Culture Briefings

South Asian is now a category

I’ve been on a job-hunt for the past month and half. And everytime I have to fill out the demographic box, I blindly click on Asian American. A more correct way to identify myself would be as South Asian. Simply because when you mention Asia, it immediately draws up sterotypical images of Chinese, Japanese, Indonesians, and the other "Asians."

India, Sri-Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh– are all collectively known as South Asia because we more or less share similar cultural values. And we look a little alike too

But South Asians as a category has never been included anywhere. Not in job-hunt software, in college applications, when signing up for newsletters, services… just about anything!
(there’s something called Pacific Islander that I thought I might fit into but later realized it was for the Islanders. And there’s the "other" category, which I detest!)

So imagine my surprise and glee when I recieve an email from a local market research group I am a member of asking me if I would kindly log into my account and specify the type of Asian I am.
The email mentioned the growing number of South Asian and how strongly this particular demographic had been ignored in adveritising and marketing campaigns.
The realizaiton came late. But hey– I’m have a category now!

This was a teeny research group in Philadelphia. But perhaps its the begining. Maybe others will follow lead and give the South Asian community the recognition it deserves.

If only these major corporations had any idea how BIG OF A DIFFERENCE it would make if they included say one, just one 2 second spot of an Indian family celebrating Diwali in their commericals. Or an Indian wedding procession … or an indian family in a car…
just one clip.

Atleast we are a category now. horray.