Being Brown

« eurocentriques du monde, une joie qui vient du fait d'être parfaitement centré culturellement… »   D.

Writing :    Priya dislikes living in America, she thinks it is a land of inequalities.

She praises Indian values that seem better according to her.

Her father disagrees with her, he praises American values, and seems to be happy with all the comfort he could get in the United States.    Both sides have positive and negative aspects.

First, about Priya's point of view.

She is right when she says that America treats white people better.

It is more difficult to live in the United States when you are a person of colour, you are not always being treated well.

Though, I disagree with her opinion on brown countries.

People there have their own unique traditions, of course, and they are proud of them.

Skin colour is not the centre of inequalities in these countries, the problem would be more about the gaps between social classes.

Millions of people live in slums and shanty towns in these countries (like in Dharavi, in India) where poor people don't have access to running water and live in shacks made of junk, while rich people make money out of tourism for example.

Also, Priya doesn't seem to know about the status of women in India, how they are treated (child marriage for example).    Priya's father seems to enjoy living in America.

That's understandable since he is very wealthy.

I disagree with a part of his view, because he thinks only about his own comfort.

Because of his wealth, he doesn't have much problems, so he doesn't show compassion for people who experience difficulties.

Though, I agree when he says to his daughter to visit India.

As an older man, he has an experience, he knows how it is like to live in India.

This is probably why he moved to America.

I wonder if Priya's opinion would change if she went to India.    I would say that I feel closer to Priya's father since he once lived in India and knows how it is like to live there.

I do not agree with everything he says though.. »