and im glad to find out the trend for glamourizing the west is decreasing. i can tell you im neither rich nor poor, and the people i meet come from all kinds of backgrounds. just to clarify...

[aravindhan]

so many desis who have lived in india all their life suddenly have an american(fake) accent, 'coz they went to an english medium school'. i think it is an identity crisis. im asking why this is. is it because the west is over glamourised? is there something ive missed?

I think it could just be that you have not seen a representative sample of Indians. My experience has been that those who attended public schools tend to speak with British-ish accents; those who attended the newer, expensive, private schools tend to speak with American accents; and those who attended the normal sort of English schools (such as yours truly) have Indian accents, with varying degrees of thickness.

I've not seen any evidence to suggest that a significant portion of Indians have an identity crisis, let alone "Indians" as a generalised group. As I explained in a previous post, those who are of their nature drawn to a more individual-centred lifestyle are likely to feel more "western", because western culture better reflects their personal values. I have a cousin who is in a similar position, and we've had a number of long chats about why she feels the way she does.

i am glad to know the trend is decreasing, but i do know many many people, in india or abroad who diss india.

I've met a number of Englishmen who diss England, Germans who diss Germany, and Americans who diss the US. What, to your mind, seems qualitatively different about the way Indians diss India?

[mellon]

so many desis who have lived in india all their life suddenly have an american(fake) accent, 'coz they went to an english medium school'.

Pronunciation and accent are the MAJOR issues one needs to work on when trying to adopt a foreign country and living there. We mispronounce several words in English unfortunately. One need to communicate to the people properly to survive in a foreign country. The foreigners may not understand your "native English" accent and they will never come down to learn or understand your accent. So, some are forced to change their accent so that the people with whom they do business or interact with will understand and, for being competent in coummunication as well. This is a positive thought and it is genuine in several cases.

[aravindhan]

We mispronounce several words in English unfortunately. One need to communicate to the people properly to survive in a foreign country. The foreigners may not understand your "native English" accent and they will never come down to learn or understand your accent. So, some are forced to change their accent so that the people with whom they do business or interact with will understand and, for being competent in coummunication as well. This is a positive thought and it is genuine in several cases.

I think Kanuma was talking about Indians living in India, not Indians who've moved to the US. But I'd take issue with your saying that we Indians "mispronounce" words in English. Indian English is a variant of English in its own right, and whilst our pronunciation is different from Standard British and Standard American, it is no more a "mispronunciation" than is Standard Australian. Professor David Crystal even predicted not too long ago that Indian English may eventually come to be the most-used flavour of English internationally...

That having been said, I agree that we often need to moderate our Indian tones if we want to be understood well. To some extent, we owe it to the natives when we travel to a foreign country. However, a Brit from Aberdeen or Cornwall will probably need to moderate their speech a lot more than the average Indian.

[mellon]

However, a Brit from Aberdeen or Cornwall will probably need to moderate their speech a lot more than the average Indian.

Well, a British does not need to change his accent. Because when you are a white and British, or jewish with an accent, it is different at least in north america. Of course he/she will be changing it eventually but it hardly matters.

Indians and chinese are not "treated" like an "English" or an Isreali with an accent. If the British is "african-british" then it is different.

The reason of course is we have completely "unacceptable" arranged marriage culture and most of us fussing about how great being a vegetarian is and WE DONT LOOK LIKE THEM and our NAMES are so weird looking. When they find these issues as so foreign, with a FOREIGN accent with a darker skin or a chinese face, we score very little when you compare yourself with a white, English or Israeli with an accent.

[visu]

"The reason of course is we have completely "unacceptable" arranged marriage culture and most of us fussing about how great being a vegetarian is and WE DONT LOOK LIKE THEM and our NAMES are so weird looking. When they find these issues as so foreign, with a FOREIGN accent with a darker skin or a chinese face, we score very little when you compare yourself with a white, English or Israeli with an accent. "

Mate what r u saying?
Majority of indians are happy with arranged marriages. Haha i know how liberated marriages work in west!

What is the need to look like them mate? If we look like them and have western names we r not indians. I think you are smooching their as* too much.

Our english is far far better than russians and east europeans.
No one gives visas to indians like that. They give visas because we have skills and inturn contribute to their economy.
I personally think people here downunder have no problem with indian accent.In turn nowadays all the mobile cutomer service is directed to india. And people say though the language is accented it is good.

[pavalamani pragasam]

The word "unacceptable" makes the meaning very obvious Arranged marriages are acceptable to us, unacceptable to them Is that clear now?