Petition to TIME Magazine to Address "My Own Private India"
In its July 5, 2010 edition TIME Magazine published "My Own Private India," a troubling piece by regular columnist Joel Stein about the influx of South Asian immigrants to Edison, New Jersey. The column featured negative stereotypes of the South Asian community and flippant disregard for serious hate crimes.
Sign this petition to the editors of TIME Magazine to raise your concerns!
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As members or allies of the South Asian American community, we wish to raise serious concerns about Joel Stein’s recent column titled “My Own Private India” (July 5, 2010). The piece uses humor to mask an insular and misguided description of the growth of the South Asian immigrant community in Edison, New Jersey.
Stein relies on pat stereotypes to single out the South Asian community's contributions to the landscape of the city. Most offensive is his remarkably blasé tone about the discrimination and hate crimes that targeted the New Jersey South Asian community during the 1980's, which resulted in the death of Navroze Mody.
Moreover, Stein's rhetoric feeds the xenophobic sentiments that target South Asians and other immigrants. In his reference to the people of Arizona, he also draws a parallel that justifies laws that enshrine these anti-immigrant attitudes.
We believe that the South Asian community, like other immigrant communities, has helped the city of Edison flourish and is an integral part of the American tapestry. We wish to celebrate and applaud these contributions and urge support against such undeserved antagonism.
In response to the concerns highlighted above, we ask that the editors of TIME Magazine:
*Open up a space for responses to the rhetoric of this column in TIME Magazine's pages
*Convene a dialogue about the impact of the piece with community members and journalists
*Show greater respect for, and understanding of, the South Asian and other immigrant communities in future pieces on the topic
Stein relies on pat stereotypes to single out the South Asian community's contributions to the landscape of the city. Most offensive is his remarkably blasé tone about the discrimination and hate crimes that targeted the New Jersey South Asian community during the 1980's, which resulted in the death of Navroze Mody.
Moreover, Stein's rhetoric feeds the xenophobic sentiments that target South Asians and other immigrants. In his reference to the people of Arizona, he also draws a parallel that justifies laws that enshrine these anti-immigrant attitudes.
We believe that the South Asian community, like other immigrant communities, has helped the city of Edison flourish and is an integral part of the American tapestry. We wish to celebrate and applaud these contributions and urge support against such undeserved antagonism.
In response to the concerns highlighted above, we ask that the editors of TIME Magazine:
*Open up a space for responses to the rhetoric of this column in TIME Magazine's pages
*Convene a dialogue about the impact of the piece with community members and journalists
*Show greater respect for, and understanding of, the South Asian and other immigrant communities in future pieces on the topic
