tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3960293404576749034.post5883190078889186807..comments2024-02-22T03:17:33.594-05:00Comments on The White Hindu: Maybe it's all in my headAmbaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17928793933638999583noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3960293404576749034.post-24959485416896865022012-09-10T13:12:49.217-04:002012-09-10T13:12:49.217-04:00Hahaha! You looked quite closely. I think more and...Hahaha! You looked quite closely. I think more and more lately that I'm starting to move on from that.<br /><br />I think I started this blog in an atmosphere of feeling kept out and I've moved to an emotional place of mostly peace. Every once in a while it still pops up.<br /><br />But usually I remember that if people have a problem with me, it's more likely a problem they are having within themselves and I'm just a useful target.Ambaahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17928793933638999583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3960293404576749034.post-32431962139110627942012-09-10T10:59:18.638-04:002012-09-10T10:59:18.638-04:00If I take a quick swing through your Key Posts lis...If I take a quick swing through your Key Posts list, I find three posts where you are introducing yourself and why you consider yourself Hindu, four in a row about what other people think (First Impression, Labels, Zealous, Bindi), and then one on appropriation further down. You definitely have put a lot of thought into the issue of authenticity, of how people view you and your faith.<br /><br />Which is certainly not a bad thing! Especially when it comes to issues of racial dynamics and power imbalances. It's certainly much better than co-opting things from other cultures WITHOUT thinking about them!! (search 'bindi' on tumblr sometime and you'll see a lot of sexualization of Indian culture that borders on the creepy)<br /><br />But at the same time, you don't want to spend so much time thinking about this to the expense of other things. If it's important to you to wear a bindi to publicly proclaim your faith, wear it. If you have issues with how people will perceive it, don't wear it because you'll spend more time thinking about what people are thinking than you would on any given non-bindi day, and that's taking away from your productive time being a good Hindu and living a life of devotion to God and service to others! :) <br /><br />And regarding the Internet, I read a quote the other day (Oscar Wilde?) that said, "If you give someone a mask, they will show their true face." The internet's one hell of a mask. There are so many people out there who are hurting, insecure, or just plain mean who will go online and bash you for whatever you are, whatever life choices you make. It's good to take what people say on the internet with a grain of salt and put more stock in how you are treated in real life. Andrea M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03298212147072535367noreply@blogger.com