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."
Read the article.
123 comments:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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?”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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?
When I just started reading this article, I did not see the big deal in building a hotel . What struck me was that some people were worried about the possibility that the hotel will be used by prostitutes. Now come on that is ridiculous beyond belief. I would understand if they felt that way if they had a reason to, but seriously at the least give the new people a chance without judging them beforehand. Hotels are made to house people who visit from other places. They are not just made for prostitution. There may be places where people do those kinds of things, but you cannot just make that judgment. Instead of welcoming them, they are already receiving accusations without being given a chance to do what they are trying to do for their income and expansion. It made me laugh when people seemed to make a big deal out of a hotel replacing an ice cream shop. I understand that I would be a little upset being an ice-cream lover, however I cannot imagine people protesting and making such a big deal. I understand that it is sad to see that all the “hang out” spots are beginning to disappear and are being replaced by stores and hotels, but what are you going to do? This is life. Years ago these people came and actually took over and killed people to live on these lands. How did the Native Americans think when Europeans just came all of a sudden and literally took over their lands and lived their way of life? We all know the answer to this question. These people (“foreigners) changed everything and brought their life here. Everyone has an equal right to live the American Dream as long as they are not hurting others or doing anything illegal. Therefore, these Indian people are allowed to bring their life and their life style here if they wish. They are not endangering anyone or breaking any rules. Bottom line you cannot stop them from expanding on their business. It is a two way street. The Indians are not taking over and doing like a dictatorship over the town. Those Indian people were able to buy the property because someone (the previous owner) was willing to sell the property to them and the Indian people did not just take over. What I found remarkable was the comment that Mr. Patel made that he is willing to sell the property at a $100,000 loss if anyone was willing to come forward and buy it making the point that people protest that the ice cream shop is of a lot of emotional value, but no one is willing to come forward and buy it. Another thing that bothered me was when one man said that “They’re renting their rooms to people from their country.” I mean seriously are you kidding me? I do not believe that these people would 1. Lose money by giving rooms to their people for free, 2. I do not believe that there are so many Indian people who would just come to the hotel, and 3. I do not believe that the owner would deny other people rooms just to give them to the Indian people as first preference. All hotels are on a first come first serve bases. That argument did not even make any sense. Finally I want to say that I am not biased at all. This is not about me. This is not about “my” people. I feel sad for these people whose environment change is affecting them, but I do not agree with these peoples’ justifications and arguments and protests because they are not strong enough and some of them plain just do not make sense period.
Even though several of the white residents of Bellerose, including Mr. Augugliaro, are denying the fact that they are racist, there seems to be no other word to describe their reaction to the expansion of the South Asian community. Yes, it may be threatening and discomforting for anyone to see major changes within his or her community, especially when a memorable landmark is demolished and all one has left are the memories it once provided. For the landmark ice cream shop “Frozen Cup” to be taken over by a hotel is disheartening, yet something clearly needed to be done with it before it turned into just another abandoned building. The fact that the “Frozen Cup” was purchased by a wealthy Indian man made the situation even more alarming for the threatened white residents.
When the community was in an uproar about the hotel coming to their neighborhood, one of the developers, Mitesh Patel offered the “Frozen Cup” building for a $100,000 less than he paid to anyone willing to buy it and run the business for ten years. The fact that there was no one really interested in the “Frozen Cup” stand as a business proves that their attachment to the past is more about an attachment to the neighborhood the way it used to be before the Southeast Asian population mushroomed to forty percent.
The people who feel so threatened by the influx of Southeast Asians are unwilling to see the opportunity they have to embrace the excitement and knowledge that diversity brings to a neighborhood. Just the prospect of new foods to try would be interesting. The grumbling in the local bars reflects their jealousy. The fact that many of the newcomers have been willing to work very hard and advance themselves in business is just an illustration of the opportunities promised in America, the very same opportunities that enticed their ancestors to come to America not so very long ago. If the people moving into the community were from a culture that resembled their own, would this be such an issue? Of course not; and that is why this story is completely racist in my opinion.
Didn’t our ancestors invade someone else’s land and destroy tribal communities when they came to America? Who are we to accuse someone of taking advantage of a situation because of greed? No one has exploited or ignored other’s rights more than the white man.
I have seen that Sam doesn’t use the term racism lightly. Once I saw that he was using it in this article I knew this was important and significant. And after reading the article, I agree with him completely; if some of the statements by those ignorant white people are not racist, I don’t know what is. I wrote a blog entry earlier in the semester discussing how many of us see such mininmal racism in our communities that it is easy to see equality is here. However, there still are citites and towns with collective racist attitudes. This town in New York is a good example of one of them. And these people are not just openly racist; they refuse to accept that they are openly racist. The man who is interviewed is trying to say race has nothing to do with it yet he keeps talking about why these people are not American and how the American way is the right way. He is a proud owner of the white is right attitude that many people like him seem to know and love.
No one in their right mind can stand there and complain that another race, religion, or other affiliated people are “taking over” their land. Look at the fucking Native Americans do these jackasses really think that their white ancestors were born with the rights to their land? No, they instead slayed an entire race of people so this guy can have a white folk ice cream store to complain about. This article is a joke, like more and more I am baffled with every one of these posts I read from Sam that these people exist. I just want to give serious credit to the first few South Asian families who took and chance and moved in this bleach stained town. They probably got such odd looks and so many things were said about them (let alone done to them) and they took it so their people could end up prospering. Instead of an article discussing the hatred and negativity that the media loves to showcase, I would like to see one dedicated to the bullshit that these people probably had to endure at the price of success. I bet there is a solid story behind the struggles of some of these families who now have lots of money and happiness. The one guy in the interview said it best: the situation at hand is jealousy. The white people are jealous that the South Asians are doing bigger and better things with their town than they ever could. Frankly the article made me laugh because I could tell that that is what Mr. Patel is doing while reading it. He knows how pathetic these people are because he was willing to put $100,000 on it.
I really like this article because it is exposing an issue that I believe is happening and will continue to happen in many neighborhoods across the United States. I would firstly like to add that this article is not merely an issue of race, that could be part of it but it includes issues of culture, language, religion and ways of life in a community that are being challenged by a group of people. Moreover it explores an ethnic group that is now asserting itself economically and socially in this country; Indians or South Asians.
Indian Americans are perhaps the most successful immigrant and ethnic group in the United States. They account for one of the highest standards of living, they have on average a very high median family income and they are very entrepreneurial. That is quite evident in this article whereby they are literally opening businesses and basically displacing the predominantly white-owned businesses in this area. In this instance prejudice and a backlashes is quite expected. Therefore I am not surprises by the reactions of the local community. Even if the influx of Indians is likely to revive by all accounts what appears to be a depressed and declining neighborhood, the fact that they are viewed “foreigners” is evident of prejudicial, xenophobic and racist tendencies that exist in many people. If it was ‘Sam’s Club’, ‘the Hilton’, or a ‘Starbucks’ replacing the ‘Frozen Cup’ I doubt this hullabaloo would have happened in the first place.
What is happening in that Queens neighborhood is definitely happening in many neighborhoods across the country. The influx of immigrants from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Latin America has transformed neighborhoods across the United States, many of them for the better but often the host community mostly White and/or African Americans feel uncomfortable to see their once cherished neighborhoods swarming with immigrants speaking foreign languages, and seeing their long established businesses replaced with ethnic stores stocked with anything from ethnic food, clothing music, international calling cards, etc. This is the angle that I am looking at this story from. Not really a racial issue but rather a seismic shift as America confronts its new comers with its long established ones. A lot of the tension is between are between people of the same race, for example African-Americans vs. Africans and Afro West Indians.
Anyway going back to the article, I do not see these immigrants as people who are leeching welfare or causing crime, but rather they are opening businesses, creating jobs and adding to the overall benefit of this community. It is a pity that the local community complaining does not see this.
I am always angered by racism, and I think that a lot of that probably comes from the fact that I am multiracial myself. It really hits me hard when I hear about people being racist or prejudiced against certain groups of people. I wonder if the people in the article realize how ridiculous they sound. In addition, I wonder how some of them can say some of the things that they say and yet claim that they are not racist. For example, Michael Augugliaro said, “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.” Then after realizing how he sounded when his wife looked at him, he added, “I’m not a racist.” Oh, really? What would you call it, then?
I was especially shocked by Bruce Holloway’s quote, “They don’t want to look like Americans, they don’t want to dress like Americans, and they don’t want to speak English.” I can understand the frustration he has with people not speaking English to a certain extent. My brother lives in Miami, and I have noticed when visiting him that there are many Spanish-speaking people there. That’s fine, and I don’t mind it when foreigners come to live in America and want to speak their native languages. But I do get very annoyed when people in customer service positions don’t speak English. I mean, I wouldn’t move to a non-English-speaking country and expect to get a job in the service industry where I would have to communicate with people and answer their questions. I can’t really understand the other parts of his statement, though. Why does it matter what people wear or what they look like? Why would anyone ever try to change their physical appearance to look like they are from another culture? Why would anyone even care about what others wear or what country they look like they came from?
The end of the article was quite touching. I love that Swaranjit Singh is wearing a turban in his campaign posters and has an American flag in the background. I can picture such a powerful image when I think about what those posters must look like. I feel like so many people are probably angered or at least a bit uncomfortable when they see those posters because a lot of Americans, especially since September 11, have an instinctual racism when it comes to anyone wearing a turban. It is sick, twisted, and sad, but I have witnessed a lot of people acting afraid when they see people wearing turbans. But personally, I love that Singh put an American flag in his posters along with his picture because it is a statement to show people that no matter what his racial background, he is an American.
One quote from this story really stands out to me. The one guy at the bar, when describing the Asians coming into his community said, “They don’t want to look American, they don’t want to dress American, and they don’t want to speak English.” So that brought up the question in my mind, what exactly does looking and dressing American mean? We pride ourselves on being the “land of the free” and “land of opportunity” so aren’t we proud of the fact that people want to come to our country? Why should people who come to our country to better themselves have to change who they are in the process? As long as they aren’t hurting anyone or pressing their beliefs on anyone else, where is the problem? I agree with Sam 100%, this is pure racism. It’s the same doctrine that Hitler himself preached. These people are saying everyone should look the same, act the same, shop at the same places and talk the same way. He mentioned how their stores are “not the kind of stores an American would go into.” I am guessing that there are a lot of Asian Americans who go into those stores. Last time I checked, they are just as much American as the idiot who made that comment. If he goes to Japan, do they say the same thing about a McDonalds? Does he care that much about the Chinese restaurant that he eats at every week? Sometimes it is unbelievable how ignorant people are sometimes. Simply because something is unknown to someone, they take it as a threat. The man who bought the Frozen Cup to make a hotel hit it right on the head when he said it’s almost an issue of jealousy. He made an offer to sell the property at a $100,000 loss and did anyone buy it? That doesn’t sound like someone who is trying to take over a neighborhood with his culture. It sounds like someone who is trying to be a part of the community. When he realized the spot may be very important to the people he lived around, he offered to sell the property to make the community happy. It could have very easily been bought up but it wasn’t. It’s also funny how the people complain about the traffic around the parts of town where the Asians are most populated. Why aren’t the complaining about their local shops closing down to move in a Staples or a Wall-Mart? Why are they not complaining about the new traffic around those areas? Someday, maybe we can think of being American as those who live in America and work for the progress of our country. It shouldn’t be about what anyone looks like or where their ancestors are from. Unfortunately, that may be a long, long time from now.
After reading this article, you can see how there are many people in the United States that are still extremely resistant to change and diversity. Sam says that he does not like using the term racism, however, I agree that there is no other word for it in the attitudes expressed by the people in Bellerose. The immigrants that are entering this community in Queens are bringing a different demographic to the neighborhood, but that does not mean they are making it worse. They are striving for more in their lives, they are trying to stimulate the economy and use the opportunities that are afforded to anyone in America that want to take advantage of them. Therefore, I don’t think its fair for these people of Bellerose to make the statements they do about the immigrants, and then be bold enough on top of that to say “I’m not a racist; What’s race have to do with it?”
People in the United States are still just extremely scared of things(especially people) that are different. This neighborhood in Queens was one that was pre-dominantly white prior to the immigrants moving in. It was almost a little bubble. The old America, where people go to Little League games and down to the ice cream shop afterwards were a beautiful time and days like that were a way of life for many American communities. However, that America is changing. America is becoming more diverse by the day – as it should be. One thing to think about though is that America was diverse before too, just in a different way. Just because entire communities were white, does not mean they weren’t diverse. There could be Irish, Italians, Germans, and Polish. There could be Catholics, Baptists, or Jews. People sometimes forget to realize that discrimination exists between groups like this as well, and there has always been discrimination, no matter what neighborhood you are in.
However, it seems like white people will put aside their differences between each other when it comes to people of a different skin color. They will forget that they don’t like the Irish person next to them because now someone of Indian descent has moved into the neighborhood. This is not right and this is something that the entire population of the United States is going to need to work on. People say that racism is being cut out of this country. However, the nation only is getting more diverse, which means there is now more opportunity for racism to rear its ugly head. It is up to everyone to try to stop it here and now before it starts growing again. It is the responsibility of all of us to stand up for what is right.
It gets on my nerves when people claim not to be racist after uttering blatantly racist sentiments. Mr. Augugliaro basically said “we don’t want any of those foreigners here. Not that I have anything against them…” He continued to ask what race had to do with the situation anyway, it has everything to do with it. If the area was being overrun with new white neighbors, nobody would be concerned in the least, but you dye them brown, add a turban and a Sikh temple and all of the sudden an entire community is up in arms, to the point where they resent even having their grocery stores sell burlap bags of basmati rice. In all of my journals I keep going back to a question that was posed earlier in the semester: has Martin Luther King’s dream been realized? Well I have another related question to ask: to whom did that dream apply? I don’t think he meant just black and white, I like to believe that red, yellow, brown, green what have you, that we should all be able to get along. At the same time I’m not naïve enough to think that we are anywhere near close enough to be able to claim universal tolerance. But white people who ask what race has to do with things are fooling themselves, race has a lot to do with everything.
I thought it was interesting the different takes by different people from Queens. The South Asians who lived in the area were under the impression that their neighbors were very tolerant and welcoming, and some of their neighbors, like John Dolan, were. There were others at the bar however, like Bruce Holloway who said “Everybody wants to bring their country here… They don’t want to look like Americans, they don’t want to dress like Americans, and they don’t want to speak English.” His friend Franco said that real Americans didn’t go to Bazaars. Who are they to decide what is and is not American? Yes on the exterior we have our baseball and hamburgers, our All-American football stars and letter jackets, but we also supposedly pride ourselves on being “tolerant” we are supposed to be the ones to take in the tired and the hungry and give them new opportunities. I think we need to wake up and paint a new portrait. We’re no longer the same warm, fuzzy country that we used to be. We’re selective in who we let in, and when we do let people past the borders we feel like we’re under siege from foreign legions of Asian Indian, turban wearing, sword carrying Muslims. I loved the end of the article when Mr. Singh, the Indian Obama, said “Pizza-eating people have representation. Burger-eating people have representation. Bagel-eating people have representation. But roti has no representation.” I think it’s time that we look at people and see Americans as more than just black and white and see that there are more colors on the spectrum.
I think the idea of being racist is a very interesting thought. I think this because there is so much that goes into everyone, it’s not right to judge people based upon the color of their skin or the way they talk or even the way they dress themselves. In my small meeting class this week we talked about the idea of culture. After everyone in the class shared their ideas and thoughts, our last thought was that we all have the same culture. We have all brought ideas from our family and surroundings into account when we think about what our culture is. Although we have all came from different places in this world we are all American. One student in my class brought up the thought that we may all think differently and come from all over America, we are all American. If we were to travel over seas, we would all be American and all those over seas would consider us American. This is where the article about racism really hits hard. We are all different people however we are still one. We are all American. For some to get angry over those of a different race moving into their area of the town is out of this world to me. we all came to this country in search of a better life to live. We all cam and took over land that was not ours from the Native Americans. It is not right to claim and area and say no one else can come there for no reason. This even reminds me of the video shown in class. The black man was not able to move into the apartment and was told there was no room however, when asked by a white man, he was able to move in right away. It is crazy to think like that because the color of some ones skin says nothing about them as a person.
I’m pretty open-minded about people’s opinions, but this New York Times article flat out pisses me off. We Americans refer to ourselves, as a great “melting pot” yet there are thousands, if not millions, of people who are unable for whatever reason to accept other cultures. They are unwilling to melt in the inevitable pot of America full of various ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, etc.
I get it. The residents of Bellerose are pissed off that their favorite ice cream shop is closing and a hotel is coming in to replace it. I’d be angry too. I love ice cream. That’s a legitimate reason to be upset. But when it comes down to who owns the hotel, then their boots really start to shake. That’s what makes me so upset.
So let’s break this so-called sticky situation down. First, it’s 2009 and unfortunately, the little mom and pop shops are going to be forced to move out so that modernization and globalization can move in, especially in places like Queens, one of New York City’s five boroughs. Even though it’s an upsetting situation for some who have grown up with establishments like the Frozen Cup, if a white hotel owner were to move in, the problem wouldn’t really be a problem and the New York Times wouldn’t be able to write a story like this one. Second, it’s a known fact that a lot of Asian Indians own hotel franchises and they are damn good at it.
I like linking these journals with people I know and encounter in my everyday life, so here I go… One of my best friends is Asian Indian and her dad owns several small hotels. He has a great business and is able to put three kids through college. Yes, his family is Indian and Hindu and a lot of his relatives are still in India, but if you had dinner at his house in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania you would realize he lives an everyday American life. He is an American and his children were brought up American just like everyone else’s. The only thing that’s different is the color of his skin.
After reading in the NY Times article that the “earlier settlers” of Bellerose wonder whether magazines tucked into seatbacks on flights between Mumbai and Kennedy Airport advertize homes in Bellerose and when people like Mr. Augugliaro, a resident of Bellerose, says “They’re turning the neighborhood into a third-world country,” it makes me sick. I’m sure Mr. Augugliaro has never been to a third-world country to really compare his warm home and refrigerator full of food to.
I’m double majoring in journalism and international studies and in my international studies class our professor had us read this article (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article5622156.ece). Parts of Italy are beginning to ban ethnic food restaurants in their cities. They say the country wants its people to “eat more Italian.” This is appalling and frightening. I feel like the world is backtracking to a globe where people only understand and have an awareness of his or her culture.
I don’t think New York City would ever “ban” ethnic restaurants, but when people have mindsets like Mr. Augugliaro and other residents of Bellerose, it scares me that it could. I want my children to experience other people’s food and lifestyles. I want my kids to understand that it’s okay for a person of a different race to own a hotel or gas station. That’s why we’re called “the land of the free.” We’re all immigrants to this country and we all have the same privileges as Americans. Maybe Mr. Augugliaro should leave the hotel owner alone and go back to where his family came from. America would probably be a better and more accepting place.
I find it funny when people say that racism does not exist today when there are issues that arise that clearly result from racism. Whether its racism that involves cops shooting a man who was completely restrained or a group of people not wanting members of another race start a business in the article “The Frozen Cup”. I’m from New York, so I know how diverse the city is. Queens is the largest borough in the city. There is a large population of Asian- Indians that reside in Queens and there are a lot of businesses that are owned by members of that community. The conflict between the people who do not want the hotel built there are totally racist. The situation gets worse when they try to justify why they don’t want the Patels to build a hotel in Bellerose. It was upsetting when I read what Mr. Auguliaro said “they’re turning the neighborhood into a third world country”. Now how is starting a business harmful to the community where it becomes a “third world country”.
I honestly believe that the citizens that object to Patel’s hotel being built are using the Frozen Cup as a scapegoat for their true mentality. It’s not like the neighborhood is not diverse and they have not seen anyone from another background. Or maybe they don’t have a problem with them living there, but the fact that someone of another background is opening a business is too extreme for them. Maybe the fact that someone of another background is trying to enhance themselves is threatening to them.
It is the mentality like that from people of the older generation that keeps racism alive today. Their mentality is passed from generation to generation making sure that racism exist for the future. I found it ignorant when the guy assumed that the Indian man dressed in his culture attire was carrying around a sword. I found it hilarious when Ms. Auguliaro made the statement “I’m not a racist”. If you have to use that statement to justify a comment, then most likely you have a racist mentality.
Last year some friends of mine had encountered racism in their dorm room. Two girls I knew that lived downstairs from me in the dorms were in conflict with their sweet mates. They had been disputing over an issue with the bathroom. I knew the other two sweet mates and got along with them as well. But the girls had gotten into an argument and things got heated. The other sweet mate had stormed into her room. When she got into her room she had yelled a statement that had the words “black bitches” in the comment referring to her sweet mates. Comments like those make people think that they have a racist mentality.
This week’s entry brings up a great point when it comes to race relations in America. Somewhere in the grand scheme of things the Italians, Irish, Germans and countless other groups stopped being separated on the basis of ethnicity and became white. As a white male I am of the majority and as such have never been the subject of racism. My Irish blood to my knowledge has never once been the source of prejudice. As alluded to in the blog there were times when this would not have been the case. This is an important distinction because for the white population for the past few generations this has created a disconnect between ourselves and those who suffer discrimination. In my own opinion we simply cannot understand racism to its fullest degree unless impacted on a personal basis. So, for the largest segment of America (Whites), racism can at times feel foreign which adds to the gap between the races.
The fact that so many of us forget that at one time our own ancestors were the minority is sad. Actually, sad is not the right word, its ignorance. When we choose to disregard this fact it makes it that much easier to condemn immigrants or an “invading” population. The problems which may plague a neighborhood are easily passed off on those who seem different. We have seen this scenario repeated countless time in human history and it seems a common human weakness which continues to thrive in our own times. When faced with a problem we are all too happy to pass the buck. At some point you would hope that people would bind together and stop seeing the superficial differences which continue to separate us. But this may simply being ideological thinking. At least we might start by reinforcing to the nations youth that we were all at some point immigrants and that many of our ancestors were once minorities. Perhaps in this way we can begin to remove the negative connotations that have somehow come to be connected with these words.
It’s a bit off topic, but I thought that Sam’s take on Affirmative Action was very interesting. As a white middle class male I have been frustrated by Affirmative action since I came to understood what the program stood for. The idea that the government would paint with such a broad brush has always bothered me. In many ways I feel as though Affirmative Action perpetuates racism and pushes a feeling of helplessness on minorities. In my own opinion government action taken on behalf of those who are handicapped by socioeconomic conditions as opposed to strictly on the basis of race would be preferable. In spite of my own strong opinions against AA I have never once taken the time to see how it may have benefited me. Suddenly, sitting in class it became clear that my Mother may never have received her college degree without it. I don’t know the facts but I know that research has shown that those with college degrees are more likely to have children who end up getting degrees of their own. There is no doubt in my mind that without my Mother’s influence college would have been less important.
The point is that in the same way that I failed to recognize AA’s impact on my life, many fail to remember that at some point in history their parents were immigrants to this country. Taking the time to consider these factors makes you reconsider issues and if nothing else makes you more sensitive to their impact.
After reading this New York Times article, I was surprised by the fact that these people were concerned about replacing the Ice cream place with a hotel. Why would building a hotel increase the population of prostitutes in that neighborhood? It seems like there is a bigger issue hidden behind all this, other than the loss of the all times favorite ice cream place. Is it the race difference? I wonder if they were unhappy about losing the Frozen Cup because it was a place for them to relax and have a good time; or is it their hatred toward foreigners especially Asian Indians.
I can understand how they might feel about the ice cream place. It can be really hard to watch something or somewhere that you are attached to destroy and see some other people take over it.
Another big issue is selfishness and how most people refuse to look back and see what has changed over years. All residents of that neighborhood used to be foreign to that place at one point. Less than hundred years ago their people took over some other cultures that are not realized by most of them. The people who lived in that neighborhood far back might have never appreciated the outcomes of the new people moving in. In the article, it is being mentioned how a couple people were laughing at the men of the sikh religion due to what they look liked and what they were wearing. Do these people ever thing about what their great grandparents might have appeared to the people before them? Do they ever think how their ancestors were judged by the older residents of that neighborhood? If those people living in the neighborhood would think about all this and put themselves in the position of Asian Indians, they probably would never act the same way they did. Sometimes we have to put ourselves in the shoes of others to see how they feel. These Asian Indians have every right to take over the Frozen Cup and build a hotel like those people before them. Why would existence of Asian Indians in that neighborhood make that place like a third world country? I find this statement very racist, no matter how much people try to deny it. Some white people might not want to accept the fact that some people of color have more money than them. Obviously Mr. Petal had more money than most people living in that neighborhood since no one was willing to buy the Frozen Cup back.
After reading the article, it is clear that as a whole the white population of Bellerose has inherently racist views and outlooks. I enjoyed the article because I feel it reflects upon many important points in the racism and segregation we see today in the United States. The Frozen Cup is a great symbol for the divide that exists in Bellerose, and is also a good representation of the divide that still exists in our country. The article brings up a good point; the author writes that even though New York is a “gorgeous mosaic”, ethnic tension is still rampant in the city. This makes sense, especially when taken into consideration the fact that the city is home to one of the biggest minority populations in the country. This great divide has been discussed in class, and as we look at statistics and numbers that Dr. Richards presents in class, we see that African Americans and Latinos often top the charts for illegal drug use and crime. In places such as New York City where diversity is present, it’s understandable to note that this racism exists.
I believe that this article is a great indicator that racism is still prevalent in our country. As Dr. Richards has stated many a time in class, it’s absurd to think that racism disappeared with the end of slavery or with the extermination of segregation. It makes me think of the videos we watched in class this last week, particularly the video about renting apartments and how race affects the chance of finding a lease. A white man enters an apartment that is up for rent and is presented with a generous amount of information by a man who seemingly shows generosity and kindness. He even hands the white man the keys to the place to check it out for himself. This moment of human well being is destroyed when the next man, this time a black man, enters the apartment in hopes of finding a lease for an apartment. He is treated radically different, this time without the good mannerisms we saw portrayed whenever the white man entered before him. He is lied to, and is told that the apartment is no longer for sale and that it was taken by a woman earlier that morning. The realization that the white male was in just before him and was told something completely different is not only sickening but appalling.
What has this article shown us? I believe that it has shown us racism is still rampant in our country. Much like the videos shown in class, we see racism in the article when Patel keeps the renting of rooms in the hotel to his own “people”. It’s still racism; it’s just shown in another light. This article has exposed that to us.
I feel like this article can be a real eye opener for some people and for others it might just be something that doesn’t really surprise them. I wasn’t really surprised by the reactions or the things that were said in the article by the people who think that Indians and Asians are “taking over”. I feel as though the people, who are really worked up about this, have no right to get worked up considering the fact that their grandparents or even their parents were immigrants to this country. Seems like no one takes a second to think about it and look back at the old days, the days when Irish, Italian, and German immigrants came to New York and “Took Over”. Like it not, immigration to this country is not going to stop and I believe that racism will always be around.
Although this may be new to other people, and even to me I guess it’s new in way, growing up, as an immigrant from Mexico racism has always been part of the life in the U.S. I am aware that different races face different kind of discrimination, but no matter where you come from it is almost a guaranty that there will be some kind of hate or discrimination towards you. Personally I feel that it’s a great thing that more and more minorities are opening up business or becoming successful in the U.S. I am not one to believe that only minorities should get more opportunities and become successful, I believe that if they deserve it and work hard for it then I see no problem with that. If it is a white person or a black person it really makes no difference, if people who work hard and succeed their color or race should not be important. People are way to concerned about race in this country if you ask me, but I guess it just wouldn’t be the same U.S if we all got along.
I found it really interesting that the one guy who bought the old ice cream shop, offered to sell the place back to whoever would run the Frozen Cup for the next ten years, and there were no buyers. I think if people really cared that much about keeping it in white hands, or just keeping the Frozen Cup running, then someone would have made the purchase. I think this sent out a strong message to people by saying that they were not there to “Take Over” as people have been saying. I have no problem in saying, that those people who don’t want the Indian’s or Asian’s there, are being completely racist and I am not surprised in any way by this.
I see a lot of Indian Americans owning motels or hotels. I see it as their ways of making money or doing their business. Just like a Japanese person concentrating on making the products that is about technology. Because they are good at it and they are known for it. It’s not like they take that jobs to invade. When I go back to South Korea, there are some Americans owing business and doing great. I don’t see that as the invading or anything. When any foreigners come to United State, they usually move to the places where they know people which mean they are going to the place where there is a available cultural stuff. So that there are places called China town or Korea town. Because they speak the same languages. It’s their comfort zone of their country. When immigrants come to other country, I will assure that they don’t have a mind of invading the country. Their just trying to make a life out of it. It’s same as foreigners coming to Korea and doing their business too. They could come and someone that they know could hear what they are doing. So, they decide to come to Korea too and move somewhere close to that family and start the similar things. It’s easier to do that for foreigners to see what other people did and possibly start the similar business and could get some idea or advise from the people who were there before they did. When I was reading the article, I was actually read mad. Because Americans took the land away from Native Indians and settle in the land which is technically is Native Indians. Native Indians even taught Americans how to survive in that country. If anyone can be called a invaders, it’s Americans because they moved to a country which makes them a immigrant and then learned how to survive from the locals and killed everyone then took over the country controlling what Native Indians do and make sure they don’t get a chance to get back to their life like how they used to live. Yeah I would say invaders for that reason. Americans have no right to say other immigrants are taking over or invading just because they are the one who is doing that. The only difference there are between Americans and immigrants is that immigrants didn't killed any of Americans and took over their land and controlled what they are doing. Immigrants get a bad opportunities than Americans in United States, but still they survived with no help so, in my opinion, other people who feel like immigrants are the invaders need to think about what they are actually doing and see if they are in a position to have a right to point finger at anyone.
The people of Bellerose, Queens are the reason why the United States is still a racist country and why those of white European descent get a bad rap of being the most racist. The things I read in this article were appalling. The idea that the hotel would be used for prostitutes or to house people from their own country makes no sense. All hotels in the country have had at one time of another prostitution in it, even the most prestigious hotels have scandals happening in them, so the claim that because it is owned by an Indian group of investors there will be suspicious shady actions happen is ridiculous.
Also when they said that all the immigrants were making their nice suburban white town like a third world country, I don’t know if these people actually understand what a third world country actually is. There are so many things wrong with that statement. And every time they make a comment they follow it up with “it has nothing to do with race” which actually mean that it is about race and that they are racist people.
Another statement that really left me unsettled as when the one couple saw the Sikh man with the sword and they judged him and laughed his religious outfit. I know these people would never judge a Christian or Jew they saw walking down the street for wearing a cross or Yamaka.
In today’s world it still stuns me that people will continue to live so backwards. I come from a small suburban city but never would statements like these come from the majority of the population, nor would they be tolerated and taken so lightly. There is an Indian family that lives on my street, a very nice couple. A professor at the local college and his wife, and I see them everyday walking down the street. The only difference between them and all the other people walking down the street for exercise is there apparel and the fact that the wife walks a few paces behind her husband at all times. But I understand that is there culture and nowhere in the constitution, or any other laws of the united states does it say that husband and wife have to walk side by side, so no one is concerned with it. These actions don’t make them any less American, any less respectable or any less pleasant. I don’t feel threatened that my community is going to the dogs when I see people of a different culture act differently according to that upbringing. I actually like to see people still practice their cultural ways because then I know they feel comfortable in the community to act as they please without the fear of being discriminated or judged. They don’t conform just because some societies are uncomfortable with the unknown. And I hope the city of Bellerose get their act together and allow the new members of their community to be free to do what they want because that is what being America is about, there isn’t just one way to be American.
It is always cynically comical when someone adds, “…but I’m not racist” after a very racist comment.
People either know they are racist, or they are but are in complete denial. The people say “but I’m not racist” could be either because they either do not understand what they said or realize they have some image to protect.
In the case of the New York Times article, I see two things going on that can easily create resentment between the two groups of people (those already settled and the South Asian immigrants). I see settled families who are a few generations AFTER their immigrant ancestors and new immigrants who seem very proud of their growing numbers.
I personally don’t see a threat to the community if a reputable hotel is to be established. As for the closing of historical Bellerose “landmarks,” maybe the terrible economy has something to with it because places I thought I’d never see go out of business in my hometown have been closing too…and the demographics aren’t really changing. This leads me to believe that the assumptions in Bellerose are completely wrong. They sound like they need to point a finger at someone for the changes in their town, and so they pointed at the new minorities, which is wrongfully racist.
The South Asians who proclaim they have their own version of Obama, however, make it sound like they are LOOKING to take over rather than assimilate and get along and live with everyone equally. For a community to get along, each demographic should have equal power, not just the majority, because then groups are left unfairly represented. Of course, this idealistic vision never becomes reality, and so we see racism and resentment as a result of the possibility of a change in who holds the power in Bellerose.
When we lose sight of our ancestry we let ourselves becomes ignorant because it is entirely true that assimilating to a new country and dealing with not being welcome by those who were already there are exactly what the South Asians in Bellerose are going through now.
There is a new resentment today though. In earlier immigration, the immigrants had no money and were forced to take to lowest of low jobs. These Asian immigrant appear to have money though judging by their jobs and at the implication of the guy at the bar who said, “Where’d they get it all any anyway?” This causes more of a threat. It is not just that they are encroaching on ways of life that were for years prior, it is that they have the ability to overpower the settled majority, too. Perhaps this can be attributed to the kind of racism in the article. If these people were poor, there would be less of a reason to feel unsettled, right?
I think that while this article does seem somewhat racist, or at least, the people of Bellerose certainly seem to have racist views of the incoming South Asian immigrants. However, I believe that their anger is definitely not entirely based on racism, and their concerns certainly have some merit. I feel like most people would be upset if their hometown was suddenly changing drastically and having the place where they grew up suddenly become unfamiliar and strange. An entirely new and different culture occupying large portions of the place you live would definitely be a kind of culture shock, most likely especially in the case of the older citizens of the area, the ones who have lived there their entire lives. I am not trying to excuse the white population of Bellerose’s behavior towards the South Asian immigrants, because certainly they are acting in a racist manner towards them, but I think if they took race out of the equation completely, the feelings would be similar if not the same, just based on the changes taking place in their hometown. There is a flip side to this train of thought though. One could say the white residents of Bellerose are just hanging on to the past too much and refusing to accept the reality of the world around them. The fact that the Frozen Cup just wasn’t making money and was sitting on very valuable land is just a fact of business, and them trying to hold on to it because its part of their past, despite the fact that its just bad business keeping it there, is proof that their sentimental attitude is getting in the way of intelligent immigrants who are just trying to make a good living. Its not like Mr. Patel is doing anything wrong or illegal by buying the property and building a hotel on it, and in all likelyhood it will be more profitable and better for the area than the small old ice cream shop was. It’s a complex situation for sure, and I believe adding racial tension to the mix will only push the situation further in the direction that it doesn’t need to be going, that being people not listening to both sides of arguments with a logical and open mind, and possible conflict and violence. I am also not entirely sure how I feel about the last paragraph of the article. It almost seems as though racism is working there as well, in the opposite direction. Wanting to get one of their own in office so they can start completely changing things in their favor? That can definitely only serve to further increase the tension between sides of this issue.
Basically all people will never be happy. There will always be one group who thinks another has an advantage over them or one that actually does. White Americans complain about Affirmative Action, and leaving out whether or not it is in fact a good thing, many are quick to forget all of the difficult times throughout history that minorities have faced and continue to deal with to this day. Many are sick and tired of hearing about how blacks feel that they are still oppressed but at the same time how do these people think they feel? As much as they might hate hearing about it, how would they feel if they were actually living through it? I am probably too optimistic but I do believe there will be a day when all boundaries between races and ethnicities are broken down to the point where they are almost non-existent. I feel that we have come a long way but at the same time there are cases like the one described here that show we still have a long journey ahead of us. When you think about it, it is pretty absurd how some people find it so easy to disregard the beliefs and ideas of others different from themselves. Just because one group of people was in a certain location “first” does not mean that they are destined to remain there for all of eternity. If this were the case, the country we have formed today would not exist. “Our people” ripped the Native Americans from this land, and meanwhile now when we are faced with those of different backgrounds integrating into our neighborhoods we will not stand for it. Compromise is apparently not an option. There is no negotiating with some people who refuse to see the view points of others. The United States of America is supposed to be a place where all people can express their opinions without the fear of being oppressed. It is truly sad that no matter how fair some try to make the system, there are always those corrupt people that have to ruin it. You can find these people in all areas, and is especially scary when law enforcers fall into this category. It is a fact that minorities are still at a disadvantage even though they are protected by the same rights as white Americans and thus should be given the same respect and opportunity. However, there are instances when minorities rise above and become successful, only to be harassed and insulted by others that are unhappy with them. In an ideal world, people of varying skin colors, religions, and ethnicities should be able to live together in one neighborhood, sharing their different cultures with one another, but when will this day of peace ever come?
I agree that this is racist and the words and thoughts of the white members of the neighborhood are very un-American. These people are afraid of the changing face of their neighborhood and I think that it has been established that racism is pretty much fear. These group of white people are definitely afraid. They think that they are losing their culture and being forced out. That is not true. And to be frank, It’s a fricken ice cream stand. Really. If people are going to make a big fuss over an ice cream shack they need to find some better things to do. These are adults we are talking about. Now, my town had its own ice cream place and I love it. But if it was being replaced by something that is going to pump money into the local economy I think I’d give it up. I wouldn’t cry about all the memories, you don’t lose them if the place is demolished. They obviously don’t value it to much, because someone would have bought it back. Even though they think that these South Asians, are taking away American heritage they are actually embracing what our country is about. I don’t think that the average American citizen really understands what our country is about. I know it has been warped for so many years by war, politics, and our capitalistic image, but it is really pure and a beautiful idea. Our philosophy is for people to come here and make it their home. They can bring it what they want and leave behind what they want to forget. These Indians are doing just that. They are bringing what they love about their culture and leaving behind some of the poverty is India. They are making new happy lives for themselves and that is what our founding fathers wanted them to do. American culture isn’t fast-food, football, and sex. That is part of it and that is perfectly fine. We set the country up like that and that is what we want to do. We are free to do it. But to say it is the American way is wrong. What these Indians are doing is the American way as well. American culture should not have a definition. That is because we are set up to embrace all cultures. We are the proverbial stew. To stretch this metaphor out a little I will close with the following. People don’t ask you what kind of flavor is the stew or what kind is it. It is just stew. A little bit of everything, making one thing. We have a little bit of every culture to make our own. And American’s of every race need to understand that.
This article is nothing but hysterical! I look at this and have experienced it in so many ways which just makes me pity those who feel insecure. I am from the Indian Subcontinent and have relatives living in Queens. And from what I have heard, Queens is supposed to be the most diverse area in the world. Hence, why only the brown crowd? They should be scared and “racist” from the rest of the world, because they are taking over as well. Mr. Augugliaro is one of those who should realize that this is the rise of the rest – rest, from my point of view, are the races who have had to go through various unfortunates events. The funny part is that ages ago, his ancestors were the ones who moved in to Queens and “took over” or so-called “invaded” the area. This is pure karma – which means the way you do things and how you do it, would get back to you in some positive or negative way. This is when people like him are receiving their ancestors’ “bad” karma. I do not want to sound biased, but for real, Indians are not invading Queens but it is the most rational and economical decision for any average immigrant to locate, if in New York.
This statement “they are turning this into to a third-world country” makes me react with mixed emotions. I feel insulted, furious and pitiful towards such people who have no exposure towards seeing such diverse and multi-cultural people even though they live in New York. This is very racist and should respect all cultures and races for what they are and have done for the community. I could go on for what they have provided New York or America as a whole, but when it comes to Queens specifically I feel that being the world’s most diverse area should be one of those spots where people should visit, explore and cherish it as it embraces diversity. They will learn more about themselves and others because they would broaden their horizons. Racism is not going to be tolerated and should not be in the 21st century, especially in what we know as the “free land” country. America is one big melting pot – just as many people, white people, have entered decades ago, history repeats again but with more diverse cultures entering the country which should allow people to receive the opportunity to get out of their narrow minds.
In conclusion, people are stereotypical, judgmental and brainwashed – this is obviously not the right mindset to have due to the fact the world would expand into more of a diverse nation and thus, does not have time for such negativity.
In case you are wondering, the things that are mentioned in this article are racist. One thing that I truly hate is when white people say racist comment, or do racist acts and then try to deny the fact that they are racist. For example, in class there Sam showed us a video of two gentlemen acquiring about apartments, one man is black the other is white. Both men went to the same apartments and asked about the availability, but in every situation the black man was treated very poorly (poorly is not even the word for it), while the white man was treated very nicely. In some cases the white man was given a nice tour and spoken to really well or even given the keys so he can conduct his own tours. In the other hand the black man was spoken to very aggressively, some land lords even told him that they ran a very clean establishment which he was implying that the black man was some type of dirt ball. Then in another instant the owner told him that the place was already rented out when the white man just came and gave himself a tore all on his own. Then when they came back with the cameras the first thing he said was “we are not racist,” which I thought was a complete bull crap. This really piss me off, I hate when these white people do these obvious racist things and then claim “oh we are not racist,” One land lord even went to the extent saying that “one of them was just here” pure crap. I personally believe that this racism thing will never end, because the same people who are in the race relation class are the same people who are going to end up being racist or help their own kind.
The article made me even furious, white people are haters. They don’t want the see the South Asians move forward just because they say they come from a different country and they are trying to take over their town. They are upset because Some South Asians bough an ice cream place that they consider a landmark because it was on “Sex and the City” once and they believe if the South Asians build the hotel it will attract more prostitutes in the town. Plus they think they it would attract more South Asians to come in to the town and the hotel managers will only sell to their kind. Mr. Patel summed the whole thing up right, first he offered the place at a lower price than what they bought it for and say if anyone could buy it for that low price it’s theirs. He said something that I agreed with, he said “They feel we are coming from out of country,” he added, “and we move forward, and they don’t.” I purely hate racism, I see it every day and it should stop (but it never will.)
This is racism in case anyone is wondering.
During my first two years of high school I lived in Jackson Heights Queens. People from Bellerose Queens are experiencing the same things that people in Jackson Heights experienced with the new comers at some I never thought of this as a problem, perhaps I was very accustomed to the New York mosaic of cultures. I remember walking around Jackson Heights and 94th blvd, a lot of clothing stores were for Indian women. The bright colors of the garments often embroidered with golden stones, which I thought were gold, Asian restaurants and food markets belonged to South Asian people.
I disagree with the some of residents from Bellerose Queens. There was nothing wrong with my neighborhood of Jackson Heights. It is true that the better standing businesses were mostly own by South Asians, but it is not true that their store or business “It’s not the kind of store an American goes into.” And I know this from fact many of male clothing stores clothing were won by South Asians. My brother is not South Asian and he often went South Asian to get business attire for school events. This people are haters and they are just looking for an excuse to prevent different people from other culture to succeed. Like I said earlier South Asian and Asians in general have better businesses in the area. You will never see an Indian Asian selling “churros” (Latin American food, like doughnut stick) in Jackson Heights. One the reasons South Asian have more money and better businesses is that they don’t waste time being haters.
People from Bellerose aren’t seeing the big picture at all. Isn’t obvious that a hotel would bring revenues to their community and I mean a lot more than a stupid deteriorating ice-cream stand, is not like there selling Penn State ice-cream. Seriously, these xenophobes are making fools of themselves. I would think differently if what was going to be demolished was a national park were a lot of in danger species lived. Who is going to remember this place a few years from now anyway? The funny thing is how they refer to this ice-cream stand as a “temple of salvation” or glorious place of extraordinary memories as if the can get sympathy from leaders in the community who are going to prevent bigger and better business from growing.
Not many of us will ever understand how stop people from thinking and acting this way. Racism can take any group of people to nowhere land. If everyone were this divided and didn’t think beyond races and skin colors, where would we be right now? I still trying to figure out when will people stop and realize that if cultures and different people aren’t united, the chaos and destruction will stop. Why is it that even in the most diverse cities/state on the planet we see this happening? One would think that New York is the least divided place on earth, however because it is the most diverse it is most divided.
I cannot believe that things like this still occur in our world today. Actually, on second thought, I can believe it, but it makes me extremely sad. What is almost ironic is the fact that this takes place in New York – Queens – one of the most diversified places within the United States. This country was founded on diversity. When people refer to our country as a “melting pot,” they are describing us quite accurately. And even today, we see people turning on this very fundamental idea. White people are not anymore “American” than their Indian counterparts. And this is because the term “American” is so ambiguous. How one can discriminate based on a lack of being “American” is beyond me.
Of course, I would be upset if a childhood icon were being torn down in my neighborhood. Change is hard (in certain ways) for everyone, and it can oftentimes be painful. But to blame this change on one family and then attribute this to their entire race is wrong. It only shows that people can be extremely self centered, especially when it comes to resistance at experiencing change. What makes this worse is that the neighborhood alone is already diverse (in a way). There are different people groups incorporated into this neighborhood – French, Irish, Germans, etc. The fact that one’s skin color can still determine whether they are seen negatively in a community is horrifying. In a day and age such as this, one would think that people are not still the bigoted and ignorant, but they are.
I was struck by the fact that the proprietors of the Days Inn made kind and positive remarks about the neighborhood – they like it. If I were them, I probably would not have many positive things to say about my neighbors, due to the remarks that they had given to me and my family. They aren’t changing everything about the community, and in fact their business will probably benefit the community in which they live. They say that their main concern is the well-being of the community, but this cannot be true. If they were really concerned about the well-being of the ENTIRE community, they would be examining themselves as well. The community is not only the newcomers, but those who have been there and have the “right” to keep things the way that they wish. However, no one likes to admit that they are the ones that need to change something about them.
Unfortunately, the more diverse that a neighborhood or community becomes the more susceptible it is to racial tension. I wonder that there is much we can do to change this at all. Extreme differences in culture and race often provoke these things in people. That does not excuse the people of Bellrose’s behavior at all, in my opinion, but it certainly gives a bit of a reason for these abhorrent occurrences.
I thought this article was really interesting because of the direct quotations. Almost all of the quotes in this story were laughable. A lot of what Sam has said about King of the Mountain popped into my head when I was reading this. Most people, in their own neighborhoods, not necessarily specific to Queens, like the way things are. They approve of their neighbors and when there is a noticeable difference in their bubble, they get excited. It seems to me that the people in Queens are doing just this. Everyone is pointing fingers at one another whether it’s bringing in the prostitutes or bringing in the turban wearers. When I read the comment about the area becoming a “third world country,” I was reminded of a certain happening from my high school. I live in one of the richest counties in the country—Fairfax, Virginia. Not only that, but the public high school that I went to was ranked one of the best in the country, and it seemed that every student there was a 4.0, avid athletic, community-serving go-getter. I came from a different sort of elementary school, with tons of racial diversity and my best friends consisting of three Honduran boys who lived up the street. When I walked through the halls of my high school and saw one of the eight black kids, I could hear people say things like “Oh my gosh, it is soooo ghetto here.” Realllly? Ghetto? In Fairfax, Virginia, one of the richest places in the country? No, just as my high school was not ghetto, Queens is probably not a third world country. People do not always understand the magnitude of their words. Even if this person really believed what he was saying, clearly he has no idea what a third world country is like. Like I’ve said in almost every single one of my blogs, PEOPLE ARE IGNORANT. And they believe ignorance is bliss. Why expand your mind to other worlds and cultures if you are content with your safe little world? It is easy to fear the unknown, so people lock up and close down. They neglect to care about knowing. The only acceptable aspect of this story is that people were sad about The Frozen Cup joint closing down. It’s a historical landmark, and it probably had damn good ice cream.
After reading the last sentence in this article, I didn’t know what to say. It seemed a little unusual to me to think about one day having a president who has a “graying beard, a pointy mustache, and a red turban.” I can understand how there is definitely racism coming from the residents of Queens, although one thing about the last paragraph makes me a little frustrated. It shows that Mr. Singh says, “ ‘You know…one of my people said to me…Here comes our Obama.’ ” What really sticks out to me in this sentence is how he says one of MY people. What exactly is that supposed to mean? To me, I don’t like how he only refers to people of his decent or religion as HIS people. It just doesn’t settle right with me. It seems negative, distant, and intimidating for some reason. Besides this fact, the article definitely portrays a sense of racism. My definition of racism is a negative ideology based on stereotypes in a social hierarchy based on race. One major stereotype portrayed in this article about South Asian’s is clearly expressed by Mr. Augugliaro and his wife. It states, “The couple later recalled a morning years ago when they saw an old man in an orange turban walking on the sidewalk with a curved sword slung from his waist like the one they remembered from the Ali Baba cartoons… The couple laughed as they recalled the scene.” The fact that they were laughing about this instance thinking that it was funny to look at follows my exact definition of racism. Their negative ideology towards the Sikh man and his culture is blatant racism. On the other hand, I find it interesting that after loads of protests and complaints after hearing the Frozen Cup was going to be shut down, no one in the town even wanted to buy it out. Mr. Patel offered it for $100,000 less than he bought it for, and he would therefore be losing that money if it were bought out; however, still no one wanted it. I could understand that not many people possess that kind of money, but I’m not sure how they were expecting to keep the Frozen Cup in business. In reality, I think this protest wasn’t really about the ice cream stand, but more about the race of the people who bought it out. Using the argument that the residents are scared prostitutes may live in the hotel seems absurd. What does that have to do with anything? There is definitely and underlying point in all of it. Overall, many of the arguments made against the closing down of the Frozen Cup were blatantly racist, and the residents as well as others in America need to be more open to other cultures. In fact at one point in time, we as Americans were that other culture.
I think its unfair for the American people to say that the Asian Indians are or have taken over Queens the New York neighborhood. The term what goes around comes around is very well applicable here since before America was discovered by Columbus the Indian’s resided on this land. After Columbus and his companions came ashore they decided to kick them out anyway possible. And now we live in the America that was taken by force from other cultural people.
In a way the American’s still do feel some guilt in this matter as the Indian’s don’t have to pay taxes given they can prove their heritage or even the Indian casinos allows over 18 or some 19 year old people to gamble. So given all this why would the U.S. government do all these things just for a certain group? Won’t it be unfair to the rest of the people of the states that only the Indian’s who lived here before them get these “special” laws? But no ones asks why? It’s because deep down they do feel that the have done something wrong.
Though the Asian Indian’s now mostly live in the Queen’s I don’t think it is nice to say that they have take over. American gives everyone a dream. The American dream that anything is possible. Everyone from Asia at least comes to America to attain this dream, whether its by driving a cab or just having a corporate job. I do understand where these feelings in the American community might be coming from but it is not right. Everyone has free will and can live anywhere they want. It is not right to act in such an immature manner. When someone comes to a foreign country they want someone from their country to guide them or to make them keep feeling good since they have come half way around the world.
Atlanta, GA is believed to have a lot of black people. Initially when America was formed there were white people while having black’s as slaves. Now the problem is that the black’s were freed and they all scattered everywhere. Some probably came to Georgia even. Now its unfair to say to them that, hey look we don’t like you coming in out community cause you are taking over the neighborhood, so get out! It’s not fair cause what if America was discovered by black people and whites were slaves. Lets turn the tables here. No one thinks this way. It is only when we put ourselves in another persons shoes that we come to know that how it feels to be separated. This is ethnocentrism that our way of living is the best and we want it to remain this way. For once people should think about others then just themselves. Unfortunate it is not a well-practiced exercise.
Yes this is an issue of racism. First of all the towns people of Bellerose are completely wrong if they think just because their home is located some where or because their family moved in a certain neighborhood (however many years ago) that they can make all the decisions of that particular neighborhood. Who gave them the false authority to feel the need to know about every new establishment built or home sold? I understand they are looking for that old school town feeling but in today’s age in a lot of towns classic diners and other hang outs are being torn down. Now if they are being torn down by Asian Indians, like in Bellerose I do not know. Does it matter?
Should it matter? No, it shouldn’t and that is exactly why this uproar is a matter of racism. I am sure that if some other white people were building on the land or if fellow whites were moving into those homes it would not be as big of an issue. It is funny how certain people in certain neighborhoods feel that “they” other races are moving in and taking over. This is not the first time I have heard this racist expression. In Philadelphia you hear things like this often. Certain parts of the city are separated by race. In southwest you have the Africans, in North you have a mixture of Spanish people and blacks, in south you have blacks and Italians, and in northeast you have more whites then blacks. At one point in time I am quite sure that different people lived in these neighborhoods and “others” started to move in. Where I live in the suburbs of the city more and more blacks are moving out the city and into my neighborhood. Me being black, I do not have a problem with it but I know my white neighbors are not happy. Over the years there have also been a number of Asian Indian Americans that have moved into my neighborhood. At my graduation the last name Patel was the longest list of names called. My sister married and had a baby with an Indian American man and my niece’s last name is Patel. The fact of the matter is that other races are going to move wherever they wish and no one can control or regulate who moves where. It is discrimination and wrong. If you want to move into somewhere where everyone looks like you move into a gated community and stop complaining.
I agree with Mr. Patel when he says they are jealous. I know that is not the right way to think about it but it is very true. The people of Bellerose are probably thinking that the Asian Indians are not supposed to be the ones making all the money and expanding their finances. It has nothing to do with what they believe the outcome of the new hotel will be but instead the people who are making it come about. That is racism.
Immediately, when it comes to this issue about new people moving into a neighborhood in New York city and such, I strictly remember a conversation I had with my father while in the city. We were talking about his older times when he was growing up and such and it was about how some neighborhoods became good and others bad. We base this upon the measure of income and stability of the community as a whole. He told me about how in some apartment complexes, to purposely drive down the area's value, they'd introduce a renter who would be a bad influence on the community. This bad influence usually involves drugs and more often than not a black male. This makes me feel horrible, and really seems to tie into the reading of "Disposable People", because it really displays people just based on their income rather than on their character or what they really have to offer to the world, and to me, it's a shame. That, to me, is pure racism but it's also a birth of new stereotypes. I think that because of instances like these that people, black males in specific, are given such a hard time when they want to rent an apartment or get a loan on a house. He'd tell me about how it was difficult for himself growing up at times because he lived in the early 70's on his own, when this sort of reverse gentrification would begin. He believed that it wasn't because of the people's color that caused a problem. No. He believed that it was because of the people trying to buy the land and introducing these horrible stereotypes and problems into the area that caused the problems we see today. As a matter of fact, around the area that is Yankee Stadium as a whole, on game days, it's a very lively area. It's filled with scents and people trying to scalp tickets, and it's a really great environment. And yet, when the game is over, around midnight, supposedly it's among one of the most gang ridden areas in the city and one of the most polluted in forms of crime. Honestly, when it comes to stereotypes being thrown about in areas like this in communities where they can really morph from on into the other, the light versus the dark of the cities. It's not because of a group as a whole causing problems, no, it's because people are so obsessed with money and the value of property as opposed to the character a person can really contribute to where they live. It's really a shame.
I found this article to be very appalling and ridiculous. It is very clear that these people do not really have a problem with the ice cream parlor or the new hotel. Rather it is the change that is rattling them as expressed in the quote “You’re changing our whole way of life, our whole neighborhood”. Yet, what exactly is their way of life that is being so disrupted. How have these people really done anything other than be from a different country. If the person trying to buy the Queens ice cream place had not been from South Asia there probably would not have been such uproar. This is really shown when Mr. Patel offers to sell it and no one takes him up on his offer. Places shut down and towns change it is just part of the natural process. Even more importantly, Mr. Patel has been in New York since 1981 and is much a resident of that New York as any white person. In fact, it does not really matter if he had just moved there he is still entitled to buy any properly he wants. It is also very clear that he has worked hard in his life to work his way up.
I agree with the statement that these people appear to be racist. I mean one man even had the nerve to say “They’re renting their rooms to people from their country” and another man, Mr. Augugliaro said “They’re turning the neighborhood into a third-world country”. Not only is there no indication of this but it is just plain racist. He is clearly categorizing and discriminating against the South Asian residents for no good reason. It is almost confusing and contradictory that he turns around and says he is not racist and race has nothing to do with it. If race has nothing to do with it then why is he classifying the neighborhood people as a third-world country? I think race has everything to do with it. The people need to stop and realize that they are no better or different. The United States is made up of all different races and cultures of people who have immigrated here at one time. If history is traced back pretty much all U.S. citizens have ancestors who immigrated here such as from England, Ireland, or Germany. In reality, that is what makes this country what it is there is no one culture or race that is its real foundation. People come here for new opportunities and become part of the country. There are all different cultures and types of people.
The impression that I get when reading this article is that people who have lived in Queens are hesitant and are possibly afraid of change. From the article some of the people from the interview insist it is not because they are “racist.” However, this is hard to believe considering that some of the residents believe that the new hotel being built will be used by prostitutes and corrupt their society. It seems these residents are hiding behind their fear of a different race and culture coming into the neighborhood. They probably do not know much about the culture and are afraid. They are using the Queen’s Ice cream Stand as a front. They are not really upset about the ice cream. They are upset about a different race moving in.
By reading some the statements the one couple, Mr. and Ms. Augugliaro say it seems clear they do not one these people moving in because of their race. Mr. Augugliaro even states, “I’m not a racist.” I feel if you have to say that you are not a racist it would convince me otherwise that you were. If you’re not a racist you should not have to say you’re not. Also, I don’t understand how their example of running into a Sikh on the street and recalling that he reminded them of the Ali Baba cartoon is a good example of “race not having anything to do with it.”
Furthermore when Mr. Augugliaro stated, “They’re turning the neighborhood into a third-world country” was ridiculous. He goes on to say, basically that the South Asians are crowding “their” neighborhood with “their” new culture. This includes some of their grocery stores or street vendors. However, is that not what America is? A melting pot of different cultures. They should just try to embrace the differences and learn more about the other culture before they put up walls. After all, in the article it mentioned that the neighborhood was made of people who have came from places such as Germany, Ireland, and Italy. They’re people moved to US with different cultures and different ways. It does not seem like they have a right to be upset with new people moving in with different ideas. Also, Mr. Patel has worked his way up in the world. The people in the neighborhood should be respectful to him and not laugh at what he is wearing. They should personally know and understand how hard it is to work your way up in this country. Also, they should not judge him by what he wears. It seems that he is a knowledgeable businessman.
It seems the younger man, John is happy with the neighborhood and the change does not scare or bother him. Perhaps this is because he is a younger generation and more accepting of different races.
What I do not understand is how people can be so insensitive and so vile as to forget their own history and completely disregard the rights of others. It’s unfounded and its blatant racism on the fact that there is nothing to base it off of. Plus, there is no reason for them to put unfounded blame on people who have done nothing bad, but come here and who wish to contribute to the community as another part of America’s melting pot. It seems so ironic that these same people took land from others, and then were immigrants who arrived in the same fashion as these people. How could you justify yourself when you have no evidence of them being worse people than you? Plus, they came here to work hard. What is wrong with strong work ethic, and a will to better yourself? Isn’t that the American dream?
I love how the Indian Americans just took it instride and ignored those people. It shows who the better people. Why do these people show blatant prejudice towards them? Maybe, it’s the fact that they have to fear change, and they fear people who they do not truly know. What other possible things could there be rather than an unknown thing such as this? If Americans are to truly be American than we must understand that we have to accept and incorpate these foreigners into our society, or face the fact that we are just hypocrites ourselves.
The Irish and the germans faced the same persecutions and yet they came out to be the same people who persecute others back. We simply do not learn from our history and we simply do not understand the purpose of what the flag and statue of liberty stand for. If we are truly hypocrites how are we any better than these other people aand what can we truly aspire to be.
There are many pros and cons to this type of situation. One I could tell the people of this neighborhood to just move out. If they don’t like the type of people that’s moving in then go. Nobody is making them stay. But then again what is wrong with diversity. If the Asians like this part of town then what is the problem with it. They are entitled to the same rights as the people who were already living there so what’s the problem. In situations like these I feel like we’re taking steps back to history. Like for example when white people didn’t like it when blacks were moving in they made a big fuss, it’s like its happening all over again. It’s a matter of accepting people for who they are no matter their culture.
It’s funny how the community it quick to complain about all the businesses that are going out of business but I bet they never stopped to think why. How much support were these stores getting from the community? If it was so important why is it that they could not stay open? This is different from the Asians that are moving in. Not to be excluding the whites; but they are opening shops were they are able to actually sell items and make a profit. No it might not be something everybody can use but their people do and where else do you want them to go and find their food or other items. Why open up stores further away when you have the ability to do it right in your neighborhood.
I understand the people want to protest but why an ice-cream shop? Is it going to better them somehow. What is so important about this shop that they feel the need to want to save it so much? It was a business. Businesses come and they go. It was this shops time to go. Who is to say how long this day’s inn will last? Who is to say it won’t improve the neighborhood and possibly bring more businesses? And since the people of the neighborhood have such problems with the stores opening up by the Asians with people coming to the hotel they will have all types customers so they can open up their own stores if they like.
Ok so the controversy is over the fact that its bringing bad publicity, maybe, to they neighborhood. But did they not boast about how well it was at first. How is a hotel going to bring down its standards? They are so mad about losing the ice cream shop and I don’t see why. If I already closed down there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Did they really expect the town to leave an abandoned building? Did they expect nobody to want to buy it? And if they’re so mad about it then why did they not try and save it or buy it out themselves and turn it into something they wanted?
There is nothing any one of those people can say that would show they are not being racist. Racism by definition means the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races. Yet the one man in the article is still quick to say how he is not a racist and it has nothing to do with race. I don’t see how it’s about anything but race in this situation. The community seems to hate everything in their neighborhood that represents the presence of these South Asian people. They feel as if they’ve been “taken over” which makes absolutely no logical sense. It is a neighborhood, they are citizens of the United States, they want to live in that location – that’s all there is to it. The white Americans of the area do not own the neighborhood and it is not their choice on who gets to live near them.
It’s so sad to think that different people really can’t live together in peace still. When will the day come that we don’t care whether our next door neighbor wears a turban or has brown skin, or looks different from us in anyway? When will we stop disliking people who are trying to get ahead in the world?
These men who are setting up the hotels have the ambition to make money to support their families and themselves. Yes, the residents of the neighborhood were willing to fight for the ice cream shop, but when it came down to it, no one wanted to be the one to run it for the next 10 years to keep it on its feet. So did these people really care about the fact that the ice cream shop was still open and a part of their community or was it just the fact that a South Asian person was going to start their own respectable business there? Patel was generous enough to offer the ice cream shop back to the people for 100,000 dollars less than he got it for. That’s right. He would basically be paying for the ice cream place to stay in business for the people of his neighborhood, but no one took the offer.
Why does it matter to us what kind of people move in to our neighborhoods? If the people are good, respectable people, how is this “contaminating” our neighborhoods? They are just fellow human beings who we could probably learn a thing or two from.
I don’t know if there really is any cure for this racism that is instilled in so many. No matter how much evidence is given that these people truly are the same as anyone else, people still don’t get it.
I wish I could say I knew some day it would all be over and we would live as one, but that is an impossible statement to back up when articles like this appear in the media.
This article disgusts me. People can be so rude and obnoxious. These people are obviously racists and they don’t want to admit it. It is annoying when people claim that another race is “taking over.” I mean seriously, those people in the article are legal immigrants working and striving for the same advantages we Americans strive for everyday. I don’t understand how people can be no stubborn and have no open mind.
I understand the whole thing about closing down a place that’s been there for years. In my old small town, near where my grandma lives now, there is this broken down gas station that no one in the town wants to get rid of. So many people have tried to buy the land but the owner will not sell it. It brings life to the town in some ways. I mean my grandma used to go there when she was a little kid. She has many memories of the old gas station. My grandma and I had a talk about why she doesn’t think it should ever be torn down. She said if it was she would feel bad. She said it would be like it never existed. She likes driving by it everyday on her way to work because it reminds her of her childhood.
But this story has no say in how racist the people are in the article. I mean these people are using race and ethnicity to describe people but then they say their not racist. For example, “They don’t want to look like Americans, they don’t want to dress like Americans, and they don’t want to speak English.” How can people be judged on their appearance? This seriously pisses me off when people act so immature, especially adults. I think that nowadays our younger generation is more accepting to race than the older generation. I mean like Sam talks about everyone’s “racist uncle.” I don’t have a racist uncle but I understand where he is coming from when he talks about this. It just irritates me how judgmental people are because peoples outer appearances.
I have racist friends. I think everyone does, but that doesn’t mean you can speak your opinion. It I lived in Bellerose, Queens right now, I would speak about how all the people are acting completely obnoxious. I would call them out on being racist. Does it really matter what color your skin is, or where you are from? NO! What does matter is that everyone is given a chance to live a good life in America. Some people have it harder because of their race, but that’s stupid. Like Sam was saying in class, some people start ahead of the starting line because of money or the color of their skin. That statement opened my eyes. I really didn’t realize it until he said it. I just wish people could be more open minded. It would make America a much better place.
It's so remarkable how history finds a way of repeating itself so exactly!!
Asians, I feel, are today one of the most scrutinized groups and perhaps the most openly hated. Whites don't feel PHYSICALLY threatened by these people who they see as inept and bearing silly accents. At the same time, they often prove savvy, educated and profoundly capable of success. That I suppose is threatening.
In any event, aside from Latinos, I find Asians most commonly accused of "not assimilating," and not "speaking the language" (English).
The Chinese, for example, are seen as an imponderable, inexplicably cloistered annoyance, people who simply will not integrate. Chinese who have been here for decades, even centuries, suffer from this prejudice, as many are assumed to be some damn, dirty immigrant before they've the chance to open their mouths.
The fact is, more often than not, the Chinese, and other Asians (including South Asians), are integrating, and are many (at least half) are meeting with great success. They're taking on the high end jobs that many white Americans from recent generations are simply not qualified for, having come from a cultural condition of spoiled complacency and reduced effort. In point of fact, they are your doctors, your professors, your bankers, etc. Is this not integration? Or is it the success that is truly feared/hated?
What's so ironic is that the whites who are quick to accuse are, by and large, likely to have descended from European immigrant populations who came under the same (if not worse) scrutiny. The Irish and the Italians, for instance, were thoroughly despised and spat upon. The same accusations were thrown at them. "They won't integrate" or "they won't fucking speak English!" What do you do when faced with such hostility? Segregated communities naturally formed, as people of a certain ethnic background came together for support. Little Italy is analogue for China Town.
Immigrants coming through Ellis Island were subject to a eugenic inquisition of sorts. They were sorted and shipped according to similar pseudo-scientific that the Nazis would espouse. My great grandfather was sorted according to the theory that Swedes were big and strong and thus suited for tough manual labor. He was just a violin maker, and soon died in the coal mine. When alive he lived around other Swedes in a Dubois neighborhood.
Besides, what would you do when faced with language barriers and the exhaustion of trying to integrate and learn on the spot? Don't you sometimes find it refreshing to speak the lingo with others of the same major or field of study as yourself? When speaking with outsiders, it's always an exhausting matter of explaining and re-explaining every little thing. How many of you have hung out with other Americans while abroad, or at least other English speakers?
History repeats itself. Perhaps the descendants of Euro immigrants have "earned the right" to this land, be it stolen. Perhaps after enduring what their wave of discrimination, they've earned to right to berate new waves of immigrants. I doubt that. Look to your own past for empathy.
Consider this passage from Sam's power point on the sociology of race:
"greater power comes from greater assimilation to the majority group."
If Asians were not assimilating, if they really were stubborn and cloistered, then why would at least half of them be rich enough to drive the national family income statistic so high as to actually be above that for whites?
The views of the people of Bellerose are definitely racist. These peoples’ views of the incoming South Asian immigrants is obviously racism, but I do think that some of their anger is not completely based on racism. Some of the concerns that the people of Bellerose have definitely deserve being looked at and examined in a different light than racism. I think that if the place where I grew up and lived started to drastically change, that I may have some concerns of my own. If where I was used to living started to become unfamiliar to me, I would probably start to get a little worried, if I wasn’t happy with the changes. The South Asians that are moving in, in large numbers, could easily cause some culture shock for the people that grew up there all their lives; especially the elderly. Although this shock could explain some of the reactions of the people of Bellerose, it of course does not entirely excuse their actions towards the South Asian immigrants. The people of Bellerose are definitely acting in a very racist manner, but race may not be the only reason behind their reaction. For example, say a bunch of French moved into the neighborhood and started changing all the ways things were around the town. I think that the people of Bellerose would have a very similar reaction to people from a completely different culture, even if they are of the same race as the people of Bellerose. There is, of course, another side to this argument. One could say that the people of Bellerose are caught in the past and refusing to come to terms with the way society can be today. The fact that the people of Bellerose are so desperately to hold onto the Frozen Cup because of its, almost historical, value is complete proof that their attitude towards the situation is in the way of immigrants that are trying to make a life and a good living for themselves. In fact, Mr. Patel buying the land and then building a hotel on the land, would more than likely be a much more profitable and economically beneficial move than keeping some dinky, old ice cream shop there. However, since there is race involved in this situation, it automatically becomes much more complex. Because this is a racial situation, it is going to keep adding to the tension between the races, instead of both sides just coming together and having a logical discussion of the pros and cons of keep the Frozen Cup or getting rid of it. The final paragraph of the article peaked my interest. I feel that the fact that they are trying to get one of their own people in office, so that they can start making drastic changes to the area to help themselves may be a little racist itself.
After reading this article, I feel really mad because those people in the article are so racist even though they say they are not. I’m also surprise because they all live in Queens which is a very diverse place in the US. I mean we heard the news about the racist small town all the time, but this is actually happened in the city. The thing that bothers me the most is when they said about hotel being used as a prostitutes’ house. I can’t believe anyone will actually think that unless they have evident to prove or something weird about the place. Having an Indian or Asian developer does not mean that they will use it for prostitution. Just think about this, if a hotel (owned by white people) is building in the neighborhood will anyone think it might turn to prostitutes’ house? This is absolutely ridiculous. The other thing about the article is that people are sad that they are closing down the ice cream shop. Well, I can understand how they feel when it symbolized and mean so much to the neighborhood. But as the article goes on, the topic is changed to immigrants are moving to the neighborhood. I just don’t see anything wrong with it. I know there are culture differences such as food, religious practice, clothes etc. but is that necessary mean bad thing? I am a minority and used to live in the town where there is little diversity. A lot of people wish that they have more diversity because they want to experience different culture and learn from people. The people from the article are very close-minded. This is sad that they don’t even realized what they are doing or even talking about in article is very racist. First of all, they are not even the first one who lived there, how can they claim the neighborhood to be theirs? I think everyone has a right to live wherever they want to. I don’t even know why all of the sudden, the article about closing down the ice-cream shop has to do with Indian people are moving in to this town. By reading more and more articles about race in this class, makes me realized how big race issue is in the states. People just don’t talk about it but they actually do what I called racism. As long as we still referred to people by the color of the skin rather than personality, race will still be an issue. I just hope that someday we can all live peacefully. This article makes me think of the old day when we still have segregation, we have come so far and I hope we will keep moving forward in a good direction.
Marlon Chopra
Reading that article made me hungry, I am not going to lie. All the talk of roti and dhal made me homesick for some of my mom’s cooking. I guess you could say I am a South Asian American. I just say I am Indian, even though I am not fully Indian. My father was born in India and left when he was in his late teens. My mother was born in Guyana and left in her late teens as well. They originally came to Canada, where I was born. They left Canada for good when I was around three years old. They came to the United States to create a better life for them and to set up a good life for their children. You could say they were chasing the American dream when they left our nice, normal life in Canada. Chasing the American dream is what the South Asian immigrants of Bellerose, Queens are doing.
I have quite a bit of family that lives in Queens. I go there every now and again, but I am not very close with them. I have family in Jamaica and Liberty, Queens. I have some family elsewhere in Queens, but I forgot where; see I am not that close with them. I can vouch for the fact that there are a lot of South Asians and West Indians in Queens, I mean a lot. Some parts are 100% dominated by South Asians and West Indians. There are markets and stores. Lots of random businesses too, but it is mainly markets and goods store. When they mentioned the galub jamun (they spelt it wrong), it made my mouth water. Galub jamun is a type of sugary ball. It is drenched in caramelized sugar and is delicious served warm, you can eat it cold too, but it is much better warmed, trust me. Sorry, I went off on a food tangent there.
I can definitely see where the residents of Bellerose are coming from. They feel their way of life is being stripped away and they cannot do anything about it. They need someone to blame for this, so they chose the people whom are moving in. You could compare this to the Mexican Immigration, but I think it is starkly different. The people of Bellerose do not have money to keep their way of life the way it is. They are mad that people with money are coming in a changing it. I see it boiling down to that the people of Bellerose are jealous that they don’t have the same money some of the “new comers” have. They are jealous that they cannot just come in, buy an establishment and make it the way they want it. This has been going on for many, many years. Where new people suddenly shift into a community and the people that have been there reject them. Some people could reject them purely on race and skin colour, but I feel it is more jealousy than anything.
When I moved into my neighborhood as a kid, we did not see too much opposition. I think it was only small opposition because it was only us. We were and still are the only Indian family there. We did not carry in other people with us, it was just us. Because of that, few saw us as a threat to their way of live. It probably helped that were are not super traditional Indians. We don’t blast Indian music and smell of spices, so we blend somewhat well.
In case you were wondering, I am an American citizen now. After September 11th, my parents decided we had to become American citizens. They were afraid of what the future held and what could happen to us if something were to go wrong.
This article did not offend me in any way. This sort of thing happens and just like the Indian men profiled in the article, they are just keeping on with their lives. You can’t let some opposition stop you, or else you would not get anywhere in life.
The first two things that come to mind when I read that article are racism and fear of change. But I think the two generally do go hand in hand in cases like this. People fear change because it is different than what they are used to. I think a good point was made in the blog entry, 80 years ago, or even more recently, the families of these people that are now complaining, were the new people on the block just a few generations ago.
I know for example, that my grandmother will tell you how she had to leave the Bronx because the neighborhood was changing. It was no longer a place where she wanted to raise her children. Her family had been there for a few generations and she did not like the direction the place was headed. Would I say that my grandmother is racist? Maybe by this account. Otherwise you would never guess that. But I think it may be more acceptable for older people. You can’t be mad at an old person for their views, because chances are they are just becoming senile. Would call herself racist? No. She would say that she was just making the right choices for her family. I for one am grateful that she picked up her kids and moved out to long island. It gave her children a better chance to have a better education. Her children are all success stories. One became a doctor, one got her masters degree, and the other is a very successful CPA. If she had not moved I doubt those children would be where they are today. I am thankful that she moved because it gave me a foot up. Because my mother was afforded the possibility of a good education I was then given a better starting off point.
I got off point there, but all I was trying to say is that places change. They evolve. No one owns the right who can say who can live somewhere. If you don’t like what is going on in your neighborhood, as sad as it may be, you are free to leave and find a place that is a better fit for you. Now if my favorite ice cream shop got closed to build a cheap hotel, I’d be pretty pissed. But the statement that the other people are just jealous of the success of the new group seemed kind of out of place. I do not believe that this is the case. I really do not think that success has anything to do with it. I know in my hometown they wanted to build a Hilton Garden Inn, in an unused lot. And people were very upset. They had to go through a lot of trouble to get that place built. I think people just do not like things to change, and they will do anything to stop it.
First of all, I am glad that finally we have a blog about something other than black vs. white racism. There are so many other racial issues going on in the world that are just as important, and need to be discussed.
In reading the article as well as the blog entry, I was very appalled when I read some of the comments mentioned about Asians and Indians who live in the United States. One part in the article “The Great Divide,” explains how one man and his friend felt about these new immigrants. Franco states, “It’s not the kind of store an American goes into, ” in describing South Asian grocery stores that had recently opened up in new York. Wow. Did he really just say that? How does he know that Americans don’t go to stores like that? I go to many different types of ethnic grocery stores, and I am an American—a Native American at that! That statement was absolutely uncalled for. He is sitting there talking down upon anyone who wants to come to America. And their only reason is to “bring their country here,” and to take away what we are used to. Frankly, our culture is mainly built off of bits and pieces of other cultures. Besides, the Asians and Indians who live there in New York even felt that everyone got along quite well. Why is it that they feel like everything is good, and everyone else has the problem?
In one of the interviews with John Dolan, I was a bit confused. Why was the part about calling the pay phone included in the article? Was that to imply that the girls answering the phones were prostitutes, because then that would back up the argument about how the hotel will mainly be used by prostitutes? However, it seemed so out of place and had no real reasoning behind it.
The last line of the article also made me a bit concerned. The statement about “here comes our Obama” made it seem as if Barack is one of theirs and will be representing their people and no one else. It made it seem as if the Asian Indians feel that now that he is president and his name is from their ancestry, they now rule the world.
I completely agree with Sam in how this article is difficult to make sense of. It is hard to figure out how these interviews are a good representation of how Americans feel about the Asian Indians who are “taking over.” Truthfully, it could even be biased since the people who were interviewed were not very reliable people. Many of the people who were talking had some form of alcohol in their system. Now I honestly do not think that we can make judgments based on that. That would be making fools of us, no more than those who spoke in the article.
After reading this article, I believe this is absolutely racism, by far! The people in this town act like their race is more important than others. I highly disagree with this. As much as these residents would say they are not racist, they are only fooling themselves. It’s funny to read this article because just yesterday in my other sociology class, that also involves race and ethnicity, we watched a movie about segregation. This movie was about families who live in the suburbs of Chicago. This neighborhood was mainly white upper class families but then as time went by higher class black families would move in. One of the black families that moved in drove a Porsche and both parents were attorneys. So obviously they are a well educated family. So as more black families moved into this community, the white families began to move out. NBC News did an interview with the white families who were moving out and when asked why they moved they would not flat out say it was because of the black families but they beat around the bush. It was beyond obvious that they were racist. Some of the white families said they did not feel safe with these families living there. That’s a stereotype they had about blacks, that crime follows them. Also, they said that since blacks are moving into the community the education at the public schools would not be as good. So these white families kept making excuses and some even went to say that the crime rate increased and test scores decreased. NBC interviewed the police department and none of that was true. The crime rates have been the same for years. After reading this article it reminded me of that NBC interview. Both angered me. It really irritates me that certain negative stereotypes are always associated with certain races. Why are blacks always associated with crime? I have black neighbors and then I have white neighbors and the black neighbors are ten times better than the whites. I just don’t understand why we live in a society that is so judgmental. Now I am just rambling on but the subject of racism really just angers me! We just live in such a segregated world. If you think about it, there are predominately white neighborhoods and then there are many black neighborhoods. Same goes for Latinos and Asians.
Anyways, I think this is kind of the same situation here. These families are racist and won’t admit it. They just do not feel comfortable with other races and ethnicities moving into their neighborhood. Honestly, I think that is pathetic. We live in a world with so many different kinds of people and hopefully one day we can all live in a world with no racism.
Racism in Bellerose
I truly do think that the perspectives of those in this particular neighborhood are “racist,” and I think that in most cases it is played out as a migration factor so that may it doesn’t come off as negative. However, judging by what the community people have said about immigrants and the way they are taking over, makes it seem like an involuntary imperialist, when in actual fact, they are purchasing land just as people do all the time. And its also hard to say, no they’re race doesn’t matter, because in actual fact, every time you step outside your door, race matters!
A lot of times, I think I get frustrated when people say that foreigners are the problem and they never stop to realize that the problem is the nationalist attitude that is obviously embedded in their minds. Looking around, I can remember my father said a comment once about my neighborhood and those of Caribbean decent moving in (particularly from Haiti). He said “look at all these coconuts taking over our neighborhood.” I don’t quite know whether or not he remembers saying that in my presence, but I think it did resonate with me. In American culture we preach about how we’re a melting pot, and anyone is welcome in this land, but in actual fact I think we have hidden exceptions to that statement. Like, come lay down your burdens, but not TOO much, because we don’t want them, or all are welcome, as long as you don’t touch our stuff, take our land, work harder to get OUR jobs, or pretend like your actually one of us, because you’re not and we know you’re NOT.
Now does that seem like equality to you? Does that seem like justice for all, because in the midst of things, keep in mind that equality is only as equal as we want it to be. For example, I’m sure we all played that childhood game by which the line goes “one for you, two for me.” To us, this seems like just a song, but to me, it shows that not only are we taught inequality in early childhood, but clearly it carries throughout our lives.
This begs the question of, what now? What do we do to stop the chain? When will we stop blaming our own insecurities on an ethnic group or race or class? When will we REALIZE what we are actually saying? Like “he’s dumb or in jail because he is a black man,” or “I don’t feel comfortable with the Arab that owns the corner store,” or “these immigrants are taking over.” I think it will stop when we come to the conclusion that the bylaws and rules and regulations of this nation is just another KING OF THE HILL GAME.
I’m taking a new approach to this blog response and am writing the article as I read through it. I feel like this new method will help get my initial reactions from the article out and on the page in a more efficient manner. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect after reading Sam’s response, but I have to say that within the first couple minutes of reading the article it was quite apparent, these people ARE racist. I got a kick out of this, “In 1998, an old motorcycle shop on Braddock Avenue became a Sikh temple. Around the same time, grocery stores on Hillside Avenue began to sell basmati rice in 40-pound burlap sacks and a syrupy sweet pastry called gulab jamun. One new store sold statues of Hindu deities, and some longtime residents were baffled by the sight of a large elephant-headed figure with 10 arms in the front window.” When I read this, I started laughing. Now don’t confuse my laughter, I laugh because such blatant racism such as this is funny because we can’t really do anything about it. In that quote the author is making it seem like it’s such a big deal. Oh my gosh, there selling rice in bulk now at stores?! A motor cycle shop is a Sikh temple?! Talk about resisting change. I got another good laugh when they said residents are wondering if they are putting advertisements in the back of seats on air planes. These are clear and bold racist comments. The old locals either have something against the Asian Indians because of their race, or because there is an ever increasing competition to thrive in this small town. I’m going to give the locals the benefit of the doubt on this one. I think they don’t just not like the Asian Indians because of their ethnicity, the anger they have towards them stems from the Indians taking them out of their comfort zone by changing what they are use to. This anger is causing them to say things like, “They’re renting their rooms to people from their country,” one man said, according to an article in The Jamaica Times, a local newspaper that covered the event. “You’re changing our whole way of life, our whole neighborhood,” the man reportedly said to Mr. Patel.” Maybe I’m reading too much into their statements, but to me there sounds like there is a whole bunch of animosity towards the Asian Indians. Sam is right, it seems like they forgot that there ancestors are not the original inhabitants this little neighborhood. I don’t understand why though, that its still so hard for these people to come to terms with others stabilizing themselves in their community.
The residents of Bellerose are contradicting themselves in saying that they are not racist when the next comment is a story about seeing someone of another race and culture walking down the road and laughing at them. I also agree in understanding that a piece of the town that many hold dear with memories being taken down may affect so many of the residents in a negative way, and that is fine for them to show that they are upset and protest it, but to be so upset because they are worried about who will be taking it over because they may be another race is simply pathetic. Even to assume that a successful and well known hotel chain would only bring prostitutes and a bad image for the community is going too far and to me seems a little extreme. I also agree that its not fair to place the blame on those buying it. Simply because a shop holds memories with the town does not mean that it is continuing to do well. If someone else can afford to buy the property and create something profitable out of it, then why not try something new. Too many people are afraid of change and how it might affect them in a bad way, but the people who want to build the hotel are only trying to make the down a little better. I also think that the people in the town show racism when thinking that this potentially good change would be a step towards making the neighborhood closer to becoming a third world country. That is absolutely ridiculous. Instead of looking at all of these situations so pessimistically, people need to open their eyes and realize that maybe other people are coming here because the United States is a good place to live and they want to be a part of it. There are so many opportunities in this country and I think that Mr. Patel is only taking advantage of that. If everyone traced back their ancestry they would find that there is no way they are 100 percent American. So by discriminating against those who are doing exactly what our ancestors did, which is travel to a new land and start a good life, they are only being hypocritical and making themselves look bad. The fact that this white community thinks they are so much better than any other race or culture really makes their neighborhood look bad. One of the biggest things our country has strived to achieve for so long now is to be able to look past someone’s color and accept them for who they are. If an entire community can be demeaning enough to judge someone by their color they way they are, racism is just never going to end. Wake up.
I agree with same when he says this is racism. These people are so afraid of change in their community, that they would say comments such as “Here comes our Obama.” I can’t say that I’m surprised by it, because this type of attitude can be seen in many areas of the United States. I can’t help but think that if this ice cream place has been so popular, why they haven’t considered moving to a different location is pretty interesting to me. These New Yorkers act as if they haven’t had the chance to make money, or see an opportunity to make a name for themselves, they wouldn’t follow though?
This story reminds me of a place called “Ye ol’ Country Cupboard, this is a small country store that makes different lunch meat sandwiches with that home made touch. The store was owned by an older couple in their 70s, but had to be sold because of the economy about a year and a half ago. The store was bought by a Middle Eastern man that changed its name and repainted it yellow to stick out like a sore thumb. I know that many people in the area were upset about the change of ownership and changes that were made. I have heard some of the patrons make sarcastic remarks about the owner and how they think that the store can only go down hill from here.
These people are so narrow minded in my opinion, they only think about themselves and what they are comfortable with, take them out of the daily norm or take them away from something that has been familiar for many years, and they will whine and complain and will do so until no one cares to listen to them any longer. I agree with the statement by Harshad Patel when he says “It’s a kind of jealously”. The residents seem jealous that these people are making a living for themselves and purchasing and building in areas that they have become use to. I laughed to myself when Patel asked the communities to buy the place and run it for 10 years. It was like saying stop bitching about it and do something. When no one stepped forward, it proved the point that all they wanted to do was try to complain as much as possible until they got their way. Times change, and you should change with them.
Mr. Augugliaro said “he was not a racist”, but how can you say that when you refer to the new community members as changing the neighborhood into a 3rd world country? No matter how much you do not want to admit it yourself, these people are racists. Remarks like that just reinforce it.
I think that many people are hypocrites, when it comes down to it. Like Sam states these inhabitants did not just appear out of thin air. They had relatives who came off a boat from all over Europe and settled there. Most were likely scrutinzed because they were different. For a while everyone looked down on the Irish, so it is Ironic that this town is mostly made of up Irish people. I think that people who may belong to a group that was scrutinzed because they weren't directly affected assume that they belong in this town whereas the Indians do not. I live on Long Island and am 40 mins from the city. I have seen diversity and I have seen it's negative side. As is this example. These people need to get off their high horse, stop trying to keep change out of the town and literally just shut the fuck up. The economy is in the toilet and this place isn't making money. Its being bought and maybe something good will come of it. People are always afriad of change they think the world is going to end and life as we now it will perish. First of all if it werent for chnage their ancestors would have been shipped back to Europe and they might not have been born. Why do we always fight things?
After reading this article I experienced two completely opposing responses. On one side, I can understand the feeling of fear of the minority taking over your home, and have the potential result in moving or being driven out. On the other side, I have a stronger belief of America being a “melting pot” meaning Americans should be tolerant and embrace other cultures that seek the opportunities and resources that America represents. With all that said, New York is comprised of many diverse religions, races, and ethnicities. In a place such as Queens, or more specifically Bellerose, the Natives should expect a gradual shift or change in the number of immigrants moving into their town. Statistics show that by 2020 about 60% of our population will be comprised of immigrants. It should come as no surprise to citizens of America to find increases in diversity moving into your neighborhood.
From my perspective, I extracted from the article that the reason behind the uproar from the inhabitants of Bellerose is because of fear and jealousy that another race or culture is advancing and moving forward, whereas your culture may be in an economic decline or may just be stagnant. Just as Harshad Patel said in the article about the Frozen Cup ice cream shop, “If they have so much feeling… let them buy it”. I agree with what Patel is trying to say here.. actions speak louder than words so if inhabitants of Bellerose are going to complain about the closing of the Frozen Cup, or the construction of a hotel run by Asian Indians, they should be the ones to provide reasons not to.
I think that this foreign influence on Bellerose can only lead to progress through social and economical integration of businesses and a shift in population. If Bellerose were to petition or rebel against this influx of immigrants, they would be considered to be encouraging racism and segregation. Do we really want to undo the hard work of Martin Luther King and the many other historical figures that worked so hard to help improve our society? I feel that the United States has come a long way to help reducing racism and segregation. I never thought the time would come when the United States elected a black man as our President. Look how far we’ve come…. we should also view the influx of immigrants as progress!
Living in twenty first century, especially in an economic depression that the last few years have brought, you would think people of America would be a little more understanding of people’s hardships and the need to grasp opportunities of profit and revenue. This would apply to the influx of Asian Indians in Bellerose. Why should someone hold another person’s success or dream of succeeding against them just because of the color of their skin? Everyone in America is trying to succeed and get ahead. I guess the question is a little simpler than the answer, but I think this is a very important question to ask yourself especially if you agree with the inhabitants of Bellerose.
In responding to the blog This is Racism, in Case Anyone is Wondering, is a tragic to here that some of the people in New York are racist against Asian Indians. I thought this is a free country and the United States of America expresses that’s justice for all. That sentence contradict itself because if there is justice for all, then why people who are different from one other discriminate against each others then? The United States of America was designed for the some of the racist white people to help them out, but to oppress the minorities. The Asian Indian have the right to open up there business any where they want and can afford. America is too focused on race or gender so much, that it has gotten out of control. Many of the neighbors in Queens, New York are complaining about the Asians are going to take over the neighborhood and that is totally disrespectful to say just based on their color. If some of the people of America stop basing everything on race and gender, then we can get a lot more accomplished in America. I thought that the United States of America is treats every on the same and makes no difference, but unfornately it still happens today. It is truly a harsh situation that the Asians have to deal with especially, having a business located in an area that some of the individual are close minded. If the United States is constantly having issues in relating to race or even foreigners, this will give this country a very bad name. Some of the foreigners have been mistreated which it will have in effect on how some of theme views the United States of America. Instead of the people of Queens, New York not to be focused on not having Asians or other cultural groups in there neighborhood should be focus on something positive. Besides that, the United States of America is at worst right now due to the economy. As for all of us in the United States of America we should start to create different jobs or careers top help the economy out. Regardless of race or gender, we as humans should wok together to help to make America a better place. I believe it should have been actually a great thing that the Asians brought a business to Queens, New York to help the area out. Instead of some the local residents had gotten upset about that, but they should of open their hearts up and helped them with business. We as people of this great country regardless of foreigners should not have to put up with discrimination like this horrifying one.
It is interesting how people would conclude that a hotel owned by Asians would lead to prostitution and illegal behaviors. There are many hotels that are owner by Italians, Irish, or Germans that do promote illegal behaviors, just as there are hotels that are owned by Asians that are in no way involved with illegal behaviors. It is clear to me here, that some of the people in this town are correlating crime with minorities, in this cause Asians.
Most of their arguments do not even state or emphasis how they will miss the “Frozen Cup.” Most of their arguments are about how they do not want their town changing, and how it is going to change for the worst. Just because you now have a store that sells “non-American” food, doesn’t mean your town is changing for the worst. This is clearly racist. I found it funny how the man, Mr. Augugliaro, immediately stated how he is not racist, after watching his wife’s reaction. And right afterwards, he tells this story on how he was shocked that a man would wear his culture with pride. When many Italians have their flags tattooed onto their chest, and only wear green, red, and white – why don’t they find this ridiculous?
I think that this is a clear case of people fearing the unknown. They go by what they see on the media and assume, “Wow, look at these Indians and their barbaric ways.” So when Indians move into their towns I can see how they would immediately view them with their already established prejudices. It is kind of sad that some people still have no knowledge on other cultures and even more sad is the fact that some people don’t put effort into learning the truth for themselves, instead they rely on others to define things for them. You would think that people in the 21st century would be at least educated enough to know that not everything you see on tv is true.
The irony in all of this, is how many of these Italian, Irish, German families had great-grandparents, grandparents, or even parents who migrated here. Sure, they may have gotten here earlier than the “new kids (Asians)” but they also migrated there and they brought their own cultural traditions and established some of their own businesses, along with selling some of their own cultures food. If we are really going to play the – “I was here first card” then clearly – they don’t belong there either. Because to be frank, they are immigrants too.
Part of me, wished that the southern Asians would make their culture more understandable to others this way others won’t “fear” it. But after thinking about it, I’m happy that they are just enjoying their lives and not letting this affect them. Why should they go out of their way to explain something, to people that aren’t capable to viewing things outside of their own lenses.
I think the opinions expressed by the community in Queens, NY, exemplifies the opinions of many other individuals in our nation, not including the other communities that are continually faced with these same issues and express their opinions to others different than themselves. As Sam stated, they do not recognize that their families undoubtedly did the same thing in order to live where they are living now. It is a continual process that will live on and progress in the same way as it has been. I can understand keeping a historicity to a town/community, but in a situation similar to Bellerose, Queens, there comes a time when a plot of land can bring profit to a general area rather than maintaining an empty building for the sake of memories. I think that the community needs to not blame the immigrants for this problem. The community is to blame. I wonder if an Irish-American came to buy the land and wanted to put a hotel up, if the same accusations and confrontations would arise? Because the white dominated region of this community is being overrun by immigrants and becoming more diverse, they must be feeling as if the “white superiority” is being undermined. In present day America, we are continually growing and becoming more and more diverse in our communities. When a man in the crowd stated, “you’re changing our whole way of life, our whole neighborhood,” I was appalled. “Our” most definitely insinuates the “white supremacist” ideals that seem to continually arise in immigrant/race relations. Once again, I think we can all agree that the “race” issues that we face currently are more focused towards our parents and grandparents’ age. When the 23-year old, John Dolan expressed, “we didn’t really care who was who,” I found this statement more agreeable with my generation’s opinion on race relations in the United States. Although it is not the general consensus, it is a more acceptable opinion because we have been born into the change. For the older generations, they are not as accepting to change and want everything the way they are used to it, the world where whites dominated the population in communities. Pertaining to the Queens debacle, “everybody wants to bring their country here, 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 is a perfect example of the ongoing debate by many Americans. They believe that assimilation is the only way that immigrants should and could be accepted in today’s day in age. If we are the “melting pot,” why should these immigrants, who are seeking the American dream, not be able to bring their family and culture along with them?
After reading this article and blog on the area of Queens, New York where the South Asian population has dramatically increased and has brought much of its culture with them has brought about various thoughts in my mind.
First, I wanted to make a comment on the interesting point Sam made in his blog about how many of these individuals in this town are complaining about how the Asian Indian people are taking over their community in Queens like they had not done the same thing to another culture in previous years. I find this point to be very interesting because I feel like this happens a lot in society. Individuals only think about what is harming them in the here and now rather then taking account what they have done to get to where they are as individuals today. Therefore, when these people act like the South Asians are doing something wrong for expanding into the community these people only think of it as wrong because it is not what they in vision and want their society to look like. However, it is ok when these people transformed the culture because it was to their benefit. Therefore, I think it is important that society starts to look more into the past rather than just into the present and realize that a diverse society is NOT a bad thing at all.
The second thought that came into my mind after reading this article is how people were angry that the small little ice cream shop was being torn down and being replaced with a big hotel. I can see people being angered by this because I live in a small suburban town and very slowly small shops that made the community very quaint are being closed and replaced with giant super stores and franchises. At one point in time barely any franchises besides the supermarkets existed in the town, which is now surrounded by franchises such as staples and chick fila and Applebee’s with smaller shops rapidly being closed. This is sad to me because I like the quaint little neighborhood that was not filled with huge stores and all the traffic that goes along with them. Therefore, this article reminded me of how I do not like extreme commercialization of small neighborhoods. However, the reason this story is different from the story in my neighborhood is because I just do not like the big franchises while the people in this article seem racist because they do not like the people coming in and building the new stores and actually seem like they are using the destruction of the small store as an excuse for their dislike of the south Asian lifestyle. I agree with Sam when he says this is definitely racism. This story makes me sad to think that many people in today’s society cannot accept a diversified culture. I t also makes me wonder what must be done to combat these racist thoughts?
Therefore, I thought the article and the blog were extremely insightful and brought about many interesting topics.
First of all, just to play devil’s advocate, some of the people of Bellerose do have one valid reason to be upset, and this is that a structure that has been round for 70 years is going to be uprooted. In general no matter you are or where you live there are going to be some people who do not like the fact that a comfortable fixture of their hometown is going to be uprooted. People do not like change, especially when there are good memories attached to the past. So no matter whom the individuals were that bought out the ice cream stand I think it is safe to say there would be some conflict and sadness. But when looking at some of the remarks that these citizens have made about the flux of incoming Asians it is easy to see that there is some racism involved in this situation. The fact that Frozen Cup was bought out by an Asian man is obviously more unsettling to these people. I agree with Harshad Patal that there might be a little bit of jealousy involved when one of the original members of the area wondered where “the Indians” got their money from. They might be envious that newer American citizens are more successful in a country they have been in their whole life; it is quite possible when racism has to come from some reason other than hating someone purely because the color of their skin. Again, most of the things that the members of the old community are saying are just simply stupid, such as the newcomers are “turning the neighborhood into a third- world country”. Last time that I checked a third-world country was one that was underdeveloped in terms of economy and standard of living, so I guess someone needs to explain to me how establishing new businesses is making the neighborhood less developed. In addition, another resident of the Queens area stated that the immigrants do not want to look like Americans or speak English, but they come for the benefits. What I am about to say is by no means a profound statement, but who cares if they look like Americans! Do we not have more important things to worry about in this world? I would like someone to ask this guy if he had the opportunity to have a better life would he not move to another country and would he suddenly adopt their way of dress and change his whole way of life just because some stranger wants him to. But lets face it; we are surprised that some of the people of Bellerose are racist when these same people insisted that Frozen Cup was a landmark because it appeared in an episode of “Sex and the City”.
I chose to comment on this post because I am from New York and both of my parents grew up in Flushing, Queens. My remaining three grandparents still live there, only a few blocks away from each other, so I go there to visit somewhat often.
I am not surprised at all by these New Yorker’s comments and feelings about the South Asian people moving into their neighborhood. I see where they are coming from but I also agree that they have been very racist. The white residents make is seem like their town is going to become poverty stricken and a home for prostitutes all because the Indian people are moving in and bringing their businesses and culture with them. This is an extraordinarily narrow minded way to think. Change is inevitable and people really need to get over it.
Although the white residents of Bellerose are in fact intolerant, maybe some people just do not understand their point of view. No, the white residents did not express their opinions in a well thought out way, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt and explain how they could quite possibly feel, but hopefully more eloquently and politically correct: They have lived in this area for most of their lives, made lifelong friends, and have watched their children go to school and grow up in Bellerose. This is probably where their fondest memories are, where their family is. People are tearing down their memories and their children’s memories and it probably does not matter who is doing it. They would be angry at anybody who was taking part in the destruction of their beloved home, and so would you. The fact that the people who are doing it are South Asian is what makes this a touchy subject.
My parents’ hometown of Flushing has also been experiencing a change regarding the people who are moving in, for many years now, probably since before I was born which was about twenty years ago. Most of the younger families that I see in this neighborhood are Chinese. The rest of the folks who live there are old Jewish people, such as my grandparents. (I am not saying that there are only elderly Jewish people and Chinese people in Flushing, but that is who I see most of the time I am there.) The Jewish population in Flushing is dwindling; so many of the baby boomers—my parents’ generation—moved out of the Queens area and into New Jersey and Long Island. My parents were no exception. Many of the baby boomer’s parents remained in Queens, or moved to Florida. (Again, I am not saying that all of them live in Queens or Florida, but many of the ones I know do, or did.)
Over my life, I have heard so many stories about how my parents grew up and it just sounded like so much fun; running down the stairs of their apartment buildings to hang out with friends, meeting at the schoolyard any time of day and always finding people there, or walking across the street for a soft pretzel. To me, it has always been hard to imagine my parents growing up there because there is almost a different culture living in Flushing now. They speak a different language and have different customs, but of course that does not mean that Flushing, or Bellerose for that matter, is declining in quality. They are just changing like everything else does, and the ethnic groups moving in will also make fond memories there too.
After reading the article about the “Frozen Cup” it reminded me of my town and what many of the people in my town have said. The residents of this community in New York were complaining of the influx of Asian Indians into their old fashion town. The residents of my small town have had and shared their views in sort of the same way. I’ll always here something along the lines of “they’re moving,” “those New Yorkers,” “our schools are having more violence because of the influx of people.” I think with any changing town or society people will try to blame someone or some group of race for the new growing problems. What people do not realize is that it is not just “their” town, all over the country the population is growing. So if you live near big cities where there already is a high population, it will grow the fastest and eventually people moving to the city will start moving farther and farther out from the city into the smaller towns surrounding the city. Unfortunately small towns are becoming more crowded but no matter who is moving into the town it’s going to happen at some point.
Another thing that surprised me about the article was the part about how the people of Bellerose are worried that the hotel the new residents are going to build in place of the “Frozen Cup” is going to serve to prostitutes. It really surprises me that they would say this, why would they think that? To me it sounds like they may have a problem with prostitutes in Bellerose, not Asian Indians. Just because these people are moving in to Bellerose and building hotels that are cheaper to stay in doesn’t make them automatically mean prostitutes will take it over.
I do believe that the people of Bellerose and especially Mr. Augugliaro are racist. They only seem to be upset and angered that Asian Indians are moving in to their town. Why wouldn’t they just be angry that “people” of any race are moving out of the city and into their new town? Mr. Augugliaro specifically mentioned Asian Indians and said it several times that they were ruining his town. Why would he be so angry that this certain race is coming into Bellerose? Because he has a racist feeling towards them most likely. Also the old residents of Bellerose and even Mr. Auguliaro referred to the new residents as “they” instead of people their names or ethnicity. It is a shame that people think like this. Many small towns are up and coming and growing, that is just the changing society. Just because towns are changing doesn’t mean it’s because of one certain race. I do believe if you blame the change in a town due to a certain race you are racist. It is certain people, individually that cause an increase in violence not a whole race all together.
When I first began reading the article “This is Racism In Case Anyone Was Wondering”, I went directly to the attached article, so I had no seen the comments made by Sam. So I began reading the article and it didn’t seem interesting- some people upset by the fact small business are being taken over by larger businesses, such as Staples. Initially I thought these people just didn’t want “big business” in their neighborhoods. Then I slowly realized they didn’t want “those people” in their neighborhoods. I just thought it was funny how the article brought this racism on subtly at first so, to someone like me, it looked innocent.
One statement that really bothered me was about the hotel bringing in those on welfare or prostitutes. Now I know nothing about prostitution, but the comment about people on welfare moving into this hotel seemed a little stuck up. What’s wrong with welfare people being in this hotel? These people who are talking about this are not living in hotels, so how much will it REALLY change their life. Maybe they’ll be seeing more of those who are less fortunate from day-to-day- I’m sure that’ll be a real challenge.
Then it was a little unnerving to say “they’re turning the neighborhood into a third-world country”. America is not a third-world country and a particular group of people would not turn a town into one, single handedly.
The next thing- why are they not angry with the people who sold this ice cream place? If it was SOOO important to the community, then wouldn’t the money this place is bringing in be so great that the people wouldn’t have to sell- apparently not. These people are putting their memories in from of being acceptable people to other people. I completely understand that this place is special to people, but only for its symbolism, really. Things change. Things go away so new things can happen. Who knows, these new places could bring about more memories, and different things will happen.
This is why I think it sounds more like a clear attack on a group of people and not the destruction of an extremely memorable place.
And the story of the man who was talking about the good ol’ days of calling payphones hoping that a girl would answer, and saying how one of his friends was named Nashad. Now I don’t know the situation, but it was probably fine when there was only a couple Asian Indian people there, and as long as the white man was above him. But once they begin taking over, the primarily white community panics.
I don’t really like attacking these small town people that much, when I don’t know everything, but I do feel I know enough to tell that they’re just calling one thing something else- calling racism “small town/business concern”.
My first thought after reading the New York Times article was “wow! They really enjoy their Frozen Cup!” And the part where the locals fear the Days Inn (that would replace the Frozen Cup) will eventually house prostitutes and welfare patients is plain bogus! Really? They couldn’t come up with anything better? To go so far as to say “they’re turning the neighborhood into a third world country” is completely ridiculous. I highly doubt that this comment would have been made if the new hotel owners would have been white.
The article continued to mention other instances that led me to believe the white people of Bellerose were racist. Many people were upset at the amount of Indian restaurants that were popping up around the area. Again, I doubt that these people would be upset if more Italian/French/Irish restaurants were to be built. It especially angered me that someone would say a South Asian grocery store is “not the kind of store an American goes into.” Oh, so there aren’t any South Asians who are American? No Americans are interested in going to any kind of ethnic grocery store? Why would you want to be that type of person?
The way I see it, the residents of this area are completely jealous, and maybe even a little bit afraid. Not only are the South Asian people “taking over” the area, they are gaining wealth, power, and influence. Who wouldn’t be afraid?
Sam made the point that we were all immigrants at one point, and a lot of us like to forget that. This being said, there is no reason why the white residents of Queens should feel that it is their land. There should be no reason why they should feel uneasiness or feelings of contempt. Because at one point in time, I am sure that another group of people felt the same way about them. The feelings of superiority have got to go! To me, the white residents seem to be nothing more than bitter people who have nothing else to do with their life than be worried about someone else’s business.
It’s always impressive to me to see someone come to America from a different country and fulfill the “American Dream.” They often come with nothing and are willing to work hard and sacrifice so much in order to make it. My parents came to the United States when they were twenty years old to complete their Masters program. They hardly knew English, but worked hard to get good jobs and have a comfortable lifestyle. My parents are my heroes, and sometimes I think am a little embarrassed because I am not as on track as they were. I only hope that I can be like my parents.
The Great Divide, is an eye-opening article to me and it really hits home. The ice-cream place named Frizz and Freeze that my friends and I would go to after half days of high school, and my mom would take me after long after school sports practices, was torn down and replaced by a starbucks (as if we don’t have enough of those) and a few other businesses. I understand what the Augugliaro family is saying when they remember all of the times their family had at The Frozen Cup, and how this is a landmark, one that appeared in Sex in the City. But after reading the entire article, I must say that I do side with the Augugliaro family. Sure, Patel thinks that there are so many places to go, that he believes taking down the Frozen Cup will do no harm, only help, I must disagree. I believe that the Frozen Cup had a great family atmosphere (from what I read in the article, and what I remember from Frizz n Freeze in Lancaster as well). But Patel is being insensitive to the fact that there were memories made there, and although he believes a Days Inn will attract the right kind of business, there is a chance for a crowd of prostitutes to come to the area. Although I am on the side of the Augugliaro family when it comes to tearing down the Frozen Cup, I am seeing yet another side to this story…the racism side.
True, the Augugliaro’s are not the first to come to America, but at some point their ancestors came over just as Patel’s family has come over, much later. Without the creation of businesses to prosper, their family would have never made it in America, just as Patel’s family needs the same benefit of the doubt. When they made the jokes that they saw a man walking down the street with a turban on, the people interviewed in the bar claimed that families such as the Patel family come to America but do not want to be Americans, that is what our country is. We are a huge slop bucket of so many cultures, and this is what makes our life so interesting and eventful. Sure tearing down the Frozen Cup is heart breaking, but I can’t decide and side with one family. It drives me crazy that families do not want people of other races to move in because I have had neighbors belonging to many races, and they have taught me so many things that I would have never learned from my parents. The people of Bellerose do not understand that although certain changes are being made in their town they must look back to a time when their ancestors were “the New Kids on the Block” as well.
After reading about the neighborhood that was overrun by Indians I was a little racist myself. I have had the experience of some of my favorite places in my town being changes and closed due to a new people moving in but it was never due to one large racial group. It feels unfair and wrong on many different levels to lose a place or something that is viewed as special.
Along with the sense of loss I feel as if the inhabitants of the town were so set in their ways that they would respond negatively to any changes that would occur in the town. I feel that since it is a change that can be identified with a race of people the need to pass the blame becomes easier to do. I would very easily blame a group of people that I can connect to the problem much faster that actually look at why I am bothered by the situation in the first place. My mother always told me, that when you point at one person to blame them there are always fingers pointing right back at you.
People in this little town need to look at why they are feeling like their town is being invaded. They need to look at why the people moved to the area in the first place and work to make it a more welcoming and happy place for everyone if they wish to continue living together in peace. I feel that they way that the people are acting in this town are very judgmental of who they view as acceptable and criticize very closely others beliefs and traditions. The Indian people that moved into the area did nothing but make the area a more lucrative area by creating shops and hotels that would give back to the community.
It makes a person wonder that if the area was so nice in the first place then why were the Indians able to move in and take over most of the area. I feel as if it is not a race issue more than it is a money issue. Everyone in that town is angered by the fact that the Indian people were able to buy the land in their town so easily. The must be very wealthy families or are able to manage their money well to afford such endeavors. It would only make logical sense that the people of the town would be jealous because the Indian people are building up the area in ways they could have never been able to do.
I agree it is sad when your favorite restaurant of bowling place closes but in reality it was not the Indian peoples fault. It was due to lack of economic need and that cannot be helped. I feel that in order to fix this racist problem the people of the town need to stop looking at their new neighbors as invaders and more as if they are moving into the area to help the town to grow and prosper.
If you are living in Queens, the issue of race should really be the least of your problems. But once again, a bored community worried about their livelihood after a run down ice cream stand was taken over, have found an insufficient grievance, not surprisingly centered around race. In my opinion, the heart of prejudice is a fear of the unknown—a lack of understanding, which leads to people thinking that a return to “normalcy” (halting cultural integration) will make them happy.
For example, a student may walk into a math class and after not understanding the first problem he encounters, he is inclined to give up and decide that he “hates math” so he continues to hate math. Another student may just so happen to first encounter an equation that she understands and has an initial positive association with the subject so she decides that she “loves math” and continues to have a positive attitude towards the subject because she knows it is possible to comprehend. It is not that one student is smarter than the other, it is that one had a particular initial positive experience toward the subject which lead to define her future attitude. Some members of the white community in Bellerose, Queens may look negatively toward the Asian community because of the initial negative association (closing of the ice cream shop). This will lead to a continued struggle because of the lack of a want to understand the other culture. The white community needs to just get over it and it really is just as simple as that.
Similar to an experience that a student in my discussion course had, an Indian friend of mine in high school invited me over for dinner one night. Of course I was nervous because I was not entirely familiar with their cultural norms. After the dinner was over, I realized that I was apart of an amazing experience. Two cultures had merged and I walked away with an incredible appreciation for this experience. We all interacted very well, there were no awkward moments, I was made to feel extremely comfortable and it was as if I could be sitting with my own family. The only difference between us is how we choose to act. You can openly choose whether you want to have a positive or negative attitude toward another person or community and there are no outside factors or faces shaping this one. So, communities continually change and they evolve and if having a few grocery stores selling Basmati rice and Hindu deities are really just too much to handle…MOVE. It’s amazing that people complain that they have no time when half of it is probably spent worrying over issues of race like the community of Bellerose.
After reading the article, I felt rather ambiguous toward the issue; I can see both points of view. First off, I think I would have to disagree with all those that say we could be justified in calling these New York residents “racists.” Maybe they are, and maybe they are not, but from this article alone it is not clear for me to judge. Racism and ignorance are two distinctly different accusations. For one, I think it is only natural for people to be attached to such unique hometown establishments. It’s places like “The Frozen Cup” that make the town where you grew up your home. I can almost directly relate to the New York residents because a few years ago in my small hometown a landmark ice cream shop was closed down and turned into a car dealership. I went to “Bailey’s,” the ice cream shop in my town, almost every day in the summer. I shared many memories with my family and friends there, and so when it closed down I definitely was pissed off. And yet the race of those who opened the dealership had absolutely nothing to do with my feelings of dismay and hostility. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t even tell you whether the owners were White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, or Native American. I was upset at whoever turned such a great ice cream place into a car dealership because they did just that, not because of where they came from. Maybe this is not how it is for some of these New York residents, maybe their anger is more deeply rooted in racial issues, but I do not think that we can assume such racism.
Also, just because no one was willing to buy “the venerated Frozen Cup,” does not mean that the right of the people to be upset about the destruction of it should be extinguished. People have lives, people have jobs, and people have responsibilities. With that said, most people cannot simply buy, run, operate, and take full ownership of the ice cream shop that they enjoy at the drop of a dime. The fact that no one was willing to buy “The Frozen Cup” certainly should have no correlation to the fact that people would be upset when it closed.
Furthermore, Sam makes the point that is it remarkable how these residents can complain that these Asian Indians are “taking over” when their own people, relatives from 60 to 80 years ago, took over the same neighborhood for some other cultural group—but this is only natural in my opinion. I would bet that the Native Americans who were there first complained and felt hostile toward whoever was moving in, as would any other cultural group. I’m not saying that the Queens’ residents are justified in “complaining,” but what else can you expect?
I do see the side of the Asian Indians for clear reasons, as I’m sure most do, but I think the residents of New York should not be viewed in such a pessimistic outlook after reading this article alone.
This is an interesting but not surprising article of racism. I do agree that it is racism, but I don’t find it to be blatant or intentionally harmful racism. For decades, America has been seen as a cultural melting pot and safe haven for people seeking refuge from oppressive governments, or people just looking for a new beginning in a land teeming with opportunity. Whatever the reason may be, America is constantly changing culturally and racially, and people feel most comfortable when they are surrounded by people of their own race and culture. This is evident by the way immigrants tend to stick together and occupy certain neighbors. For example Little Italy, Chine Town, or even Bellerose, Queens are all neighborhoods that are occupied by a certain ethnic group. It not only makes it easier for the residents of the neighborhoods to find the food they like, people that speak their language, and their unique religious place of warship, but they also get the underlying comfort associated with being among people similar to you. It is just human nature, just how it is human nature to be upset or even angry when another ethnic group treads on your land, and threatens to change your way of life. If this is considered racism, than it is equally racist for the immigrating groups to all want to live together. I am not sure if both the immigrants and the presiding communities are racists to one another, or if it is just within one’s nature to be with people similar to them, maybe a little bit of both. But what ever they are, they are the same. This article is one sided with its depictions and quotations. I would be surprised to see one single neighborhood in the entire globe where the inhabiting people of a community would welcome an invasion of foreigners to replace their supermarkets, stores, and places of warship with foreign replicas that provided no use to them. Although the The Frozen Cup ice cream stand, a historical landmark of Bellerose, Queens is used by the author of this article as an example of a store being taken over by a foreign immigrant, I don’t see it that way. I personally don’t think that race plays any part in the way the community feels about their historical landmark being destroyed to make way for a Days Inn, which is ugly and astatically unappealing. Whether an Indian man or a White man was attempting this business endeavor, the community would still be responding with the same outrage. Yes there were some racist remarks made toward the Indian immigrants, but I think they are just the result of people letting their judgment and opinions be clouded by the anger and fear that their community and culture is slipping away from them. Those remarks were also the opinions of only a few people, who the author undoubtedly set out to find.
After reading this article, I felt saddened by the idea that a local memory to many would be lost due to new construction plans for the site of The Frozen Cup. In this day and age, however, we see this happening all over the place. Small businesses that are not as popular as others are being bought out and the land is being used to build hotels or townhouses on. If my favorite ice cream stand was being torn down for a hotel to be built, I would feel sad, but the opinions of these people in Bellerose are obviously bitter towards the people who have the money to tear down that ice cream shack. More and more, I see empty lots with signs advertising the new town houses or fashion stores which will be built there. More often then others, I find myself wondering what was in the lot before the emptiness. Construction is something we cannot avoid, and I say if people have the money to buy lots, tear down any existing building and build something new, then more power to you. If I had enough money to go tear down an old shack and build a brand new hotel on it, I think I would. Or maybe I would just be appreciative of the money that I had.
It is very ironic that the people in this town are complaining about the South Asian culture, which is buying lots and building upon when it is very true that years ago that same land was taken away from Native Americans. Locals ask “where do they get the money?” as many Americans ask when a new race moves in or buys the local mini mart to build a new one on. The owner of this hotel to be built in Bellerose claims his family lives in the community, and they do not plan to turn it into a brothel. That sounds legitimate. The man has a family. He seems like a wealthy man who wants to make something with his money.
I don’t really know that new races in my community would affect my point of view. There are a couple black families on my street, a couple brown, but mostly white. A few years back an Indian family bought the local Wawa and turned it into a Pantry One. It still convenient, and people still go there. I’m sure some community members weren’t please about it, but I would have to imagine that’s because Wawa coffee would no longer be available there, but most convenience store items would still exist.
If people need leaders of their race to prove that there is diversity in America, then I don’t see the problem. The man running for city council, Swaranjit Singh, is a leader for his people. I wouldn’t call him their Obama. Even though Obama doesn’t have the same color skin as I do, doesn’t mean he isn’t a strong leader who can change the way things in the world are today. I can still see Obama as a leader, my leader, regardless of our opposite skin tones.
This article is very interesting and I am pretty sure this is not the first place where this has occurred concerning Asian Indians. I myself am from the subcontinent of India, but was not there and therefore have a perspective that mixes on both worlds. Personally, I think the residents of that county in New York are definitely somewhat racist since the opinions they are expressing address race as the primary reason. They kept on saying that race should not be brought into the picture at all, and that the only thing they are concerned about is how the community’s image is on the verge of changing.
The change that is occurring in that location is a change forward and not backwards, so for anyone to get angry at that is just plain stupid and idiotic. The community is getting businesses such as hotels that will make the economy better in the area as well as modernize the place. As for the other things that are being put in the community such as the Indian stuff, the temple, stores, and just people I do not see any problem with them. However, the white people in the area think that those things just do not represent the town for what it is and that it is degrading the community. That statement is nothing other that totally racist. How can someone say that the Indian culture being put into his or her community just does not fit in and not be racist? When the first immigrants came there such as the Germans, the same thing probably happened and they had their things pop up in the communities. So why cannot they be accepting of our culture and stop being so culturally relative and ethnocentric.
This problem that occurred in that part of Queens has actually happened in numerous places around the United States. I hear about it since I am Indian and my parents tell me about me. There is a place in New Jersey called Edison, which is dominated by Indians now. This transition happened around twenty years ago or so, and now the place is totally brown now. People other than Indians are very accepting there and actually think that the Indians are a beneficiary thing since they help out the economy so much with their professions and businesses. Therefore, what the people in Queens need to realize and stop being so racist about is that this new transition that is happening there is actually going to help them out in the long run and is much needed for that community. For one last thing, I thought it was interesting how the white person brought up the stereotype of how all these brown people get money after moving to the States. I myself always hear this and after being in the Soc 119 class, understand the multiple reasons for why this is true.
People have an interesting aversion to change. Like Sam said, these Irish, Italians, and Germans have ancestors who moved into that same town and “took over” from another group. Honestly, a lot of people don’t think about it that way. I know I didn’t. It’s weird to think that the same ethnic “problems” that this country is having happened a hundred years ago, and a hundred years before that, and really have been happening since the Pilgrims moved in, or even before that. I don’t know enough detailed history to really know what everyone did about it, but it makes you wonder. I’ve heard about people throwing bricks through new business’ windows, or setting things on fire, and the government passing unfair legislation. While this country is known for its “melting pot” tendencies, I think that we’re also known, at least within the borders, for our aversion to that “melting.”
Some of this stuff is hard to think about, especially when put into perspective. I’m extremely proud of my mostly Irish heritage, and some of that is manifested though my pride in my Irish features. Round face, pale skin, freckles, reddish wild curly hair, hazel green eyes. When my mother gets worked up, a bit of an accent comes out (even though it’s been a few generations since our ancestors came over); when my brother his drunk his emerges. We’re proud of our drinking and swearing abilities and our distinctly “Erin” looks. But I also know that when our people immigrated over to America, they were treated like dirt. I’ve heard it said that the Irish immigrants were treated worse when they came over than black people were during the peak of slavery. Whether that’s true or not, the fact is that they were still heavily discriminated against. My last name comes from my dad, whose dad was German, with a little bit of Jewish mixed in; we all know the story of what happened to the Jews in the earlier 1900s. My heritage is definitely ripe with its share of discrimination.
And really, I think everyone’s is. What I’m trying to say is that it’s really interesting how people can forget what their people went through, how their ancestors not too many generations back were spit on walking down the street just for the color of their skin, the shape of their face, the curl of their hair. And weren’t they? Every group has been isolated at one time or another; even the very first founders of this nation, the original “pusher-outers” who pushed the Native Americans out of their home soil, had a reason for coming to America in the first place. They were being religiously discriminated against back home in England and were tired of it. The English came here and hated the Irish; when the Irish and Germans and Italians were assimilated, they hated the black people, who hate the Indians and Mexicans. Just because someone’s skin is “white” doesn’t mean that they haven’t gone through their fair share of hate crimes somewhere in their lineage. I think it’s amazing how people forget that, and forget, as Sam said, to “look backward” when it comes to the subject of race and racial discrimination.
After reading the article in the New York Times about the “Frozen Cup” I was beyond disgusted about how the Bellerose residents reacted. I believe these residents used the excuse of missing a great ice cream shop with their own realities of pure racism. I found most of the article and the assertions the locals made to be pure ignorance and racism. I understand that some might be upset that a huge hotel is replacing their small town feel, but once again I believe this was just an excuse of people being ignorant of foreigners establishing businesses in their communities. The assertion that Mr. Patel (the owner of the hotel) was stealing their community and only going to rent rooms to his type of people was completely bizarre and I could not believe people actually thought that way. It makes me wonder if people still don’t understand that America was a country built on the hopes and aspirations of immigrants. Like ancestors in Mr. Patel’s family and probably Mr. Augugliaros’ everyone was probably once an immigrant and no one should be denied their dreams or aspirations because of their race. America is a land of freedoms and possibilities and if we deny Mr. Patel his dream, who knows what rights will be denied next, and furthermore we are not as far on the race relations scale as we think. Mr. and Mrs. Augugliaro’s comments about the South Asian neighborhoods and different types of people in their communities just prove how ignorant about other cultures they might be. For example, the way they spoke about the Sikh man was so appalling to me and I was baffled that people would share these opinions openly. Their assertions about the Sikh man were repulsive and ignorant. This article was another example of what some critics have called small town America. In small towns like Bellerose, there is a lack of diversity and people are usually mindless of other cultures. People tend to not realize when they make comments or ignore people. People tend not to open up to other cultures and therefore like the Bellerose residents alienate someone who might be different than the traditional citizen. Growing up in a town that thrived on diversity, I was able to be exposed to many different types of cultures and races. By being exposed to so many different types of people, I was able to grow as a person and learn so much about other cultures. I feel sorry for people like the Augugliaro’s who choose to be ignorant to different types of cultures and alienate them. I understand that there are probably a lot of memories associated with the “Frozen Cup”, but this story has underlying themes of racism and the motives of families like the Augugliaros are questionable.
I feel for the people who live in Queens and are having their favorite places taken away from them from this great wave of newcomers. I do not think that it has to deal with the fact that they are of South Asian decent, but that what Queens use to have, for example the Frozen Cup, was now being taken away from them and the norm was beginning to change. A family that grows up in one neighborhood for a long time becomes accustomed to their surroundings and do not really like change in the neighborhood. For instance, the bowling alley that some considered the heartbeat of Bellerose was taken away and that was a real shock to the current residents of Bellerose.
However, the way the people of Bellerose handled this situation was very racist and just plain wrong. When I read the quote about how the hotel would just be filled up with “their people” I became enraged because it is really unfair. The hotel will not segregate between people from South Asia only and that is why I did not like it. They are trying to make a living and I do agree with what Mr. Harshad Patel did when he said that if they felt so strongly about it then why not buy it? I also found it very comical.
I feel both of the Augugliaro’s are very disappointed about the situation because they were the ones who ran the Frozen Cup, but they way they talked about it was just bad. They criticized the entire race which was very insulting for me as well. And what I found very funny was when he said towards the end how he was not a racist. It is a total contradiction against what he is saying. The one line that really struck a nerve in me was when he said that the South Asians were turning Queens into a third world country! That was totally shocking to me. I felt very offended, not being of South Asian decent, but rather just being a human being.
I think that the trouble that the Queens people are going through is dealing with change. I feel as if the South Asians are coming over to America for opportunity and freedom, not to take over the entire country. I think that people can say that it is a little different at first to see new buildings popping up that are promoting South Asian items, but after some time we need to become accepting to these new people. We are all human beings, there is not one race that is better than another, and until all of us discover this, we will not get far. I agree with Dr. Richards about how these people of Bellerose are being very racist, and they need to understand the situation and become accepting to it.
I think it is very understandable that the people living in Queens are complaining about the Asian people migrating to Queens, New York, but I do not agree that it is right. If you put yourself in a town with people full of your own color or race and you noticed a specific race moving in, you would ask yourself, “What the hell is going on?” I am not saying it is right to do this, because it is not at all, but it is only in our human nature to think like that. And when Sam talks about how our distant relatives and other people took over the land we live on, he stands on a good arguing ground. People do not think about the history and if they do, they do not want to believe that it occurred. But going back to the New York Times article, it is completely absurd to blame the Indian migrants, whom are buying the parlor to build a hotel, for the foreclosure of the Frozen Cup ice cream parlor. How can you blame someone for ice cream shop foreclosure that happened BEFORE they actually bought the ice cream parlor? These people had absolutely nothing to do with the foreclosure! And then, for the local people to go on and believe that prostitutes are going to be used in the hotel is absolute ludicrous! Did they discover prostitutes in the Quality Inn because it IS the same man who owns Quality Inn who bought the ice cream parlor? They aren’t even giving him a chance. They’re just stereotyping him! The man, Mr. Augugliaro, who lived down the street, cannot actually believe he is not racist. Mr. Augugliaro does not call himself a “racist,” yet he clearly showed some true colors with the comment, that the Quality Inn down the street, “stands out like the Taj Mahal.” Later on he goes to say, “They’re turning the neighborhood into a third-world country.” I am sorry, but that just proves he is a racist bastard (sorry for the political incorrectness.) For people to actually believe something like that blows my mind. It just proves how rationally ignorant some Americans truly are. Is this same man pissed that there are Italians or Germans living in this same area? Absolutely not. When are we going to grow out of this “racist culture” we live in because it is just getting plain and simply old?
The thing that sticks out to me the most about the whole situation is that New York is a very diverse state. Many Asians, Africans, Europeans, Hispanics and Latinos live there. So if you live in New York, you should already be used to the fact that it is diverse.
It is unfortunate that people rank themselves above others not on a universally acceptable ranking system but rather their own made up ranking system that conveniently makes whatever is common to them better. These current residents of Queens seem to have no respect for the Asian Indians who seem to be the only neighbors in Queens contributing to successful businesses. It is not the fault of the Asian Indians for the foreclosure of many of the establishments but rather the economic recession that the US is facing. These citizens who consider their new neighbors foreign invaders seem to forget that New York City began as a haven for people of almost every ethnicity. Just because one ethnic group moved into a neighborhood before another does not mean that it has to remain that way forever. The complaints of the Asian Indians not “acting American enough” is completely absurd on the basis that America was created from many different cultures coming together and combining to form new norms. Acting like a true “American” would imply acting like a Native American if that statement were to make any sense. What the disgruntled and uneducated residents of Queens are really saying is “I want these foreigners to act more like me.”
In regards to the Frozen Cup Ice Cream Store it also made me laugh to see that after the new owner offered to sell the building at a loss no one stepped up to “redeem their favorite business.” For all of the complaining everyone was doing no one seemed to have any solutions to their economic problem of all of their local business failing. People were trying to say that they were not being racist but I’m sure if the new owner of the Frozen Cup land was not an Asian Indian they would have much less of a problem with a new hotel going up. Also, they were being subconsciously racist in assuming that the hotel would be used for prostitution and not as a legitimate business. The community should spend less time doubting their new neighbors and more time embracing their successful businesses. They also asked “Where do these Asian Indians get all this money” as if it was a horrible thing to be successful. I don’t understand why they can’t learn from the newcomers and turn their struggling businesses around that all seem to be going out of business at a quick pace. I wish people could be more accepting of ideas that are foreign to them because it is impossible to gain knowledge of others if you are unwilling to understand them. This is obviously why the old businesses cannot stay in business. If the owners understood that they could now market Asian and Indian products to their new neighbors there would be plenty of good business. It would be nice to see this community come together and begin to embrace the new neighbors instead of living in their fantasy world where they were the first to live in America.
Although the destruction of a town’s landmark, such as the Frozen Cup, often times upsets the residents of that town, it is for a much different reason that the residents of Bellerose are perturbed. The beginning of the article seems to attempt to give a base of knowledge to the reader about how important the Frozen Cup was to the area, and how much the destruction of it affected the people who lived there. This is not merely because their favorite ice cream shop was no longer in business, rather it was caused by the upcoming and current change this event signifies for the town. Although it is always sad when a place with so many memories is destroyed, I believe if it had been bought by anyone but people of South Asian descent, residents of Bellerose and surrounding areas would not be nearly as concerned or upset with the purchase of the Frozen Cup. Towns grow and progress in order to keep up with the ever-changing economy and world. Therefore, many small businesses are sadly taken over by bigger companies and more powerful and well-known businesses. This is a very possible reason for why their bowling alley, movie theater, and ice cream shop unfortunately didn’t make it.
While it can be hard to accept the fact that the town in which your family has lived for so many years is changing in many ways, including the ratios of different races and cultures, change is not always a bad thing. People in Bellerose should try to be more open and accepting of newcomers, no matter where they are from. Their intimidation towards these new residents is somewhat understandable, as their dominance and previous ‘hierarchy’ in the area is being threatened. However, just because these South Asian immigrants are thriving and achieving great success in business in their area does not give other residents a reason to attack the fact that they didn’t completely abandon their race and culture upon their arrival in the U.S. I think Bruce Holloway’s comment of how “Everybody wants to bring their country here” is very ignorant, because it doesn’t sound as if they are trying to impose their culture on the other residents, merely like they are continuing their lifestyle over here as they had in South Asia. As for the comment “But they do come for the benefits”; of course, who isn’t looking to better their life and the life they can provide for their family? Why wouldn’t you want to move yourself and your family to a place where you think you can thrive more and have more success in order to create a better life for everyone involved? The people of Bellerose need not only to open their minds to new people and ideas, but also need to let go of their racist beliefs and realize these new people are not out to get them or to ruin their town, merely to be happy and successful in the same way as everyone else.
I am writing this article in response to the February 22nd post by Sam, which is entitled, “This is Racism, in Case Anyone is Wandering.” In the article, it describes a neighborhood in New York City in which there is a large growing population of South Asian Immigrants. The article is centered on the sale of an ice cream store, which many consider to be a community landmark, to a group of South Asian investors who plan to build a hotel where the ice cream stand stood. The main issue that most of these people try to point out is that this is a historic landmark and that they all have many fond memories of the ice cream stand. Most also try to point out that they are not in fact upset that a person of South Asian decent is buying it, they are instead upset that the ice cream stand is being destroyed. However, when the group offers to sell the ice cream stand to anyone who will agree to run it for 10 years at a loss of $100,000 to himself, no one will agree to do so. It appears that this community is actually much more worried about the influx of South Asian Indians than the loss of an ice cream store. Many people complain that there are Indian grocery stores popping up that lead to large amounts of traffic as well as places of worship such as Hindu and Sikh temples. Many are also very concerned that the growing population of South Asians, which is estimated to be approximately 40% of the community, is going to turn their community into a less desirable and safer area to live.
I think that Sam raises a really good point that these people forget that at one time they were imposing on someone else’s neighborhood and their not too distant relatives were looked at as undesirable. I really feel like people need to be more open-minded and that they need to be willing to be accept people into their community. One man states that “American” people would not shop at a store with the word the “bazaar” in its name. I feel that people such as him need to be willing to reach a hand across the divide and welcome these people. America was built on a blending of cultures, which means that some of an immigrant’s culture would assimilate into American culture. These people are not asking anyone to speak Hindi, or to attend their temples. They are simply trying to establish a good life for themselves and their families in the United States. One thing that people seem to be forgetting is that these people also bring a large amount of money into the community that otherwise would not be there. Since many of these immigrants seem to be affluent, the people in the community would be better off accepting them, rather than worrying about them ruining their neighborhood. With businesses such as the Frozen Cup closing down, residents should be happy that someone is willing to spend money on new businesses in this economy. In general, I feel that the people in this neighborhood are afraid of changing what they have always known, which I understand. However, one has to accept what is coming and make the best of the situation, rather than trying to fight for some relic of a past generation.
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