Lunchtime chat with co-worker, A. We were discussing about the general perceptions we had of our Indian acquaintances. Our general conclusion is that Indians are mostly party animals who can hold their drinks well. Interestingly, A also noted how her Indian friends have come to reinforce such (somewhat racist and groundless) generalisations of their own race.
A : My Indian friend told me a racist joke about Indians. What do you call an Indian soaked in water?
Me: ??
A : Black pollution. Don’t you think this is very racist?
Me: Oh yeah, but to the Indians, they think it’s alright. They are making fun of their own race. It would be different if the joke came from a non-Indian.
A: Yeah, that’s why my uncle thought it’s alright for him to be racist to all other races.
Me: Why?
A: Because he’s a Eurasian – he has Asian and European heritage. So he’s entitled to be racist to all other racial groups.
Surely, A’s Indian friend or uncle aren’t the only ones embracing such an apparently illogical assumption. How often do we find ourselves criticising our own race, countrymen or nation, yet aren’t able to overlook the slightest critique from other racial groups or nationalities? How do we define racism if this is so ingrained in the subtlest moments of our own daily lives?
Gen X-I 
my housemate and i were just talking abt this the other day. it’s “interesting” to note that on friday nights, you’ll always hear of “asian nights” or “bollywood events” in clubs, in which the masses, not only asians, but the locals as well, will pour in, but you will never see/hear of a “whitey” night.
not that i’m complaining or anything. it’s just interesting to see it so popular here. or maybe it’s simply because the asians are in the city and they have nothing to do?…
on another note, i too make fun of my own culture. haha esp the way true blue filipinos talk (can’t pronouce f) hahaha so evil… 😦
Comment by sneakyniki — September 14, 2006 @ 10:58 pm
It’s funny at first probably but after a while, it gets kinda boring you know. It’s usually about skin color and it’s not interesting anymore if the joke is just varying very slightly to another racist joke. So I don’t make any more racist jokes anymore, it’s just not funny for me. I am aware that the Americans have lots of joke about Chinese. And Indians have many jokes too. But I hear very few caucasian jokes. Probably because they spend all the times on jokes while we just couldn’t be bothered, hahaa…
Comment by Mr. Dew — September 16, 2006 @ 11:26 am
Hmm Niki raised an interesting point about Asian Night or Bollywood night. I wonder whether it’s got something to do with Asians or Indians being the ‘foreign bodies’ in Australia, so the special remarks on Asians or Indians.
If this is indeed the case, there would be more jokes circulating about the ethnic minorities or in this case, the ‘ang mos’ in Singapore.
So Mr Dew, I agree with you such jokes often centre on skin colour, prolly becos it’s the most obvious marker of racial differences. As to which race usually bears the brunt of such jokes is I would think, dependent on cultural context. Common phrases used in Asian societies such as ‘ang mo’ or ‘kantang’ or ‘banana’ aren’t really free of racial connotations. And I would definitely refrain from using terms like ‘gwai lo’.
Comment by fujinitsuki — September 16, 2006 @ 4:29 pm