Hometown Glory: Why South Brunswick Can't Have Nice Things

My hometown has a pretty sizable population of South Asian people. This includes Indians, Pakistanis, and Sri Lankans of all faiths, including Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians. We're certainly not the majority - yet - but we are extremely present, more present than any other racial "minority", which is something that I'm thankful for. Growing up in a place with people who look like me, celebrate the holidays I celebrate, and whose parents are just as batshit crazy as mine are (love you, Mom and Dad!) helped me to feel comfortable in my own skin, moreso than my friends who grew up in places where they were the only South Asians around.

Despite this, all throughout my growing up, I've seen a clear racial divide in my town, and it seems to only be getting bigger the more South Asians move in. Today, someone who goes to my former high school tweeted something about how our school board chooses to observe Indian holidays (for the record, the only "Indian" (read: Hindu) holiday observed is Diwali, and we don't get the day off; we're just allowed to have it recognized as an excused absence*) and while I'm not interested in beating to death just one person's ignorance, this whole situation just plays into the broader issue at hand. Nobody discusses it at length, but the high school I went to is really self-segregated. I mean really self-segregated. And while there is an element of "sticking-to-one's-own" at play here, I also feel like the divide is a lot greater than that. In my four years, I often saw majority-white friend groups blatantly talk shit about majority-South Asian groups, stereotyping them as smelly, loud, nerdy, weird (FOBby) and a whole host of other adjectives. In embracing our cultures through participating in typically South Asian activities and making more South Asian friends, the non South Asian friends we made in elementary and middle school abandoned us. Those of us that did stick around our non-South Asian friends heard almost never-ending criticism of the "brown group", quickly amended by "Oh, but you're not like that. You're basically white!". I'm reminded from a quote from the movie A Passage to India: "Then, if I agree, the English will be able to say, 'Here is an Indian that almost behaved like a gentleman. But for the color of his face, we might even let him join the club." I can look and "act" white all I want but the fact that I am Indian is inescapable, and for anyone to say that to me intended as a compliment, and for me to have received it as one, is tragic.

South Asians of South Brunswick, I urge you to be brown and unapologetically so. Address the divide, call people out, and recognize racism for what it is. Because the face of racism is not only "Go back to India!" but also "You're lucky you're 'American' enough for me to associate with you."

*Edit (11/13/13): As of the 2011-2012 school year, South Brunswick School District has, in fact, given the day off for Diwali, as opposed to an opt-out excused absence that was previously offered.

A Very Brief Criticism of Columbus Day/Bartolome Day

So today is the second Monday in October, more commonly known as Columbus Day. To be honest, I almost forgot because Rutgers didn't give us the day off, which is really the only thing that counts in my mind.

With every passing Columbus Day, I notice more and more people realizing the fact that Christopher Columbus was actually a horrible person and shouldn't be credited with anything, and that's wonderful. I'm all for being critical of historical figures, especially when those historical figures were responsible for the rapes, murders, and torture of marginalized groups. This year, however, I've seen a push started by this article from The Oatmeal to stop calling it Columbus Day and switch to Bartolome Day, being that Columbus was The Worst Person Ever and Bartolome de las Casas was a pretty alright dude who eventually realized that slavery was wrong and then dedicated his life to advocating for the rights of native peoples.

My problem with this doesn't come from a criticism of de las Casas, rather from the fact that we keep excluding the people whom the "discovery" of the "New World" directly affected. Namely, the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Matthew Inman (the guy who runs The Oatmeal) succeeded his essay by saying

"I know that the discovery of the New World means a lot of different things to a lot of different cultures. I like the sound of Bartolomé Day. If you don't like that, call it Indigenous People's Day. Or perhaps Chris-Columbus-was-a-turd Day. I'd even settle for just calling it MONDAY."

but the problem with this is not that Bartolome Day sounds any worse; it's that it takes the focus of the "discovery" of the Americas and shifts it to another slave-owning White dude instead of celebrating and remembering the people who really discovered them and suffered deeply because of it.

I'm really happy that people are finally coming around to the idea that Christopher Columbus is not a person to be celebrated, but I urge you all to consider thinking of this day as an Indigenous Peoples' Day rather than shifting focus to a reformed conquistador.

Congratulations, Nina Davuluri

What I imagine the streets of Edison looked like last night 

As you've probably heard by now, Nina Davuluri of New York was crowned Miss America last night. And that means you've probably also heard the hysterical joy-crying of every South Asian-American person you know. (We get real excited whenever another South-Asian person does something. I was 10 and had no idea what White Castle was when Harold and Kumar came out and I was still excited.)

But, of course, no brown-skinned person's success is complete without the hoards of racist white people showing up. Twitter included such gems as "How the fuck does a foreigner win Miss America? She is a Arab! #idiots", "Miss New York is an Indian.. With all do respect, this is America", and "I swear I'm not racist but this is America." And then of course, there were these ones:

Straight screenshot from Buzzfeed, I'm not even ashamed

You bring up an excellent point, Twitter users @LukeBrasili, @wnfraser, and @anthonytkr. The twelfth anniversary of the September 11th attacks in New York, Washington DC, and Shanksville, PA was just four days ago. Now, I don't remember a whole lot about that day; I remember a silence in my second grade classroom, the panic in my teachers' voices. But mostly I remember the way my parents reacted. In the twelve years since those events, I've never seen them as afraid as I did then.

And they had every right to be. In the week following 9/11 alone, South Asian Americans Leading Together documented media coverage of 645 bias incidents against people of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent. Mosques and mandirs were firebombed and vandalized. Sikh men were repeatedly targeted, harassed, and assaulted for wearing the turbans that ignorant, frightened racists associate with Islam, but actually belong to another faith altogether. Eleven years later, six people peacefully practicing their faith were shot and killed in a Sikh gurudwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Last spring, I called my mom frantically in the days after the Boston Marathon bombings, terrified that the internet was pointing the blame at an innocent South Asian-American man and that another wave of violence and prejudice was impending. And I remember at least once, as an 8-year-old girl in suburban New Jersey in 2001, having to defend myself by saying "But I'm not a Muslim!"

Hundreds (thousands, if you count the War on Terror) of Afghans, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, and Indians paid and are still paying the price for an act of terrorism that we not only didn't commit, but also had friends and family members that were killed as a result of it. So yes, let's not forget that four days after the anniversary of 9/11, an Indian-American woman was crowned Miss America. I don't know if Nina Davuluri grew up anything like I did. I don't know which mandir her family goes to or which Bollywood movie is her favorite. But I'm almost certain that her parents felt the same hurt and fear that mine did in the days following 9/11. I've never had much affinity for beauty pageants, but congrats, Nina. You deserve it.

DOMA and Prop 8 Were Overturned But Then Again I Don't Actually Care

I'm going to preface all of this by saying that of course I am in favor of marriage equality and that same-sex marriage should have always been legal and it's ridiculous that it's taken this long to even get as far as we are.

I am, however, more concerned about the fact that the victories today with DOMA and Prop 8 are overshadowing more important issues: the struggles that are still facing the queer community and the fact that the Supreme Court, despite being ~sooOOOOooo awesome~ about the rulings this morning, also took a giant shit on people of color this week.

It's understandable to feel excited, but as much as it is tempting to want to paint a big 'ol rainbow flag on your face and share the YouTube link for Macklemore's Same Love on every social media website, it's important to recognize that marriage equality is a pretty trivial aspect of the issues facing the queer community. Homelessness, joblessness, and a high rate of suicide continue to be prevalent in the queer community, specifically queer youth of color. In Greece, Trans* people are being put into literal concentration camps and in more than half of the states in the US, you can still be fired for identifying as Trans*. Not to mention the fact that many "gay rights" organizations like the Human Rights Campaign (you know, those guys with the equals sign) have a tendency to drop the "T" from "LGBT".  Gay rights groups have consistently chosen not to support Trans* rights and silenced People of Color organizers, meanwhile honoring companies like Goldman Sachs, which create wealth inequality among POC and queer communities in the first place. In doing so, the mainstream movement for queer rights has thus far only served to advance the progress of the few: rich or upper-middle-class cis-gender gay white males, the Neil Patrick Harrises, Carson Kressleys, and Lance Basses. Marriage equality is popular because it's important to the rich white gay cis-guys who don't have to deal with other forms of oppression. My fear is that when it's finally achieved, the real oppression faced by members of the queer community will continue to go unacknowledged because nobody will care now that their Gay Best Friend can get married. As the video above put it so brilliantly, "Who needs money for bread when you can eat wedding cake?"

In coming to these decisions, SCOTUS has received a fair amount of praise for their "progressiveness", which I feel is a huge distraction from the fact that we should actually be really fucking furious. DOMA and Prop 8 almost completely overshadowed yesterday's ruling on the Voting Rights Act, which, within 24 hours, prompted 6 of the 9 states affected to push for new voter ID restrictions. The fact that same-sex couples can now get federal tax benefits is great and there is genuine cause to celebrate that, but we can't forget that we're praising the same people who just yesterday shit all over the rights of poor people of color.

I'm being critical, and I know that. I think part of it stems from the fact that I used to be one of those people that believed that marriage equality would be the solution to every problem in the queer community. I'm not saying that it's not a step in the right direction, because it certainly is, but in terms of equality for queer people, the working class, people of color, and every intersection in between, we have a very long road ahead.

Ten Things That Should Be Illegal During Finals or: Why Accept Responsibility for My Own Procrastination When I Can Just Blame the Rest of the World

1. Nice Weather
It's no secret that I have a clear favoritism towards the springtime. Cut out your hipster bullshit, no matter how painfully beautiful the gray of the sky during the first snowfall is, there is no denying the vast amount of suck that makes up the winter months. But, after patiently waiting for months on end, spring has finally sprung...just in time for me to lock myself in my room and never leave. Seriously, Mother Nature? Stop looking so good. It's distracting.

2. People Who Look Remotely Presentable
As a girl who probably takes a bit too much pride in her appearance, my main laundry concern for 90% of the semester is not running out of clean underwear, rather running out of cute outfit options, forcing me into having to wear sweatpants to class. However, these rules are subject to change come finals. The only things standing between me and rock bottom are dry shampoo, body spray, and my Snuggie. At this point, I'm beyond caring whether that cute boy in my econ class is staring at me, I'm just trying to get my A and get out. That is, until, that one girl shows up looking like an actual put-together human being, and the anxiety of looking and feeling like I've just crawled out of a dumpster finally sets in. Just know that if you even remotely look like you tried, you've probably destroyed my self-esteem and can expect to see me glaring at you out from above the bags under my eyes.

3. People Who Don't Quite Grasp the Idea of "24-hour Quiet Hours"
Possibly one of the biggest blessings to have come out of this week is the institution of 24-hour Quiet Hours. That is, until, a rogue group of non-honors girls hijacks your study space and tend to have a very liberal interpretation of what "quiet" is supposed to mean. I don't mean to sound elitist, but if you're going to live in a SASHP dorm, you're gonna have to learn to play by the SASHP rules, and the SASHP rules say that you need to shut up. Like right now.

4. People Who "Don't Really Have Any Finals"
If you only have one final this week and it's in your Intro to Underwater Basket-Weaving for Beginners class, don't even bother talking to me. We are not friends.

5. People

Horse ebooks tells it like it is

Being that I am currently running on 4 hours of sleep over the course of the past day and a half, all of my senses feel heightened. I'm like Spiderman, if Spiderman's source of power were black coffee and instead of webs his fingers shot out 12 pages of bullshit political theory. The problem with these heightened senses is, however, that basically anything that anyone does is the most annoying thing I've ever experienced. Seriously, if you so much as breathe too loudly near me, I will hunt you down (or, you know, just passive-aggressively Tweet about you).

6. YouTube Videos/Wikipedia Articles

When used appropriately, YouTube and Wikipedia can greatly improve the quality of your studying, paper-writing, and general morale (see previous post). However, like crack or Doritos or similarly addictive substances, once you get your first taste, you can't stop using. It starts with just one cat video, but before you know it, it's six hours later, your paper is still half-finished, and you're watching an hour long tutorial on how to properly mix a dubstep track. Same goes for Wikipedia. Give it enough time and eventually you'll be doing an in-depth study into the philosophy of Veganarchism.

7. This Jacked-Up Bus Schedule

I suppose that this is a uniquely ~Rutgers Girl Problem~, but this is so large an injustice that I can't NOT complain about it. If there's one time in the year that it is absolutely essential that I both leave my dorm as late as possible (in order to maximize sleeping potential) while ensuring that I arrive on time, it's this week. So, why then, Rutgers, do you decide to do this to me? "Tracked vehicles for the route EE arriving in: 23 or 67 minutes." Seriously? Seriously.

8. The Human Need to Eat

There are two types of people in this world: people who stress-eat and people who stress-starve. I happen to be the latter and, while it may sound like a life of glamour and thigh gaps, it's not all it's cracked up to be. It's not that I am consciously not eating; if I had the choice, I'd be milking this opportunity as a guilt-free excuse to eat everything in sight. I'm just not hungry. I'm starting to think that this is pretty unsafe seeing as I can't actually remember the last time I've had a full meal, and don't know whether I'm shaking due to overcaffeination, lack of sleep, or the lack of food in my body. Though, let's be real - it's probably all three.

9. Coffee That I Have to Pay For

The amount of money that I've spent on coffee this year alone is appalling. If I'm going to be surrendering half my paycheck to you in return for some caffeine-laced bean water, the least you can do for me is put it in an IV so I can bypass the drinking process altogether.

10. Social Media

People validate themselves in all sorts of ways, whether it be through the work they do, their advanced knowledge of an obscure niche topic, or sometimes even through their physical appearance. One of my biggest sources of validation, incidentally, is whether people think I'm funny on the internet. And, at a time where my need for validation is at an all time high, it's all the more difficult to stay away. It shouldn't have to be this hard to fuel my own narcissism.

Eshani's "Daily Affirmation"

Everyone has different ways of getting "in-the-zone" for finals week. Some people exercise, some people pray, and some people just get very, very drunk. I, lacking the will-power, faith, and liver for any of these things, had to find an alternate method of motivation. Cue the viral video "Jessica's 'Daily Affirmation'" also known as "The Cutest Thing You Will Probably Ever Watch in Your Short Life".

With the advent of my first finals-inspired emotional breakdown of the week, I decided that maybe writing an affirmation of my own would calm the storm of eternal hopelessness currently raging in my head. At the risk of looking completely ridiculous, here goes nothing.

LOOK, I CAN BE A LAWYER. NOW, MY WHOLE LIFE IS GREAT, I CAN DO ANYTHING GOOD. I LIKE MY COLLEGE, I LIKE ANYTHING, I LIKE MY COUSINS, I LIKE MY AUNTS, I LIKE MY UNCLES, I LIKE MY MOM, I LIKE MY DAD, I LIKE MY BROTHER, I LIKE MY COFFEE, I LIKE MY HAIR, I LIKE MY OMBRE, I LIKE MY STYLE, I LIKE MY HERITAGE, I LIKE MY FEMININITY, I LIKE MY BRAIN, I LIKE MY YWOC, I LIKE MY ROOMMATE, I LIKE MY BEST FRIENDS. I. LIKE. MY. WHOLE. LIFE! MY WHOLE LIFE IS GREAT, I CAN DO ANYTHING GOOD. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. I CAN DO ANYTHING GOOD, BETTER THAN ANYONE, BETTER THAN ANYONE.

Me with some of the dumb people that make my life better

In all seriousness, I have a pretty fantastic life. I go to a school that I love (though it might be stressful at times), and I have some of the best support systems in the entire world in the form of my family, friends, comrades, and sistahs. I started out writing this post about to cry from the overwhelming stress currently going in my life, and I am finishing it about to cry from the overwhelming amount of love around me. To anyone else taking finals this week, best of luck to you and know that I'm sending good vibes your way. ♥

(P.S. Though this is my first post, it should be noted that it does not, in any way, set a precedent for any future sappiness on this blog.)