Let’s Have a (Race) War!

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Let’s see what’s on TV this fall…Looks like Kal Penn is joining the cast this fall on “24.” Bet he’s going to play the typecast terrorist. Oh, my bad…

“Penn will play a man associated with the leader of an Islamic group that may or may not be plotting a terrorist attack.”[link]

…and who’s that in the America’s Next Top Model promo? Looks desi- Neha did say there would be one this season. Also on the reality TV show front, we have married couple Vipul and Arti hailing from the nation’s angriest city, Orlando, FL. Aren’t they a cute couple? Looks like they’ll be competing on Amazing Race, season 10.

Speaking of race…where my desis at on this reality show this fall?

“…the 20 castaways for Survivor: Cook Islands will be grouped by race, with competitors divided into four tribes consisting of whites, blacks, Asians and Hispanics.

“The idea for this actually came from the criticism that Survivor was not ethnically diverse enough, because for whatever reason, we always have a low number of minority applicants apply for the show,” Probst said. [link]

‘There are going to be people looking for stereotypes: Will this tribe be smarter than this tribe, or will this tribe be faster than this tribe?’ says Probst. ‘That’s why I think it’s fun. But five people on a tribe do not represent an entire ethnic group.’ [link]

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p>Would it be a racist move to start placing bets on what team we think is going to win? Kidding. Kind of…

Bodog.com has made the Whites a favorite to win at odds of 7 to 3 (or $7 paid out for every $3 bet). The Asian tribe gets a price of $13 for every $7 bet. “It seems that stereotypes are already coming into play with Bodog.com assuming that because Asians are often classified by the gambling establishment as big gamblers they get the highest priced odds,” comments Payton O’Brien, columnist for Gambling911.com. [link]

But where is my Macaca team in this mix? I looked through the cast and was hopeful with the name ‘Parvati Shallow,’ but homegirl is on the white team (And it doesn’t look like in a Thind Supreme Court kind of way). And the Asian team has no South Asians in it. I say we create a Macaca Mutiny reality team to ambush the survivors on Cook Islands and show them all who the real survivors are. Who’s with me?

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About Taz

Taz is an activist, organizer and writer based in California. She is the founder of South Asian American Voting Youth (SAAVY), curates MutinousMindState.tumblr.com and blogs at TazzyStar.blogspot.com. Follow her at twitter.com/tazzystar

67 thoughts on “Let’s Have a (Race) War!”

  4. 24 has already had its share of 2nd gen actors, Jonathan Ahdout (House of Sand and Fog), Kiran Rao, and others, but TV in the “film world” is stability & more importantly $$.

  7. Ok people it’s “Pavarti” not “Parvati”. By the way is Pavarti an Indian name. Never heard of it.

  8. Saw a promo somewhere for the tv series “Heroes”… they have a desi actor with the Naveen Andrews “Lost” look .

  9. My money’s on Hippie parents – her bio says she grew up on a commune. But what kind of name is “Shallow” for any ethnicity? Names aside, I wish her well, she has amazing upper arms and she’s a boxer, and she could undoubtedly kick all our kundis.

    (And this blog is pretty much the main way I learn about anything on teevee.)

  13. Pavarti is a kind of cheese: paneer crossed with Havarti.

    I hope that neither the haters nor the do-gooders go declaring a new “war on Pavarti” now….

  15. P.S. I don’t know if this has anything to do with it, but many people (in America) don’t consider South Asians to be “real” Asians. At least in my experience.

  16. P.S. I don’t know if this has anything to do with it, but many people (in America) don’t consider South Asians to be “real” Asians. At least in my experience.

    i think this is part of it. i suspect that the producers mooted this, and probably dismissed mixing up south asians in the ‘asian’ group to avoid controversy or confusion from those who would question this.

  17. well even though it’s pavarti not parvati i still think there might be at least one desi on survivor. Sundra Oakley could be trini or guyanese or half-desi. Black actors usually don’t get cast by ABD directors to play desis. That would be like Spike Lee casting Sheetal Sheth to play Condoleeza Rice.

  19. our very own mountain-climbing, airplane-flying, bear-wrangling abhi would be the logical candidate. can we start a Draft Abhi for Survivor campaign?

  20. Ok people it’s “Pavarti” not “Parvati”. By the way is Pavarti an Indian name. Never heard of it.

    I think it is Parvati.. look at her profile

  23. as one who feels that her desi crush potential was seriously hampered by far too few cute brown boys on the tv while growing up, i’d like to say that i’m encouraged by the promise of Kal Pen and Sendhil Ramamurthy appearing on my telly. ps.(Thanks for the link Vikram — Ramamurthy? one word:hubba sedond word:hubba)

  24. I second yola. That link made me “Hi” my computer. You know- I clicked. saw the photo. Let out a breathy, “Hi…” Giggled. You know…Hi!

    Anyways, Abhi’s passion has been to be on Jeapordy all these years, but I will spend his last few months of living in LA dragging him to survivor-like reality show auditions. Consider it done, and a sacrifce I make on behalf of the mutiny.

  25. Wow, this is insulting.

    But whatever. It’s not like I’ll be watching “Survivor” anyway.

  27. I for one find it hard to imagine that Kal Penn will be a convincing maybe-terrorist. The guy just projects casualness and laid-back goodwill.

    Incidentally, if you reverse “024,” you get “420.” (A bit of an in-joke, that — and not a desi one.)

    In general, I find “24” a little too intense for my television timepass needs. I still prefer “Lost,” or indeed, “Desperate Housewives,” though I am so not the demographic they are going for.

  28. Indians are perfect for survivor. Everyone else would be starving for food while the Indians are stuffed on green and pepperment leaves and makeshift paan for dessert.

  30. Incidentally, if you reverse “024,” you get “420.” (A bit of an in-joke, that — and not a desi one.)

    cough Prof, you’re not supposed to know that.

    Anyway, 420 is also the section of the Indian Penal Code (a most delightful document, by the way) that deals with delivery fraud. As such, “420” is sometimes used as a shorthand for shysters.

    Now, what I’m curious about is whether you can commit 420 while using 420.

    Only Agastya knows for sure.

  31. I haven’t watched Survivor since the 2nd season, but it seems a horrible idea to group people by race and have them compete that way. This is going to bring out the worst in people (and I’m not talking about the contestants). Is this a sign of a growing sense of ‘whiteness’ that might be developing in this country? We’re all in trouble if that happens.

  32. Is this a sign of a growing sense of ‘whiteness’ that might be developing in this country?

    no, it is a ratings stunt since survivor’s franchise is getting stale. this is “jumping the shark.” but yes, white consciousness will rise and the % of minorities increases and they feel less secure, and, race-talk starts to become normative.

  33. So, where are they sticking desis, if any? Yes, we know razib’s classification, but where would producers of Survivor put desis?

  34. Senor Kobayashi – your 420 references help me make that much more sense on your various posts here! ;-)) JK!!

    Pass it on, sahib…

    As for Razib, perhaps he needs some 420 hookup (or a real live woman – not sure which will do more good). It could help him escape his computer and be a little less clinical/analytical about all this drama. ;-)))

    By the way, this Survivor Stunt really is nauseating..

  35. I’ll boycott:) Somehoww, somewayyy, I’ll not watch Survivor. Ever. Ma kasam.

    by the way; yes, indiansareasians website is awesome:)

  36. Am I the only one who wishes Kal Penn has stuck with his real name?

    No. Whenever I read his name, I think, “Kal Penn, Aaj Columbia, aur Kal Brown!” From BA to PhD in three easy Ivy steps!

    er…

  37. Mr. Kobyashi, I’d be as surprised as you if I didn’t spend one quarter 420ing it up with one of my profs. Although, it would still be weird to think of Amardeep skipping class on 420.

    More on topic, I’m an “API” activist and I’ve always asserted to everyone that South Asians are Asians too, but the more I learn about the history of what is called “Asian-American activism” the more I realize that we have little, if any, place in it. At this point, I feel like I’m fighting on behalf a people who don’t even recognize me as part of their own (because most don’t unless they think really hard about it, or are forced to compromise). The word “Asian” in America means East and Southeast Asian, and their struggle has a whole different flavor from our desi one. I think there should be South Asian American representation on Survivor’s “race war”, but I don’t know where we fit. The American understanding of Asian simply doesn’t include us. On what grounds would we force our way into the American consciousness of Asians? Even Orientalism really refers to the Western European imagination of the Middle East and South Asia. Said explicitly points out that the American fascination with East Asia, however similar, is foundationally different. So what are our points of solidarity? Is anyone going to buy it? I doubt it, because I’ve tried, and if Asians themselves don’t believe it, then why should white America?

  38. BTW, I heart Taz. Welcome back homie. We have now been to at least 3 events at the same time without properly meeting (Mos Def show at USC, Artwallah, and Tofu Festival, if you ended up going). I’ll go to the next LA meet up just to finally say hi 🙂

  39. There is no doubt that it is absurd to lump south asians and east asians together. East asians actually find it insulting.

  40. Am I the only one who wishes Kal Penn has stuck with his real name?
    No. Whenever I read his name, I think, “Kal Penn, Aaj Columbia, aur Kal Brown!” From BA to PhD in three easy Ivy steps!

    Hilarious.

  41. There is no doubt that it is absurd to lump south asians and east asians together. East asians actually find it insulting.

    I know a lot of things I learned in public school were wrong, but last time I checked, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, etc were all part of Asia, yes? Technically, I mean. What’s insulting about that?

    I refuse to check “Asian/Pacific Islander” on forms, and choose to check “other” and specify “South Asian” instead. This is not because I don’t want to be considered Asian, or think it’s insulting, on the contrary in fact. However, in the States, I feel like API doesn’t apply to me, and if it doesn’t there needs to be another section on all those forms. Damn it. 🙂

  42. I know a lot of things I learned in public school were wrong, but last time I checked, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, etc were all part of Asia, yes? Technically, I mean. What’s insulting about that?

    we’re black & hairy 🙂

    I refuse to check “Asian/Pacific Islander” on forms, and choose to check “other” and specify “South Asian” instead. This is not because I don’t want to be considered Asian, or think it’s insulting, on the contrary in fact. However, in the States, I feel like API doesn’t apply to me, and if it doesn’t there needs to be another section on all those forms. Damn it. 🙂

    there are contract set asides for affirmative on gov. bids, etc., which asian americans are part of. my understanding is that one of the pushes for why south asians (asian indian) was merged with asian american is so that they can get loans, etc. which were allocated to this group. some middle eastern americans now don’t want to be placed in the white category because they would like to get in on the action. i believe armenians in southern california have been officially recognized as non-white so that they get full access.

  43. specifically about armenians: they have been recognized by the local counties/cities. not the feds. i believe some southeast asians in california (cambodians, hmong, etc.) are working to not get counted as asian for admission to the UC system.

  44. “There is no doubt that it is absurd to lump south asians and east asians together. East asians actually find it insulting.”

    Didn’t someone post a story about how kids in “eastern” asia feel about “brown” asians? (They look funny, etc) and vice-versa? I thought I recalled that from not too long.

    Sigh…. geographically desis have ancestral roots from Asia, but perhaps not visibly asian, politically asian, or socially “asian” or even nationally asian- which makes it all very confusing to most. And then there’s the U.K. asian concept versus the N.A. asian concept, which further adds to the problem. And don’t even try to put desis in the caucasian or the black (props Razib!) group, because you’ll find protests from all corners. Whatevs! This has all been debated to death.

    I can only hope that this show (a poor/invalid example of a social science experiment in this case) manages to surprise rather than confirm people’s ideas.

  45. There is no doubt that it is absurd to lump south asians and east asians together. East asians actually find it insulting.

    Afghans (Pashtuns, Aimaqs, Hazars, Farsiwans, etc) also do not appreciate being lumped together with south Asians (or Arabs), for some reason. An Afghan would not take being mistaken for a Desi/Pakistani very lightly. Trust me. I have even detected some disdain among Afghans when they speak of India. And it’s true, most Afghans don’t look much people in the Punjab.

  46. Of course. Like the east asians, the west asians (afghans, persians, turks etc) also tend to look with disdain and even contempt at those “fellow asians” from east of the Indus. Which is why it is pathetic to see indians running around trying to seek “asian solidarity”.

    Maybe its better to strive for an Indian Ocean Rim Bloc.

  48. I’m of West Asian (Not an Arab and Not Persian tho) ancestry but people think I look Indian. It doesn’t bother me at all, not in the least. Maybe cuz I’m diggin’ the “Indian appearance” anyway. And I’m not necessarily taken for northwest Indian either. And I’m luvin’ how Indian chicks are lookin’ too:) I just don’t like to look at the women too much though.;)

  49. An Afghan would not take being mistaken for a Desi/Pakistani very lightly. Trust me.

    I dont take being mistaken for an Afghan lightly either. Why would anyone want to be mistaken for an afghan?

    I have even detected some disdain among Afghans when they speak of India

    Why? Its not India’s fault that Afghans still live like cavemen from the Mesolithic era.