Hindustan Times redefines ABCD

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Hindustan Times redefines ABCD

By: Santosh :+: Under: Brown in America, Media Watch, Opinion
On: ⋅ February 14, 2008 ⋅

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Über Desi is a group blog primarily brought to you by first generation desis. We still lovingly refer to other first genners as FOBs. But one thing we seldom do is refer to second generation desis as ABCDs. In fact, an instant search of UD, returned only 3 instances where the word had been used on UD - two of them in comments by second genners and one in reference to a magazine.

We choose not to use that term because, well, we can. We can and are able to operate a group blog about desis without making snide references to our second generation brethren. We don’t really feel the need or the necessity. It’s really not that tough.

Then there is this article in the Hindustan Times. The author of this article could not suppress the urge to use the “ABCD” word. In fact the itch was so bad , he went ahead and scratched it, and then tried to mask it by redefining what it meant.

[link]

No doubt the US has been hospitable to Indians, even though every ABCD (American-bred confident desi) has his tale of petty racial harassment. The community believes class is what counts in the US, not ethnicity or race.

American-bred confident desi? Wow! That’s really clever. Not that any desi who is even vaguely familiar with the desi diaspora and culture doesn’t know what the original definition is. The foreign editor of the Hindustan Times surely could do better?

Thoughts? Opinions?

Discussion

7 comments for “Hindustan Times redefines ABCD”

1: Runa | February 14, 2008, 12:40 am | Direct Link

Frankly , I find FOB as distasteful as ABCD. I prefer DBD and ABD !

Re: the article : the “American Bred Confident Desi” copout was simply CYA on the part of the Hinsutan Times

2: Sidhu | February 14, 2008, 4:56 am | Direct Link

Till I read articles at SM, I didn’t seriously think about ABCD as a mildly derogatory term, neither FOB, but depends on who calls who that way, what close friends call each other doesn’t matter, but when in public (including message boards/blogs) and addressing strangers, it’s better to stick to PIO/2nd gen or something very formal, I’m not a big fan of ABD/DBD terms, they are the non-funny versions of funnier words and I hear them only on SM. HT’s definition sounds lame, and I can say it with confidence.

3: Lekhni | February 14, 2008, 12:23 pm | Direct Link

I agree with Runa. Both FOB and ABCD are derogatory though if anything, I’d say FOB is worse (it’s not so bad to be confused is it?) Somehow “boat” gives me a mental picture of a huddled mass of refugees.

Using “confident” is actually condescending. Are the other desis not confident then? Or is this a subset of ABDs who are confident?

4: Santosh | February 14, 2008, 12:25 pm | Direct Link

Using “confident” is actually condescending. Are the other desis not confident then? Or is this a subset of ABDs who are confident?

I’m still wondering where the “confident” came from? Perhaps he just went through a list of adjectives and settled on the least controversial one (in his mind).

5: Lekhni | February 14, 2008, 12:33 pm | Direct Link

Given the point of his article “C” should have stood for “class-conscious”

6: Sidhu | February 17, 2008, 4:24 pm | Direct Link

I’m still wondering where the “confident” came from?

Maybe this. hmmmm.

7: Über Desi | Jodhaa: Cultural Learnings from Hindustan | February 21, 2008, 2:03 pm | Direct Link

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