American Born Confused Desi aka ABCD is a term minted by douche-bag holding Asian Indians to label children of Asian Indian immigrants to the US. This term is used to refer to the non-existent confusion these children have with regard to their identity and culture heritage. As far as I observe, a majority of these American Born Confused Desi are not confused at all; they are certain. Certain that they don't give a ^uck about the country of birth of their parents.
Ankita Rao's article titled The Secret Life of the American Desi is kind of interesting; check it out. Here's an excerpt from Ankita Rao's article.
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| American Born Confused Desi |
Palekar believes this lack of communication leads to depression, anxiety and more lies. He adds that the immigrant perception of their homeland is outdated. "They always feel like America is threatening for their children. But in big cities in India, people date, have one night stands and have relationships with people from other backgrounds."
Immigrant Asian Indian parents know quite well that America is referred to as a melting pot (is this a myth or reality?). Therefore, they must take it for somewhat granted that their children may have casual sex, wear jeans that show off their underwear (in case of men and women) and the top of their butt crack/coin slot (in case of women only), low cut tops that show off a bit of cleavage. How many desi parents would support their daughters dating a white male or (hold your breath) an African American male? I reckon that there is nothing more shameful, arguably, for Asian Indian parents than their child hooking up with an African American person.
It was this summer that I fully appreciated where I came from. I saw the way that my cousin and his friends helped each other. They would drive for hours to pick someone up, or visit a friend's mom in the hospital. They poked fun at each other relentlessly. And even though they were the same age, lived in the same city their whole lives, spoke the same language, they were Muslims, Christians and Hindus who meshed seamlessly. Back at the University of Florida, I felt compelled to repossess this part of me that I had avoided for years. I still felt uncomfortable being in groups of only Indian friends like some tended to do, but my culture led me to other methods of connection. I took courses in Hindi, Sanskrit and Hindu Mythology at school. I received my yoga teachers training and became engrossed in Vedic scriptures, chanting and other ancient aspects of my religion. I finally understood why sitting in front of a cast-iron elephant with a bunch of incense was relevant to my life.
How many immigrant parents have knowledge their own religion/Hinduism? The reality is that the Asian American kids have the resources and the luxury to learn about India and Hinduism, if they choose to do so, in America and because of America.
