04/07/2021
๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ @ ๐๐๐๐ series ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ข๐ #๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ... https://www.niam.org/stories/
Your response, when you were asked, โBut where are you ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ from?โ
๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ค, entry by ๐๐ซ. ๐๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ณ ๐. ๐๐๐ญ๐ก๐ง๐
(President Emeritus, and Regentsโ Professor of Business, Richards College of Business, University of West Georgia)
โ๐๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข?โ
Regrettably, I have been asked this question far too often to focus on a specific incident, so I have given examples below. Truth be told, even assuming the best of intentions, I find this question to be a lose-lose one. Sometimes, it might be worse โ a gotcha question or one that might be offensive.
I was born in India and lived there for about 25 years before I came to the US to do my PhD. I have a British-English-tinged Indian accent, and am a brown guy so it is very obvious that I was not born in the US. However, I have spent the last 47ยฝ years in the US, have lived in the same town in Georgia for 26ยฝ years, and in the same house in Georgia for longer than the entire time I lived in India.
To clarify, I am proud of my Indian roots and proud to be an American. My undergraduate degree is in electrical engineering (IIT Bombay), and so it should come as no surprise that I start my story in a geeky way with a lot of numbers! I have been a US citizen for 37+ years. Incidentally, the male median age in the US is 36.8, so I have been a US Citizen for longer than the average (male median) American, and have lived in the US far longer that the average American has, and so the probability is that I have lived in the US about a decade longer than the person who is asking this question, and been a US Citizen for longer than the average male American.
I have been asked this question many times at international conferences (or airports). If you ask me this question in Paris or London, I am likely to say, โIโm from the USโ or โIโm from XYZ University in the US.โ Iโm not being funny or offensive, but it would silly for me to say โIโm from India.โ Iโm neither denying nor running away from my birth roots, but wouldnโt it be strange for me to say โIโm from India,โ when I just flew in from Atlanta, and the last time I really lived in India (as in having a permanent address โ though I still visit) was early 1973, way before (probability-wise) the person who is asking the question was born?
If I meet you at a conference in New York or California or some other US state and you ask me โWhere you from?โ I am likely to say, โIโm from Georgiaโ or โIโm from XYZ University near Atlanta.โ Again, it sounds strange for me to say, โIโm from India.โ There might be presenters at that same conference who just flew in from New Delhi or Bombay or somewhere else in India who would appropriately respond, โIโm from India.โ But, all I did was get on a plane in Atlanta to get to the conference! Although my skin color and my accent might be very similar to theirs, โIโm from XYZ University in Georgiaโ sounds much more accurate for me to respond, rather than โIโm from India.โ Again, not that I am avoiding my birth roots or pretending not be brown, but โIโm from Indiaโ sounds strange and deceptive to me.
This question is related to โWhere is home?โ which is another lose-lose question. If I respond with a name of a town in Georgia, where my wife is and my children were before they left for college, where I have owned a home for more time than my entire time in India, someone will say, โHe is denying his birth roots.โ If I say, โBombay, India,โ some Americans would say, โSee, this is what is wrong with our immigration system. He has lived in the US for almost half a century, and still doesnโt regard America as his home!โ As we know from recent events, it also gives some people the opening to say, โWhy donโt you go back homeโ if you express an opinion that they donโt like.
The only way I have figured out how to respond is to say that I was born in India and have lived in the US for 47+ years! But, I donโt find it to be a satisfying response. It is a tough question โ often lose-lose!"
Disclaimer:
Sharing these opinions are done only in my personal capacity. I am explicitly not speaking on behalf of any institutions with which I am affiliated. These views are personal in nature and do not represent the views of any of these institutions.
- Dr. Beheruz N. Sethna
#StoriesatNIAM #TellMeAbout #storyblogs #getpublished #NIAMission #NIAMinspire #NIAMhappens #NIAMoutreach
๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ @ ๐๐๐๐ series ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ข๐ #๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ... https://www.niam.org/stories/
Your response, when you were asked, โBut where are you ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ from?โ
๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ค, entry by ๐๐ซ. ๐๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ณ ๐. ๐๐๐ญ๐ก๐ง๐
(President Emeritus, and Regentsโ Professor of Business, Richards College of Business, University of West Georgia)
โ๐๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข?โ
Regrettably, I have been asked this question far too often to focus on a specific incident, so I have given examples below. Truth be told, even assuming the best of intentions, I find this question to be a lose-lose one. Sometimes, it might be worse โ a gotcha question or one that might be offensive.
I was born in India and lived there for about 25 years before I came to the US to do my PhD. I have a British-English-tinged Indian accent, and am a brown guy so it is very obvious that I was not born in the US. However, I have spent the last 47ยฝ years in the US, have lived in the same town in Georgia for 26ยฝ years, and in the same house in Georgia for longer than the entire time I lived in India.
To clarify, I am proud of my Indian roots and proud to be an American. My undergraduate degree is in electrical engineering (IIT Bombay), and so it should come as no surprise that I start my story in a geeky way with a lot of numbers! I have been a US citizen for 37+ years. Incidentally, the male median age in the US is 36.8, so I have been a US Citizen for longer than the average (male median) American, and have lived in the US far longer that the average American has, and so the probability is that I have lived in the US about a decade longer than the person who is asking this question, and been a US Citizen for longer than the average male American.
I have been asked this question many times at international conferences (or airports). If you ask me this question in Paris or London, I am likely to say, โIโm from the USโ or โIโm from XYZ University in the US.โ Iโm not being funny or offensive, but it would silly for me to say โIโm from India.โ Iโm neither denying nor running away from my birth roots, but wouldnโt it be strange for me to say โIโm from India,โ when I just flew in from Atlanta, and the last time I really lived in India (as in having a permanent address โ though I still visit) was early 1973, way before (probability-wise) the person who is asking the question was born?
If I meet you at a conference in New York or California or some other US state and you ask me โWhere you from?โ I am likely to say, โIโm from Georgiaโ or โIโm from XYZ University near Atlanta.โ Again, it sounds strange for me to say, โIโm from India.โ There might be presenters at that same conference who just flew in from New Delhi or Bombay or somewhere else in India who would appropriately respond, โIโm from India.โ But, all I did was get on a plane in Atlanta to get to the conference! Although my skin color and my accent might be very similar to theirs, โIโm from XYZ University in Georgiaโ sounds much more accurate for me to respond, rather than โIโm from India.โ Again, not that I am avoiding my birth roots or pretending not be brown, but โIโm from Indiaโ sounds strange and deceptive to me.
This question is related to โWhere is home?โ which is another lose-lose question. If I respond with a name of a town in Georgia, where my wife is and my children were before they left for college, where I have owned a home for more time than my entire time in India, someone will say, โHe is denying his birth roots.โ If I say, โBombay, India,โ some Americans would say, โSee, this is what is wrong with our immigration system. He has lived in the US for almost half a century, and still doesnโt regard America as his home!โ As we know from recent events, it also gives some people the opening to say, โWhy donโt you go back homeโ if you express an opinion that they donโt like.
The only way I have figured out how to respond is to say that I was born in India and have lived in the US for 47+ years! But, I donโt find it to be a satisfying response. It is a tough question โ often lose-lose!"
Disclaimer:
Sharing these opinions are done only in my personal capacity. I am explicitly not speaking on behalf of any institutions with which I am affiliated. These views are personal in nature and do not represent the views of any of these institutions.
- Dr. Beheruz N. Sethna
#StoriesatNIAM #TellMeAbout #storyblogs #getpublished #NIAMission #NIAMinspire #NIAMhappens #NIAMoutreach
