I’ve noticed that over the past few months there has been an increase in the number of parenting blogs I read. What’s up with that? I’ve never been fond of kids and I’ve never really had much desire to have my own (other than assuming I would because that is what society expects me to do). More recently in my relationship with my fiance I have been responding to people’s comments about our future children by stating that we don’t have any intention to procreate. Most people are taken aback when they hear this – I figure because a lot of people still hold the notion that marriage is only a union for procreating and cannot simply be a life-long companionship. I’m not against having children but it bothers me that people assume that I will have kids. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t, but I still think I am way too young to be thinking about that now. And why are people so concerned with other people’s lives anyway? If you like kids then have your own. Anyway, I wonder if this has influenced my increased readership to these blogs. Or perhaps I am slowly starting to like kids? I’m not sure, but I know that the thought of having children makes me want to puke.
Kismet Bridal Show Thursday, Jun 26 2008
Blogs/Sites and Ignorance and Religion assumption, Indo-Christian, South Asian, Wedding 2:57 pm
My fiance and I just started to plan our wedding and by “just started” I mean that we just started yesterday. I started going through some bridal magazines that my mom’s co-worker gave me and aside from my constant gagging at the Disney fairytale bullshit that is plastered throughout this waste of paper, it had ads to sites including a bridal show. So I decided to go online and see if there are any upcoming shows that I can attend to help me get through this horrid planning that we have to undergo. Can you tell that I’m not a fan of wedding planning? So I came across a site that listed past and upcoming bridal shows in the Toronto area. Great! One thing that makes me life more easier. So I looked through the list and found a link to the Kismet Bridal Show which exhibits vendors for South Asian weddings. Perfect! Or so I thought. Under their articles section they had an articled called South Asian Religions and Tradtions. They had a pretty extensive collection of sections, which I was pleased to see. What I was not too thrilled about was their Christian section. At first I was excited that they had included Christianity in their article since I’ve noticed that most people generally ignore Christianity or Christians in and from India. My excitement was washed away though by the stereotypical depiction of a Christian wedding as a white, European wedding. Maybe I’m just not worldly enough, but I seriously doubt that Indian Christians incorporate a horseshoe into their wedding ceremonies. I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it.
I’m disappointed (yet again) at the level of ignorance by people who are supposed to be educating and informing non-South Asians and non-Indians about the diversity among South Asians. Why are Christians, once again, ignored and assumed to only be of European descent? There are so many Christian traditions that are non-European and non-North American. Why must non-European descent Christians continue to be pushed to the sidelines and have their cultures, traditions and heritage ignored not only by the mainstream Christian community in the West but also by institutions that are supposed to be unbiased and public sources of information? Are these forms of Christianity not seen as good enough or accurate? That is definitely how it makes me feel. Now I cannot speak for all non-European descent Christians, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m not the only one that gets a little peeved at the level of ignorance in supposedly educated, liberal, progressive communities.
White Wedding Saree Thursday, May 15 2008
Prejudice and Religion assumption, Clothes, Education, Indo-Christian, Wedding 12:02 pm
I couple of nights ago I began looking for white wedding sarees on the internet to procrastinate working on my paper. I came across this Yahoo Answers Page where the question was asked, “Where can I find a pure white wedding saree online from the USA?” I was anticipating reading the answers since I will most likely have to order my saree online. I’m skeptical of letting any relatives pick one out for me in India. As I read the comments though I was appalled by the ignorance in their answers. Two commenters insisted that wedding sarees are never white while another stated that white saris are only worn by widows. It upsets me that so many Indians or people of East Indian descent are STILL so uneducated and ignorant of the religious diversity of India.
White wedding sarees are worn by various Christian groups in India, including my own ancestry. I’m not sure when the tradition started but the longevity of this practice is irrelevant. What angers me is the assumption that anything non-Hindu is non-Indian. Hindus are not the only religious group to wear sarees and the general belief that to be Indian is to be Hindu is narrow-minded. I am really tired of having to point out that some practices can be considered distinctly Hindu while others can be seen as part of Indian culture (although that is a broad category in itself). I have had to in the past sustain questioning and ridicule by other people of East Indian descent on how I wasn’t a “real” Indian because I was not Hindu. Thankfully my Muslim friends weren’t so ignorant; possibly because they were subject to the same idiocy.
I just wonder how I should deal with this ignorance. Should I take it upon myself to use this as an opportunity for education? Or should I just brush it off since I will barely make a dent in changing such ignorance?
Kannadian 