The term INDIAN is eurocentric and very offensive

[Maira La]

I have noticed Africans (from Africa, not US) get very offended when foreigners think of them as one people, one race, one culture or one nation just because they are all black. For Europeans, the term African is a catch all word for all black people living South of Sahara and the fact that they don't make distinction between the numerous nations with their own unique history and culture is very offensive to African people.

The same situation can be noticed with regards to East Asians. Up until mid 20th century everyone from Siberia to Philippines was seen as the same people by the average Westerner, except Academics, and since Japan's rise they have sort of started to understand differences among East Asian people. I think a Chinese would be very offended if you confused them with Cambodian and vice versa under the racist umbrella term Chink.

Europeans do the same to us people of Indian subcontinent. Supposedly we are all one brown skinned, curry munching race called the "Indian". We should be offended that the different races, ethnicities and cultures in this continent are not recognized for who they are by burying all the identities under the catch-all eurocentric word 'Indian'.

We, people of the continent, need to assert our distinct identities and fight for our right to be recognized as separate nations and ethnicities and start being vocal against eurocentric racist labels like Indian. For all Westerners reading this, please stop calling us Indians. Just as you would not refer to a random black guy near you as "that African guy" (maybe you could be more cultured and say "that Nigerian guy" or "that Somali guy" if you knew him), know the differences among different nations inhabiting the Indian continent and use the right word for ****'s sake!

 

[Chhatrapati]

Relax and correct them you're from Bangladesh or Pakistan.

Siberia to Philippines was seen as the same people (****)

That's a very offensive term better correct it.

 

[Maira La]

Relax and correct them you're from Bangladesh or Pakistan.

1.3 billion fellow continent people are offended everyday. You need our help.

 

[Juggernaut_Flat_Plane_V8]

I have noticed Africans (from Africa, not US) get very offended when foreigners think of them as one people, one race, one culture or one nation just because they are all black. For Europeans, the term African is a catch all word for all black people living South of Sahara and the fact that they don't make distinction between the numerous nations with their own unique history and culture is very offensive to African people.

The same situation can be noticed with regards to East Asians. Up until mid 20th century everyone from Siberia to Philippines was seen as the same people (Chink) by the average Westerner, except Academics, and since Japan's rise they have sort of started to understand differences among East Asian people. I think a Chinese would be very offended if you confused them with Cambodian and vice versa under the racist umbrella term Chink.

Europeans do the same to us people of Indian subcontinent. Supposedly we are all one brown skinned, curry munching race called the "Indian". We should be offended that the different races, ethnicities and cultures in this continent are not recognized for who they are by burying all the identities under the catch-all eurocentric word 'Indian'.

We, people of the continent, need to assert our distinct identities and fight for our right to be recognized as separate nations and ethnicities and start being vocal against eurocentric racist labels like Indian. For all Westerners reading this, please stop calling us Indians. Just as you would not refer to a random black guy near you as "that African guy" (maybe you could be more cultured and say "that Nigerian guy" or "that Somali guy" if you knew him), know the differences among different nations inhabiting the Indian continent and use the right word for ****'s sake!

Say that you are not Indian, and descend from different racial stock...problem solved...Indians have long accepted that Pakistanis and Bangladeshis have completely different racial origins than Indians..It's not our job to educate the world about your races

 

[Maira La]

Say that you are not Indian, and descend from different racial stock...problem solved...Indians have long accepted that Pakistanis and Bangladeshis have completely different racial origins than Indians..It's not our job to educate the world about your races

You may not be bothered by subtle racism, you have thick skin or maybe no pride, but you cannot speak for rest of 1.3 billion. People of the Indian continent have the right to be offended by casual use of this term to stereotype all non middle eastern dark brown people.

 

[magra]

I have noticed Africans (from Africa, not US) get very offended when foreigners think of them as one people, one race, one culture or one nation just because they are all black. For Europeans, the term African is a catch all word for all black people living South of Sahara and the fact that they don't make distinction between the numerous nations with their own unique history and culture is very offensive to African people.

The same situation can be noticed with regards to East Asians. Up until mid 20th century everyone from Siberia to Philippines was seen as the same people (Chink) by the average Westerner, except Academics, and since Japan's rise they have sort of started to understand differences among East Asian people. I think a Chinese would be very offended if you confused them with Cambodian and vice versa under the racist umbrella term Chink.

Europeans do the same to us people of Indian subcontinent. Supposedly we are all one brown skinned, curry munching race called the "Indian". We should be offended that the different races, ethnicities and cultures in this continent are not recognized for who they are by burying all the identities under the catch-all eurocentric word 'Indian'.

We, people of the continent, need to assert our distinct identities and fight for our right to be recognized as separate nations and ethnicities and start being vocal against eurocentric racist labels like Indian. For all Westerners reading this, please stop calling us Indians. Just as you would not refer to a random black guy near you as "that African guy" (maybe you could be more cultured and say "that Nigerian guy" or "that Somali guy" if you knew him), know the differences among different nations inhabiting the Indian continent and use the right word for ****'s sake!

Unless people wear their citizenship on their head, how would someone know? Skin color is then used to guess.
Dont we term 'goras' for all Caucasian people - Americans, Europeans, Russians ?

 

[Maira La]

Dont we term 'goras' for all Caucasian people - Americans, Europeans, Russians ?

That is wrong though. But they don't object, because they know terms like gora and white carry admiration and respect.

Not the same when goras call someone African, Chink or Indian.

 

[Juggernaut_Flat_Plane_V8]

You may not be bothered by subtle racism, you have thick skin or maybe no pride, but you cannot speak for rest of 1.3 billion. People of the Indian continent have the right to be offended by casual use of this term to stereotype all non middle eastern dark brown people.

Porgress economically...and people will slowly take more interest in you as a seperate distinct racial group...Look at the Nigerians...specifically the Yorubas..after they started achieving a lot of accolades in various fields of technology,science,academics white people have reluctantly stopped seeing them as generic African N-words. though privately many whites reserve the n-word designation for other Sub Saharan African tribes....


This is the minimum duty of all subcontinental peoples:

At the very least match or beat Iran's contemporary GDP per capita before the developed world stops looking at us with disdain....This means at the very least 12-15 years of back breaking hardwork


What hurts is that certain North West peoples even though being our neighbours have contributed to this latent racism against subcontinental brown people by being the first ones to use the words Pajeets and curries against fellow browns

 

[magra]

That is wrong though. But they don't object, because they know terms like gora and white carry admiration and respect.

Not the same when goras call someone African, Chink or Indian.

I havent heard anyone from Africa complain about being called African.
I understand that 'Chink' is a derogatory term. Never heard any Chinese, Korean etc complain being called East Asian.
I can understand 'Indian' can be insulting to non-Indian South Asians.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

We, people of the continent, need to assert our distinct identities and fight for our right to be recognized as separate nations and ethnicities and start being vocal against eurocentric racist labels like Indian. For all Westerners reading this, please stop calling us Indians. Just as you would not refer to a random black guy near you as "that African guy" (maybe you could be more cultured and say "that Nigerian guy" or "that Somali guy" if you knew him), know the differences among different nations inhabiting the Indian continent and use the right word for ****'s sake!

Great post my friend. I have been beating this horse for a long time. I have over the decades traveled across all of Europe. As a Pakistani origin person born in Britain and with British nationality travel across Europe is as easy as traveling across US states.

What has struck me is how indistinguishable Europeans are from each other. This is genetically, culturally, religiously and civilizationally. They all are of Christian extraction, heavily shaped by Greco-Roman civilization, have same alphabet wear the same cloths etc. Indeed a German, Dane, English, Irish, Swede, Scot, Dutch, Norsk, Belgian etc are more, yes more similiar to each other than a Pak Punjabi is to Pak Pakhtun leave alone a Sindhi or Bengali or Tamil.

You can drive 30 miles and get assaulted with "we are Irish", then 40 miles that way "we are Scots, 50 miles that way "we are English, 60 miles that way "we are French" all the while your scratching "wtf is the differance" they could be sons from the same mother.

Yet dare you mistake a Irish guy for Englishman, or Australian for British, or American. All you get is same sh*t with a accent and lo behold you are faced with another identity that is globally known and accepted.

 

[Juggernaut_Flat_Plane_V8]

I havent heard anyone from Africa complain about being called African.
I understand that 'Chink' is a derogatory term. Never heard any Chinese, Korean etc complain being called East Asian.
I can understand 'Indian' can be insulting to non-Indian South Asians.

Many Africans indeed DO feel offended if you donot show the basic courtesy of acknowledging the regional distinctions...


People donot say Egyptians,Libyans,Tunisians,Moroccans,Algerians under the catch all term of North African..We as global community have no problem in idnetifying and addressing these different
nationalities..then why should it be any different for Sub-Saharan Africans?


Indeed to denote "Nafri" for North Africans is considered racist and pejorative in Germany

 

[colonel rajesh]

I have noticed Africans (from Africa, not US) get very offended when foreigners think of them as one people, one race, one culture or one nation just because they are all black. For Europeans, the term African is a catch all word for all black people living South of Sahara and the fact that they don't make distinction between the numerous nations with their own unique history and culture is very offensive to African people.

The same situation can be noticed with regards to East Asians. Up until mid 20th century everyone from Siberia to Philippines was seen as the same people (Chink) by the average Westerner, except Academics, and since Japan's rise they have sort of started to understand differences among East Asian people. I think a Chinese would be very offended if you confused them with Cambodian and vice versa under the racist umbrella term Chink.

Europeans do the same to us people of Indian subcontinent. Supposedly we are all one brown skinned, curry munching race called the "Indian". We should be offended that the different races, ethnicities and cultures in this continent are not recognized for who they are by burying all the identities under the catch-all eurocentric word 'Indian'.

We, people of the continent, need to assert our distinct identities and fight for our right to be recognized as separate nations and ethnicities and start being vocal against eurocentric racist labels like Indian. For all Westerners reading this, please stop calling us Indians. Just as you would not refer to a random black guy near you as "that African guy" (maybe you could be more cultured and say "that Nigerian guy" or "that Somali guy" if you knew him), know the differences among different nations inhabiting the Indian continent and use the right word for ****'s sake!

you should announce at every airport that you are pakistani , your reception will better than an indian one .

1.3 billion fellow continent people are offended everyday. You need our help.

your best chances are as pakistani .

 

[Juggernaut_Flat_Plane_V8]

Great post my friend. I have been beating this horse for a long time. I have over the decades traveled across all of Europe. As a Pakistani origin person born in Britain and with British nationality travel across Europe is as easy as traveling across US states.

What has struck me is how indistinguishable Europeans are from each other. This is genetically, culturally, religiously and civilizationally. They all are of Christian extraction, heavily shaped by Greco-Roman civilization, have same alphabet wear the same cloths etc. Indeed a German, Dane, English, Irish, Swede, Scot, Dutch, Norsk, Belgian etc are more, yes more similiar to each other than a Pak Punjabi is to Pak Pakhtun leave alone a Sindhi or Bengali or Tamil.

You can drive 30 miles and get assaulted with "we are Irish", then 40 miles that way "we are Scots, 50 miles that way "we are English, 60 miles that way "we are French" all the while your scratching "wtf is the differance" they could be sons from the same mother.

Yet dare you mistake a Irish guy for Englishman, or Australian for British, or American. All you get is same sh*t with a accent and lo behold you are faced with another identity that is globally known and accepted.

Problem is Quaid-E-Azam MA Jinnah solely used religion as the basis of nationhood 73 years 7 months back ...Now it would be hard to change the status quo and use ethnicity as the basis of nationhood

 

[gulli]

Heard in middle east, they refer to muslim of the sub continent as hindus. Do something about that as well.

 

[magra]

Many Africans indeed DO feel offended if you donot show the basic courtesy of acknowledging the regional distinctions...

People donot say Egyptians,Libyans,Tunisians,Moroccans,Algerians under the catch all term of North African..We as global community have no problem in idnetifying and addressing these different
nationalities..then why should it be any different for Sub-Saharan Africans?

Indeed to denote "Nafri" for North Africans is considered racist and pejorative in Germany

I think it is more to do with the intent.
If I meet a black man from Tunisia, but do not know that he is from Tunisia, then I would first refer to him as someone from Africa. I may ask later where in Africa he is from. There is no ill-will intended in this.