On 8/5/07, Suresh Ramasubramanian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> If someone was asked who "Charles Haynes" was, in India, they'd reply
> "Christian".
Really? Fascinating. Are they really so ready to pigeonhole people
based on nothing more than their name, or their physical appearance?
They are *that* simplistic, or there are so few people here who
obviously break that pattern? People really assume that I'm Christian?
I may need to take steps to make it more obvious that I am not. Maybe
carry around Betrand Russell or something.
> They wouldnt think "Jew" unless it was totally obvious, with a name like
> "Moses
> Rabbinowitz"
Moishe Rabinowitz. "Moses" is a Christian name :).
> Practicing, non practicing, actively pagan etc still wouldnt matter.
Eh? I don't understand this part. You're saying that people will
assume, based on name alone, what religion someone - even a foreigner
- is, and it doesn't matter what religion they actually profess or
practice? That seems so foreign to me.
Now I might assume a *cultural* background based on a name, but I
certainly wouldn't assume anything about a person's religious beliefs
based solely on their name. (Though if I run into someone named Joi
Wolfwomyn I probably will make some assumptions not only about their
religious beliefs, but also their probable sexual orientation, and
political beliefs.)
> ps: Given the indian diaspora you'd probably have to move to antarctica or
> outer space to avoid meeting another Indian, or a sizeable community of
> them ..
Surely, but outside of India it is relatively easy to avoid being a
part of such community. For example, it would be easy for me to raise
my family here while not being a part of traditional American culture,
the presence of Americans in Bangalore notwithstanding.
Similarly in America, it would be easy for people raised as Hindus to
raise children outside of traditional Hindu culture if they so
desired. Would such children be considered "Hindu" by Indians? What if
the parents changed their names and the children spoke only colloquial
American English, complete with California accents?
Are they Hindu?
What is the "essence" of Hinduism? How is it acquired or lost? Is it
purely based on who you are descended from? Is there a cultural
element? A religious requirement? If you run through the combinations,
who is Hindu?
Not born of Hindu parents, culturally non-hindu, no hindu religious practices?
(an outsider)
Not born of Hindu parents, cuturally non-hindu, religiously practicing hindu?
(a foreign born convert)
Not born of Hindu parents, culturally hindu, no hindu religious practices?
(An indian born child of non-indan born parents, raised in Hindu
society, but not a practicing hindu. [is this possible?])
Not born of Hindu parents, culturally hindu, religiously practicing hindu?
(Indian born child of foreign parents, raised in Hindu society,
follows Hindu religious practice)
Born of Hindu parents, culturally non-hindu, no hindu religious practices?
(Assimilated american children of assmilated Indian-born parents)
Born of Hindu parents, cuturally non-hindu, religiously practicing hindu?
(Religious american born children of assimilated indian-born parents)
Born of Hindu parents, culturally hindu, no hindu religious practices?
(Madhu, e.g.)
Born of Hindu parents, culturally hindu, religiously practicing hindu? ("Hindu")
-- Charles
