I’m not sure how to make sense of this story other than to see the reactions of these New Yorkers as “racist.” Anyone who knows me well also knows that I am very careful about throwing out that word. But in this case, I think I can use it freely…and without constraint.
The attached article from the New York Times is a bit long, but it’s well worth the read. I’ll spare the details and not pontificate about all of the things that I see in it. However, I do want to say one quick thing.
All of these people who are complaining about Asian Indians “taking over” this Queens, New York neighborhood seem to imagine that their people, the relatives who came before them some 60-80 years ago, did NOT take over that very same Queens neighborhood from some other cultural group. For you see, at some point in the not too distant past, the relatives of these Asian Indian haters who are featured in the article were the ne’er-do-well “invaders” who were destroying some other group’s way of life (and I don’t mean some Native American group). Their relatives were the scourge, the vermin. THEY were the ones who did not want to assimilate; THEY were the foreigners; THEY were the people who were going to ruin the flavor of what the neighborhood had become.
It’s rather remarkable how we don’t like to look backward…and how what comes around seems to inevitably go around.
By the way, I love the gesture of Mr. Patel, the one Indian owner, offering to sell the property to anyone who wants it–at a loss. “Okay…quiet now please.”
The first thing that strikes me in the New York Times article about the “Frozen Cup,” was how the locals were afraid that if a Holiday Inn replaced it, it would be used to house prostitutes and welfare recipients. This is almost humorous to me because there is no evidence that any hotel will ever cause this type of issue. Especially since the owner had told the local church that he and his family also lived in the area and was dedicated to making sure the hotel would maintain a good reputation. The article in the Jamaica Times that states Patel (the new owner of the “Frozen Cup” property) is only renting the rooms in the hotel to his “people” is slightly racist and just his own opinion. This assumption made by the Jamaica Times is irrational and does not withstand any proof. Both Mr. and Ms. Augugliaro defend themselves by stating that they are not racist, but I do not believe that is the case. Some of their comments such as “we do not want this to turn into a third world county” or how they compared it to close by neighborhoods that are with sizable South Asian populations, clearly express some type or prejudice or racism. In addition, the way they laughed at the Sikh man that they claimed to be carrying a “sword” proves that they are under-educated about other cultures and backgrounds. Because of the lack of knowledge they possess about other religions, they laugh and make remarks that insinuate they are in a sense “better” than the Sikh man. This may not be the case, since it is merely my opinion, but they admitted to being “shocked” and proceeded to laugh at his attire and presence.
This article reminds me of the town that I grew up in. South Plainfield is a small town in New Jersey and as I was growing up it lacked diversity. In elementary school I do not recall any black or Mexicans and just one Chinese girl (who was my best friend). I used to go to Cynthia’s (the only Chinese girl) house every day after school and would be amazed by her culture and how different her family was from mine. Cynthia was clearly the minority in elementary school but that quickly changed once we went to middle school, where I quickly became the minority. By the time I was in middle school, many different cultures had migrated to South Plainfield and the town quickly underwent many changes. In my opinion, it was a good thing for the town to finally possess some diversity. Many others from the town disagreed and moved out and soon after my family did as well. Today South Plainfield is filled with a variety of different cultures but there is no resentment from myself or my family for that matter. In fact, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins still live there today and would never even think about moving.
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I agree that the white people of Bellerose including Mr. Augugliaro are definitely racist even though they are denying it. It is understandable that some people would be upset when they hear that the Frozen Cup, an ice cream store where they probably shared many memories, is closing; however, to blame it’s foreclosure on the people buying the property and their entire race is absurd. As Mr. Patel said, no one wants to buy the place it is not a good investment and its’ time has run out, it is not his fault that the store was no longer turning over enough profits. I think the Augugliaro’s were willing to say anything to make it appear as if the new hotel that was to replace the ice cream store was going to lower the quality or class of the town but to go so far as to say “they’re turning the neighborhood into a third-world country,” is complete racism. I doubt they would have ever made that comment had the owners of the new hotel been white. As the article goes on additional evidence of racism is seen by the white people of Bellerose, Queens. I can not believe they would get so upset that there are more diverse restaurants in their area. Again I doubt they are equally upset that there are Italian or maybe French restaurants in Queens, but because Indian food is represented all of a sudden their town has become that of the likes of a “third world” country. I do not believe it is because they want to “bring their country here” but that they would like a taste of home, something to remind them of their own culture, and some variety. I do not see why these white people consider themselves more American than people of Indian decent; sure some of them have immigrated to this country in their lifetime but I am sure that is not the case for all Indians. There has to be some that were born into this country and are just as American as anyone else, not to demean immigrants, but I do not think they would treat a British immigrant the same way. It angers me that someone would say a South Asian grocery store is “not the kind of store an American goes into” because again we eat food from all different cultures, unless of course your entire diet is made up of pizza, burgers, and fries I believe most of the food we eat is influenced by another culture. When it comes to the Indian man running for office, just like Obama I believe he should be given the chance to represent his race and anyone who does not vote for him solely because of that is not voting on the issues but on the color of one’s skin, which by the way is called racism.
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While many residents within this Queens community are markedly racist towards the expansion of the predominantly South Asian community, I find many reasons underlying their hate towards the outsiders.
The first flag in my mind that went up to signal racism was the individuals referring to the foreigners as “they” instead of citing them as a group of individuals from a specific race or religion. In my mind the increasingly few white Americans in the community that made racist comments were stating their sentiment against their non-American counterparts. It was not just a big business running white American that was taking over the Frozen Cup, but a rich and rising Indian man. New shops opening up in each part of the town were often Sikh, Muslim or another minority religion that was too hard for the white community to swallow.
I was very intrigued to hear “I’m not a racist,” of Mr. Augugliaro. “What does race have to do with it?” he stated. The precise problem is that this man completely overlooks his hate of the full culture, religion and way of life that “they” bring. According to Mr. Augugliaro, and his wife, the people are fine, just not everything they bring. Is this racism?
Mr. Augugliaro makes the case that he can have negative feelings towards the way of life the non-white American community in Queens, New York possesses without possessing a distinct hatred for the people themselves. To me the racism culminates from issues of the old way of life giving way to the new way of life in the area (mom and pop businesses going down the drain, multi-nationals taking over, and the percentage of whites on the decline). Add on that the religion, the distinctive foods, the distinctive culture and distinctive ways of life that the non-white minorities bring and this can be an explosive mix to racist white Americans.
As this new way of life continues past Queens, New York and to the rest of the United States of America, we will be seeing a lot more Mr. Augugliaros, or racists in disguise.
This case also illustrates that this new class of racism is not just based on the color of a person’s skin, but every characteristic, attribute and trait the non-American “immigrant” brings to the country. I am sure there are similar cases in the south where blacks state similar complaints against immigrants taking over the area, and also stating they are not racist. How could they be racist when they themselves are survivors of a once systematic, government-supported racism?
As more and more people groups mix in this wonderful melting pot of a nation, cultures conflict, languages diverge and newer strands of racism emerge.
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The first thing that strikes me about this article is the fact that the local people were worried about prostitutes being used in the hotel that was to replace the Frozen Cup. Let me say, if they are really worried that the building of a Holiday Inn would increase the use of prostitutes in their area, they have some bigger problems to worry about. They should probably think about upping their police force in the area and dealing with prostitution before they even think about complaining about replacing the Frozen cup with a hotel.
I must say, I can understand where these people are coming from when they complain about getting rid of this ice cream stand. As it is explained in the article, the Frozen Cup seems to be an age-old gathering place and landmark. A place where people can go to to have an ice cream cone and calm down. On the other hand, this is clearly not their biggest concern. Their biggest concern seems to be the race of the people who are building the hotel. Why does having people of South Indian decent building a hotel in the neighborhood all of the sudden make it seem like a “third world country” as the one man described it? This is just an absolutely ridiculous statement. I’m sure that many of these people who are “taking over” this town have a larger income than many of the people who previously living there. For this reason, I believe that there is nothing that anyone can say about the building of this hotel. The Frozen Cup was clearly a bad investment, with no profit in any near future. Something clearly had to be done about it, or else it would have soon turned into another abandoned building that are so commonly seen in cities and suburbs with boards on its windows and graffiti covering these boards. Mr. Patel, the Indian owner, seems to be very sure of this idea that something had to be done about the Frozen Cup. Also, he seems to be pretty sure that no one else was planning on doing anything about the problem considering he said that he was willing to sell the building for a $100 000 loss. This also supports my statement that some if not many of these Indians have a larger income than many of the people who already lived there, after all, to be willing to lose $100 000, he must have a great deal of money already.
It seems to be pretty obvious from this article that the people who already live in this community need to be more informed about people of South Asian decent, considering that their community is already 40% Indian. Also, either they need to step up and buy the place or stop denying their racist nature.
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There is no doubt in my mind that this is racism. It is dislike directed towards a group of people and their way of life and the belief that these new comers should assimilate, implying that our way of life is somehow superior to theirs. If that isn’t racism, I don’t know what is.
The feeling of superiority that the long-time residents have is obviously fueled by resentment and jealousy that another culture and way of life could somehow be more successful. The article makes negative mentions of mansions springing up and residents, specifically the one at the bar, questioning how these foreigners could have gotten the money to do the things they are doing.
The answer to that question is why the traditional residents are upset. To them, it probably seems like these new groups are doing something right, which causes them to think that their way of life is somehow wrong, which they take as a personal insult.
It’s always fascinating to me when an American can look at a newcomer who is willing to work their ass off and achieve the American dream, and rather than see a reflection of their grandparents or parents, see it as an affront to their way of life. It seems to me that people are confusing culture and the desire to work hard. Rather than attribute success to hard work, they attribute it to something outside of their control, namely culture. But by doing that, they are also saying that these newcomer’s culture is superior, which is also blasphemous to our American egos; and so this blend of denial, ambiguity, defense mechanisms and shame causes many of us (those who arrived here not before roughly the 1600’s and not after the Great Depression) to revert to hatred and racism.
This article reminds me of my boss Vinnie (real name: Vindob), who is an Indian immigrant. He traveled to the United States by himself as a young adult and worked his way from gas station attendant, to owner of multiple gas stations, to owner of an ice production and delivery company. Yes, an ice company seems rather arbitrary and unglamorous, but is his story not the definition of the American Dream? A young man comes to America with nothing to make something of himself, and now he is sending his kids to college by working his way up and finding an innovative and in-demand method for making money.
But all the time customers are surprised to find out that he is the boss of the company and that he has done so well for himself, as if he did not earn everything he got out of life solely because he has a different skin color, a different culture, and an accent. It’s a reiteration of the constant insinuation, and actually, the flat out discussion, that foreigners are stealing our jobs; and it is so very wrong. Immigrants are earning our jobs, and until we stop taking our head-start as Americans for granted, it’s going to stay that way, and rightly so.
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First, let me get a chuckle in for Ms. Augugliaro’s “I’m not a racist” comment. Oh it is racism alright. I can understand the communities’ sediments, however. It would be the same way if, say, one goes away to college not ever coming back home for four years, only to later realize how much things have changed. You lose the home-like feeling, and I know that sometimes I even feel abandoned if too many things have changed. The realization becomes “the world is changing around you, without you.” That in itself is scary. It becomes almost as if you did not live there at all. The difference is that these people are in the middle of the change and are watching their memories go away. They will not be able to associate themselves with the swing on their childhood playgrounds anymore. So I can understand their sediments, and I know that when people get mad they need a face for a finger to blame. Racism was that finger, and I do not think it is abnormal that this finger was pointed, but the problem is how can we stop it?
Surely we can let time fix it; wait until the old generation dies off, then these sediments will disappear. If only it could be as simply attributed to the problem that is racism. Of course, time is fixing racism slowly, however it still exists as our professor has very clearly shown us. Mulvey from the book Making Peace Between Our Color brings up a good point that states that the repairing has to happen first within ourselves. She says that we shouldn’t wait for the neighbors to change first, to end racism we have to fix it within ourselves first. By changing ourselves first we can get rid of the sediments expressed in Queens or at least make the neighborhood point their fingers at racism. If the people in the neighborhood in Queens just attributed the neighborhood disappearing with natural things outside of their control then they would deal with it themselves and racism would not have its hand in the cookie jar. With this kind of finger pointing, ill relationships and bad stereotypes will be passed on to younger children and the vicious cycle will continue.
Unfortunately I cannot seem to figure out a way to cure racism. Even though I know it exists, and there are so many things that are wrong with it, I am very powerless. I can only try to do as my professor and Mulvey suggest. That is to first be knowledgeable of the racism around me so that I will not fall victim, and change within myself so that I may influence the world around me –whatever small micro-chasm that is.
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The residents of this Queens community feel like they are being invaded by the expansion of the South Asian community. First, I’d like to say that I think any race feels a little discomfort when another predominate race suddenly has more money and is expanding the community that their used to. In fact, part of me wants to say that if there was a landmark in my community that was important to the people there, it wouldn’t matter to me what race you were, I’d be pissed that the landmark was going to be taken away. Let’s get back to race; I think that whatever race you are your going to always have something to say/comment on about the other race. I’m not trying to group people by race but when a different race moves into another community, people will most likely talk about it and more so, have a problem with it. And I think it has something to do with just being intimated.
I agree with Sam’s blog about how he said that no one looks back to the past when the residents of the Queens community were foreigners themselves. Even though it isn’t this generation that is complaining, it’s something that these people might want to take a minute and think about. They might want to find out the thoughts and feelings their grandparents had when they first got to this country. With that being said, times are changing and people need to realize this. People need to be open to a fact that someone other than a white male will have more money, and in this case, expand a community.
Weather is not that a hotel was the best thing to build could possibly be under debate.
There is no doubt that this is racism but I also feel as though it has something to do with another race just having more money than you. “You” meaning the dominate race in the community. As for the ethic markets that are being built that the residents don’t go to and it’s just causing congestion on the streets. I can kind of relate with the feeling. But at the same time I realize that there are people in the community that like that food that a chain supermarket doesn’t carry. I would say that isn’t the norm. To white people it isn’t the norm but we have to soon accept the fact that soon every community will slowly become more and more diverse. I feel as though this story resonates around race but jealousy may be fueling the fire, too. My question would be why was this community highlighted? Similar situations like this one are happening all over the country.
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“They’re turning the neighborhood into a third-world country,” Mr. Augugliaro said. “We don’t want it over here to look like Richmond Hill or Jackson Heights”. This has to be the first thing that popped out at me while I read The New York Times article. This just seems so blatantly racist to me it’s ridiculous. How in the world could South Asians moving into a community make it turn into a third-world country? Does he even know what a third-world country looks like? The fact that he so quickly chimed in with “I am not racist,” is hilarious to me. I cannot help but think he has a guilty conscience. It is ridiculous that he or anyone would ever think to say something like this. People in this neighborhood of Bellerose are living in denial. Sam makes a valid point when he says that the ancestors of the residents of Bellerose were once “the foreigners”. Racism is seriously the dumbest thing on this planet. People need to seriously sit down and realize that no one’s ancestors here are from America. Everyone came from another country and took the land from someone else. The fact that these residents are trying to justify their disliking of these South Asian residents is preposterous. They are attempting to use justifications implying they have no problems with the people themselves, just the changes they’re bringing. Well, if most of the changes they’re bringing with them involve the South Asian culture does that not mean they’re being prejudice? All I’m saying is that if the South Asians were white people moving in and making changes, it would not be as a big of a deal as it is now. People feel most comfortable around people that are most similar to them; which is fine because that’s personal preference. It becomes racist when you blatantly do not want someone in your neighborhood at all due to them being different culturally & ethnically. As a fellow New Yorker I find it sad that this is going. Of course I am not so naïve to think there is no racism in New York at all, because this is not the case. It just bothers me that despite New York being so diverse people have still not gotten over their stupid racist mentality (not everyone of course). I do not understand why the residents would automatically assume that the new hotel being built in place of the Frozen Cup would be used for prostitution. Is it because they feel the South Asians want to build a cheap and not reputable establishment? I do not understand why they would feel this way. I cannot help but think they felt this way because the builders were not white. It may be a stretch but it was what popped into my mind.
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All of this drama seemingly started over an ice-cream stand that fell abandoned and without ownership seems silly to me. No one of the former “lovers” of Frozen Cup felt compelled to save the shop from being bought out, even at a reduced price. But they can’t see it that way. Suddenly, someone (the Asian Indian community) is taking things from them such as their motorcycle shops and bowling alleys. In my mind, “you snooze, you lose.” Other people jumped on the opportunity and that’s what is beautiful about America. The fact that it is being bought by someone of a different race and culture is disturbing to them though. The underlying themes of racial tensions are just as ridiculous.
The blatant racist statement by one, Mr. Augugliaro “They’re turning the neighborhood into a third-world country,” hit me hard. I cannot believe that such a bold racist statement could come out of someone’s mouth to a journalist. But don’t worry; he claims he’s not a racist. Bullshit. First off, it is politically incorrect to even use the term “third-world” anymore; and is seen as offensive to developing countries throughout the world. Bullshit. The conversations of the people in the bar were just as disturbing. The assumptions that the people make are disgusting, such as the comment about prostitution in the hotels. The conversations are blatantly racist and what makes it worse is the people speaking can’t see that they are being that way.
I have a funny feeling if these people moved to another country to gain opportunity they would all conjugate together just as the Asian Indian culture has. It is human nature to go to what is known. There is nothing wrong with creating a home. There is nothing wrong with taking opportunities and creating a better life. The Asian Indian people seem more than willing to also to begin to mainstream into American culture. The interest in being represented in government is a point of that.
What the themes behind this article come down to, like mentioned, are jealously and opportunity. A group of people saw this neighborhood as an opportunity to thrive and develop it into a culture haven for them, which is what America is known for. As Sam mentioned, our ethnic groups have been doing it for hundreds of years.
I would like to think that the people of the neighborhood could embrace change. Maybe that’s being idealistic. The children of the people of this neighborhood would have such a wonderful chance to be educated on a foreign culture. Trying to be educated in the culture and intermingling the communities is just what the neighborhood needs. That needs to be embraced on both sides for mutual understanding of each other.
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I would understand the Bellerose citizens upset about the The Frozen Cup’s demise if it was for good reason. When something that a community holds dear is at stake it is only natural for an uproar. In my home town, there was a similar ice cream spot, called The House that everyone had always gone to. Though there were many other choices for ice cream spots, The House was always favored. Before the start of every soccer season, the senior girls would hold a meeting there. The House would shut down and let us have run of the place. From there the superstious and historical “happenings” of a new fall season would kick off.
The girls soccer team, had been going to The House for years, it was one of the most beloved traditions each year. My junior year of high school word started to spread that it was closing down. Of course many people were upset because like I said, it was very popular in my town. No one was as distraught as the soccer team though. So many memories had happened inside those walls, and no one wanted anything to change. Moving to another ice cream shop was simply out of the question. We had one final season there and then it was closed. I am now a sophomore and no one has bought or fixed up the place yet.
The happenings of Bellerose however are not the same. The citizens are trying to pull it off like they are all just unhappy that their favorite ice cream stop is closing but the real reasons are clear. Racism surrounds this story. There is a clear and strong dislike for the new people of this town and their way of life. The article said that more and more people of South Asian decent are moving in and opening up thriving businesses. This success that the new comers are having make the old residents even more fueled with anger and jealousy (though they would probably never admit to being jealous.)
What boggles my mind is that the old residents see these hard working people as bad. They are coming here with little to nothing, and they work there way up successfully from bottom to top. This is a bad thing? Isn’t this exactly what some of the residents grandparents did when they first came to Bellerose? It is pretty unbelievable that they are acting this way to people that are just trying to make there way in life.
When Mr. Augugliaro claimed, “I’m not a racist” I had to reread it to make sure that I read it correctly. Clearly he is racist, along with many of his other Bellerose veterans. I can understand that the addition of all these new things, like hotels and a Sikh temple could take away from the old atmosphere of the town, sort of losing its old “homey” feeling. Nowadays that is just the way of life. The world is changing around all of us and if we don’t keep up it will not stop to let us catch up. It is ready and willing to change without us. I think a lot of people have a problem taking that one in and accepting it. When someone loses the feel of association with something from their past it is a sad and sometimes scary thing.
Once scared, a person will find something or someone to put the blame on. Those of South Asian decent are in direct line with a pointing finger. They are the only other predominant race around and they are getting all the brash. It is unnerving to me that the old Bellerose residents are trying to act like none of them are racist and that they just don’t want their landmarks being destroyed. I understand it hurts when something from your past is destroyed, but I don’t see them getting upset when their mother cleans out their old toys for the Salvation Army. The only issue here is that this town was very set in its white American ways and now that, that is being threatened they are complaining. Actions speak louder than words here, and as Mr. Patel said “Who is coming forward?”
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I understand in a sense were the people are Bellerose are coming from. The Frozen Cup is a local landmark where generations of people would go for a treat on a hot day. I can also understand that they may not want to give up some of the traditional activities that they have always done like going to the local bowling alley that was recently shut down. But what these people don’t realize is that these buildings aren’t doing much for the economy of this city. Even though they might be favorite hangouts for the locals, they aren’t very profitable to this area like they once were.
I find it absurd that people here would automatically assume that because there are talks of a hotel being put in the place of the Frozen Cup, this means that the hotel would be used by prostitutes and welfare recipients. Mr. Patel and the other people working on this hotel project are really just forward-thinkers who are trying to maximize the use of space on this city.
It seems to me that numerous people in Bellerose are racist, as seen in many of the comments made in the article. They are not open to change of any kind and don’t care to learn about the Indian culture that is becoming so prevalent in their city. As Mr. and Mrs. Augugliaro said, they thought it was ridiculous and strange to see a man walking down the street with a sword tucked into his garments. If they would have taken the time to think about why he was wearing this, maybe they would realize that this is part of his culture. He carries this sword as a religious symbol and the object is called a Kirpan. I don’t think they would appreciate it if someone saw them walking down the street with say, a cross around their neck, and thought it was ridiculous without even wondering what the significance was.
It seems to me that Bellerose is a town stuck in the past. At the first sign of change, people get scared and immediately rebel against it. Anyone who is new who moves into the area aren’t given a chance and people already have preconceived notions about who they are and what they are going to change. They aren’t looking at the big picture and realizing that places like the Frozen Cup probably aren’t getting much business.
The United States is also known as the melting pot where people of all different backgrounds come to find new opportunities. But more often than not, people get so used to what is going on around them and the customs they are used to that they don’t look at the big picture. If they would just take a step back, they might see that change is an essential part to prosperity and we all need to embrace it.
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As far back as anyone can remember there have been disputes between groups of people over land, property, or territory. People of different groups constantly and consistently debate over who was on the land first or whose land it rightfully is. The people who live on the land say it is theirs but there is always someone challenging them or questioning their rightful claim to the land. There is never an agreement between people. When it concerns people with opposing views it is never that simple.
In Brooklyn it is no surprise that people are arguing over land. There are many immigrants who live there, built their lives there, raised their children there and built their businesses there. Over time groups of people have established areas for certain racial groups. Then that area is known as a predominantly Hispanic, European, Jewish, Muslim or any other group’s land. People are seen on the streets in a way almost defending their area and warning others to keep away. They feel the need to defend it so outsiders don’t come in and try to take it from them.
Brooklyn is not the only place where people are defending their land. Israelis have been fighting for their land for years and years. It seems as if the fighting has been going on forever and will probably continue forever. It does not seem like peace will ever be possible for Israel. The Israeli Army walks the streets carrying guns for protection, something you would never openly see on the streets of Brooklyn. People in Brooklyn may be carrying guns but not the way the Israeli Army has to in order to protect the citizens. In Israel on a frequent basis, terrorists are blowing up local stores. All this fighting and killing of civilians is all in the name of land and who owns it.
Unfortunately I don’t think the fighting between the groups will ever end wherever the fighting is taking place. One group of people will always believe that they are the rightful owners of property and another group will think it is theirs. There will always be disputes among people because of opposing views. The only way to lessen these arguments is to educate people and stop being so ignorant to other cultures. If people understand each other more it may alleviate some of the tension between them. I am not saying that these problems between groups will disappear but I think things can change if people are willing to learn about others. People need to stop being brainwashed about others, stereotypical, and judgmental.
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While there are a number of residents in this small community in Queens who are undoubtedly racist towards expanding the predominantly South Asian community, I believe there a number of reasons to explain the hate they have towards these outsiders.
The first clear distinction that sparked my mind to signal their racist actions was the fact that there were individuals referring to the foreigners as “they” instead of viewing them as a group of people of a different race or religion. In my mind the increasingly few white Americans in the community that made racist comments were stating their sentiment against their non-American counterparts. It was not only a big business being run by a white American that was taking over the Frozen Cup, but there was also a rich Indian man as well. The new shops being opened in the town were often Muslim, Sikh, or some other minority religion and this was hard for the white community to come to terms with.
I was surprised to hear Mr. Augugliaro state, “I’m not racist. What does race have to do with it?” The problem I have with this is that not only is he unable to acknowledge that he’s being racist, he overlooks it completely. He clearly has hatred for the culture, religion, and the way of life that “they” live. According to the Augugliaro’s they have no problem with the people, they just don’t completely agree with everything that they bring. This to him though is not racist at all. He actually goes on to say that he can have negative connotations towards the way of life the non-white community lives without possessing a hatred for the people themselves.
This racism stems from the old way of life having to give way to a new way of living in this area. Multi-nationals are increasingly taking over and running the traditional mom and pop stores out of business. Add on the fact that these people are of a different race, a different religion, have a distinctive culture, and distinctive ways of life that are clearly different from that of the white community, and the white community seems to just explode into this racism. If this new way of life continues to overrun America I believe we will seeing increasing numbers of people like Mr. Augugliaro, people who are racists hidden under a disguise.
This also illustrates that traditional racism is being replaced by this new form of racism that is based not on skin color, but every other characteristic that is not a trait of the traditional white American. These traits include, but aren’t limited to, religion, language, culture, even the foods that one eats. I’m willing to go as far as to say that there are also black communities who have these same sentiments towards these new immigrants. They too though will quickly claim that they’re not being racist when they clearly are. This bothers me because they were at one time in the same position. How could they be racist when they themselves are survivors of a once systematic, government-supported racism? As more and more people mix in this melting pot of a nation, cultures conflict, languages diverge and newer strands of racism will continue to emerge.
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That was an incredibly intriguing article to me. First I am surprised they published an article that talked to openly about the racism that was going on within the Queens community, unless perhaps I misunderstood and they were actually concerned with the demise of the ice cream store. The ever changing dynamic of our country is really difficult for people to accept and understand. I feel that is where a lot of the racism is harbored. Society in general does not like to feel as though it is being taken over or replaced. It is a growing trend across the nation, where people are getting upset over change.
At first I believed that potentially Sam was exaggerating the extent of the racism in this article but as I read further I saw where he was coming from with his opinions. I personally have experienced a change in the community that affected everyone. My parents own a condo in the Outer Banks in a town called Duck and there was a huge uproar when they knocked down the pier to build a Hilton Garden Inn. So originally when reading this article I felt I could relate based on the fact that I would hate if someone was putting in a Days Inn in my quaint neighborhood. I believe that is where the hatred originally stems from and then it increases when people feel as their environment is changing because of these people. For the residents of Queens it is easy to blame the people who are producing and changing the area around them. That blame then turns into racism. In my opinion you should dislike the person for putting up a hotel in your quaint town, not because they are Indian and are putting up a hotel. No matter if it was a white man or a brown man I would be upset that they were building a hotel.
I believe it is really sad though, to see such racism develop over the idea of a new hotel. I think we are truly seeing people’s feelings of frustration at the changes happening around them. Not that it makes it right, but I feel that any group of people feel incredibly upset when they feel like their area is being taken over. I’ve never personally felt a feeling that someone was moving in to my property but I am sure my ancestors did. Furthermore, my ancestors were the people who were moving in. Everyone has to find a place in our nation and we shouldn’t discriminate against them just because they are making a life for themselves. I am hoping that the reason for this discrimination is really and truly because people are upset that change in buildings and scenery are changing not just race.
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After reading the article about how upset the current residents of Bellerose, Queens were at the destruction of The Frozen Cup, and the construction of a Days Inn to take its place, I cannot say that I am surprised. Coming from a large Italian American family from Brooklyn, NY, I know how intolerant people from the city can be of newcomers (especially those people from my grandparents generation). Through out Queens and Brooklyn, the neighborhoods are formed primarily around ancestry, the Italian half, the Irish half etc. The people who worked to hard to form such close communities feel threatened when newcomers arrive, especially newcomers of a different race than them.
Although in Bellerose, the residents claim that they oppose the construction of the Days Inn because it will be an eyesore to the neighborhood, and because it is destroying their beloved Frozen Cup, I do not believe this is the true reason. What these people really oppose is the fact that more and more South Asian families are moving into their neighborhood. What these people cannot or will not take into consideration is that another beloved business was most likely destroyed when their Frozen Cup was first started. Although these people may not like having a hotel in their neighborhood, if it was an Irish family that was building it the fervor of their objections would probably be significantly less.
Many people believe do not realize that every time immigrants come into the United States they people of certain races tend to stick together. People do this simply because they are in a completely new country, and the only source of familiarity that they have lies in each other. The South Asian immigrants are coming into the United States in search of a better life, which is the same reason all Immigrants come to the United States.
One specific comment that stood out to me was the assumption that if the hotel was built it would attract prostitutes, and make the neighborhood a bad place. This is completely ridiculous, yet it made me wonder what would prompt someone to even bring this up in the first place. Only two logical reasons came to mind. First, that this person knows they have no real argument against Mr. Patel and his hotel, but that they are simply scared of the South Asian immigrants, and will use any excuse they can to prevent them from thriving. The second reason is that they truly believe that just because Mr. Patel is from Asia that he must be more immoral then them, and this is why his hotel would attract prostitution. Both reasons are completely ridiculous and fueled by fear and misunderstanding.
Fear and misunderstanding are the sources for most racism. Racism is not always fueled by hate, and it is not until we learn to accept different cultures, and try to understand different customs, that racism will end.
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This article is pretty much a double edged sword into the prospects of trying to overcome race. First, you have the locals of Bellerose who are aggravated with the influx of South Asian Indian people coming into the neighborhood. The people are talking about how “They come here for the opportunities, but they don’t speak English, they don’t want to look like Americans, and they don’t want to dress like Americans”. First off, I don’t even know what a typical American looks like anymore. With so many different types of fashions and social cliques, it’s just really hard to see what a typical American wears these days. Not only that, but besides from the language barrier (which I agree that if you can’t speak enough of the language to get by then you don’t belong here until you can speak as we do), everything they do is typically American. Let’s look at the story the Augugliaro’s told about the man wearing the orange turban and carrying the sabre or Kirpan. What he looked like was a strict distinction of how they felt about him, about how they felt he fit in. If that person had been a white guy in his 20’s they would have shrugged it off, probably laughing at him coming up with silly benign excuses for why he was dressed like that. “He’s staring in a play of Ali Babba or Arabian Nights” or “He’s going to a party”. They never would have found something to say about maybe it was a religious practice, or even the affect of his culture. Now, let’s look at the Swaranjit Singh, who is most obviously pointing out the racism, not only from whites focused on South Asian Indians, but also at the racism from South Asian Indians towards white people. He said that “We’re the new kids on the block” (We referring to the South Asian Indians) and predicted by the 2010 census that South Asian Indians would make up 40 percent of the population of District 23 in New York City. He’s pretty much saying that they are the dominant race in that particular part of New York and there is nothing anyone can do about it. He also goes on speaking about how “roti-eating” people need representation, saying that “bagel-eating people have representation, pizza-eating people have representation, burger-eating people have representation”. This is easily transferable into more racial stereotypes. Pizza-eating people referring to Italians, Bagel-eating people referring to English/Irish descendants, and Burger-eating people referring in large to everyone else (come on now, who really doesn’t enjoy a delicious hamburger every now and then?). Swaranjit Singh is putting just as much emphasis on the racial mixture and “inequality” as the white residents are. While some of the white residents aren’t protesting the building of the hotel due to the “race” of the developer but stating that it’s because the Frozen Cup is a landmark of the community and the concern for prostitution and the economy, the truth of the matter is is that they have found something else besides race to help fight for their movement. White people from that community and neighboring communities as well have full on admitted to the disgust for the “problems” arising from the sudden influx of the “other” population: i.e traffic jams due to the markets, the overall disfiguring of the community brought on by the placement of figures such as the statue with an elephant head and ten arms, or the market with a name like ‘bazaar’. These are all racial and cultural things that these white people have decided to chastise the newly arrived South Asian Indians about. Meanwhile, those same people being hated on and discriminated against by the white people are just turning it right around, acting as if they are better. They are pretty much saying that it’s their turn to be “King of the Mountain” and now all the perks are going to start going to them, and as we have learned, this type of solution solves nothing.
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As much as the white people in Bellerose, Queens deny racism, I have to agree with Professor Richards and say that the residents of this community, particularly the ones in the article are being completely racist. It is funny how people convince themselves that they are not racist, but as soon as the act or even the mere idea of another race coming into their lives in any direct or indirect way (neighbors, family, co-workers, or co-students) they immediately become defensive or territorial about these people of another race in their lives, and still claim to not be racist. Although it wasn’t really covered in the article, I think that a lot of people who live in Bellerose probably use the excuse that they are scared of change and that is why they do not want these other cultures transforming their community, when deep down inside they know (but keep to themselves) that it is a race issue. I actually laughed a little to myself when Mr. Augugliaro questioned “What does race have to do with it?” because it seemed apparent in the article that race had everything to do with it. If it were just more white German, Italian or Irish descendants do you really think that Mr. Augugliaro would have a problem with these new people moving in? As far as the hotel goes, I can see why they might not want a new Days Inn to replace a unique ice cream place that may be both nostalgic and hold great memories for many people. More and more mom and pop businesses today are being shut down and taken over by bigger and less personalized companies, such as the Days Inn motel and I think that to a certain degree most people think this is a shame. However, when I read about how the people of Bellerose are protesting the motel because the owners are going to “rent the rooms to people from their country” I realized that this protest has way more to do the racism in the community than it does with the well liked ice cream hang out that it is replacing. In addition, it is ridiculous to assume that the hotel, especially a Days Inn, a well known hotel chain, will rent out to only foreigners. . I mean I’m no lawyer or anything but I can not imagine that discrimination of customers in a Days Inn would be acceptable, and if it does happen to become a trend at that particular Days Inn, than I’m sure that it would just make it all that much easier to get rid of the hotel. I have to also agree with Professor Richards about how its pretty frustrating these people aren’t looking to the past and realizing that at one time they were the new race that was taking over the community that they now so happily live in.
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I one-hundred percent agree with Sam that this article expresses racist views. It is not only that the people in that area do not want an Indian man to own the Days Inn, they also fear that along with him comes more of his people. The neighborhood is afraid that they are going to be taken over. But as Sam said, that is what their people did before they lived in Queens.
On the topic of racism, I do not understand how they townspeople just took that statement out of left field about the Days Inn being used for prostitution. It is simply a man that is trying to have a successful career, so that he can support his family. Saying that he is going to use the hotel for prostitution is pure racism. If it were a white person I do not think that they would feel the same way. So as Patel says, if the townspeople feel so strongly about the Frozen Cup, then why don’t they buy it? I believe that the reason is they do not want it; they are using it as a scapegoat for their racist views.
In class Sam has joked about having that coined “racist uncle,” well in my case it’s an aunt. She just stopped doing this habit, but in previous years she has continuously moved because of black people moving into her neighborhood. She described her feelings as if she was being overtaken. I feel that this is the same situation that is going on in the article. People in our nation need to stop being so ignorant, and start to understand that America is a melting pot full of people from various countries of the world and we need to work together as one. Everyone is different and that is what is so beautiful about the United States.
I hope that Mr. Patel’s goals come true because I’m sick of hearing about racist acts in our country. I guess I come from a sheltered home where my parents accept all races; unfortunately that is not the case for every family. My brother’s friend Samir experienced racism in the airport just a few years ago. Samir is Indian, but was born in America. He is probably one of the most Americanized people I know. He rocks his Ralph Lauren and Express jeans on a regular basis. However, that did not stop people from judging him by the color of his skin. On the plane, one person felt threatened because he was on the plane. Therefore the flight attendant came over and asked him to get off the plane and he had to take the next plane ride. Okay, I understand people having fears after nine-eleven, but he is Indian that is a totally different country than Pakistan or Iraq. And the funny thing is he was born in America, so he might be even more American than that woman on the plane was.
Racism needs to stop it is extremely effecting the nation’s moral. We live in a free country, where we can dream big. However, issues such as racism are stopping the process of certain races accomplishing their dreams.
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The article about the ice cream shop demonstrates many of the “old school” ignorance people have when faced with diversity. I felt the story was racism in a big context. The community has encountered a rapid increase in the Asian and Indian population among their neighborhood. Many of the businesses are being purchased and own by people of Asian-Indian dissent. I don’t see why this is causing such uproar among white residents. What do these white residents of queens have against people of Asian- Indian dissent? I feel that some residents have sentimental value attached the Frozen cup. However, there are also some racial views towards the ethnicity of the new owner from residents. One resident was quoted saying “they are turning our neighborhood into a third world country.” Queens has been introduced to the culture of Asia and India. Street vendor now sell ethic foods and traffic is heavy near the ethnic grocery stores. I feel that this just a few old grumpy neighbors who have nothing better to do with their time but complain. We have all come into contact with people like this. I personally have heard comments like this before from people such as they are “starting to move in.”
People have been spoon fed these ideas that individuals of different ethnicities are inferior to white culture. As Sam said in class a few weeks back, people have this idea of White supremacy. White people often feel threatened by diversity in their neighborhood. They may say they have no problem with race issues or they are color blind. But I can imagine that if their new neighbor was of Asian or Indian dissent, in most cases they will feel uncomfortable. It’s almost that people are conditioned to make generalizations that all people of a particular group are bad. New “Frozen Cup” owner Mitesh Patel is offering to sell the property to the community. He doesn’t understand why people have a problem with him wanting to build a hotel. Economically the “frozen Cup” would not survive with competitors. I feel that the efforts to put a halt to the hotel construction is that white residents are trying to make a point that they are sick of Indian people moving into there neighborhood. They are threatened and feel that with the increase of ethnicity will bring crime and poverty to their neighborhoods. People are ignorant to believe that diversity will promote crime. Their conditioned ideas have instigated racism in many forms. Mitesh Patel an entrepreneur is being denied his freedoms by disgruntled residents.
There is nothing the community can really do to put an end to the diversity. They are making people of Asian and Indian culture feel not wanted. However their city council has a representative of Indian culture. He is referred to as the community Obama. They have someone to represent their ethnic community. Hopefully one day people will be color blind and not have to address these issues. I agree with you Sam, these people are being haters towards the Indian-Asian population.
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This is certainly very ridiculous of the residents of this county. I agree with Dr. Richards that the residents of this county are exhibiting blatant racism. It seems as though the residents never once stopped to even question the reasons these Indian people were coming to American let alone being accepting of their traditions. I thought it was ridiculous when the residents accused of the Indian immigrants of not even trying to be American. If an American moves to another country, they will almost certainly bring their traditions with them simply because that is part of their identity. I highly doubt that if a group of Americans began moving to India that they would deny all of their known traditions, religion, and customs and adopt Indian traditions, religion, and customs. That’s just absurd. To expect a people who are moving to American in order to pursue a more comfortable and stable life style to submit to our culture is crazy. There are no laws mandating that immigrants must be assimilated into our culture. That idea in and of itself is ridiculous because America is a melting pot of the world’s cultures and traditions. Think of all the Chinese buffets and Italian restaurants just in your home town. What about Christmas traditions, which largely originate from Germany. If anything, its more American to come from another country and add their bit of unique culture to America’s. That is a bit sensational but you understand what I’m getting at. I think what causes people to do these things is a feeling of vulnerability and confusion when something different comes along. People are not comfortable with things they do not know and it challenges their identities and forces them to question whether or not the things that they define them are ‘right’ or the ‘best.’ For some reason Americans are obsessed with the idea that everything that they do or own needs to be the best, or the optimal quality when in reality the world does not function like that. It functions on preferences and interests. If reading was the ultimate of ultimate past times, we wouldn’t be watching sports on Sundays we would be reading. I think that Americans especially have a difficult time grasping this concept because it is comfortable to think that what we are or what we have is the best because there is a bizarre sense of comfort in knowing that. I’m not sure how to explain this idea other than perhaps American are prideful and conceited and we need to fee that pride in order to feel good about ourselves. Of course this isn’t true to high extremes across the board but I feel as though it certainly applies to the few that do demonstrate acts of racism.
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I can understand the feeling of lose some of the towns people maybe be feeling from the impending demolition of the “Frozen Cup”. People have grown fond of the place and many great memories were associated with it’s existance so people are bound to feel a little upset. But if I understood the article correctly, the store wasn’t funtioning as well as it used to and was probably going to go out of business soon anyway. So it would only make sense that the land was going to be bought eventually and something more valuable to the community was going to be built in its place. In other words the new Quality Inn that is about to be built. From several remarks that were made in the article by the towns people in response the the construction of the new hotel, it looks to me as though these people don’t reallly have a problem with the building of the hotel but they do have a problem with WHO the owners of this hotel are going to be. Armed with the simple face that these people are going to be Southern Asians, they feel justified in making the assumption that the hotel is going to be used for prostitution and the community is going to be turned into a third wolrd country by the ever increasing flow of Asians into Bellrose.
Those few statements clearly show that these people are racist. I agree with Sam’s comment that people tend to forget that when they first moved to that neighborhood they were outsiders too. These Asians are moving to that area because they too want a high standard of living and a good educational system for their children. I’m sure that the intent of turning the place into a third world country isn’t on their agenda. They too have a right to living the ‘American Dream’ by living in safe and upstanding neighbourhoods and having educated children. And it’s only natural that if the area is being populated by Asian people, there will be Asian food markets as well. People have to understand and remember that America is a country built by many different people of very different ethinc backgrounds. So to deem those stores “Un-American” and say, “No American would ever shop there.” is unfair. There are plenty of Asian- Americans that would shop at those stores including those Americans that love authentic and foreign foods. And since they are also Asian-AMERICANS, Americans will be shopping at those stores. People always put on the façade that they are proud and blessed that America is such a unique country because of all the different cultures that have come to exist in this nation. But when you take a closer look that really isn’t the story. Racism is still very much alive today in this country and people seem to only accept people who are different from them when it is in their best interest or convient for them to do so.
So it’s quite obvious that the whole argument of the destruction of the ice-cream parlor being the only reason for their protesting is just an act. People need to keep such prejudices to themselves and think twice about the comments they are making.
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The logic of immigration into the United States has historically been that whatever group is currently moving in the resistance to them is strongest amongst the most recently settled group. When the Irish first came over during nineteenth century there they experienced tremendous resentment from those already living in the United States. When the Irish became settled and established in this new land they were on the forefront of hostilities to the recently arrive immigrants from Eastern Europe. This same phenomenon was repeated come the great Diaspora from Italy. Today, I do not mean to stereotype I am merely recounting my own personal experiences , there can be found a good deal of anti- Hispanic and Asian immigration coming from certain Italians. A defining feature of all this is that these various groups of people despite having the journey of immigration relatively recent in their collective experience they do seem to learn the empathy of transferring the plight of their group to another. Why exactly is this? One possible reason is that these groups, while holding on to their customs and their traditions, want a chance to prove just how American they are. In creating a sense of nativist racism solidarity and dedication to this new American cause can be built and strengthened. Another reason could be that many immigrants have come to the United States seeking opportunity and a higher quality of life and newly arrived groups can be seen as a threat or at least depletion on the resources that make such improvement possible. When feeling such a threat this sentiment can quite contagious and strength in numbers appealing to the common ancestry of the ethnic group proves affective in rousing such sentiments. Something that causes particular trouble for Asian immigrants in this setup is the fact they differ greatly in both culture and appearance from those already living in the communities they often move into. While there are differing visible features amongst the various European ethnicities the fact that there has been so much assimilation and reproduction between the groups has made spotting these differences all the more difficult and all the less prioritized. Asian Indians however generally has the characteristic darker complexion which has historically been a source of ridicule in the United States. Perhaps even more important than this is the difference in culture. The religions of the many European groups has been the Judeo-Christian monotheism we have become accustomed to, so the idea of people who have a god with more than two arms and another with the head of elephant (something that many European Americans associated with the circus) is quite strange to those with no frame of reference; plus the cow is scared. Add to this the fact that Indian cuisine with its foreign spice and lack of widely accepted key ingredients (i.e. beef) seems to have a particular effect on Western digestive systems. Ultimately these differences and the reasons people quarrel over them are stupid, but then again so are many, many people.
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Let me start off my saying that I don’t believe that what some of the residents of Bellerose are saying and they way they are acting is correct, I can understand why they are behaving in such a crude manner. Many people especially older generations are stuck in a different frame of thought, and while I realize that it is not just older residence, the older generations have influenced the younger generation to oppose change.
While I am not an expert in history, I know at one point in time people opposed Italians, and their customs and ways of life. One of my friend’s families was a direct result of this discrimination Italians faced. Her Great Grandfather was an Italian immigrant but when he came to America to be a boxer, the Americans made him change his last name because it Italians were not allowed to box. So while today America is a huge melting pot with so many nationalities, there are many heritages that are not as popular here and because of this many people do not understand their way of being. Most people fear and reject change. While, I do not condone or intend on making excuses for these peoples lack of openness, I can see why they are this way. It takes time for other people’s customs to integrate themselves into the seamless melting pot that we have today, it did not happen overnight for other nationalities and I don’t expect it to for this nationality either.
I know in my home town where I grew up, many people were racist of blacks. Especially the older neighbors, you would always hear things like, we have to keep are property in tip top shape and raise the price of our homes so we can keep, “those people” out of here, once “those people” come into our neighborhood the whole place is down here. Don’t sell to “those people.” Of course not all people were like that, but you had the foolish neighbors. I hate to admit this, but even once my grandmother, who was raped by a black man when she a younger girl, said to my younger sister and I, when she was droping us off for school and notice a black boy in the school playground, “oh my, don’t they have their own school, stay away from him”, latter when I got to high school and the community had changed to a more friendly mixture of races, I dated the captain of the football team, who was black. He was great, athletic, and smart. When my grand mom found out I was going to prom with this boy, she yelled at my parents saying, “ I cannot believe you are allowing this” “I am not going for photos” and she didn’t go. My parents did not mind the boy; they liked him and always raised me not to see color but people. I even had black, and Asian Barbie dolls.
I agree though, Mr. Augugliaro and the neighbors of Bellerose are racist, and it makes them look foolish to act as though they were and then deny their action. I can understand that some people are upset about the closing of the Frozen Cup, my home town to has a ice cream shop, that my parents grew up going to and that I grew up going to and it would be sad if it were to go. In fact I even remember, when I was in middle school the owner sold it to a new owner on the grounds that it had to remain an ice-cream polar, but even then neighbors were questions if the integrity of the place would remain. However, if the residents of Bellerose are so concerned with how the hotel is to be run, and are sincerely concerned with prostitution being a legitimist contender of people who occupy this hotel, then I believe these people have their concerns in a disarray, if this is the case they need to be focusing their time and attention on eliminating prostitution in their neighborhood, not on preventing a hotel which seems will be ran by professional moral people. Hence the one goes to an Assembly of God, coincidentally my family also attends an Assembly of God, and while I cannot speak for the entire organization, I can say my church and the ones I have been to seem to attain those with high moral standard. In addition to the fact one of the owners also takes residency in the neighborhood and thus would not want to damage the neighborhood.
I think all in all, while these people are clearly wrong, the acceptances that these people are looking for, will take time.
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I have never been one to like change in my life, and it takes a bit getting used to when the things around me begin to change. So I can somewhat understand the attitudes of the residents of Bellerose. The Frozen Cup, the Bellerose ice cream stand, has been in business for nearly 70 years; this seems to be a trademark of the town and truly cherished by many of the residents, and this isn’t the only one. There are things in my life that have only been around for 10 years, but if anyone tried to take them away from me I would be extremely offended and upset. Just imagine that every Tuesday night each summer you and your family walked down to The Frozen Cup to enjoy some ice cream, spend time together and run into friends. I know I would not be happy if someone tried to take that away from me. These families have long lasting traditions and a comfort of living in Bellerose, a town where their parents and grandparents probably built a life for them. One man stated how he felt to Mr. Patel that “You’re changing our whole way of life, our whole neighborhood”. It’s only natural to feel threatened and offended that new people are coming into their home and changing everything they’ve ever known.
While it’s not that these new South Asian-Indian families are trying to take everything the Bellerose residents have ever known away from them, but that is certainly how they feel, especially considering that they are on the defensive. As much as I understand some of the feelings of Bellerose residents, however I do not think it is fair to make assumptions that the hotel being built is going to be a house for prostitutes or that “they’re turning the neighborhood into a third-world country”. It is also not fair to say that they don’t want to look like Americans or dress like Americans, and that a South Asian grocery store “is not the kind of store an American goes into”. America is supposed to be the “melting pot” and the land of opportunity, and the Bellerose residents’ ancestors were given opportunity and made a life for themselves, so new families should be welcomed to do the same. But instead of separating themselves and referring to people as either pizza-eating, burger-eating, bagel-eating, or roti-eating, the new families in town need to be open to change and willing to learn new things as well.
Ultimately, all people need to be open to change, but we also need to be understanding of people’s concerns and feelings towards it. Forcing change onto someone will most likely only make them feel threatened and put them on the defensive, so we must help each other understand our differences. We need open communication and begin to learn from each other, accepting each other despite our differences.
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In the beginning of the article I was kind of confused and did not know what to make of it. I was wondering why the people were so upset about a hotel coming to the neighborhood, with the way the economy is going I would think that the people would be more excited about new jobs and opportunities coming in there area. But with change there is always conflict. I could understand that people were unnerved about the Frozen Cup being closed down because people like ice cream. I like chicken and they closed down the local Popeye’s in my town but I did not get mad and turn it into a racial issue. The funniest comment in this article was the one about the hotel being used for prostitution. I was thinking, “Wow, what about the people passing through town to get to wherever their destination is, and need a nights rest at a hotel?” The people in this town did not really want to say that the reason they did not want these businesses moving in was because of the race of the people in ownership. If it were a white man putting up hotels they would still have been just a little upset about the ice cream shop, undoubtedly would have come around. I loved the comment about the owner of the hotel only renting hotel rooms to “His People”. This does not surprise me at all. I have seen this in my own town. There was a local minute mart in which was white owned but they hired Black people to run it. It was a place where mostly young black children would go after school and pick up some candy or people would go on their break from to grab a sub or sandwich. It was a nice place. Well the owner was bought out by an Indian man, who I know and attends my church at home. He is a very nice family man and a man of upstanding integrity. Once people found that he was Indian, they stopped going to the store and his business diminished. He ended up having to sell the store and give up his business. This upset me because here was a man just trying to live the “American Dream” but people would let him, just as the hotel owner in the article. This is article is racist and that’s the only way to put it.
It is amazing how people say, “History doesn’t change; it only repeats itself.” Europeans came to this country on “Manifest Destiny” and claimed the lands of the native that were here. They killed and burned down their villages and caused the people to almost go extinct. Now the same thing is happening to these people in the Queens, New York town, just not as savagely. The very same thing that happened to the natives of the land that their ancestors stole is happening to them, systematically. I am not saying it’s right, I am just saying, “You reap what you sow.” Watch what you do to others, because it may not come back on you but those the after you.
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Let’s be honest here. This is not an isolated incident. These types of events occur all over the United States everyday. In fact, my sister, an orthodontist, works for a corporation run by Indians. These men are direct immigrants and are some of the wealthiest men on the East Coast. They have “taken over” small white suburbs and have implemented what some would see as their own way of life. However, these men have brought better economies, more jobs and businesses into areas that desperately needed the help. Sure, they brought something unfamiliar to the people who have been there their whole lives, but in the long run they were helping them.
At the same time, this is not only happening in small areas and is not a thing of the future but, rather, this is a thing of the past. For as long as 300 years, immigrants have come to America and implemented their culture onto people who were here before them. There are areas, especially in and around major cities such as New York and Philadelphia where certain groups of people have lived for years and years. For example, South Philadelphia is largely known as the Italian section. There are Italian markets and there is a way of life, an accent, and a culture that is associated with the Italians from South Philly. What I’m trying to get at is that this type of cultural exchange has been going on for years and will never stop. It is inevitable and impossible for this not to happen. In today’s growing world, where people are becoming closer and more connected, we must realize that we are going to have to make changes. Cultures will collide and crash, but at some point there has to be a common ground where people can come together and work to better themselves as a whole.
I can understand why the people of Bellrose do not want to lose landmarks that have been a staple of their neighborhood for years. Whenever there is change, there is also some opposition to that change and some fear of it, but at some point the change needs to be made because there cannot always be the same thing forever. People change, cultures change, ideas change, and everything is constantly changing and will change forever. We cannot stop the inevitable especially if it is for the better. We may not want this to happen, but do we really have a choice? Even if we wanted to, how would we keep everything to ourselves forever? Change is inevitable and it is time that some people realize that because without change we cannot move forward to better ourselves for the future.
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History is doomed to repeat itself, isn’t it? Frankly, I find it absurd that this kind of racism still exists in this country especially when I thought we all learned that different ethnic groups have come and gone throughout this nation’s history. In most cases, I feel as though most of these groups have been dominated by another through violent means, such as Europeans annihilating the vast majority of American Indians. As I have learned in other classes, the Europeans did this by putting economic pressure on the Indians in addition to slaughtering them in some cases. Thus, it could be argued that these Asian Indians are attempting to put similar economic pressure on Bellerose. However, there are some key differences between what these people are doing and what was done by the Europeans a couple of centuries ago.
It seems as though these Asian Indians only have the best of intentions and wish to improve a community that they already inhabit. It also seems as though they are only trying to earn a living and are having much more success than their white counterparts, which I’m sure is creating some jealousy in the community. That’s why I was also particularly amused when Harshad Patel allowed a member of the community to step forward and buy the Frozen Cup. Apparently, these people were not willing to put their money where their mouth was and save the ice cream store they love so dearly. If these people spent more time working hard and attempting to attain the success that these Asian Indians have perhaps this would not even be an issue, let alone a race issue. This entire situation makes me realize how much race seems to become the central issue or scapegoat for everyone’s problems when it really has no relevance. The problem here is a dispute about land, not a disagreement about race. However, once again, race has to be the difference that divides us all and makes us hate one another.
These people clearly just need to learn to better adapt to their surroundings and not have so may prejudices. Even though Mr. Augugliaro claims he is not racist, his statements are certainly influenced by his biases toward these Asian Indians. I always find it interesting when people make this statement, because in almost every case, they are absolutely being racist. The comments made by other members of the community are even more disconcerting and unnecessary. It’s incredibly difficult to understand the viewpoints of these individuals simply because their statements are so ignorant and intolerant. I certainly hope that our country is moving away from mentalities such as these. I realize that it is a slow moving process, but I’m eager to see how race relations change in the near future and if people such as these are still relevant in our society.
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My Asian American asshole friend deleted my whole first paragraph to Sam’s last blog. That’s not to say that us Asians are not the smartest people in this country. We can’t help it that we’re taking over all the businesses in Queens. Sure I might have skipped out on reading the whole article in the New York Times, but I pretty much got the idea when Sam started hating on those who were and still are hating on the Asian Indians in New York. On behalf of all my people, I just want to say sorry. Sorry for being smarter than you at life. Sure that may sound ignorant, and sure theirs a million of us driving taxis in the city, that could be driven by white Americans, but we got the jobs first. If getting a job at the New York Taxi Company was a race, you guys had one hell of a head-start, given that you didn’t have to climb onto a boat for months on end, or get on one hell of a long flight to fly into New York, before arriving at the New York Taxi Company. I know you’re all thinking, “wow this guy is so ignorant.” But keep in mind, I myself agree with the fact that I do at times have one-sided opinions, and though I voice my opinions as if they were exactly how I feel, it really isn’t always how I feel. Before I attempt to continue to comment on the article that I didn’t even get to finish reading because of my asshole Asian American friend, I do want to add, that I completely agree with Sam when he says that those haters of the Indians’ ancestors did the same thing that the Indians are doing. It nearly brought a tear to my eye when he said that they don’t even look back at the past, before trying to analyze the faults of others in today’s world. For instance; America had slaves for a really long time before they abolished it. Pakistan hasn’t even been a country as long as America has had slaves, and Pakistan already getting attacked for it, by authors who write books about slavery. This isn’t saying slavery isn’t bad, but instead, that we need our time to learn from our mistakes. America got it’s time without any foreign country giving it hardships. Why can’t Pakistan? Please do keep in mind the fact that Pakistan has already had a woman act as it’s President, so back up off, before you start calling Pakistan a third world country. Getting back to the topic, Pakistanis, Indians, and Bangladeshis cant help that we are taking over the one country that accepts all. If you listen to the beginning of A Mili by Lil Wayne, you hear the producer’s name, that of which is “Bangladesh.” One would only assume that the man with such a name, is from the South East Asian area, and so, once again, brown people are taking over another aspect of the American life. I ask you all to remember that their will always be haters in life, and someone has to succeed in the cut-throat world that we live in.
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The first thing that sticks out in this article is the man saying “I am not a racist.” Then what does he think he is? He believes that the community he lives is slowly turning into a “third world country” because of the Indian people living there. If this isn’t racism, then what is?
My family and I do a lot of our Indian shopping in Edison, NJ. Here, there is a street full of Indian stores for clothing, food, religious items, and even movies and CD’s. This city is filled with Indian people, and to stay connected to their culture, they have brought their customs to the streets of America. After all, America is supposed to be melting pot of all kinds of people. People come to America for a better life and opportunity, but just because they come here doesn’t mean they have to forget their customs and traditions. America doesn’t have any single culture. That’s what makes us unique. Our culture is a blend of all kinds of cultures. The man in the article that talked about how Indians come to America and don’t adjust to the “way of life”—what exactly does this mean? What “way of life is he talking about? Most of the Indians here have learned English. Many own stores, hotels, and other businesses. They are making a living just like the white guy next door. Comparing their way of life to “a third world country” is completely out of line and not valid at all. The community may be the same exact way if there were only white people living there; well minus the Indian stores. Having a problem with a Sikh temple being built and a store selling religious things is just not fair. Had another church been added to the community, people probably would not have had a problem. Everyone has the right to live in America the way they want to. Keeping in touch with ones roots is not a crime. People are so thankful for the opportunities that America has provided. They learn English, adjust to the completely different western lifestyle, but all they want is to maintain a bit their unique identity.
In this article it says that Mr. Patel was willing to sell the Frozen Cup at a loss. See, immigrants aren’t trying to make other people upset they are just trying to make a living. They want to belong in the community, but it’s crazy that Mr. Patel even felt the need to offer to sell this store at a loss. The comment about how the hotel owner will rent rooms to other Indian people is a empty argument. If other Indian people want to rent a room then why would he let them just like he would let any other type of person that can pay for the room to rent one? In the end, it’s a business.
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The root of the issue in Queens, New York has nothing to do with an ice cream stand – but it is certainly a “sticky situation.” There is no doubt that the human race struggles with change. The fact that the neighborhood demographics are taking a different turn might be something that could take getting used to.
In any town I have ever lived, there is often times some sort of commonality between the neighbors. My neighborhood in Newton, Massachusetts consisted of mostly upper-middle class Jews. There was a synagogue one hundred feet from my driveway. Many of the people there were settling into the corporate world, ready to make a home investment, and referred to the neighborhood by friends. That is typically the case when families are settling down. Just as you would a vacation resort or a brand new car, we like to get reviews and opinions. If one Jewish family likes the neighborhood, another family with the same values is bound to like it as well.
It is no coincidence that the same thing is happening in Queens. All of our ancestors immigrated to the United States. I highly doubt they settled down in the first place they came. Just like we see here on campus, people of the same kind gravitate toward one another. We want to be surrounded with those we can relate with. Neighborhoods are no exception. The South Asians in the mentioned New York Times article are coming to America and they are talking to their friends or friends-of-friends to figure out where to settle down. As Dr. Richards mentioned, the neighborhoods we live in weren’t always the same as they are now. My family immigrated to the US and settled down in Staten Island. That was only four generations ago. There is no way that Staten Island was desolate before that time.
Change is not easy nor is it always pleasant. As the South Asian population increases in this neighborhood, they are making the town their own. They see the importance of building places of worship and grocery stores that carry their typical ingredients. These new additions to the neighborhood are not something that the European population is accustomed to. But is it hurting anyone? The racial tension is undoubtedly present – however I believe it is based on the lack of comfort with change. New York City is known as a cultural melting pot yet there is still a division among neighborhoods. I spent the summer living in New York City and for the first time in my life, I could walk a few blocks and hear four different languages being spoken. It was one of the most refreshing experiences I ever had in my life.
I don’t know what will alleviate people’s unease of cultural change. Perhaps the Europeans in this Queens neighborhood are afraid of becoming the minority? Or maybe the growing South Asian population is not embracing American culture? The cultural divide is still something my mind cannot grasp. I look forward to the day when a neighborhood will be so diverse that a label cannot be put on it.
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This is racism, in case anyone is wondering.
At first I might be inclined to think that this is strange coming from a place like New York City. But then again, I realize that nobody likes major change that isn’t brought upon by their choice. Like Sam states, this is the exact same situation of these peoples’ ancestors when they would have first immigrated to the New York area in the early 1900’s. Back then, the residents would have been largely been put off by the Irish or Italian populations moving into the neighborhood, especially bringing the culture with them.
The thing that is far to ironic for me though is this: if you were to take to neighborhoods with the exact same changes like hotels moving in and the Frozen Cup and failing businesses like that being taken down, but with one neighborhood having the new residents be of the same racial background as the original residents and one neighborhood varying greatly, you would see completely different opinions of the situations. I would imagine that in the neighborhood with similar races moving in, it would be seen as a good thing when new businesses are being built because it would be producing new jobs. However, when a different race moves into the neighborhood it is seen as a move to take over.
Also, at the same time while the current residents of this Queens neighborhood argue that those moving in are not willing to assimilate, it is also the current residents who are resisting assimilation with the new neighbors as well. Personally, I do not quite understand this so much, but perhaps that is just due to my liking of Indian and other south-east Asian food. I think the best thing that these people can do at this point, aside from accept their new situation is to go out and see the movie Grand Torino. I do not say this totally in jest, because in the beginning Clint Eastwood was not a fan of his neighbors, mainly because he did not completely understand them. However, as the movie progresses and he gets better acquainted with the new neighbors, he begins to see more and more similarities compared with the differences. Even something like afternoon barbecues and food were able to bring him together with a race he despised for so long.
As I said earlier, nobody really likes change that they do not have control over and it will take some time to assimilate. The residents in those neighborhoods will slowly begin to form bonds one way or another. Racism is not an ailment that can be fixed over night, but given due time, these cultures will slowly start to relate more and more, especially given their proximity to one another.
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“It’s only human nature to be wary of change.” This maxim is most definitely at play amongst the residents of Bellerose. We have to approach this article all over again. Of course people are going to be upset when their favorite places to go are no longer in existence. I want to start analyzing from this perspective. It is a perfectly natural inclination of the human condition to cling to the past. We even take it further than that. Some people impose their pasts on to the present. We live as if the past-to-present will always be and that change will never come (even as a freshman in college I feel as if I am never going to graduate). How shocking when it does! I want to try to keep that point in mind.
At the same time, it’s unmistakable that there is some kind of racial bias being imposed on to the residents of Asian-Indian descent. Why would prostitution and immigration be the first two concerns about a new hotel? I could understand a certain kind of displeasure towards the possible influx of travelers. Maybe residents wouldn’t like the change that would make in the mood of the community (i.e. they just want it to be quieter; less congested in general).
In fact, I am so certain that those would not be the first issues discussed in a community that I am convinced the writer of the article is just trying to paint this situation in a certain light. I wish the writer had gotten testimonies from other members of the community (of all kinds of ancestries) who were in favor of the new hotel. By the end of the article, I was left with a sense that a majority of the residents must be completely unreasonable, but I know that is most likely not the case. If it is true that the ice cream shop was doing poorly, a new hotel would probably create better jobs (as opposed to working for a struggling business) for the community.
I also would be interested to know how the Asian-Indian community felt about the neighborhood (a little more than “they’re tolerant”).
The thing that struck me most about the article was the last picture in a series of photos taken of the town. It is a picture of some kind of religious shrine with golden figures that look very eastern or Hindu. Right in front of the shrine is a small American flag. I just thought about how accustomed I am to seeing the flag in Christian churches and institutions. Our country is supposed to be all about “freedom of religion” and yet, the flag and the shrine seemed so strange together.
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This article is a prime example of ethnocentrism and blatant racism. The locals are too bull headed to look back in history and see that their ancestors did the same exact thing. A few hundred years ago, Italians and Irish were in the same exact situation. Immigrants are attracted by good schools and chance for a better life. This is all these people want, give them a break.
The community tries to rationalize their racism by denying it all together. They deny being racist and blame it on their interest of the community’s quality of life. Mr. Augugliaro claims that “They’re turning the neighborhood into a third-world country.” Throughout the article I find no evidence of this at all. The immigrant community is simply introducing their culture to the receiving community. They have opened various ethnic building such as Indian and Pakistani grocery stores, food stands, new South Asian mini-mansions, and various religious buildings. Somehow, Mr. Augugliaro believes this “introduction of culture” is turning their community into a third-world country. This is ridiculous, and obviously reflects Augugliaro’s prejudices. His wife was even offended by his remarks. He was even ignorant enough to say that he was tired of the subject of race coming up so often and that race did not even have anything to do with it. This is similar to what Sam talked about last Thursday. This guy is the racist uncle who thinks racism is over and he is tired of minorities bitching. Such ignorance.
This community is obviously resistant to change, and they are not even able to accept different religions. When a Sikh man walked down the street dressed in his religious attire he was laughed at. Ms. Augugliaro said, “It was like a total shock.” I am surprised how closed minded these people really are. I thought queens was a pretty diverse city, I guess not.
It is sad to hear each side of the story from both the immigrants and the receiving community. The immigrants have a very positive outlook on the relations saying that the native community is very tolerant and relations are good. The natives are obviously putting out a falsified vibe. When a neighboring local bar was asked about their relations with the immigrants, they had a very different outlook. They believe that “the Indians” are changing their town, in a bad way. One man at the bar said, “They don’t want to look like Americans, they don’t want to dress like Americans, and they don’t want to speak English.” Why should they have to conform?
Until we break down several more racial barriers, immigrants, that don’t look white or do white things, will always encounter these problems. We somehow need to break down these racial stereotypes. I believe that the older generations exhibit more racist attitudes. Luckily each generation is getting better than the last.
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They say as long as you’re not trying to understand something, you are only standing under it.
People, like those in Queens resistant to any cultural change where they live, will try to waltz around an excuse for themselves of why they are not actually “racist”. Clearly, they do a poor job of convincing anyone so. It’s such a shame and embarrassment that some people, like Bruce Holloway, are even saying things with such negativity like “They don’t want to look like Americans, they don’t want to dress like Americans, and they don’t want to speak English.” First of all, Bruce, this country doesn’t even have one single defined culture when it comes to fashion or cuisine. It’s supposed to be a melting pot of people from other countries to have freedom in their interests and passions. Especially New York City of all places! And even if it did, how on earth is it affecting Bruce? Is it because it is making him shake in his boots because he isn’t willing to understanding something other than hotdogs for dinner and the jeans tee-shirt he wears day after day?
I’m not saying that Bruce, or the people of Queens, or anyone born in America has to start assimilating to the ways of the immigrants that come in to be free of the racist label. No one is saying that (at least no one logical). What I am saying, though, is that we do have to accept that not everyone is alike, and even most Americans differ greatly from one to the other. It is a part of life and it is called adaptation. We don’t have to do what everyone else is doing or eat what anyone else is eating, just like they shouldn’t have to do what WE are doing or eat what we eat. However, everyone will stay divided and misunderstandings will surface if we keep expecting everyone to “act like us”, or in this case “to act American”.
Personally, I feel like I can gain a lot more when I understand something better by researching it a little, or experimenting with it. When I do that, I feel like I have an actually right to form an opinion on it and feel confident in discussing it. Actually, I’m on my way out the door to go to a Thai restaurant right now here in State College called The Green Bowl. It’s so much more fun to try new things then watching my friend in high school get chicken fingers again and again, in my opinion. And if they honestly love chicken fingers and hate the spices in Thai dishes or the texture of sushi, then I totally understand and could care less if they eat it. But when they refuse to even try something, I know they have a hard time adapting and I know they will stick to their ways for a very, very long time. But I certainly hope for the sake of our country, for some of my friends in high school, and for people like Bruce, that everyone starts to educate themselves on a subject or culture before they start acting so ethnocentric.
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It’s simply the statement what goes around comes around. The Native Americans were killed ad kicked out of their own country by what we call today Americans. They just came into the country and decide to play boss till they invaded and took over the United States. The town that’s being invaded by south Asian, well the right term isn’t really invaded but being developed by south Asian’s going through exactly the same phase. People are complaining and are really mad about what’s going on. The south Asian’s are taking over there comfort zone and what they know as home. Of course, it will be frustrating and you can’t bear watching your own home being changed into something new that you never heard about but what else can you do. You can try being partners with them and accepting maybe that will et your some where. Maybe the actions they are taking is just a way of them expressing all the anger and shit you gave them because of their race. This will never stop, NEVER EVER and it’s tiring. As in when will a person become better than others and realize that everything has a limit. Why is no one satisfied with what they have? Why do we always want more power and authority? People start treating us right and accepting us into their culture we take advantage of it and change their tow around into our own. It would be nice to feel like home. But you the south Asians you chose to left your house. You chose to go abroad and build yourself somewhere else. Build yourself becoming successful but it’s just purely wrong to take over a town and make it your own. You came as a visitor. It’s what goes around comes around but it will only stop when someone notices that they should become the better person. Becoming the better by respecting other culture and accepting their ways. You have the right to be mad if they mistreat or if they are racist towards for sure. That’s where you have the right to act. But after that hate is gone you just accept and not go further when it’s no your home town. Just imagine you owning a house some visitors come in and change it around. They manage everything. The food you eat, the arrangement of the furniture…. How would it make you feel? That’s exactly the same but in a town. It all started from the Frozen Cup but what will be next. It just is really frustrating…!!!!!! What happened to respect?! Did everyone just put aside and decide to act the way the want with no morals?! Because to be honest today that’s how the world IS.
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I like to think I have a new outlook on racial issues after a half semester of SOC 119. One of my best friends in middle school was a Hindu, and there were a couple kids in my class who were Sikh. I wasn’t friends with the Sikhs, but I still had a little exposure to their culture. My Hindu friend named Krishna, however stereotypical that may be, did a pretty good job of introducing me to his culture. His parents were first generation so I had to deal with the accent barrier, they gave me my first experience with curry foods, and taught me about the Hindu religion. So if I had to rate Indians along my continuum of “dislike for other races,” they would be pretty close to the bottom—I’m pretty comfortable and experienced with Indians.
So with my background being what it is, before taking SOC 119 I would probably have read that article and simply dismissed the people of Bellerose, Queens as intolerant and closed minded. But after some of the discussions we have had in lecture, I understand more of why the people of Bellerose feel the way they do towards the Indians who are moving in. People who are capable of immigrating to the United States from places like Africa and India are usually the higher class citizens of those areas. My friend Krishna’s parents were very well off. They drove BMW’s and Mercedes Benz’s and, if my memory serves me right, his dad was a doctor. Certainly part of the upper-middle if not upper class by most people’s standards. And this seems to be the case for most of the other immigrants—they are either well off to begin with, or they have the mentality and motivation to become well off once they get to the United States. Patel said in the article, “They feel we are coming from out of country and we move forward, and they don’t.” When you look at trends throughout the country and throughout history, Irish and Italian and German immigrants have not been very wealthy. They by and large immigrated to the United States as poor working class citizens, and as a whole, have stayed in the middle/working class. So for a community of citizens with working class backgrounds to see Indian immigrants moving in and starting new businesses with their BMW’s and Lexus’ could very well stir up some resentments. So, maybe, the citizens of Bellerose are partially upset that “foreigners” are moving in with more money than they have, and it just so happens that the “foreigners” wear turbans, which certainly has a negative stigma in our society post-911. So the people of Bellerose…racist? Yeah. Intolerant and closed minded? Yeah. But I think there may be more to the issue than blind bigotry. I think the money issue may play a part here.
Also, it’s very true that if you rewind a couple decades you will find neighborhoods of people saying “those filthy Irish drunks are moving in, the neighborhood is going down the drain.” So for the Irish to turn around and harbor the same unwelcoming sentiments is a huge double standard.
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This is without a doubt blatant racism, but the vibe I got from the article, for the most part was what I will call racism “at its best” for lack of a better term. What I mean by this is that while there are complaints voiced about the amount of people of different cultures moving into Queens, the problems that the residents had with this wasn’t necessarily about what was wrong with their cultural habits or beliefs, but more so about how their neighborhood was changing because of it. In that sense, I don’t find the racism mean-spirited; it sounds like the complaints of people who have become very accustomed to their lifestyle and don’t want to lose what they know.
What it basically boils down to is the same old story: people are afraid of change. Any upheaval of what they know, no matter how small, is almost immediately met with apprehension because they’re afraid on the effects of the change on their lifestyle. In this case, the residents of Bellerose are afraid that these changes will negatively affect them because they feel they are getting cheated out of things that they like, such as the Frozen Cup. They are afraid of losing the wholesomeness of the small landmarks that they or their children grew up with, and they worry for the future generations that will grow up in Bellerose without knowing these sentimental mom and pop stores that were so integral to their community.
This feeling of being cheated is intensified when the media reports on stories about illegal immigrants using American benefits, such as its healthcare system. The people of Bellerose feel that the immigrants are taking advantage of having American benefits, without contributing to American culture at all.
And this is where hypocrisy comes in. What the residents of Bellerose fail to realize is that every American has come from another country of origin somewhere in their bloodline. The country was built on people from different countries arriving to make their own melting pot of cultures, creating the neighborhoods that their parents and generations before them started to build.
Another point of hypocrisy is that, at one point the people of Bellerose themselves were the invaders to the then, and maybe now, residents of Bellerose. Did the current residents ever put themselves in their then new neighbors’ shoes, and wonder how they felt when they and people of other cultures moved in? Or did they just assume that nobody would have a problem with them and that they would get along just fine with everybody?
The residents of Bellerose need to understand that change isn’t always a bad thing, but it is an inevitable part of life. Obviously there are always going to be problems with change, in this case illegal immigrants trying to gain American benefits, but problems like these can be dealt with. Instead of going against the changes to their neighborhood, they should work to achieve harmony in their neighborhood. Accepting the changes is the first step.
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Correct me if I am wrong, but I took this article to show that they are against the construction workers, not because of what they are building, but because they are from India and will bring in “different” people. I would slightly agree with Sam when he says that this is racism. First off, most people do not talk about things like this in a newspaper that sees national attention unless it was huge and severe. This is neither. To say that this can’t happen because of something to do with the town is one thing, to say that its wrong because of WHO is bringing the idea in is another and wrong.
I usually like to see what the NYT has to say. I enjoy reading the paper, usually the first two sections; the front page and business. It is surprising to see this kind of article. If this were white men buying up property in NY for development of something big it would be considered our capitalist society at work. This is straight up BULLSHIT.
As a businessman, I see what is going on here legit. As long as they didn’t buy the property by illegal means, I don’t really see a problem with it. Maybe ethically there may be, but not by any other means. Sam said something in class I completely agree with, and that is that there are no handouts. He said that no matter how things are, hands outs are not deserved. He won’t give you something unless you deserve it. I agree 100% with this. The one thing I can’t stand is when someone comes to me, regardless of race, religions, ethnicity, etc., and tells me that they are owed something. That is one of my biggest pet peeves. How in the hell do you figure that the world is supposed to bend over backwards for you. This is similar to the king of the mountain game in a way. The ones on top of the mountain think they are deserving of things that may not be rightfully theirs. They are there because of their ancestors. Now, there are some people who are up there because they worked and worked and are there because they fought for it. I think we all can name one person: Barack Obama. If he was doing what many others did and just say, “I deserve this”, I don’t think he will be where he is today.
I think a lot of people get the wrong inclination of where they fit in. I understand that some things can’t change and there always going to be those people, but the people I have most respect for are those who work for what they get and not expect handouts.
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Based on the article “The Great Divide”, the destruction of the historical ice cream stand The Frozen Cup was an unfair exploitation of lower class versus upper class. Race is an inclusive issue because of it being owned my Asians. The nickname was derived from the single lunar day during the new moon phase that the near side is dark, whereas every time else it is luminous. But this discovery is quite false, knowing that both sides are lit equally. One distinguishing feature that the far side differs from the near side is its maria. Maria is dark, featureless lunar plains that can be clearly seen with the naked eye on the surface of the moon. They were once believed to by ancient astronomers to be sections filled with water. Now the hypothesis stands that they are vast solidified pools of ancient basaltic lava. The lighter colored regions are called tarrae. They’re found on the near side on prominent mountain ranges where giant impact basins are held, which many have been filled by basalt. Impact basins are formed by the collision of meteors and comets on the lunar surface. Along the same lines, impact craters are also formed by the collision of asteroids and comets. They’re most commonly used to estimate the age of the surface by counting the number of craters per unit area. The largest crater on the moon, which is known to be the largest crater in the solar system, is the South Pole-Aitken basin. Its located on the far side of the moon in between the South Pole and the equator and is 2,240 km in diameter. On top of the moon’s crust is a highly comminuted surface layer called regolith. It’s broken up particles that vary in thickness by 3-5m in maria. There also have been inquiries and investigations on the presence of water on the moon. With the continuous bombardment of comets and meteoroids, it has added small amounts of water to the lunar surface. In these basins lie the presence of mascons, which are large positive gravitational anomalies. This is a major characteristic on determining the moon’s gravitational field, mostly constructed by the principle of the Doppler Effect. In determining the magnetic field of the moon, we have to notice the lack of dipolar and the amount of tidal force. Things like the oceans tide are mostly affected by the moon’s gravity. Eclipses are another thing that occurs during the moon’s phases. This happens when the sun, earth, and moon are in a straight line. A solar eclipse occurs near a new moon, when the moon is between the sun and earth. A lunar eclipse occurs near a full moon, when the earth is between the sun and the moon. In conclusion, the moon has been a subject amongst many explorers, writers, and artists. It has built an interest in further exploration and discovery and still information is still pending to be found.
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For my journal this week I want to respond to a quote that I read in the New York Times article Sam posted.
“They don’t want to look like Americans, they don’t want to dress like Americans, and they don’t want to speak English.” That quote alone makes me sick to my stomach that I’m from the same country as the person who said that statement. There are so many things wrong with that statement. First of all, let’s attack the part where he said that these foreigners don’t want to speak English. I don’t believe anyone wants to live in a country where they can’t speak the native language. If you don’t speak the native language, you can’t read the newspaper, watch TV, go to school, and can barely get a job. I don’t think anyone has the desire to be that isolated. Plenty of international people living in our country have to work twice as hard as any American to learn English. They do it for survival. And so what if sometimes they speak in their native tongue? If I learned Spanish as a second language, I’m not going to speak in Spanish all of the time. Most Americans don’t even know a second language.
The part about not wanting to dress American is the most laughable part of the entire quote. How does an American dress? Sometimes when I see a skinny white guy with huge baggy clothes I can’t help but laugh at how stupid it looks. Is that what an American dresses like? Or how about Amish people whose clothes look like they were from two hundred years ago. These two ways of dress are acceptable to us as Americans. However, when someone sees someone in a turban, it’s suddenly weird. There is absolutely no one style of clothing that you can categorize Americans in. From the cities to the farms to from rags to riches, clothing is very different across the country. And it’s not like foreign people dress so differently compared to Americans. Many countries even mimic Western styles because they want to look more westernized.
Lastly, there is no specific image of what an American is, considering we’re the melting part of the world. Our country is so large and diverse, that it’s impossible to know what an “American” truly looks like. I’m trying to imagine what I’d consider an image of an American, but I can’t. And to say that someone doesn’t want to look like an American is false, because they wouldn’t come to live in our country if they didn’t like the country itself.
People need to realize none of us are natives in this country, unless we are Native American. Our ancestors were immigrants too, and some of them might have had a tough time integrating into American culture. We wouldn’t be here if one of our ancestors hadn’t been an immigrant at one point. And what’s funny is, people immigrating now in hundreds of years will have grandchildren that will be considered “ American”.
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First thing is first- Holiday Inn now leads to prostitution! What kind of statement is this? These people are scared that an ice cream shop is going to be turned into a whore house? These people have problems way beyond prostitutes coming into town. I understand that they do not want to see their local landmark be destroyed but they are using the wrong reasons as arguments. A hotel is going to bring more people into the area in general and boost your local economy. The statement “We don’t want to turn this into a third world country” is silly because it would open up more jobs and be a great benefit to everyone. He added I’m not racist to the end of it like it was going to make everything better. Just saying you are not a racist is not going to get you anywhere. At least in other people’s minds. I know I take people for what they say and if some one says something racist, normally I would believe they were a racist regardless of what came out of their mouth next.
Then the statement came out ” They’re renting their rooms to people from their country”. Why deny lots of business because you are racist? Your company will not be lasting long at all if you go in with that attitude. Travelers are a very diverse crowd and to only take one group of people at a hotel is just stupid. How would you even go about advertising that? Holiday Inn: White Pride Bedrooms! I don’t think there is any way to let people know that aside from word of mouth from people getting denied a room or a stay.
As for not using the term racist a lot, I think I missed the really racist parts here because this seems on the same level as the other articles we have read and blogged about. Yes I agree there are some bad things but most of it is just stupid. The worst part in my opinion is the accepting people only from his country in the hotel. The rest of the issues do not seem racist to me.
“They don’t want to look like Americans, they don’t want to dress like Americans, and they don’t want to speak English.” Then why are they here? Keep your culture but learn our language. What do you expect to do in this country if you can’t even speak to other people outside your little community? I also look at it as a respect issue. Show our country a little respect and after living here for a year or two, learn to speak the language or at least try to.
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People are creatures of habit. Even though people claim they like change, they really don’t. I think at the root of it that is one of the major causes of racism today. People that are “different” move in trying to make their own life, and the people that were there before are a treat to the way of life they had before. There is no more of a perfect example of this then the controversy with the Frozen Cup. To the people of the town the Frozen Cup represents all that is old and therefore good about the town, so of course they have to blame what’s bad about the town on those who are different instead of looking at themselves as the ones who might have caused the problems. It is exactly when people say they miss the “good old days” and that kids today don’t respect their elders. It is such a generalization; just because we are the younger generation it doesn’t mean any less better off then the old generations. And it also makes me wonder what in the world was so good about the old days that makes today so horrible? In truth there is nothing wrong with the “kids today” it is just that people hate change, in ten years we, ourselves will probably be saying the same exact thing about the next generation.
People who are deemed as “different” can do very little to get into the good graces of those people who are racists if anything at all. After all if the Frozen Cone means so much to the community why buy it and run as the new owner has offered to do, when he offered to put up for sale? The truth is the tearing down of the Frozen Cone is just an excuse to bring out the racists thoughts that have probably dwelled in the community for a while. Which makes me so angry, if you are going to say things like that just say up it front and own up, don’t use some hotel being built in place of ice cream shop as a place to hide behind to say what you really mean. It is this beating around the bush that causes many problems when it comes to race relations. As much as it may hurt people should just be up front with the way they feel. It may and probably will offend people, but at least it’s out there and when it’s out there people can deal with it. It’s only when we are up front about our feelings on race that we will be discuss it, try to understand where the other side is coming from, and fix so we can all get along peacefully.
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Birds of a feather flock together. That seems to be the case with the residents of the Bellerose part of Queens. The white birds do not want the relatively new darker birds, though they have been there for some twenty years, to take over all the trees and make nests of their own. If we were actually talking about birds, perhaps this situation would be normal and the frustrating feelings of the white birds would be deemed just.
However, we are not talking about birds; we’re talking about people.
I think the greatest frustration of the Queens denizens is watching the past ways die, but they are not alone. Towns across the entire United States are modernizing and commercialism is at an all-time high. Older, more classic establishments (restaurants, social club halls, ice cream stands, etc.) are dying with the post WWII generation. In my hometown of Lewisburg, a classic hand dipped ice cream shop serving vintage American cuisine and provided an aged style of service like a fine wine closed. As more local, privately owned places closed down, the road side commerce of US RT. 15 expanded north of the town. The road leads people past a Sheetz, Damon’s Steakhouse, two new banks, a new strip mall, and of course a Wal-Mart Supercenter, though a Wal-Mart next to a supermarket existed for years right down the road.
It’s sad and scary. The areas we once knew are changing into things that merely reflect everywhere else. People want to hold onto their individuality and their pasts. Once changes are made and old businesses are replaced by newer ones that seem to come from the ambiguous hand of the large business monster, people need somebody to blame. Who is paying for this project? Who will manage this new hotel replacing our favorite little ice cream shop?
For Queens, it just so happens to be managers franchising who are Asian Americans of Indian descent. It is funny to hear the people say it has nothing to do with race, though every statement there after seems to call in where these people are from. It is common for Indian-Americans to be managers of Days Inns and Holiday Inns. I think a few Indian-Americans realized the lucrative possibility of opening franchises of hotels, but they needed more partners to pool revenue together to get the project started. As those first few people found success, they suggested the idea to people they knew, other Indian-Americans. I do not think they only want to see their race get rich over the white man, but they just stayed together with their flock. The white people watching these Indian Americans sweep into their area and find success as their town dies obviously get pissed. The quickest resolution these frustrated folks can get is by venting through verbal discussion; where the most obvious similarity is race and skin color. A sad fact that people seem to do that, but it is what is happening.
Would the same frustration happen if the hotels were being opened by other white people? Would the Italians notice it was an Irish man opening the Days Inn and call him a “mick”? If the same thing were happening in a city in India, would the native Indian people be pissed at the Americans who are changing their former way of life? Is this also a form of racism, or are the emotions and feelings of these natives just and fair?
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I live in Great Neck, New York which is just about eight miles away from the town of Bellerose and I am disgusted to see the blatant racism exhibited by some residents of the town. Although I am appalled by these revelations I am in no way surprised. I am not surprised because acts and words of racism usually occur out of anger and frustration. It’s understandable that the residents of Bellerose are upset that their longtime ice cream shop is closing not to mention their bowling alley a couple years ago. They’re upset about losing things that they hold dear, but it’s no excuse for using racism as a means to express their frustration and anger. Michael Augugliaro’s comment that, “They’re turning the neighborhood into a third-world country,” was something that did startle me. That statement is a clear indicator of someone just being outright stupid and naïve. Just because someone’s culture is different from yours, it doesn’t mean that it will create a third world country. Mr. Augugliaro asks what race has to do with it, well clearly race is a factor based on the comments he’s made. It’s understandable to be concerned if you think the new hotel will invite more prostitution in your area, but you can’t use that as a way to justify clear problems you have with another person’s race and culture. “They’re renting their rooms to people from their country” is a clear example of racism. They’re not changing these people’s way of life. It’s up to you whether you want to assimilate to their culture or not, but you can’t force them to assimilate to yours. The culture of Bellerose 20 years ago was a result of people of different cultures and nationalities bringing their unique cultures to the area. That’s what America’s all about. It’s supposed to be, and is, a giant melting pot. All the societies in the United States today are what they are because of a unique blend of different cultures and nationalities. Harshad Patel is right in that he is moving forward while people like Mr. Augugliaro refuse to do so. Patel has been living in the United States for 28 years. All he’s done is achieve the “American Dream.” He worked his way up from sewage treatment worker all the way to owning hotels and restaurants. When Patel offered to sell back the Frozen Cup no one stepped forward. Clearly this isn’t as much an issue of people’s favorite ice cream shop closing down as much as it is an issue about race. The residents of Bellerose, like many people all across the country, are afraid to move forward yet they also refuse to look back at their own pasts. Their families were immigrants once and faced much of the discrimination that people like Mr. Patel are receiving now. Now people like Mr. Augugliaro are considered Americans. I’m positive that years in the future, Patel’s descendants will oppose immigration like this in their neighborhood just as Mr. Augugliaro is doing so now. Unfortunately that’s how society is and has been forever, and unless we do something about it we’re going to still be stupid, naïve, and still racist society.
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Being from a small Pennsylvanian town, the idea of a Queens neighborhood just makes me think of diversity. Maybe it’s just my stereotype of the place, but I’d EXCPECT to see the kind of racial diversity that is now “threatening” Bellerose. Being so close to New York City, and all the benefits of jobs and opportunity that go along with it, I cannot imagine the composition of the populations would remain so static after generations ore even a decade. Where there is life, there has to be change. Besides, if I wanted to see an example of homogenous Irish, Italian, and German neighborhood, I’d walk around my own little town.
That being said, this article reminded me of our discussion in section about small towns and the effect of new kinds of people moving into them. I related that, for my generation, white population had been so used to the immigrants who had already established themselves (but only at the beginning of the 20th century), that ethnic lines were no longer boundary lines. And, when black and Latino people moved in, it really shook the status quo. People were unnerved, and started talking about “losing” their town, their way of life when “those” people moved in.
They feared something different. It is very much the same situation with the people in Bellerose, in their Queens neighborhood. It is people who have become, perhaps unbeknownst to them, completely stuck in time, continuously repeating a familiar pattern; a repetition that they clearly cling to and is most idealized.
However, it is also racism. You can downplay the issues and blame it on grandmas who are afraid of anyone not white standing in line with them at Wal-Mart, or – gasp- seeing Indian people walking into an Indian specialty grocery store. Yes, they are afraid anything different, of anyone upsetting the delicate system to which they have conformed, but there is a very fine line between fear and racism. Each sustains and propels the other.
One quote particularly stood out to me from the article, as being a fairly racist statement, though cloaked in a mainstream, joking king manner. “The transformation has come as a shock to many of the neighborhood’s earlier settlers, some of whom say they wonder whether magazines tucked into seatbacks on flights between Mumbai and Kennedy Airport advertise homes in Bellerose.” What? Is that supposed to be funny? What is that really supposed to mean?
I know I would be insulted if someone directed that kind of statement at me. It seems, though, that the Indian population in the article seemed to understand that they were the victims of “new kids on the block” type sentiments, yet I wonder how many are deeply unnerved by these ideas.
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I think that the situation Bellerose is a case of clear racism. I think it is fine that people are upset that such a sentimental establishment is being shut down. I would be upset too if my favorite ice cream place that I grew up with shut down, but I would realize that it was due to business and not the people who are buying it. The owner even offered an opportunity for people to buy back the ice cream place and keep it running at a lower price, but even with that offer people realized that the business was not worth saving because it would not generate enough profit. If people realize this fact, and they do, they should be more upset about the place shutting and not upset about the type of people buying the business.
Obviously this is not the case. People have a tendency to find something or someone to blame for a situation, and in this case it is the Indians who are moving into the neighborhood. They are doing nothing but moving into a place, something every ethnic group has done in the nation. There is also nothing wrong in trying to retain your culture and stick to the people you knows. It provides a sense of comfort, especially when you are an immigrant in a country where everything can be strange to you. It is not just the Indians are who d are doing this. The Irish, and before the Germans, all retained their culture and stuck together when they moved to this continent. It makes me angry that people are throwing around comments like the Indians not trying to be Indians, when their ancestors did the same. The Indians are also not disturbing the people, like causing an increase in crime. They are cordial and respectful to the residents, and even talked about them being tolerant.
It is rude that people are commenting about the Sikh’s culture and even mentioning the fact that the hotel will bring in prostitution. What right and evidence do these people have that they could make comments like that. I also find it rude that they mentioned the fact that Americans would not like what the Indians would be selling. Most people do not like everything anyway, and the Indians will like with the other Indians are selling. Also, if people were more open minded they would try things of different culture. It is not like Americans do not eat Chinese or Italian food. I also think that racism is obviously present when people make comments like, you are our next Obama. A part of me is glad that the Indians do realize that they will have to struggle for a while before they can be accepted.
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I feel that, coming from the Asian Indian community, firstly it is important to me personally that my culture is recognized as a part of Asia. People often overlook the fact that India has almost half the population of Asia and is the world’s largest democracy. I think that it is unfair for people to tell other people where they do and don’t belong in society. It is only for the last few years that all this talk of illegal immigrants has come into play. What if one day the coin is reversed? With America going to into recession what if Americans start migrating toward Asia? Then what are Asians supposed to do? Call that unwanted immigration? Tell them to go back a less profitable place?
It is within the American constitution itself that every man, woman, and child is entitled to “the pursuit of happiness”. Why should it be any different simply because somebody was born in a different country? I think that even if I am born somewhere it shouldn’t entirely shape my identity and that I should be free to choose and follow the ideas that I think are right.
I really feel like sometimes some cultures are not wanted simply because they try hard to succeed and are not from that area. I do that admit that sometimes they can make a place worse by contributing to property destruction, vandalism, etc…. but by and large they actually help the economy by working and spending in the country.
We are not vermin. Far from it. If you think it is unfair that Asian Indians have added slightly to the American population with their genuine attempt to assimilate and work hard, and this lowers a citizens’ chances of getting a job, then ask yourself how fair it is for them to compete back home. Where there are over a billion people and most of them want jobs? It takes a lot of money saving to save enough to migrate in the first place.
Some people are genuinely looking to become a part of the great “American Dream”. Some people really want to feel like they’ve made it in life and I do not think it is up to anyone to say what’s right and what’s wrong simply because it makes their life harder. The real challenge in life is overcoming new obstacles and continually changing, adapting to your surroundings, and winning when you all start on the same level
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After reading this article, my first thoughts lay not with the local peoples’ disapproval of constructing a hotel at the former location of the “Frozen Cup,” but rather with the inappropriate response that is being given by the locals in terms of the changing ethnicity of the area. The local response, even though they admit that they are not racists, mirrors a reaction that, indeed, implies a certain sense of racial tension and fear. These locals, mainly the white ones, are displaying a sense of fear and belief that the South Asian community is taking over their once-dominated white region. The most striking part of this article, in my opinion, is when the one man compares the situation as turning the region into a “third-world country.” In this instance, the speaker is associating these people that are entering the region and moving into the town as being of lower social class and well being; he is linking them to being so much inferior to him and the other whites of the community. To me, this seems to be a very large problem. He goes on to say he is not a racist, but really?? Could it get more racist than that? He is outright declaring himself to be of higher class and more superior to the South Asians that are moving in on his town.
Later on in the article, the bar patron says that everyone wants to bring their country to America, and in doing so, these people do not want to speak English, commit to American traditions, or dress in American fashion. This is such a strong statement from someone that refuses to call himself a racist. I would hope to believe that the majority of Americans do not have opinions parallel to this statement; however, living in a college town comprised of primarily white people and very little diversity, I know that this probably does not hold true. In fact, I believe it is common to discriminate against others of different ethnic backgrounds than us; it is in my belief that we still live in a society in which we want others to live and dress in the same ways that we do – with “we” referring to white Americans. It is common that if we see someone dress or act differently, we become fearful and intimidated. We question the reasoning behind this “different” behavior, and oftentimes we do nothing to express our fear and disgust. But in a situation like the one occurring in this article, that is one with a dramatic shift in the demographics of the region (South Asians becoming the majority race), the real “racism” comes to life. But, really, what can be done about this feeling? Well in my opinion, absolutely nothing. We have always lived in a society that has seen color and ethnicity, and quite frankly, we do not know how to survive in one that has it any other way.
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I was able to tell that the people in the article were being racist before I was even able to finish reading the article. Before anything really racist was said, I thought it was funny how people began to worry that the hotel was going to be used as a place for prostitutes and to home people on welfare if the time comes. I understand that the people love the ice cream place, and yes there are places that I love to go and eat in my hometown, but no matter, there is no need to be racist toward the people who are opening the new business that is closing the popular ice cream shop.
It is sad to say it, but yes racism is still very alive and well here in America and it seems as if there are some people who are never going to able to look past the color of a person’s skin. The first person who was quoted under “The Past vs. the Future” part was being racist with his very first quote. I do not understand why he says that they are going to rent rooms to people of their country. It’s a hotel and not only are they going to rent to people form their country, but they are going to rent to any person who comes to their establishment looking for a bed to sleep in. He even takes it further by accusing them of coming in and changing their neighborhood. I do not see why the man saying this feels this way, but incase he hasn’t noticed, the demographics of America have been constantly changing since the day the country was founded.
I find it even funnier to read Mr. Augugliaro say that he is not a racist especially after what he said right before this statement. He made and plain and clear racist statement saying that their trying to make their town look like a third world country. He also begins to compare his town to other towns made up of South Asians as if it is such a bad thing to have different ethnicities moving in. In today’s society he needs to stop being racist and more welcoming to the different races moving into his hometown.
As mentioned in the blog, Mr. Augugliaro’s relatives did the same thing whenever they moved into the town, by changing the demographics of the town. So by doing what he is doing and saying the things he is saying, people could in turn say that his relative did the exact thing by coming in and changing the demographics of the town.
I think people need to stop being racist and more welcoming because who knows, allowing different cultures into one’s town could be beneficial not only for their town, but maybe even for them. People need to stop putting the color of a person’s skin in the way and begin to see people for who they really are.
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Although I am not in any way condoning these hateful statements, I think that they might have (in part) resulted more from the fact that these individuals are losing a home town treasure than from racist tendencies. According to the local point of view, the people building the new hotel were destroying an important landmark of their town with a long history of memories. They are reacting with their emotions and anger and are not using their heads to consider all of the facts. For example, as Sam said, they too were in a similar situation where they were the outsiders “intruding” on someone else’s land just years before.
However, although many of the negative reactions about the demolishming of the ice cream stand may stem from a discomfort with change, many of the racist comments by the townies clearly cross the line. For example, the following statement by one man is completely uncalled for and most likely untrue: “They’re renting their rooms to people from their country.” Another statement is worse yet: “They’re turning the neighborhood into a third-world country. We don’t want it over here to look like Richmond Hill or Jackson Heights.” And then for this man to go on to say that he is not a racist… Another man said, “They don’t want to look like Americans, they don’t want to dress like Americans, and they don’t want to speak English.” This statement is also ridiculous… What do Americans look like? I know I don’t have a clear answer to this…
I also agree with Harshad Patel when he says “If they have so much feeling, let them buy it. Let them run the Frozen Cup if they want to.” Clearly if they townies wanted this place to stay as it was as a trademark to the town, if it truly meant everything to them that they say it does, then they would have accepted Harshads offer. This offer was that “if someone wanted to run the Frozen Cup for the next 10 years, he promised to sell the place at a $100,000 loss.”
Also, as far as street vendors selling halal gyros; traffic congestion near the Indian and Pakistani grocery stores on Hillside Avenue; and newly created mini-mansions, many of them occupied by extended South Asian families… so what? If the demand is there, then why wouldn’t they sell these things?
One thing that I did find very interesting about this article was that fact that many people are calling the candidate for City Council, Swaranjit Singh, the next Obama. In relation to Mr. Singh, one piece of information in the article that I found to be unnecessary was the statement that Mr. Singh had never been to the Frozen Cup and that he instead frequents an Italian ice place. Who cares and why is this relevant?
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