“White Privilege” in India

By Queuebot in Politics, Travel on Jul 8, 2010 at 11:22 am

Dave Prager and Jenny Steeves, a New York couple living in India (and whose blog Our Delhi Struggle – get it? – documents their fascinating "stranger in a strangeland" tales), were asked whether they enjoy "white privilege" because of their lighter skin color.

Their answer provides us with an interesting glimpse into the Indian society, where white people are given deference. For example, take waiting in line:

“We’d be lying if we didn’t admit skin-based advantages are bestowed on foreigners in India. Autorickshaw drivers, for instance, would hone in on us at the expense of everyone else waving their arms at them. (And they’d give us choice grumbles when we’d refuse to cut ahead of those who’d been bypassed their rightful ride.) The sidewalk chaiwallah near my office would always boil a fresh batch for me, even as he poured from a premade kettle for the factory workers who arrived the same time as I did. And while the guards at Saket Citywalk would grope us for poorly-hidden bombs just like every Indian shopper — as if Al Qaeda’s training manuals advised keeping their explosives in their front pockets — their hands always seemed to linger more tenderly with us.”

Wait, that’s not a good thing.

Link

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by mmmmdave1870.


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  1. Alex
    Jul 8th, 2010 at 11:23 am

    I edited this sub if you were wondering why Dave was speaking in third person ;)

  2. Kalel
    Jul 8th, 2010 at 12:35 pm

    White privilege goes out the window for me every Summer, when I must endure months of teasing about how white my legs are.

  3. scytheslash
    Jul 8th, 2010 at 12:37 pm

    Hmm…. the same kind attention they get can also be seen when tourists, be it Japanese, American, French Canadian….whatever, are fleeced regularly.

    The guides and almost every other being nice to you, especially if they’re gonna “show you around” can charge exorbitant rates(well, exorbitant for regular commuters.

    It’s kind of a reverse of the white guilt syndrome. I have seen people bend over backwards to accommodate, what the “Gora” or “Gori” may want.

    Its a pathological need for attention from anyone who has fair skin. Its sickening. The concept of “Athiti Devo bhava” translated as “The Guest is God”, should be applicable to all, regardless of skin tone, and fellow Indians as well.

  4. J Cubed
    Jul 8th, 2010 at 12:50 pm

    Being white in India means:
    Everyone stares at you. All the time.
    People will turn their back on the Taj Mahal to take a picture of you.
    People will sneak up to touch your skin.

  5. K!P
    Jul 8th, 2010 at 2:22 pm

    it might be a money isue? tourists=cash=no waiting.

  6. nafalie
    Jul 8th, 2010 at 3:59 pm

    My mom (blond hair, blue eyes) was a freak show in Bangladesh. We would get hundreds of people gathering around us to just stare. When a huge Bollywood star was in the area we only lost about a third of our crowd to her.

  7. Vonskippy
    Jul 8th, 2010 at 5:11 pm

    I’ve heard it’s like that in North Korea too.

  8. ted
    Jul 8th, 2010 at 8:03 pm

    I don’t get the “Our Delhi Struggle” thing.

  10. KKK_INdian
    Jul 9th, 2010 at 9:48 am

    its funny, but being an indian whose been brought up abroad, I can tell u this… most of the general population of India havent seen blondes or caucasians,its just the way the indian demographic is…all dark skinned or brown/wheatish skinned people,so for them seeing a fair skinned person is well sort of an experience,and ofcourse the ppl u mentioned like auto drivers, chaiwalla, guides they mostly do it for incentives ($$$$)
    its the same thing in china, u go there and people look diff. @ u cuz of skin color white/brown/black//ppl with eyelashes!! its not exactly racism, its just an experience for them…….
    P.S. what do u guys think will ku klux klan feel like when they read this??? LOL (I dont know much about kkk)

  11. warne singh
    Oct 27th, 2010 at 4:51 am

    hey this is not the same all over india.In NORTHERN INDIA specially the PUNJAB region almost all people are whites or verry fair skinned and also have blue eyes.So nobody there is going to give an american or european tourist such stares.


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