Proud to be cheap!!!

So here's my next musing!!!

I have mixed feelings around this one. Sharing some of my thoughts!!!

I was watching this stand up comedian on 'Comedy Central'. Well...it must be great that some folks can make money by laughing at the quirks or set ways of a community. It's awesome to hear that naturalized accent and oneness displayed with your adopted land. I wonder if pretending to be 'white' and being 'white ' in the real sense are akin to the same? LOL!  'When in Rome, live like Romans'. But a bit more finesse needs to come in, when you speak of another culture or make jokes on it is what I believe or Is that asking for too much? So this guy was making fun of his mom and dad's so called cheap behavior. He was joking about how they reused their yoghurt and jam containers even after the original food item was exhausted. Well... what's wrong with that habit? I mean...think about it. We are reducing the amount of plastic usage by reusing those items for a variety of storage purposes. Satellite pics show the way in which water resources are being polluted because of non recyclable items being dumped in them. If his parents have the habit of recycling, he should be proud of them! Wish more folks followed suit. My mother keeps reusing the zip bags after washing them. Never thought of it to be a national offence. His next joke was on how his parents didn't have hot boiling water in their bathroom. Oh my god! He has such deprived parents. What would people do if they didn't get boiling water in a hot tropical country? They'd freeze to death, eh? Oh...While in his motherland, for taking his bath, he also had to mix the hot and cold water held in different buckets to get the right water temperature and the torture also included usage of a plastic mug. So much of manual labor involved! I am sure it's devastating if you don't have a shower or a bathtub in your washroom. You don't have water running and overflowing throughout your bath time.Really sad! My heart goes out for him! Rubbish!!! But it's wierd to hear such silly humor. He should be more worried about coming out alive from theatres or public areas, when living in places where carrying guns are considered as normal behavior for general population. The next humorous joke was around the food ingredients that make western cooking simple and easier. So a garlic pepper chicken's making and title go hand in hand. In his motherland, there were a huge list of ingredients that went into the making of a dish and it had a complicated name as well. In most tropical countries, the food is spicy. Just because someone likes 'a' particular type of cooking, the dish in another place doesn't get whacky. Then he talked about having to visit umpteen number of relatives and friends when he visited his motherland. I would think that it's great to have that kind of family and friends. Today, my brother in law is at the hospital and I am missing my family members who stay in the South. Having family members around you is always a blessing during times of need and happiness. I have yet to come across people who do not favor having an extended family around their place of stay. Guess he's an exception!!! He talked about giving away gifts to his relatives when he comes down from his adopted homeland. Well...in the past, there was a craze for foreign products because they were not available freely. But with the opening of international markets. every possible brand of clothing is available in most countries. Same goes for other consumer products. So he's mistaken if he thinks that his giveaways are the reason as to why people welcome him into their homes.If you can't enjoy the hospitality of your own motherland, you should stop visiting. I am sure it's genuine love but that may be a distant emotion for him, based on the way he put it across. He would come down to his briefs by the time he finishes all his visits is what he cited. Such a bragger! Next comment was around wastage of food. His parents didn't like him to do that. Well..again, I just don't find that to be a bad habit. Why would you want to do that when you see millions suffering due to starvation and malnutrition. I love his parents as they have the right attitude. Sad that they couldn't pass on these values to their 'uber westernized' son.I have heard so many jokes about arranged marriage system and all the ooh and aah about this practice. Well...my advise to those who don't want to go for it is to develop a backbone and use their command over the English language and muster the courage to say "NO" to their pushy parents. That simple! It's easier instead of whining about it to folks who really wouldn't understand the hype around this area.

Come to think of it...Jokes around those who belonged to a certain other religion were next to nil. Of course..there were a few jokes mentioned with an apologetic demeanour and some  nervous laughs were shared by the audience for those feeble jokes. It helps when you know that some religions are more tolerant as compared to the rest.The cash registers continue to ring, without any violent repercussions later. Way to go!!! It's always good to be cautious about your life!

Sorry..am a sad case maybe but I didn't find any humor in any of these areas that he tried to make a joke! Thought them to be practical.

Oh well...I guess you change when you move elsewhere. But I wonder why! Why would you be apologetic about your cultural ways when you move elsewhere? You are not imposing them on anyone else.  I fervently pray that I don't turn up to be wierdo when I travel abroad. I am proud to be who I am. I don't need any colonial stamp of approval for the same. My friends who are 'White' accept me for who I am and respect my thinking. I am glad that they are accommodating and understand the differences in traditions. My American friend used to remind me to keep my fast on Fridays which Hindus keep during Margashirsh month and ensured that I broke my fast as per the traditions.We even went searching for a river to drown the coconut which I had kept as an offering for god, throughout the fasting days. LOL! There are many such examples of openness and acceptance. 

I think it's better if these stand up folks understand that they are talking about the lives that real people live on a day to day basis. Drawing laughs for making money is great. But they should try to ensure that sentiments are not hurt in this whole process!!!

To sum up...we live our life with dignity. We don't need charity nor do we have the inclination to put up with fake accents. Culture is a way of living. You take what is good out of it and discard the rest.

We live ' REAL' lives!!!

Live and let live!!!