Culturally Diverse

I am Indian and by this I mean "brown," not "red." And although, I do not want to diminish what an intrepid explorer Christopher Columbus was, I must acknowledge how much he screwed future Indian-Americans when he accidentally coined the indigenous people of the Americas “Indian.” To make matters worse, the Native Americans are still, 519 years later, being referred to as Indian. Nevertheless, this post is about accepting being diverse. Many people struggle with the idea of being different, which is why they prefer to blend in and divert any unwanted attention they may be receiving. It is difficult to be a part of the minority rather than the majority, but I think this is something you should embrace.

Growing up in the USA, the land of freedom and opportunity, I have almost never found any difficulty in expressing my heritage. The fact that I was raised in New York City, where diversity is more common than your good ole WASP (white anglo-saxon protestant), only helps my cause. Thus, a big challenge I faced when I enrolled in Dartmouth—a place where Frisbee is a sport, people own argyle headbands and Asian fever spread like AIDs did in Africa (talk about white)—was maintaining my identity. It was crucial that people understood that I was “brown” and proud, even though I did math like an East Asian and dressed like I was from Connecticut. Obviously there is no way to define how to be Indian, but it’s just something you can tell.

I have seen many people who become “white washed” (another term that doesn’t have an actual definition, but you know who they are) and often neglect the culture they were brought up in. I feel as if this is an easy way out and individuals are failing to recognize the adversity non-whites have overcome in this country, many of whom were either your or someone you knows ancestors. From Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 to the large influx of immigrants to Ellis Island, America has come a long way to throw away its diversity label. It took the country 171 years to have its first non-WASP president, John F. Kennedy, and the only part of WASP he wasn’t was the “P” portion; he was Roman-Catholic. Still, I am most definitely NOT encouraging being a fob (fresh off the boat). Fobs who refuse to learn baseball because they think cricket is superior and use powder instead of real deodorant are infuriating. Those types of people need to learn that it is imperative to adapt certain parts of another culture, especially when it comes to hygiene. Learning a healthy balance between being “white washed” and being a “fob” will not only make you interesting, but will give you a sense of gratification.

So to my reader I leave you with one thing: Don’t try so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out.