Indian Men All Love to Dance, Apparently
Indians are apparently in theĀ vogue [1].
Because they are they all highly skilled, educated, sociable and good-looking, Indians, according to Andrea Miller, are also excellent dates. They are "innately gracious," for example, and, what's more, Indian men love to dance!
While I am flattered, I suppose, as an Indian American, I chafe at Miller's recommendations. They are, as one of the comment's on Miller's article says, "vaguely racist." Miller objectifies an entire race and reduces it to handful of Bollywood references.
She continues by suggesting that readers interested in dating an Indian should memorize Shah Rukh Khan's initials, have a favorite Bollywood film ("It should be obvious by now that you need to have a favorite Hindi movie. If you bust out something like, 'Yea, I loved Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,' you are very likely to get a second date. If not something straight out of the Kama Sutra."), show an appreciation for bhangra (I suppose I have to like bhangra now), and love Indian food.
Miller's claims exotify Indians and portray them as nothing less than the "chosen people." It does not matter that they are positive, and describe Indians as smart and successful: allĀ stereotypes are bad stereotypes. Miller denies that Indians are incapable of variety and imperfection. It is also demeaning, to Indians that are smart and successful, to argue that they are smart and successful only because they are Indian.
In its defense other comments argue that Miller's article is in jest. But the model minority myth is no joke. And I don't find her remarks ("I hope Laxmi, Goddess of Prosperity, smiles on you as you endeavor to date one of her people") very funny at all.
To non-Indians that perhaps find it funny I suggest taking an introductory course on race and racism. To Indians that do, I suggest the same.