Last weekend I saw Inside Man, currently the top movie in America. In Spike Lee’s excellent caper mystery, actor Waris Singh Ahluwalia explains the significance of the Sikh turban, covering your head in the presence of god, to the largest American audience to date. It’s very cool of Lee to carve out screen time for this exposition, and more such movies might reduce Sikh harassment in America.
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The hollow men |
On the other hand, Denzel Washington’s rejoinder (‘Bet you can catch a cab…’) feels like shuffling, not dancing. I didn’t catch Ahluwalia’s smack-back because the audience was laughing too hard at the turban-cabbie joke. Ick. Ahluwalia gets the lion’s share of the desi actors’ screen time. Reena Shah has a couple of seconds as a hostage, and Jay Charan is barely seen as a bank teller.
The movie opens with ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya‘ from Dil Se, and Punjabi MC raps over an orchestra-enhanced mix during the closing credits. The inclusion of ‘Chaiyya’ has nothing to do with Hindi samples in hip-hop or Bombay Dreams — Lee draws directly from the source (thanks, mallika). At some point desi influence in American pop culture will melt in so thoroughly, it won’t even be worthy of remark. Then the Uighur-Americans will start blogging about how poorly they’re represented in popular American culture. Viva la Uighur Mutiny.
Viva la
Uighur MutinyThe flick reminds me of Gurinder Chadha’s newer movies: it’s a thoroughly commercial film, a bid for mainstream relevance which still shouts out to the brotherhood (minorities, blue-collar workers, Brooklyn and polyglot NYC). It finesses the task of melding social commentary, such as a violent Grand Theft Auto parody, with product placements galore. As unfocused as it is, just one of Lee’s movies gives you more to chew on than three normal Hollywood flicks. Unlike Chadha’s work, Inside Man objectifies women as much as She Hate Me reportedly did, with an extended joke about big tits.
The movie name-checks ’70s cops ‘n robber movies like Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon and pulls some of those glorious, cheesy ’70s orchestral riffs and fast zooms, Munich–style homage. Lee once again uses his favorite shrinking-background, actor-on-a-track effect. But the movie is too slackly paced for an action flick, and none of the bank heist gang, who call each other variations on ‘Steve,’ work up physical presence or verbal menace. A lot of the interplay between criminal mastermind Clive Owen and police detective Washington feels less like a hostage negotiation than a coffee date.
As in Mississippi Masala, Washington is again in a flick with some desi themes. His preppy style, casually slurred tone and stepper gait make him marketable in the mainstream. He scans as a boyish, non-threatening black man, like Dave Chappelle and much of the Block Party crew (Mos Def, Common and Kanye West, as opposed to the more militant Dead Prez). But at his age and at this stage in his career, Washington just isn’t believable as a young rookie detective.
In contrast, Owen is the paragon of an amoral don. It feels like the last time I saw Owen smile was in Closer. And though he’s pot-bellied in a jumpsuit with a trick American accent, Owen still rocks. Lee also pulls in his loyalists including Kim Director and Chiwetel Ejiofor, who was in She Hate Me with Sarita Choudhury. (This is also Ahluwalia’s second movie with Willem Dafoe.)
The movie has such weak, dilatory action atmospherics, even revealing a couple of the robbers’ tricks up front wouldn’t have changed much. Where it really scores is with its Usual Suspects-style mental game. Inside Man flips the plan not once but twice, doubling back into what you were told not to expect. It also leaves a solution in plain sight, dropping clues about the final gambit in the opening scene.
Over and over, Lee proves he’s still a punk. The robbers turn the power structure’s tactics against itself by nicking a ploy from the police. In retaliation, Washington breaks the chief robber’s rhythm by assaulting him when he least expects. The only part that doesn’t work for me is the lengthy, absurdly wordy exposition by the Man (Christopher Plummer) towards the end of the movie. It’s all too Scooby-Doo-ish: ‘And I would’ve gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for you kids…’
The multilayered film title is as much a riddle. On the surface, it’s just the argot of criminals. After watching, you realize it hints at the denouement. But ‘inside Man’ is also a reference to the conflict between convenience and human morality, a Spikean flourish of a title. In one of the closing scenes, Jodie Foster’s queen bitch irrevocably links the Man with Osama bin Laden, and the look on his face is priceless. Like Rang De Basanti, Lee’s morality play damns those who subject ethics to expedience.
Of course he can catch a cab – it’s not b/c he’s not black, it’s because so many taxi drivers are south asian!
Yeah, that was the joke: turban = cabbie.
That line is bogus. A Salon review plays up that line as if its cool. Its really great to get Waris in a dialogue, but the cabbie line is totally shuffling, not dancing. Not that you can blame Waris for that.
the line leaves a bitter taste
spike lee reportedly saw dil se and was influenced by the song, not bombay dreams:
http://www.kaijushakedown.com/2006/03/spike_lee_nuts_.html
Manish, there was no smack back. the movie just cut to the next scene after the timed ‘joke’ delivery. ps: where i saw it, there were only a few people laughing.
It is definitely more difficult to catch a cab if you are black…. but ive seen it also matters how you look, ie black+how menacing/ thuggish you are perceived to look by the average cabbie (they are much smarter than to reject some well-suited businessman jus cuz he’s black) – its mostly a judgement call.
I don’t think we should expect a documentary on Sikhs from a movie about a bank robbery. Had the entire dialogue with Waris been him complaining about being harassed, nobody would have remembered that scene. But with the inclusion of the “shuffle”, we’re at least assured that people might remember it and maybe remember who Sikhs are along the way. Hell, I laughed at the joke and so did my sardar husband.
It looked to me like Ahluwalia squeezed in a couple of words before the cut. I couldn’t hear above the laughter though.
I am definitely going to watch this – kudos to Spike Lee. If it wasnt for him supporting Arsenal, he’d be the coolest American in town this week.
I’m gonna wait for Pattie Kaur review before I watch the movie.
There were some interesting details in the shots of Christopher Plummer’s character’s office: he with George Bush Sr in one photograph and with Maragaret Thatcher in another… Spike’s (not so) subtle association of Nazis and political leaders…
I was pleasantly suprised how much of a chunk of time Waris got. That was just fantastic. When he was cribbing about the airport and he says “random search my ass” the audience just erupted in cheers and clapping and I caught the movie Kips Bay in the city, there weren’t very many desis in the packed audience. I couldn’t get over the feeling, about damn time this was done in mainstream media. I kept thinking how much awareness simply having this in a #1 movie of the moment with a American sounding Sikh man would bring about. This definitely makes an impact. The remix on the closing credits of Chaiyya Chaiyya totally rocked.
Desis got on the profiling tip only after it started happening to them. Scratch that – most middle-class, pass-for-white, non-visible-religious-minority desis didn’t care about profiling that affects black men more than any other group in the United States (before or after 9/11). To get worked up because a film gives a line that is a pretty likely rejoinder to an outburst by a desi about profiling is to miss the point. “Shuffling” would be to feign that he cares, the way that guilty white liberals tend to do.
i love how people assume all desis were just devil-may-care-hedonists who never gave a thought to anyone else’s problems prior to a few years ago. so untrue. a lot of desis supported Jesse Jackson in 84. of the many myths out there is that all “middle class” desis are near-rich. many of them are faking it with credit like so much of the rest of the “middle class”. anyway….not to take away from the movie
oh chill out, will you – so it’s not your thing – quit being all snark and gloom and doom – think happy thoughts – step out into the wunderful spring air and smell the neighbor’s roses and her flowers too but dont step in the dog poop
I’m gonna wait for Pattie Kaur review before I watch the movie.
ah, i have a fan. maybe. lol…..cool…it’s mutual.
i gotta me bum to see it soon! ahh…lots of waris…..mmm..ok….i am way too tempted. time to peddle for movie buddies. (and we’ll just ignore the turban joke and those who laugh at them.)
oh chill out, will you – so it’s not your thing – quit being all snark and gloom and doom – think happy thoughts – step out into the wunderful spring air and smell the neighbor’s roses and her flowers too but dont step in the dog poop
yeah!!!! lol….and sarita rocks. havn’t heard about her in ages.
Sahej,
Most desis have fit into the “what about me and my share” of America perfectly. Are you trying to tell me that there was some kind of movement of solidarity in the professional class and their progeny? Jesse Jackson was thought to be one step removed from MLK, who Indians thought was big because he took Gandhian principles to heart. Jackson was “safe” because of that. If he espoused anything close to black nationalism or solid afrocentrism instead of the cult of his own personality, there would have been no interest, if any in fact existed at all.
And for the record, mentioning Jackson doesn’t really tell me much. MLK was amazing because of where he eventually went with his push for economic justice, but Jesse Jackson was manipulative and there is evidence that he sold some of the civil rights leaders down the river. The idea behind the Rainbow Coalition/PUSH was well-meaning, but I don’t know if you can really make the case that desis were significantly moved by it or to it.
And besides, joining or lending support to a political campaign is not the same as “thinking about other people’s problems.” Political activity is much more selfish – it’s just about getting one’s expected/desired share, not finding common ground.
Look – I’m not saying that it’s great that the joke was in there, but just that it should be expected, because it’s still a raw thing and I’ve seen cabs in NYC pass black potential customers enough to know that it does. On the drivers’ side, they are in a dangerous profession, and if they think that profiling will save their lives, that’s what they’re gonna do. Maybe it’s just a few outliers, but I think that it’s more than that, and they adopted the racial hierarchy of the United States when they got here. On the customers’ side – well hell, I’d be pissed too if everyone shat on me just for being me, even before meeting me.
But more importantly, it’s not the workers and recent immigrants, but rather the comfortable Indians who get all bent out of shape about profiling because they get a few more looks at the airport or close their eyes prepared to make an impassioned plea for civility and the end to profiling, or perhaps to make clear that they aren’t pakistani or arab or whatever so that they’re left alone. Then profiling becomes an issue, but it hasn’t been when the police stop or harass black men on foot or driving nice cars, or when they subconsciously lock their doors or cross the street when they see “undesirables” coming near them. So getting all bent out of shape because of a line that may be pretty accurate writing seems a little played out.
Dhaavak: Don’t know if you were telling me to chill out, but if so, I’m chill already – it’s people getting bent out of shape because of this line that should chill out.
I agree with brownfist.
As far as I can tell (at least in California), no minority group has embraced the model minority myth as much as desis have. This comes back to bite us in the ass because, obviously, myths exaggerate and essentialize characteristics. Being the wealthiest racial minority in the United States, our overall class privilege has a way of repressing racial discrimination [however very existent!] to the point where so many who don’t fit the mold get no recognition for being economically or racially disprivileged [Link]. Even East Asians have a better reputation for social justice activism than we do, and they are generally considered “apolitical” because, as a whole, they also bear the model minority stigma.
I won’t say that desi activism has not always existed in one way or another, but I think this model minority-based repression has caused a general avoidance of social justice activism, particularly with regards to showing solidarity with those who America situates below us on its racial hierarchy (black and Latino/indigenous descent peoples).
I should have added the fact that South Asians themselves are often no less racist towards black and Latino/indigenous descent peoples than white people. There are regional and generational differences, of course, as well as the fact that every racial group is racist towards every other racial group to some degree or another. It’s just something that happens when the basis of your xenology leans towards a superiority or inferiority complex about your race… but yeah, it affects South Asian relationships with other races is all I’m saying.
If desis do ever melt into the big pot of American pop culture, it will be quite remark worthy. To think otherwise, is to have a naive approach towards pop culture. Popular culture produces texts, which are snapshots of the political climate which produces them. Pop culture is based, especially in the American context, on the appropriation of the language, signs, signifiers of what is deemed as the “other”. A look at the status of black culture, and its treatment within popular culture in the States would be an indication of this.
Waris’ line after the “I bet you can get a cab”, is something like – “I guess that’s one of the perks”.
Yup, I remember hearing that.
DuttyBrownBoi- What are talking about? Am I the only who missed dutty’s point?
Does anyone know if the Chaiyya Chaiyya remix on the closing credits is available to buy somewhere online as a single? iTunes only offers the entire soundtrack. Thanks . . .
try musicindiaonline.com – it’s a really hard to navigate site – but the song’s there.
pardon me – i havent seen the movie and it slipped me that you were asking for the remix – sorry for having misled you – i had the original in mind
Is it just me who thought the the chaiyya chaiyya song at the opening felt out of place. Didn’t see a reason why the song should be there…It’s not as if it was playing in a club or somebody was playing the song, just didn’t gel with what was on the screen.
I think back in 1984, support for Jesse Jackson meant something not withstanding his problems as a leader. while not getting into specifics, which i’m too tired to do, i think generally there has been a recent needed effort to portray our desi community as multi-faceted, including that there are desis with more right of center views. awhile back, it seemed like an old political saw that….people of color = democratic. that seems like its totally changed, which is probably more realistic. however i think in the meantime its been under-emphasized that even though there are probably more desis to the right of center than was assumed in the 80’s or whatever, there’s probably an under-emphasis on how many desis are still center or left of center.
the thing that bothers me just particularly about that line is it feels like a cheap shot, but i don’t think thats the end of the world though
Shruti,
i’m not sure if thats more a function of what people one considers representative of the desi community. i think unfortunately most people are not very empowered to speak about their social convictions, whatever their political viewpoint. also, the Sikh religion has a baseline tendency toward social justice concerns that skews things slightly maybe in my own perspective as to activism. even that being said i don’t personally think the desi community is really totally skewed towards the right, or the model minority. i voted for dukaksis as a a kid in our little school elections and most desi kids i know did too, because thats what they heard from their parents. i know thats a lame ancedote to use politically, but i think its somewhat apropos. also, wasn’t it just simpler when we were kids? go donkey!
Sahej, I don’t think the desi community is totally skewed to the right either. But sometimes I think minorities vote for the Democratic candidate just because that’s what’s expected of minoritized people. I find it interesting that you think traditional Sikh values of social justice influence the diasporic Sikh community. I can’t relate, but if that is the case, then it’s good news to hear. I guess social justice activism can mean a lot of things, but I’m not aware of very many desi institutions for social justice. I’m a coconut-turned-organizer for a few race/class/gender/environmental justice orgs, and I know a few other desi organizers/activists too. A lot of it starts in the big universities with large desi populations. And of course there’s SM. So we’re headed in the right direction, I think it’s safe to say 🙂
What does that mean?
Shruti,
mad props on being an organizer. yeah i think in some way the sikh community has a slight skew towards social justice. maybe like if you’re a kennedy, there’s a good chance you’ll be a democrat. that not a really helpful way of putting it, but you’d probably not want to hear my whole long explanation. that said i’d say judging by the social position of desis, some are right of center, some left. i think there’s just a whole host of experiences people bring to their political stances…its actually kind of interesting to think of where people come from to make the decisions they make. i wonder for desis, how the freedom struggle, nerhuvian policies, the immigration reform of 1965 under Kennedy/Johnson (can’t remember which), the civil rights era, the 80’s with Ronald Reagan….I wonder how all that played a part in the demographic profile of why desis vote how they vote…along with how events of recent years have affected that profile.
Sahej,
Where does this model minority thing come in after this electing is done?
model minority has to do with the place asians play (played?) in the social system in the U.S. the idea of the term is that Asian Americans are a model minority in comparision to other american groups, mostly african american. By being percieved as uniquely hard-working, law-abiding, and conciousentious (sp?), asian americans acted as “model minorities” whose good behavior was then to be rewarded with entrance into colleges and employment. the term model minority was coined i believe as a criticism of this way of looking at the behavior and expectations around asian americans, including as it pertains to the behavior among desis, and the part desis played in the larger social fabric. In terms of politics and elections i think the term can be used in a few different contexts
regards
Something really sad, but useful for me: I am the only one who can catch cabs late on busy nights in New Orleans because the South Asian cabbies stop for me. During Mardi Gras week, friends glommed onto me because they knew I would be the only one to successfully catch the elusive cab. I feel … so … used.
Actually, I don’t. With the small number of desis here, it’s probably the only opportunity the cabbie gets to talk about the latest Bollywood music, play some for me, and turn it down to ask me where I’m from. And they love it when I speak to them in Hindi. Poor, home-starved guys.
This sure isn’t LA or NYC, or wherever Inside Man was shot.
So was it only being perceived or only being perceived as uniquely… or was it actually by being hard-working, law-abiding, and conscientious that desis attained model minortiy status? And who are these desis? And coming back to this embrac[ing] the model minority myth what is mythical about working hard, obeying the law, and being conscientious? Isn’t that the way to live as a responsible citizen?
Shiva, modelminority.com and the Wikipedia entry break it down a little better.
And to your question,
First of all, America’s belief that we are rewarded for working hard, obeying the law and being conscientious implies a) that we live in a meritocracy, b) that we should obey even those laws that institutionalize racism, classism and sexism, and c) that conscientiousness serves to facilitate the former two qualities. This is problematic because being the model minority inherently pits us against other minorities who, supposedly, aren’t conscientious enough (in other words, not moral or intelligent enough) to be as accepted as we are. It just feeds the ethno-racial hierarchy.
More personally for us as desis, being perceived as hardworking and obedient carries some pretty disturbing Orientalist undertones. I know I keep bringing up Orientalism everywhere, but whatever, it’s appropriate 🙂 It means we’re passive, submissive, static and one-dimensional; our lives are simple, straightforward, fulfilled by white validation, and we can get by without any help because we all have supernerd skills. It also means the “feminization” of Asian males. If they are supposedly submissive, then they are also supposedly unfit to control “their” women–giving moral justification for the subjugation of Asian women by white men.
If you think I’m getting carried away with all this, think Harold and Kumar. It’s not the most progressive movie, but all these issues are brought up as soon as the white guy dumps his shit on the Chinese guy and says to his friend, “Those Asian guys love crunching numbers.” At the end of the movie, it’s the white guy that shits his pants when the Chinese guy confronts him in a moment of Yellow Peril. Desis don’t threaten Yellow Peril, but in the past, and again today, I think we are evoking fears of perhaps our own “Brown Peril.” Anyway, that brings me to my forth point: the exclusive logic of a submissive-deviant dichotomy that makes no accommodations for the internal diversity and multidimensionality that makes us all human. So that’s why the “model minority” is a myth–it’s an imposed identity and dehumanizes us as Asians, even if it seems like a compliment at face value.
The way out of model minority myth
1) Do not work ie depend on social welfare. 2) Do not obey laws ie form criminal gangs. 3) Do not have a conscience.
I am cool with it. I am so punk…….
Regards
PS Counter Culture, I love it.
Or how about
1) Work hard for something that’s worth it (I’m not a IIT grad, but I work my ass off) 2) Obey laws that make sense, even if you have to create them yourself (I lobby politicians because I believe laws that affect me should do right by me…is that too much to ask for from one’s government?) 3) Have a conscience (If I didn’t, then how could I forumlate all that?)
Gaurav, I knew somebody would make those snide remarks. Sometimes I don’t articulate myself well, but if you read carefully and consider everything I said in the context of racism in America, then it should be clear that I’m all about working hard, obeying the law and having a conscience… I just want people to recognize what they’re doing it for–and I hope it’s for something that benefits themselves in a way that facilitates a greater good (and vice versa). Having a conscience implies an understanding of morality and justice, and where is the morality and justice in being a little brown ass-wipe?
Shruti,
“Work hard for something that’s worth it”
In economic sense Money is a reasonable good measure of worth. In philosophical sense worth is an existential question humanity has grappled since dawn of civilization, has unable to find any answer and will remain so.
“Obey laws that make sense, even if you have to create them yourself (I lobby politicians because I believe laws that affect me should do right by me…is that too much to ask for from one’s government?)”
You obey laws, if you dont like them you try to change it. I dont like paying taxes, but I pay them because it is law. The other option for me is to change it or failing do so break the law, go to jail and launch civil disobedience.
“Have a conscience (If I didn’t, then how could I forumlate all that?)”
You dont need conscience to formulate, you need intelligence, this is simple and only trick of trade for a demagogue.
The crux of your argument is “I have no principled opposition to Model minority but I think being a nice person is boring and therefore choose bad form over good content”
If I had my way I will prefer Model citizens. And yes it is possible to dissent and still be Model.
Regards
Also: those who subscribe to the model minority myth ignore immigrants’ class background/privilege. The 1965 Immigration Act let a lot of Desis into the States who came from highly educated and elite backgrounds, with plenty of intellectual capital which allowed them to find high-paying jobs and climb as high socially as the glass ceiling would let them. While at home they were an elite microcosm, when they came to the States they represented South Asia. So from this came the skewed generalization that all South Asians were hard-working, intelligent, etc. This population had grown up in India with a strong work ethic, and it was only natural that they passed it onto their children, and so the myth is then perpetuated among the next generation of Desi kids.
This is why the model minority myth is so fucked up – because it’s used to put down less privileged communities to say, “Why can’t you be more like ‘them?'” This question completely overlooks the structural inequities which exist in American society, and it also overlooks the privileged backgrounds with which ‘they’ came to the US in the first place.
Gaurav,
Any generalization based on race/ethnicity, whether positive or negative, is wrong. I think it’s been demonstrated pretty clearly why the concept of model minority is a generalization. It’s hard to call this racism because it’s a privileging generalization. As someone who falls into this group, I feel an obligation to dismantle this false pedestal on which we’ve been placed because its positive impact on me has a relative negative impact on members of other classes, and that is injustice.
sigh By mentioning the conscience to formulate that, I meant that it took conscience to find it problematic enough to ponder in the first place. But I don’t have time to go tit-for-tat with you, so you can just take the cake now homeboy.
I wrote that whole thing on model minorities to clarify my argument for Shiva. Just in case Shiva is confused by your last two bits:
The actual crux of my argument is “I have no principled opposition to model minorities (note the pluralization), I just don’t like the basis upon which Asians have been stereotyped the model minority.”
If the mainstream notion of the model minority was not based on racism, then I would have no problem with it either. I happen to love the idea of model citizens that appropriate their own unique identities.
Madurai,
Anecdotal Evidence
If you would open one of Richard Feyman’s book (I think it is “What do you care what other people think“) he recounts one incident in Jamaica, Where a Jamaican of African descent puzzled over why Jamaicans of Indian origin are more successful despite being as poor. To this Mr. Feynman speculated that Indians place more emphasis on education and this is the right answer.
It is reasonable to expect that an Indian will place empahsis on education regardless of the station (s)he is in.
“Any generalization based on race/ethnicity, whether positive or negative, is wrong.”
Not always, there is a reason why more Jews than Hindus or Muslims combined have won Nobel prizes. If you argument is against exotification of Indians (or Indian-Americans to be precise), I agree. It makes sense to me if you want to be average All-American Joe, however that begs fr the question why is there a need for Indian-American (Or Second Generation/First Generation/) specific community site. After all if you are against any “genealization based on ethnicity” wouldn’t it be proper to have this site to cover everything related to all commmunities in America.
The question of pressure on other communities is relevant, however since I am not living in US, I am not competent to comment on it.
Regards
Gaurav (#44):
What’s the reason?
This site is a testimonial to the diversity of backgrounds, opinions, and worldviews which exist within and with regard to the diasporic South Asian community. A generalization based on ethnicity and an identity based on ethnicity are two different things. The latter can accommodate diversity. A generalization is a generalization.
I appreciate your saying that.
Madurai,
“What’s the reason?” If I speculate it would be a long tradition of emphasis on academics and skills. (I am not mentioning genetics because this again is a field I am not familiar with)
“A generalization based on ethnicity and an identity based on ethnicity are two different things”
I think that Identity can not be there with generalization.
Regards
I meant without*
Shruti,
I am not trying to be difficult. Please tell me why it is a problem if a member of the ‘model minority’ – works hard and succeeds – is compared with someone who does not work hard and fails. What are those laws that institutionalise sexism, racism and classism? And as for being conscientious – if a person believes and struggles to live up to the ideal as in Tamizh – seyyum thozhile deivam – of which – Work is worship is an approximate translation – and believes that the satisfaction of work well done is its own reward – is that wrong?
How can a dichotomous imposition be exclusive? And certainly a dichotomy (whatever it is?) is a little accommodative? At least a little more accommodative than a clump like mass? Shruti it’s hard to make sense of complicated statements like these. It would help if it were simpler.
You mean on this thread? If so no demonstration is to be found here. The “model minority” phrase is a meme – poorly understood and thrown about carelessly. If there is more to this meme it isn’t to be found here, not yet.
“Please tell me why it is a problem if a member of the ‘model minority’ – works hard and succeeds” It’s not. My criticism is not a headhunt for individual people, it is directed towards cultural constructs and processes.
“What are those laws that institutionalise sexism, racism and classism?” It’s impossible to list them all, but “family-planning” laws are a good place to start because they are steeped in all three things.
“…if a person believes and struggles to live up to the ideal as in Tamizh – seyyum thozhile deivam – of which – Work is worship is an approximate translation – and believes that the satisfaction of work well done is its own reward – is that wrong?” No. But like I said earlier, we don’t live in a meritocracy. The South Asian equvalent would be like telling a Dalit man who actually enjoys his work that his job satisfaction means there is absolutely nothing is wrong with the caste system.
“How can a dichotomous imposition be exclusive?” That’s pretty much all it is. Dichotomous logic is based on binary opposites. You tell me how appropriating identities based on an either/or, black/white understanding of the world is not exclusive towards all the grey area that most of the world falls into.
Shruti
So you don’t criticise individuals who work hard, you criticise the tradition/culture that makes the individual do so? Is that what constructs and processes mean? Or is it a headshunt for the constructs and processes? Why do I work hard? My parents told me so, and it helps me get ahead. I am not sure if any benign construct/process informs people otherwise.
We are talking about California and generally the US right? You don’t have list all of them. Just three would do one each for the isms you list.
That’s a difficult line to take – there’s no evidence that we don’t live in a meritocracy, and no reason why one shdn’t work hard if it is not a meritocracy. Let’s ignore this point.
I thought you were talking about imposing identities not appropriating them. And where did these sharp polar opposite choices spring out of? As far as the law is concerned there are some things you must not do and I hope you aren’t arguing about that. As for other ideals such as hard work it is not dichotomous, it is a gradual scale. Results are roughly proportional to effort, and of course luck and brilliance, are always a part of the equation. As a rule brilliance x hard work (or persistence as Coolidge insists) = success. Or how else shd it be? Shd people be rewarded for doing nothing? Shd a culture a train people not to work hard and take it easy?