Housing discrimination near Dallas?

Straight out of Euless, Texas (which it turns out borders DFW Airport and is kind of part of Dallas) comes this discouraging news video about alleged discrimination against South Asian Americans and Muslims:

A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today called on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to investigate allegations that a Texas apartment complex had a policy of refusing to rent to Muslims or segregating them in buildings away from other tenants.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity to determine whether StoneBridge at Bear Creek apartment complex in Euless, Texas, violated federal fair housing laws.

According to an investigative media report, former leasing agents for the complex say Muslims, whom managers referred to as “curry people,” were routinely refused apartments even when there were vacancies. The leasing agents said they were told by their supervisors that they could only rent to Muslims if they were all kept in two buildings of the 21-building complex. [Link]

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p>The one thing that is obvious from the story is that when it comes to even talking about discriminations, Muslims, South Asians, Arabs, etc. are often all conflated. Any shade of brown with a “funny” name or associated with “smelly” food falls into the same category.

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p>The folks at CAIR weren’t too surprised that this type of thing happens given some Gallup Center for Muslim Studies poll data from last month:

More than 4 in 10 Americans (43%) admit to feeling at least “a little” prejudice toward Muslims — more than twice the number who say the same about Christians (18%), Jews (15%) and Buddhists (14%). The findings are based on a new Gallup Center for Muslim Studies report, “Religious Perceptions in America: With an In-Depth Analysis of U.S. Attitudes Toward Muslims and Islam,” released Thursday. [Link]

That being said, if these allegations turn out to be true it is encouraging that these two women were willing to stand up and blow the whistle on such practices. As for the Curry smell, Pavani points me to a similar incident in California a few years ago.

176 thoughts on “Housing discrimination near Dallas?

  1. “Isn’t everyone’s experience “incomplete” in the grand scheme of things?”

    Again, nice attempt to obfuscate and misdirect.

    The discussion at hand is not “the grand scheme,” rather a particular one pertaining to discriminatory experiences in the United States, including, but not limited to housing.

    Me saying I have access to certain experiences, that others do not, doesn’t imply the reverse isn’t true, in a different context.

  2. I’m not trying to misdirect. My point is your are arguing against A because they said that is not their experience. Your response was to tell them they must not be “atuned” to racism, which makes it sound like A is dumb and oblivious. My point is that A’s experience might be incomplete from your experience– but yours may also be from theirs. Maybe the two of you have just experienced two different extremes– isn’t is possible that A is smart enough to know what discrimination is, and did actually not experience it, as they said?

  3. Pagal_Aadmi,

    I rented an apartment where I was the only non white in the town and it was the first application I filled. I did not bother to figure out if there was short supply of apartments. It was a private white owner. I was very apprehensive when I relocated to that town but was my expereince was not bad in renting though checkout girls could not understand my accent.

    Shilp,

    On the other hand, I was denied a rental apartment in Chennai because I am a North Indian and did not speak Tamil. My skin is not very light but it is not very dark either but I grew up listening that fair skin is better and I should look for fair skin girl to marry.

    Pagal, Shilip and all

    I am not saying there is no discrimination in the USA but I don’t see any harm in sharing positive personal expereince. Also I don’t see anything wrong in comparing the USA wiht other countries because it is all relative. Here you can run a website and claim there is discrimination but in some parts of world if you run such a website, you may be behind bars within days.

    All I am saying is, let us appreciate the positives we have while we all continue to learn to be unbiased and continue to attempt to bring discrimination to zero.

    PS

    We seem to think alike. Thanks

  4. i can totally see a hollywood movie based on her experience, a little bit like erin brokavich. america loves the stand-up-for-what’s-right underdog-against-the-fatcat-establishment protagonist. plus she’s photogenic.

  5. “I’m not trying to misdirect. My point is your are arguing against A because they said that is not their experience. Your response was to tell them they must not be “atuned” to racism, which makes it sound like A is dumb and oblivious. My point is that A’s experience might be incomplete from your experience– but yours may also be from theirs. Maybe the two of you have just experienced two different extremes– isn’t is possible that A is smart enough to know what discrimination is, and did actually not experience it, as they said?”

    no, I’m arguing against A for two reasons

    1. his childhood doesn’t have the kind of discriminatory experiences (housing or not) that someone who grew up in the US, during his formative years.
    2. he says he’s never been discriminated against in a housing situation, and I say if he was, he’d never know it. just like these muslims/”curry people” would never know it unless someone from the inside blew the whistle on it.

    So Im suggesting he proudly talks about how great the US is because he’s never experienced the confusion of being “accepted” by white america as one of their own (ie. American) and then rejected by white america as a foreign element. If A (or any of us) went to this dallas housing complex, and got turned away, he’d broadly smile thinking they really didn’t have any available spots and would never be the wiser to being discriminated against.

    A is not dumb, or oblivious, he’s just without certain experiences, which explains why he (and many in his position) think that way.

  6. Also, on top of that, I’d add with his background, his accent, his behavior, etc.. when he meets someone who is clearly ‘American’ (read : white ) there’s no confusion. he looks at them, and sees american (and they’re comfortable with that) they look at him and see Indian (which he’s completely comfortable with)

  7. he says he’s never been discriminated against in a housing situation, and I say if he was, he’d never know

    I believe his belief that “he’s never been discriminated against in a housing situation” is based on never having been rejected (“not even a single time I was denied on any application for renting an apartment or house.”)

    In other words, if every time you’ve gone to vote you’ve actually voted, then it stand to reason you’ve never been denied the right to vote based on your ethnicity.

  8. A wrote:

    Because I was never deined on rental apartment, I have no reason to believe that there is discrimination on rental properties.

    This has got to be the dumbest statement made here.

    In India, we are taught “Unity in Diversity” from grade 1, however we alll know the status of unity and discimination based on relgion, language, economic status and also on color.

    Why did you neglect to mention caste, the most divisive cultural aspect of India? Is it because you believe in this most abominable discrimination of all?

    Face it, when it comes to unjust discrimination, not just in housing but in every aspect of life, Indians wrote the damn book. Which is why it is so hypocritical to see desis, especially caste defenders, whining about discrimination when they escape from the horror they created in India to more egalitarian western nations.

  9. Agreed Shilip, but even many of my DBD friends fell that there is subtle racism but end up rationalizing it as due their accents. Linzi – You are mixing class, caste & skin color. You will be discriminated based on your caste & class but rarely based just on your skin color (except during searching for a bride)

  10. NC wrote:

    I don’t fry the spices either – I add them a bit later. This might have helped me get rid of the smell faster too

    This is good advice. There is no denying that indian cooking smells cling and linger. And nauseate non-desis. Desi style of cooking, with too much spices frying in too much oil with too much onions and garlic, really stinks. Spices especially turmeric are good for you but I wonder how much of that goodness is lost in the process of frying in hot oil. It would be much healthier to steam the food and then sprinkle the spices on it. The desi diet, along with desi physical laziness, may be the reason why desis are the most unhealthy people in the world.

  11. Linzi – You are mixing class, caste & skin color

    Anyone, like LinZi, who tries to equate caste with skin color is lying and is upto no good. That includes many desis as well.

    The rampant colorism in India is a consequence of Indian servility towards its conquerors from west and central asia and europe. It has nothing to do with caste. Indians have been taught by their foreign rulers to hate their own skin and have been too stupid to get over it despite decades of “independence”.

  12. Which is why it is so hypocritical to see desis, especially caste defenders, whining about discrimination when they escape from the horror they created in India to more egalitarian western nations.

    All large groups are hypocritical because they contain diversity. One could say, for example,that the Press is hypocritical because it labels Major Nidal Hasan a terrorist while denying the label for Joseph Stack. But this assertion is unconvincing if the person calling Hasan a terrorist is different from the person not calling Stack one. You can’t take 2 separate entities within the press with different opinions and then charge hypocrisy for the entire press.

    Likewise, its meaningless to to say desis are hypocritical. what you need to do to make you case prema is find an individual desi supporting casteism while simultaneously complaining about discrimination here in the USA.. once you do that, juxtapose their two statements with each other in order to expose the hypocrisy.

    Good Luck.

  13. Linzi – You are mixing class, caste & skin color

    Hey look, who Linzi chooses to date is her business only.

  14. Manju wrote:

    All large groups are hypocritical because they contain diversity…..Likewise, its meaningless to to say desis are hypocritical.

    A fine example of a deceitful indian defending the indefensible. The above actually makes sense to this clown.

    1. Do you deny that hereditary casteism is a glaring example of unjust discrimination?

    2. Do you deny that the West is far more egalitarian in principle and practice than India?

    3. Do you deny that many if not most indians continue to cling to casteism even after they esacpe from India to the West?

    4. Do you deny that many of the indians who whine about racism in America etc are casteists?

    If such people aren’t hypocrites in your book then you are reading from a book written by and for hypocrites.

  15. If such people aren’t hypocrites in your book then you are reading from a book written by and for hypocrites.

    I agree 100% with your 4 points. My point is not that you’re wrong, only that you failed to make your case —by falling prey to a logical fallacy (what constitutes hypocrisy), failing to supply evidence substraniating your argument, and therefore arguing by assertion.

    As i said, what you need to do to make you case is find an individual desi–preferably someone with gravitas, like an SM blogger–supporting casteism while simultaneously complaining about discrimination here in the USA.. Then, extract the actually quotes and juxtapose them.

    Once you do that we’ll then have a killer case against these hypocrites. But right now, because your argument is so logically flawed and unsubstantiated by evidence, you and i risk losing the battle against these evildoers, despite occupying the morally superior position.

    I honestly wish you well as you correct the tragic flaws in your argument,. Don’t be discouraged by the work. if what you’re saying is correct you should be able to find mountains of evidence and we’ll be completely vindicated soon. Good Luck.

  16. “I believe his belief that “he’s never been discriminated against in a housing situation” is based on never having been rejected (“not even a single time I was denied on any application for renting an apartment or house.”)”

    Sure, but that doesn’t take away from the fact : if it were to happen, he’d likely not know about it. So stating that it “hasn’t happened to me” isn’t very instructive. He was just lucky not to have needed to live near Dallas.

    Also, it doesn’t include any kind of bait and switch, or any other kind of attitudes some of these landlords may have had that could have potentially been based on race, I was once in a situation where a landlord immediately on seeing the non-white status of myself and my roommates, was speaking in monotone, curt answers, obviously trying to discourage us from taking the apartment (he couldnt say it was no longer available)

    Voting is a temporary, singular act, that doesn’t involve a contract that could potentially extend years, although it does have a similar specific law protecting it, ie the Voting Rights act. (ie no one could say, oh you cook curry, so we don’t want you voting in our booths)

  17. “There is definitely a history of dark skinned Indians not getting housing, jobs, and facing harsher penalties. It may not be so starkly obvious among well-educated people in the cities, but go to the slums and see how lives in substandard housing. See who gets held in jail for crimes, and who walks free. See who the police beat in the street. See who lives in certain neighborhoods and who is not allowed.”

    sorry Linzi, but here is one of those situations where I’d need someone of Indian background, who’s spent a considerable amount of time there (ie growing up there) to really corroborate this statement.

    I concede darkness makes it complicated on the marriage market, and the attractive sensors are shifted, but India never had water fountains that were “light skinned only”

  18. I agree 100% with your 4 points. My point is not that you’re wrong, only that you failed to make your case —by falling prey to a logical fallacy (what constitutes hypocrisy), failing to supply evidence substraniating your argument,

    You should stick to your clown schtick Manju. Logic goes over your head. Obviously.

    If you “agree 100%” with my four points how can you continue to insist that it is a logical fallacy? Isnt it the height of stupidity to agree with something illogical on logical grounds?

    What part of my assertion: “casteists who complain about discrimination are raving hypocrites” do you find illogical?

  19. sorry Linzi, but here is one of those situations where I’d need someone of Indian background, who’s spent a considerable amount of time there (ie growing up there) to really corroborate this statement.

    Shilip: you are exhibit one substantiating Prema’s (Ashoka) grand thesis.. A’s original point had to do with discrimination in India (based on religion, etc) and you focus on the alleged lack of systemic skin color discrimination and the absence of jim crow laws while jingoistically only relying on evidence from those who are ethnically indian (well, why don’t we just restrict writing about the confederacy to southerners).

    sorry Linzi, but here is one of those situations where I’d need someone of Indian background, who’s spent a considerable amount of time there (ie growing up there) to really corroborate this statement.

  20. If you “agree 100%” with my four points how can you continue to insist that it is a logical fallacy?

    Your conculsion is correct but the path you took to get there is wrong. Like say, if someone said “i know the japanese attacked pearl harbour becase hitler’sa bad man.” the point’s correct but still logically flawed.

    What part of my assertion: “casteists who complain about discrimination are raving hypocrites” do you find illogical?

    You failed to name the hypocrites and identify the hypocritcal statements. you failed to clsoe the deal.

  21. Shilip Wrote:

    no, I’m arguing against A for two reasons

    1. his childhood doesn’t have the kind of discriminatory experiences (housing or not) that someone who grew up in the US, during his formative >years.
    2. he says he’s never been discriminated against in a housing situation, and I say if he was, he’d never know it. just like these muslims/”curry >people” would never know it unless someone from the inside blew the whistle on it.

    So Im suggesting he proudly talks about how great the US is because he’s never experienced the confusion of being “accepted” by white >america as one of their own (ie. American) and then rejected by white america as a foreign element. If A (or any of us) went to this dallas >housing complex, and got turned away, he’d broadly smile thinking they really didn’t have any available spots and would never be the wiser to >being discriminated against.

    A is not dumb, or oblivious, he’s just without certain experiences, which explains why he (and many in his position) think that way.

    Dear Shilip,

    Instead of assuming about my childhood, please ask me. I hope you agree I would know my childhood better than you would know.

    1. I grew up facing serious discrimination as a minority in post Nov 1, 1984 mass Sikh killing in Northen part of India. Experience hiding in own home taught critical lessons of the life.

    2. I lived and worked (more than one year atleast) in 5 countries on 4 continents and traveled to more than 30 countries on business and pleasure. I rented apartment in five countries in diffrent cities and was denied based on language (Chennai), race (Epping, NSW, Australia) and marital status (Paris, France). I would know if my application for renting was denied and I wrote earlier in the USA, I have been never denied rental place.

    On the same time, I am not looking to be accepted by whites, blacks, Indian, South Indians, Sri Lankans, Chinese or people of any origin. I am happy with myself and in my opinion you should be happy with yourself regardless if others accept you or not.

    About discrimination, I still maintain the USA is the best place in the world with least discrimination among all the countries I lived and worked. I Among the countries I visited, Brazil appears to be discrimination free but four three days visits are not enough to judge a country.

  22. shilip, i believe that something underlying your premise of being rejected without knowing it is that a potential renter is 1. either not told of all available listings when attempting to enquire, based upon their name/accent or 2. is told that the preferred unit is not available upon knowing their name or accent. but what about situations where listings are public – i.e. no element of dscrimination in having potential tenants know which units are available (since most landlords and real estate agencies want to advertise to as large a market as possible) AND the said desi tenant gets their pick of such advertised units, every single time? is this not possible and indicative that in some situations, with some individuals, discrimination is not a factor?

  23. Your conculsion is correct but the path you took to get there is wrong. Like say, if someone said “i know the japanese attacked pearl harbour becase hitler’sa bad man.” the point’s correct but still logically flawed.

    You keep making a fool of yourself. Explain how the above nonsense is like my original assertion which got your panties in a bunch? Here it is again: “when it comes to unjust discrimination, not just in housing but in every aspect of life, Indians wrote the damn book. Which is why it is so hypocritical to see desis, especially caste defenders, whining about discrimination when they escape from the horror they created in India to more egalitarian western nations.” How the hell is that comparable to your idiotic example above? it is retarded to equate the two yet you have the nerve to claim that you are being logical! Logic and morality aren’t exactly the forte of the right wing and you are a good example of this handicap.

    You failed to name the hypocrites and identify the hypocritcal statements. you failed to clsoe the deal.

    This is so stupid and silly. You dont need to name names to make a logical point. You are just grabbing at straws to defend the indefensible. It is not working.

    Didnt you just “agree 100%” that my point “4. Do you deny that many of the indians who whine about racism in America etc are casteists?” cannot be denied? Which means you know that such people exist. So why even insist (illogically to begin with) that I name names or else my argument is logically flawed? It is pretty obvious that you are as usual not arguing in good faith.

  24. A: Here is what you stated earlier ‘Because I was never deined on rental apartment, I have no reason to believe that there is discrimination on rental properties’

    So do you have no reason to believe that there is no discrimination in the places where you have rented or do you have no reason to believe that there is discrimination on rental properties in the US in general.

    You also stated ‘ I always rented at the best location of the town. In the USA if you have money, you can get anything regardless of your color, race and gender’

    I would imagine that you mean here that if you have the money to rent, you will not face any discrimination in the rental market. Would that be correct?

  25. Shilip, correct me if I am wrong but I dont recall hearing a peep from you about the unjust discriminatory nature of hereditary casteism. Why is that?

    Didn’t Gandhi say that the change you want to see in the world should begin with yourself? Have you renounced casteism? If not why not? If so shouldn’t you at least be just as critical about it as you are of white racism towards indians/desis?

  26. It has to be said that as the rental market has moved from being owned by private landlords to big corporations, the discrimination has actually gone down. If the potential landlord is a 64 year old white guy who is uncomfortable with ‘colored folks’, he is way more likely to discriminate than your 19 year old white girl who takes your application and works for $8 an hour for a huge corporation which owns and manages 5000 units.

  27. There has always been some debate as to what constitutes “racist, abusive, intolerant, or anti-secular,” but can we all agree that Prem– I mean Ashoka is on way on the wrong side of the line?

  28. Ashoka = Prema = Troll

    Any fool who goes around and exclaims that Indians are the only groups of immigrants that come from a society that has prejudice systems in their home country and therefore are denied due process in the US is an idiot.

    How about the African immigrants from Ethiopia, to Uganda, to Nigeria, to Rwanda that has systems of discrimination based on tribe and genocide commited b/c of tribal loyalites. Systemic starving of groups of people within a particular tribe…How about Russians immigrating over here, when there has been systemic persecution of Jews thruout their history, communist and pre-Revolutionary, pograms galore; how about Irish immigrants coming over from the Great Famine, when groups such as Jews were systematically kicked out of England and Ireland and gypsies persecuted, not to mention the racial disparities going on today? How about the signers of the Constitution coming from slave-owning cultures – what right did they have to complain about British colonial oppression. LOL; How about Chinese immigrants who systematically had a feudal system first and those in the bottom of the system where exploited as bad as say lower castes in fuedal India? How about Chinese immigrants of today, who’s system of government, eradicated anyone or any group who did not fit with the homogenous model that Red China had. If you are Chinese Muslim, – you’re way of life is eradicated unless you homogenize. The list goes on …what an incredible pea brain you have Prema. A one – track mind. I could be talking about Lakshmi Menon walking in John Paul Gaultier show this weekend and somehow the discussion would come back to caste.

    Prema’s(Ashoka’s) whole premise is stupid and based on racism towards Indians. It’s best to ignore her comments and I wish her racist comments (which have NOTHING to do with blog entry) would get deleted.

    Why can’t Prema

  29. It has to be said that as the rental market has moved from being owned by private landlords to big corporations, the discrimination has actually gone down.

    That’s always the way it goes. We build up layers and layers of regulations and bureaucracy to shelter ourselves from the whims and predations of prejudiced or unethical individuals.

    We pay for this by having to put up with arbitrary and counterproductive rules, copious paperwork, higher prices, the possibility of corruption, and the callous, unsympathetic rigidity of a heartless system that can scarcely be reasoned with or appealed to.

    Trade-offs suck.

  30. SMIntern – Why doesn’t Prema’s comments fall under the blog rules of – ” racist, abusive,., non-issue-focused flames; intolerant or anti-secular comments; and long, obscure rants may be deleted” and be deleted?

  31. Explain how the above nonsense is like my original assertion which got your panties in a bunch?

    In both cases you have a situation where the conclusion is correct but the statement is still illogical.

    This is so stupid and silly. You dont need to name names to make a logical point.

    The naming names refers to the lack of evidence you provide, which is another obvious flaw in your argument besides being illogical. The illogical part refers to relying on a large group of individuals (desis) to demonstrate hypocrisy. This is illogical becase any large group will contain individuals whose opinons contradict with other people’s opinons within the group. But that not hypocrisy. SM is not hypocritical becase someone denies castism is a problem but someone esle on the blog is angry about jim crow.

    its only hypocrisy if those two opinions are held by the same person.

    Didnt you just “agree 100%” that my point “4. Do you deny that many of the indians who whine about racism in America etc are casteists?” cannot be denied? Which means you know that such people exist. So why even insist (illogically to begin with) that I name names or else my argument is logically flawed?

    Becase you win arguments by providing data backing up your thesis, not by asuming the data is there. also, one must keep an open mind. its possible we’re wrong or that our argument is overstated. by failing to provide data to supstantiate our argument, you’ve put our entire thesis in doubt.

  32. PS wrote:

    Any fool who goes around and exclaims that Indians are the only groups of immigrants that come from a society that has prejudice systems in their home country and therefore are denied due process in the US is an idiot.

    Name a country that has a system as insanely prejudiced and discriminatory as the hindu hereditary caste system. The fact that you believe that indian-americans who continue to subscribe to such a stupid and evil system should not be called hypocrites for whining about the much milder discriminations they face in America says a LOT about you.

    Secondly, stop lying: nowhere did I say that indian-americans should be denied due process in America. My point is that those who find the american laws against discrimination moral and rational should have the intellectual and moral honesty to passionately renounce casteism. Else they are nothing but hypocrites. You seem to have a problem with such honesty of character and intellect.Why?

  33. In both cases you have a situation where the conclusion is correct but the statement is still illogical.

    You really are thick. Let me ask you for the umpteenth time: why is it “illogical” to argue that those who believe in discrimination on the basis of hereditary caste are hypocrites for complaining about discrimination on the basis of hereditary race/color/etc?

    The naming names refers to the lack of evidence you provide, which is another obvious flaw in your argument besides being illogical.

    You need to retake Logic 101. You keep insisting on names as if a logical argument depends on them. Clearly you know squat about logic. As for evidence of the existence of the hypocrites I am talking about you already agreed “100%” that they exist. Harping on names is proof of your stupidity and/or dishonest intentions.

    you win arguments by providing data backing up your thesis, not by asuming the data is there.

    Just cannot help being dishonest can you? I asked “4. Do you deny that many of the indians who whine about racism in America etc are casteists?” and you agreed “100%” that it cannot be denied. Were you lying then? If not why do you keep insisting that names be named?

  34. Ashoka wrote:

    <

    blockquote>Name a country that has a system as insanely prejudiced and discriminatory as the hindu hereditary caste system.

    <

    blockquote>

    Many commentators have compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to the apartheid system of South Africa.

  35. why is it “illogical” to argue that those who believe in discrimination on the basis of hereditary caste are hypocrites for complaining about discrimination on the basis of hereditary race/color/etc?

    Thats not illogical. I agree with that.This is illogical:

    Which is why it is so hypocritical to see desis, especially caste defenders, whining about discrimination when they escape from the horror they created in India to more egalitarian western nations.

    Here, you claim desis are hypocritical. You single out caste defenders as especially so (“desis, especially caste defenders”) but tellingly keep the rest of the desis within the hypocritical class. This is illogical because it is not hypocrisy to hold belief that contradict with the belleifs of others within your ethnic group. its only hypocrisy if you contradict your own belifs. also, your paradigm is tantamount to blaming some individuals for the actions of others within their ethnic group, which is racist. which is also illogical.

    You keep insisting on names as if a logical argument depends on them

    no, the lack of names doesn’t make your argument illogical. its your reasoning i deconstructed above that makes your argument illogical. the lack of names makes your argument unsubstantiated.

    Do you deny that many of the indians who whine about racism in America etc are casteists?” and you agreed “100%” that it cannot be denied. Were you lying then? If not why do you keep insisting that names be named?

    Is not about me. its about the others. to the extent its about me, by supplying such illogical and unsubstantiated arguments, you make me look bad…which is a really hard thing to do.

  36. Pagal_Aadmi Wrote:-

    A: Here is what you stated earlier ‘Because I was never deined on rental apartment, I have no reason to believe that there is discrimination on >rental properties’ So do you have no reason to believe that there is no discrimination in the places where you have rented or do you have no reason to believe >that there is discrimination on rental properties in the US in general. You also stated ‘ I always rented at the best location of the town. In the USA if you have money, you can get anything regardless of your color, >race and gender’ I would imagine that you mean here that if you have the money to rent, you will not face any discrimination in the rental market. Would that be >correct?

    Pagal_Admi,

    IMO, if you have money you will not face discrimination. That is correct. Home owners want their rental properties to be rented out at reasonable rent and renter keep it neat and clean. Rental properties are meant to provide money to owners. Would not you rent your property to the person who pays more rent? It is hypotheitcal question as I don’t know if you are in that kind of business and also market is pretty bad for renting also..atleast in this area.

  37. “IMO, if you have money you will not face discrimination.” – well obviously looking at American history that’s not the case. There were blacks that had access to money even during jim crow period and they were systematically discriminated against. This issue with the muslim/curry eaters is a clear example where money doesn’t always protect against irrational prejudice and xenophobia.

  38. its your reasoning i deconstructed above that makes your argument illogical.

    Look man. All she wants is for us to tell her when we stopped beating our wives. Why is that so hard?

  39. “NOW.”

    Yes, now as in the time of muslim/curry eaters denied housing? Unfortunately I do believe for many in the US the systemic discrimination which involves race or ethnicity is still a factor to consider. There’s a lot of relevance in the Fair Housing Act to today.

  40. Do you think that will continue to the case even after the media report? I doubt.

    I guess it depends on the logistics of the case. It may be difficult to prove discrimination. And this is only one instance where some folks inside the company blew the whistle. How much harder might this case be to prove, if there were no insiders talking about this prejudice? So I can’t believe this is an isolated example, do you.

    My boss, who is black, recently won a case against a hotel that discriminated against him. I don’t know the logistics of the case but I’m pretty sure there’s other cases just like it. I have spoken about people who worked for my family in the hotel/motel business also spoke confidently about not letting blacks rent out a room. I’ve met Indians in the hotel/motel industry say how they don’t like renting out rooms to X – and I’ve told them that’s illegal and we can’t pick or choose by race.

    Money can influence things and help ease racial discrimination, but the examples from today show it can’t eradicate all illogical, hateful attitudes in the US or anywhere for that matter. The market is not going to straighten this out by itself; which is why it is important that the fair housing act and civil rights laws were put into place by the govt and so even today we can rely on these laws to stop discrimination.

  41. “sorry Linzi, but here is one of those situations where I’d need someone of Indian background, who’s spent a considerable amount of time there (ie growing up there) to really corroborate this statement. “

    I can give put you in contact with some, if you’d like.

  42. Here, you claim desis are hypocritical. You single out caste defenders as especially so (“desis, especially caste defenders”) but tellingly keep the rest of the desis within the hypocritical class.

    That part was a sloppy generalization (that I made twice) based on the general observation that the great majority of indians are indeed casteists. Even sikhs in the US are casteist sudra jats even though sikhism, like buddhism, explicitly rejects caste. But I made a more rigorous post and while agreeing with it 100% you continue to idiotically demand names as if that changes anything. Here is the post again:

    1. Do you deny that hereditary casteism is a glaring example of unjust discrimination?

    2. Do you deny that the West is far more egalitarian in principle and practice than India?

    3. Do you deny that many if not most indians continue to cling to casteism even after they esacpe from India to the West?

    4. Do you deny that many of the indians who whine about racism in America etc are casteists?

    If such people aren’t hypocrites in your book then you are reading from a book written by and for hypocrites.

    Your response to this post was: “you failed to make your case —by falling prey to a logical fallacy (what constitutes hypocrisy), failing to supply evidence substraniating your argument, and therefore arguing by assertion.”

    What is the “logical fallacy” in this argument? Where is the logic in demanding “evidence” when you agreed that point 4 cannot be denied? This is why you come across as a defender of casteism who is not arguing in good faith. Instead of grabbing at straws and beating around the bush why don’t you answer this simple question: do you find hereditary casteism an immoral and irrational social system or not?

  43. “1. I grew up facing serious discrimination as a minority in post Nov 1, 1984 mass Sikh killing in Northen part of India. Experience hiding in own home taught critical lessons of the life.”

    I’d be interested to hear more about this, if you’d be willing to expound on it. Are you a Sikh? Were Sikhs thought of as foreigners in India? Did you have some non Sikhs accept you, only to have others not? One thing about things like this, is, while they are horrible, they are very clear. It’s the reason why many preferred southern racism to northern racism, southern was very clear about it, they made no mistake or did not attempt to hide their feelings about you.

    And your statements about America being the best land or whatever it is, is something which I feel comes from an uninformed past, your discriminatory experiences in northern india included.

    “but what about situations where listings are public – i.e. no element of dscrimination in having potential tenants know which units are available (since most landlords and real estate agencies want to advertise to as large a market as possible) AND the said desi tenant gets their pick of such advertised units, every single time? is this not possible and indicative that in some situations, with some individuals, discrimination is not a factor?”

    I agree. I never asserted that discrimination will be present in every interaction. I only state that if it is present, the victim would not likely know about it, as it must be practiced covertly. And I also gave an example of a a priori knowledge of availability and the presence of discrimination (curt answers, etc… basically what amounts to discouragement to renting, without explicitly saying ‘you can’t rent here’)

  44. LinZi wrote:

    They would name then things like “Blackie” or “Monkey” and so forth.

    Now you are trying to equate black with monkey. Earlier you tried to equate color with caste. The reality in India often is that low caste sudras such as jats are lighter-skinned (though still dark by global standards) than bihari brahmins who are often jet black. And monkeys in India tend to be white-skinned and pink faced which is why the british colonizers, and contemporary white tourists, had/have the epithet “lal bandar” hurled at them by the desi riffraff.

    I dont know what your agenda is but I suspect that you are upto no good. Consciously or otherwise.

  45. “s this not possible and indicative that in some situations, with some individuals, discrimination is not a factor?”

    I’m not even challenging his assertion that he himself never experienced discrimination in the US regarding housing. I only say if it were to happen to him (the way it happened to these other people in dallas) , he’d likely be unaware (as any other of us would be), and I also challenge his extrapolation of his housing experiences to a larger contention that “there’s no, or less discrimination in the US” ie , statements like this

    “About discrimination, I still maintain the USA is the best place in the world with least discrimination among all the countries I lived and worked”

    …which I think stem from not being raised in the US, and experiencing discrimination in subtle fashions, or having a feeling of “mixed identity” where acceptance and rejection often swing back and forth like a pendulum.

  46. What is the “logical fallacy” in this argument?

    There is no logical fallacy in that argument. The logical fallacies occurered earlier, which you just now conceed : “That part was a sloppy generalization (that I made twice)” so I now accept the revisoin as represenatative of your real thoughts on the matter.

    Where is the logic in demanding “evidence” when you agreed that point 4 cannot be denied?

    The evidence is not for me but for others. As it is, you merely presented an arguent by assertion. I like to see a good thumping of the enemy. You don’t do that by merely claiming the enemy is “hypocritcal”, you demontrate their hypocrisy by revealing hteir hypocritcal statements.

    This is why you come across as a defender of casteism who is not arguing in good faith

    sure. those who asked joe mccarthy for evidence came accorss to anti-commuinsts as fellow travelers. but they wrere the real anti-communists, because they understood false accusations undermine the cause. hurling vagui accusations without naming names that can be checked is a hallmark of mccarthyism. but calling this out does not make one a communist. ergo, i’m not a casteist.

    do you find hereditary casteism an immoral and irrational social system or not?

    I do.

  47. I am waiting for the inevitable losertar, er I mean, libertarian to chime in that discrimination such as this should be perfectly legal.

    losertar??????????