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General Indian-Americans taking over US, says Biden
2021.03.05 18:59
US President Joe Biden.(Bloomberg)
'Indian-Americans taking over US,' says President Joe Biden in NASA meet
In less than 50 days of his presidency, Biden has appointed at least 55 Indian-Americans to key leadership positions in his administration ranging from his speech writer to the NASA, to almost every wing of the government.
PTI, Washington
PUBLISHED ON MAR 05, 2021 07:59 AM IST
Indian-Americans are taking over the country, US President Joe Biden said on Thursday, referring to the high number of people from the community getting a place in his administration.
In less than 50 days of his presidency, Biden has appointed at least 55 Indian-Americans to key leadership positions in his administration ranging from his speech writer to the NASA, to almost every wing of the government.
"Indian-of-descent Americans (sic) are taking over the country. You (Swati Mohan), my Vice President (Kamala Harris), my speech writer (Vinay Reddy)," Biden said in a virtual interaction with NASA scientists who were involved in the historic landing of Perseverance landing at Mars.
ALSO WATCH | ‘Indian-Americans are taking over the country’: Joe Biden at NASA meet
Comment 15
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A Singular Population: Indian Immigrants in America
But the most striking distinction may be their economic status: Indian-American households have the single highest income level of any group in the country — more than twice as high as the general US population.
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https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/korean-immigrants-united-states-2017
Korean Immigrants in the United States
In 2017, half of the Korean immigrants (ages 5 and older) reported having limited English proficiency, compared to about 48 percent of the total foreign-born population. However, slightly more Korean immigrants reported speaking only English at home (19 percent) than the total immigrant population (16 percent).
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That’s what I have been telling all along, Dr. Ohn!
Soon after I started my full commitment to CMC (Christian Medical College) of Vellore located in the Tamil Nadu region of India - THE best vascular surgery program throughout India! – from early ‘2,000 through the regular visit, every three years, till lately to help my protégé Edwin Steven to build the vascular malformation program, I learned this ‘Incredible India’ and shocked to confirm the rumor of ‘jumbo jet full immigrants of IT specialty leaving from nearby Bangalore every DAY to come to the States!!!
Yes, I screamed to let others know ‘(Asian) Indians are coming’ whenever I had a chance and amazed with their unlimited human resources no other countries could afford. Indeed, India is NOT one country but one huge continent with a garden variety of casts and cultures and also languages and even different alphabets. So, English was used as their pivotal baseline language/tool to break these many dialects of their own language, and indeed, Indians didn’t waste British ruling for 300 years to maximize the benefits of English, I was so impressed to learn- for example, one couple I had dinner while I was at Cochin, Kerala, spoke English to communicate between them because the wife was a Bengali girl with different language-.
So, Indians do not have any hurdle of 'language barrier' like Korean or Japanese to merge to this new world immediately with no restriction by the language/English. Although I intentionally point out/caution them to speak slowly since ‘Indian’ English is quite different from the ordinary(?) American/British English with odd/strange accents whenever I have a chance during the international meeting, but they have full confidence to speak out with no hesitation, which annoys me infrequently through years.
Anyhow, NOT anymore ‘Indians are coming, but rather ‘Indians are all over!!!’. As said, if you know one jumbo jet-full Indians are coming to the U.S. every day from Bangalore for more than two decades, you will have no trouble accepting the fact that Indians are the Number One group of immigrants in this country now. So, ‘Indians are all over' and even two immediate neighborhood families are Indians working in the IT industry and two nearby former Korean restaurants are also becoming Indian restaurants. Besides, Lotte, a Korean supermarket first in our vicinity of Reston is now converted to an Indian supermarket as well!
Indeed, I do accept this reality with a mixed feeling, honestly a bit of jealousy mixed but at the same time I am really wondering all those crazy ‘English education fervor’ in Korea, starting from the childhood- kindergarten level? - for decades! Because, surprisingly, I see rather ‘deteriorating’, instead of improving, English usability among many Korean junior/young colleagues through their presentations during the international meetings in these days, believe it or not! On the contrary, I notice Japanese has shown a striking improvement including the attitude of conversation to overcome the linguistic liability of their own natural language structure like the Korean language.
As a matter of fact, through the last out of town trip in December 2019 to Chicago to deliver the lectures to Northwestern Vascular Symposium, before being grounded by the COVID crisis, I had such unique chance to share the dinner with a few Korean American surgeons of a new generation, five altogether, mostly born here in the U.S. and also fresh out of training/fellowship to settle in the vicinity. We had a long conversation in regard to their liability as a minority on their career including the different cultural backgrounds, etc. Meanwhile, I smelled quite a Korean influence on two gentlemen’s casual talking despite both were born in the U.S. with a bit of foreign accent, which disappointed me. There is no way to get rid of native language-based expression among the first generation like us but for the second generation, I don’t feel it would be ideal and regretfully their grown-up background must have influenced with no doubt.
Language? Yes, it has been emphasized as the second most important factor even among Korean custom: 신언서판 !!!!!
BB Lee
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Korean doctors do not like Indian doctors in general. I have
heard that Korean doctors were saying Indian doctors were somewhat deceitful.
When I began my Anesthesia training at NYU in 1975, more than half of residentswere Indian foreign graduates. They were not sly at all. They were hard-working,
eager to learn, and most of all very smart. But some of them were not good to pass
multiple choice exams.
Throughout my Anesthesia practice, I have encountered many Indian and Parkistani
doctors and I found them very smart. And they had good practice making a lot of money.
My daughter lives in the San Jose area where Silicon Valley is. Whenever I visit there, I was
swarmed by so many Indians. But I do not see an Indian town nearby even though a few Indian
restraunts and groceries are wedged in Korean town in El Camino street in Sunnyvale.
I suspect it is because of their English proficiency. It is a huge asset for them to get aheadin America. They compete in mainstream America whereas Koreans, Chinese and Vietnamese
are trying to live together in their own community where they can speak in their native tongue.
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Absolutely right, Dr. Ohn! That is the reason why they do NOT need to make an Indian Town like Koreans here in the U.S. Indeed, the eary settlers among Koreans were all highly educated like PhD with much better chance to get assimilated to the main stream but the majority of the latecomers from Korea are different with no background involved to American society so that naturally all limited to the blue color job if not the business among Korean immigrants. On that point of view, Korean church is one of the poor outcomes for the survival and not much agreeable for the future.
BB Lee
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I have met a lot of Indian doctors during my training years. They are smart and friendly.
Because of that, basically, I never trusted them. They are too smart !! And that is their handicap.
They seem to have what is equivalent to our 엽전근성, the Indian 근성.
That tells us that we, both, came from the same poor societies.
Koreans are getting over the cursed habits, but they aren't.
They never deceived me just because I was never in a position to be close enough.
I hate their English accents. I can tell so easily. That's another handicap for the Indians.
Maybe, I shouldn't blame the Indians. It's just my honest feeling and confession.
We are not much different from each other in our past. They remind us of our old days.
똥 묻은 개가 흙 묻은 개를 흉보는 격...? Indian들을 보면, 불행했던 과거를 연상시킨다.
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I used to have a similar view on so-called 'Indian', WM, based on many of hearsay to Indians by the colleagues with a somewhat negative view like 'Indians are sly and cunning'. But I later learned only some parts are true especially on Indians we encountered here in the U.S. and most are based on biased prejudices with some sort of jealousy to their fluent(?) English by Korean friends.
Indeed, the Northern Indians, mostly of Punjabi origin, have been well trained(?) by their master Brits for 300 years so that they got out early from the continent to have spread out throughout the world based on the UK as we do see now. Naturally, they are pretty much business-oriented, giving the impression of cunning, sly, deceitful as we all are suspicious - if anyone is interested, you would love a good many stories VS Naipul wrote in regard to Indian culture/custom especially about the 'white lie' (VS Naipul is such well known Trinidad-born Indian writer who later received Nobel prize as well; we do keep quite a few books he wrote on our bookshelf!)-.
But, surprise, surprise, Southern Indians are different, believe me!!! They are the genuine original/indigent Indians, pushed out by the Mugal invaders to the south to the Tamil Nadu region. They are culturally so different from the Northerners, not only in language but also their alphabets, I learned through quite a few close friends at Chennai (=old Madras) as well as Vellore/CMC colleagues. Indeed, they are very sincere. warm, and also serious with honesty as the way to look generally very much aristocratic ( 양반스러워), committing to higher education - indeed, most of the scholars are the Southerners!-.
So I fell in love with these southern Indian 양반 peoples with self-integrity/respect and dignity and kept my commitment to CMC (Christian Medical College), Vellore through these many years. So, they are NOT the same as Punjabi!
Hope it does correct some of our misunderstanding on Indians.
With regards.
BB Lee
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By the way, do not judge Indian culture based on Indian foods you encounter here in the U.S. They all -except the vegetarian dishes- are the Northern cuisine, mostly of tandoori style, much different from the Southern cuisine. Indeed, my wife dislikes Indian foods here in the U.S., saying too much spicy and too mushy - vegetable dishes for example- so that we seldom go to Indian restaurants together through the years. But she admits the Southern dishes she tasted while we visited Chennai are much different and very tasty and especially the fried fishes are simply 'just a taste of heaven'- such deep fry of local fish to make the crispy bones to eat as well-. We haven't visited Indian restaurants lately but I presume the southern foods should be available if you would ask it specifically.
BB Lee
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Doc, thanks for enlighting me on the Indians, a very unique people.
I've met a lot of them but never got into a deep relationship. I've never classified them by region.
I thought the northerners (like those Singhs) seemed more dignified and serious.
But I've never learned or will never learn the differences. My knowledge is very shallow.
Indians seem to speak better than us but I've never envied their accented English.
I will certainly try the Southern Indian dish someday. I will definitely ask the Indian server
if what I am ordering is southern or northern cuisine.
I will tell my wife that you did recommend it.
If anything goes wrong with my wife's dish, you will be fully responsible. ㅎ, ㅎ, ㅎ.
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Thanks, WM, but watch out the strength of their mighty powerful spices and may ask what kinds of spices the food you plan to order are the main ingredients to the chef first to be sure- they use almost a dozen different linds of spices on various combinations-. Anyhow, I learned most of Koreans dislike 'cumin' and and also 'coriander' - the seeds of 'cilantro' plant you already are familiar with through Vienamese foods - so that you ought to check with your wife to make sure she has some tolerance on these two spices before you take her to the Indian restaurant. I learned the safest choice for the southern foods is usually available at Indian restaurants which is specialized for the vegetarian dishes here in the U.S. from my daughter at Boston who goes to Indian restaurant almost every week if not taking a carryout orders.
All the best,
BB
P.S. BTW, WM, Indian English is now officially accepted/enlisted as one of FOUR kinds of English together with British/continental English, American/colonial English, Australian English and Indian English they are so proud of!
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You are amazing as always, Prof. Lee! You seemed to know every culture in the planet.
Now I understand why Korean doctors have prejudice on Indian doctors.
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Glad you both enjoyed the sagas out of my penny-worthy (?) curiosity- indeed, I am always curious to the local history together with their foods wherever I go first time in particular like Uzbekistan or Kysgysztan so that before I set the visit especially to a new country, I always study their history intensely with the helps by the local colleagues and try to save three to four days whenever possible after the meeting to fulfill my curiosity to their local foods in particular unless I have to rush to leave/move from one country/meeting to another, back to back, which happened quite often though.
But India is a different story! I was fascinated to the history of Incredible India as well as their culture like Michael Wood so that whenever I visit to India through the last three decades - at least every three years, I visit to Vellore, Tamil Nadu to help CMC (Christian Medical College) group, the best team of vascular malformation in India, to solve the CVM problem cases (my protege, Edwin Steven is now the chair of surgery department as well!)-, I always set aside four to five days to travel around as they arrange for me before I leave India, mostly through the South India including Kerala region. Unfortunately, my wife dislikes Indian spice- too spicy to her weak stomach!- and especially the beggars on the street to make her feel so sad that I finally gave up to drag her around with me decades ago, after her third visits to India, and now I go to India all by myself in these days! So whenever I go to Vellore, I stay at their/CMC Alumni House for a week and they always bring their unique ice cream of Southern style even after the breakfast because they kno lolw I go crazy with their ice cream nowhere I could taste but in the South India.
BB Lee
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I enjoyed all the enlightening conversations about Indian Americans.
I was in charge for Cardiology fellowship training at my institution for three decades,
and had 4 or 5 Indian American doctors, all of whom had 2 year training under my
direct tutoring in all aspects of Cardiology and went on a highly successful careers
with one of them became faculty member at University of Georgia.
We had lasting friendship for many years after their training under me.
One of them told me that the only time he was betrayed in business ventures was by
his own country men, and said he would rather make deals with other non- Indians like myself, Koreans.
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As said, the Northerners, often Punjabi, are known to be better oriented/raised for the business based on the experiences learned as the vassal of Brit masters for 300 years so that they are more visible as the successful in the business field including the restaurant business here in the U.S. On the contrary, the Southerners, chased down to the south by Mugal invader are known to have much committed to the intellectual field like lawyers, physicians, and engineers so that most of Indians we know here in the U.S. are the Southerners!! And we seldom see the Southerners in the business here in the U.S. as well! Safest bet to identify the Southern origin among Indians is they're generally darker than Northerners.
BB
Good for them!
Korean-Americans are not far behind them, I believe.