By Sanskriti Pandey:
With the endless realm of TV series us young lads and lassies can (and do) survive off, cultural exposures are at their peak today. One of the manifestations of globalisation has been through entertainment and popular culture. In such mind bogglingly accessible times, stereotypes find it easy to blend in and become representations of a certain people. Remember ‘Apu’ from the Simpsons? Example!
It’s very likely that you’ve seen one of those ‘Xs react to Ys doing Zs…’ videos doing the rounds on social media. This time around, BuzzFeed decided to film one such video where Indians react to their stereotypes in American popular culture. From exotic, oriental (and sometimes cow-heavy) backdrops and sleazy ‘naagin’-like dance numbers, to Rajesh Koothrapalli’s loser-ness in the Big Bang Theory, Indians have often been thrust into cheesy, humour-inducing frameworks all over American pop culture. If you’ve ever wondered what exactly you felt was off about Slumdog Millionaire, or have found yourself being irked by exaggerated “Indian” accents – watch this video where a bunch of Indians react to how Indian-ness is depicted and tell us if you agree.
