Originally posted by: return_to_hades
It is difficult being a second-generation or even one and a half generation kid of any diaspora abroad. You will always be different in the country you are born or raised in. The color of your skin, the language your family speaks, the way your family behaves, always stick out. You are always considered foreign or semi-foreign in the homeland of your roots. Your accent, your behaviors, how you navigate the homeland always will stand out as different and amusing.
Being neither here nor there is a very uncomfortable feeling. It is human nature to fit in and belong somewhere. Humans are social animals that seek to be embraced into groups. And each person tries to find their sense of belonging, differently. Some folks try to assimilate into the country they are living in. Sometimes this comes at the expense of rejecting and resenting their roots. Some folks try to cling to their culture and roots. Sometimes this comes at the expense of being alienated where you live. And there is a whole spectrum in between the two extremes. Some find their belonging with other diaspora kids who find themselves neither here nor there.
It is not fair to dictate or judge how diaspora kids behave. There is no formula for the right amount of culture you must embrace from your homeland and where you live.
Bollywood does a shoddy job at authentically depicting the diaspora because they write stories based on assumptions, not lived experiences. Even the westerners in their country are reduced to caricatures and stereotypes of ignorant racist people who look down on people of color. Everything is in your face and blatant rather than the more systemic problems actual people of color face.
The few people who represent diaspora well are those who are members of diaspora themselves. Bend It Like Beckham, Master of None, Never Have I Ever, The Namesake, The Big Sick all depict second-generation immigrants more authentically. They avoid depicting westerners as one-note caricatures as well. And sometimes even other diaspora films like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Saving Face, The Farewell, Minari, Brooklyn are more relatable than some bogus Bollywood movie.
Even then not all in the diaspora will relate. Because each experience is unique and where you live in the west also makes an impact. Rural America is different from Urban America. The Midwest, the deep south, the great plains, all have their own unique characteristics and culture. Each European nation is its own microculture. The wealthy NRI in New York or California is another stereotype that barely scratches the surface of Indians abroad.
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