By Sayma Wali '24
The United States excludes South Asians from the Asian designation. They are being confused with other races, repetitively answering the question, “What are you?” The U.S. Census Bureau defines Asians as being from “the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.” However, East Asians are the standard depiction of Asian; a Google search for “Asian food near me” includes Chinese and Japanese food – excluding samosas and adobo. It is unacceptable. We need to end the racial disjunctures of the South Asian identity.
As a person of South Asian descent, I know the feeling of being erased from your identity. When I mention I am Asian, the disbelief I'm met with makes me feel like I do not belong. To clarify, I say, “I’m South Asian." Then it’s, “So you’re not Asian, are you? You’re Indian, right?” But this doesn't just happen to me; the little brown children face this crisis too. Instead of playing with friends, they are interrogated with the question, “What are you?” South Asians are Asian, but other Americans dismiss this.
Unfortunately, stereotypical Asian features include slanted eyes and skin color (exaggerated yellow). They neglect the full brown faces, the strong smell of curry wafting into your nostrils, or even National Spelling Bee champs. Andrew Yang, a former presidential candidate of Taiwanese heritage, acknowledged that his Asian appearance is more direct. “My Asian-ness is kind of obvious in a way that might not be true of Kamala [vice-president elect],” he said. As Yang formulated, this is a reality in the U.S. for many Asians. Kamala’s South Asian heritage is unrecognizable, excluding her association with Asians.
A 2016 study by the National Asian American Survey found that 42% of white Americans strongly believed people of Indian heritage are “not likely to be Asian”. Another 45% believed Pakistanis are “not likely to be Asian.” Thus, we can conclude that South Asians are not seen as Asian by the majority of Americans.
Some may argue that South Asians are represented. The Indian subcontinent – originally “India” – is broken into a few countries that share, relatively, the same culture. They’re not being misrepresented; they’re simply being united by these similar identities. They shouldn't be considered Asian as they’re truly different from “typical” Asians.
Although the cultures contain similarities, the differences out-weigh the alikeness. South Asian culture consists of various religions, from Hinduism and Islam to the rare Christianity and Tribal religions. These differing aspects shape each unique South Asian country. Congesting these countries into one culture isn’t uniting them; it’s negating their individuality.
Uplifting those who feel sidelined, we need to act inclusively. Unfortunately, this will be difficult. Therefore, we must normalize this now. We need to change Google’s proprietary algorithm to include South Asians within searches. Google prioritizes East Asians within suggestions, making searches relevant shows OUR perspective on Asians. The first step is including South Asians in the definition of Asian in people’s minds.
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