Originally Posted by
sanjaya
I don't know how many other Indian Americans are on HDF, but I have to say that I feel we are lacking in terms of leaders and other contributors in the community. Most Indians come here, have kids, and then threaten them with death if they don't become doctors or engineers. Seriously, my dad blew up at me when I told him I wanted to be a astronomer (yes, I'm that rare type that stuck to one major in college). Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with being a doctor or engineer, but these jobs typically attract people who want to make a lot of money, have a wife and 2.4 kids, own a home, and never interact with the outside world. After Jews, Indian Americans are the most economically advantaged group in the country. So why are there so few of us going into the arts, media, and politics? These are the things that strongly affect American culture, but I see Indian Americans underrepresented. Aside from Christians like Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley, I only know of one Indian politician (and I think he was brought down by some sort of corruption charge).
Now, I will say that I am encouraged by groups like Hindu American Foundation, which is replete with Indians born in America. These individuals are showing that we can contribute to American society, as indeed all Americans should, while retaining a distinctly Hindu, Indian culture. Only problem is that there aren't enough of these people. And that's why we get stuck with the only "Indian" politicians around in fact being Christians. Perhaps we could learn something from the Jewish community. Jews have assimilated into American society quite effectively, yet comprise a community distinct from the rest of America. They've managed to preserve their language and religion pretty well, and yet they dominate all areas of American culture. Indians have the same cultural respect for education, so I don't see why we couldn't duplicate their success.
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