Indian-American Woman wins Miss America

[Noxx]

Here's a link to something i found quite funny/interesting:

 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/a-lot-of-people-are-very-upset-that-an-indian-american-woman

 

Ignorance at it's best.

[The_Gabe]

Haters gonna hate.

[Kaida23]

:wall: What the hell is wrong with people?

[PolarBearBlue]

"Sad, but not surprising. Not only are they racist, they're inaccurate. Amazing." was one of the comments at the bottom of page. What better words. Now if you'll excuse me...

[Saradomin_Mage]

Another sad day.

[Ginger_Warrior]

So much for "land of the free".

 

I don't think non-Americans should brag, though. Had she won Miss UK, similar reactions would have taken place. Perhaps not as overtly through social media, but definitely in pubs and offices, people would have shown similar displays of ignorance.

 

My housemate the other day tried to convince me that her high school once cancelled Christmas because the Muslim students "don't believe in Jesus". I informed her that, in Islam, Jesus is actually a prophet. She didn't seem bothered by this, and continued to insist that the 'Pakis' had taken over.

 

It really shouldn't surprise people that, yes, some people really are that racist and, yes, it's usually because they're that full of paranoia. Hence the bewildering references to 9/11 and terrorism.

[xVertigo]

Wait... I mean I'm American, and she was born in New York so... Hell, I may be off my rocker but that makes her American right? I didn't have time to read this in depth but people are having an issue with this because her parents are Indian Immigrants? For the most part doesn't all of our heritage start with immigration in America?

[PolarBearBlue]

We talk about this a lot in my Global issues class. What's funny is those same people probably are unaware that A) she's probably Hindi more so than Muslim, and B) the bridge between Europe in the Dark Ages and the Renaissances era is the Muslim civilization. For all this talk about 'America', they forget that the nation was built off the ideas of what they'd consider the most controversial places in the world.

[chenw]

"This is america"

 

.... I wonder how they'd take it if an American Indian won the competition instead

[xVertigo]

"This is america"

 

.... I wonder how they'd take it if an American Indian won the competition instead

I'm sure the outrage would include something about casino's and being red backs anyway you look at it something equally insulting and ignorant. I'm ashamed to be an American sometimes simply due to the belligerence the greater population displays toward such trivial "issues."

[Giordano]

Nick Pizzo (one of the commenters) is complaining about the outcome. Go back to Sicily!

Maria Gruba is complaining about the outcome. Go back to Mexico!

Kaleb Trahan is complaining about the outcome. Go back to...get outta America!

 

If there's anything I hate more than Anglo-Americans being racists, its other immigrant-descendants being racist*

 

 

 

 

 

*yes, Anglo-Americans are immigrant-descendants but there's no denying they are the foundation of the "American" culture.

[champion]

 

 

"This is america"

 

.... I wonder how they'd take it if an American Indian won the competition instead

I'm sure the outrage would include something about casino's and being red backs anyway you look at it something equally insulting and ignorant. I'm ashamed to be an American sometimes simply due to the belligerence the greater population displays toward such trivial "issues."

I agree they're being stupid, but a few cherry picked ignorant tweets do not represent the mindset of the majority of the United States.

[Blyaunte]

Another example of what people believe they should be able to get-away-with due to the "faceless nature" of the Internet and its subsidiaries ... <_<

[obfuscator]

I don't see why people care so much about who wins a beauty pageant. They do realize the things are completely meaningless, right?

 

I mean, the only reasonable thing to get upset about when it comes to beauty pageants is someone ugly winning. But this winner was pretty hot so idk

[sees_all1]

I think this hyphenated race to American bullshit needs to stop. You're American, it really doesn't matter where your parents or grand-parents or great-grand parents etc. were born, especially for your purpose of country of origin.

 

Also since most Americans have some kind of mixed ancestry... being 1/32nd Cherokee doesn't make you Native American.

[PolarBearBlue]

I don't see why people care so much about who wins a beauty pageant. They do realize the things are completely meaningless, right?

 

The winners do get a scholarship to attend school and some post career enjoy nice success. Vanessa Williams anyone? She lost her crown but did so much better than the runner up from what I can recall.

[Ginger_Warrior]

I think this hyphenated race to American bullshit needs to stop. You're American, it really doesn't matter where your parents or grand-parents or great-grand parents etc. were born, especially for your purpose of country of origin.

 

Also since most Americans have some kind of mixed ancestry... being 1/32nd Cherokee doesn't make you Native American.

I thought she stated that she was "American with Indian descent".

 

So... she said she was American.

 

So... I don't understand your point.

[sees_all1]

 

I think this hyphenated race to American bullshit needs to stop. You're American, it really doesn't matter where your parents or grand-parents or great-grand parents etc. were born, especially for your purpose of country of origin.

 

Also since most Americans have some kind of mixed ancestry... being 1/32nd Cherokee doesn't make you Native American.

I thought she stated that she was "American with Indian descent".

 

So... she said she was American.

 

So... I don't understand your point.

 

 

Not her specifically, but the label in general. And the people that consciously choose to make the distinction.

[Giordano]

Because they're talking domestically.

 

If an American asks an American what he is, he isn't going to say American.

 

If a Frenchman asks an American what he is, he IS going to say American. Any hyphenated classification at that point wouldn't make much sense.

 

 

In addition, I assume you're a Anglo-American ("real" American) See's All? If you are, understand that immigrants do not associate with your classification. To them, an American is the English-speaking white person whose country they're moving into and they themselves are from Africa/Mexico/Poland/etc. This doesn't get erased until the next or two generations down.

[sees_all1]

In addition, I assume you're a Anglo-American ("real" American) See's All? If you are, understand that immigrants do not associate with your classification. To them, an American is the English-speaking white person whose country they're moving into and they themselves are from Africa/Mexico/Poland/etc. This doesn't get erased until the next or two generations down.

 

The hyphen makes sense for the immigrants, tying themselves back to their place of origin while still trying to assimilate. And English-speaking white people sometimes classify themselves as something else, usually Latinos.

 

But I'm talking about the children and grand children. Who weren't born in their "mother" country, have never lived or even visited there. They're American through and through, even if their skin color isn't white.

[Randox]

I think this hyphenated race to American bullshit needs to stop. You're American, it really doesn't matter where your parents or grand-parents or great-grand parents etc. were born, especially for your purpose of country of origin.

 

Also since most Americans have some kind of mixed ancestry... being 1/32nd Cherokee doesn't make you Native American.

This is one I do agree with, something that does bug me, both when people use it to self identify, and when people use it to label others. The only people who have any claim to the title of American or Canadian as an ethnicity are the Native Americans. They are the only people who have been here long enough to have become truly distinct from their ethnic origins. I see the labels only as a way to artificially widen the cultural ethnic gap even further, only serve to create division.

 

I should also clarify that I have no issues with people who bring their culture with them. It's just, I always thought the idea was that Canadian culture was supposed to be an amalgamation. Their customs should become integrated into ours, and the end product be something unique. Instead, it's many cultures with defined borders. Some people embrace and try things out, and others fight to defend their culture, to prevent the foreign influences. The labels, to me, only serve to highlight a culture as something that people need to defend against. I don't see why our culture should be defined in terms of other cultures, why it simply can't be Canadian (or American).

[obfuscator]

But even then a lot of people maintain their culture for many generations....so it gets kind of complicated.

[chenw]

Identifying themselves is one thing, judging people based on their perceived origin is completely another.

 

It's a whole different era of human ignorance (whether it's actual ignorance or pretended ignorance) when people starts judging people for being something they are not, especially when they have been informed otherwise.

 

I sometimes do wonder if these people really are that blind, pretend to be blind, or voluntarily become blind...

[Alg]

I agree they're being stupid, but a few cherry picked ignorant tweets do not represent the mindset of the majority of the United States.

Yes, but this is the internet. Stereotyping is all we do here.

[sees_all1]

But even then a lot of people maintain their culture for many generations....so it gets kind of complicated.

 

There are many different things that get mixed up here - national identity, country of origin, race, religion, and skin color.

 

An example - a black person born in Great Britain, whose parents were raised there as well, studies abroad in the United States. S/he will be automatically stereotyped as "African-American" in America, until s/he speaks. Then s/he'll be labeled as South African, until s/he explains their country of origin.

 

I think part of what's happened is political correctness run amok. White-skinned Americans trying to politely describe the color of other people's skins.

 

 

But I'll agree with the point of the thread... ignorant and bigoted comments about Miss America are detestable.

 

edit-