A Reader From India Opposes Ethnocentric Corruption, "Curry Smells" And "Slumdog" Label

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03/16/09 - A Reader From England Disagrees With Enoch Powell, Says Multiculturalists Never "Fail"; Peter Brimelow Replies

From: "World Citizen" [email her].

Re: "Bring in Indians, Get Curry Smells" by Patrick Cleburne

I read your post on the FBI raid on Vivek Kundra's office. I appreciate your insight but frankly feel that alluding to "curry smells" was unnecessary. I am of Indian origin and have been fortunate to have lived and worked in different countries across the globe.

I will not play the race card here and just brand the post as racist, since that's not what I am about. However, I can sense the hatred for Indian-origin people—and you are definitely entitled to that. I, more than anyone I guess, have been outraged by the corruption allegations. I will also not deny that corruption is rampant in my home country. However, to insinuate that all Indians are corrupt is prejudiced and unfair.

Also, I do sense the vitriol when the headline talks of "curry smells". Well, I could stoop to that level too and go into detail about how many of my "white American" colleagues complained about other "white American" colleagues warming their lunch in the microwave and the wonderful (sarcasm alert) smell of fish in the entire kitchen. But I won't do that since that's not the petty name calling I believe in.

If the people mentioned in the article are found guilty, I would be very happy to see them punished. But the tone of your post goes well beyond their actions. It seems you have an inherent hatred for all things Indian.

To tell you the truth, I was filled with immense sadness when I read your post. I know India has many problems and the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" certainly didn't help. However, please remember that the U.S. has been independent for more than 200 years and India is a relatively younger country. I admire the U.S. and its citizens for making the country what it is today by their innovation, integrity and work culture. I hope India can learn from that and get rid of its ills.

Reading your posts makes me wonder what it is that makes you hate us so much. Don't you have Bernie Madoff, Robert Allen Stanford and other people in America who have indulged in the worst form of corruption? I believe greed is an inherent vice of all human kind and a particular community cannot be vilified for the actions of some.

I hope you take this response in the true spirit and try to change some views on India and its citizens.

Thank you very much and have a nice day.

"World Citizen" tells us she is an Indian engineer who has worked in various countries including the U.S.

Patrick Cleburne responds: How nice to get a courteous and reasonable letter, a good example of what can make the better type of diaspora Indian so attractive.

In fact, I am quite well informed about India and (to the dismay of most of my clients) am a stalwart supporter of Indian restaurants. (India, by the way is not a young country—the culture is older than Europe's.)

Indeed, I had an Indian girlfriend for some years, who gave me an acute apprehension of why Indian population growth is so high.

My view is that if the non-Christian immigration to America around the end of the nineteenth century had been from India and not Russia, this country would be a happier and more functional society (if browner). And, paradoxically, we would not have an army in Afghanistan—or in the Middle East.

Unfortunately, this does nothing to detract from the key current problems: large quantities of Indians mean ethnocentric discrimination against native stock Americans and corruption. The latter is particularly so when they are co-opted by the Obama administration as "blacks with brains".

As for the curry reference, this is a webzine, not an academic periodical. And without it, would I have received such a charming letter?