Ravi writes re lean (Right vs Left) of immigrants of Indian origin: "Since you use "immigrant", I assume by first generation you mean the people who got off the boat i.e., not native born. I would like to know the answer to that too. My experience (mostly with the mildly successful career IT types) has been mixed. While none of them is a strong right-winger, many of them harbour sympathy for right-wing movements back in the home country (such as Hindu fundamentalism) and in the context of American politics are demonstratively apolitical in a paranoid sense. .. In contrast, almost all of the second generation (native born) USers of Indian origin, that I have met, have tended to be left.."
Ravi: Ist generation-ers: Their orientation (at least in the UK) partly depends on when they arrive - those that arrive as children - even up to the age of 10-12-14 etc, are often torn by a lack of, but a desire for, assimilation. They are often left by virtue of racist pressures. And even the older 1st generation-ers are sometimes transformed by their work experiences. The workers (women mainly) at Grunwicks triggered major trade union and working class soidarity actions in the UK of the late 70s. Surely, a lot depends on the parents own class understanding - the IT people are usually "upwardly mobile" petit-borgeois types. H
