Comments (86)

This article shows an embarrassing lack of forethought, I am embarrassed for both the author and young woman. The author lacked serious analytical skills and critical thinking skills in reporting. The young woman does not seem to fully appreciate the source of her attention: racism. She rather seems to blindly accept this celebrity status and does not seem to be really making any steps towards truly understanding the culture that she is living within. I would encourage her to find a deeper connection with the people she is living among and distance herself from the artificial and unhealthy status of one way adoration.

I say this speaking as a white american working in an asian country. We are not here to exploit the internal racism of asian countries. We should be trying to engage in not benefit from these amazing people.

PS. I have only traveled in India, but I love it!

Sabrina seems like an adventurous fun loving person. Not everyone would drop what they were doing in order to take the road not taken. And if it gave her some advantages, good for her, she didn't grab it from anyone, they offered it to her. As for her dating indian men, I would tell her to be careful. Indian society is very conservative and very judgmental it seems, and would not appreciate her bold choices. Right now she is exotic to them as they are to her but this will wear off, on both sides. If she were to marry a constantly jealous indian guy, she will find that her life may be more restricted that she thought and indian society will support him in this. I would tell her to just have fun with this indian guy and see if she can use her experience in India to get a jump start in her career in the US where she can settle down with a nice american boy.

I am an Indian guy, and if I was as good looking as that guy I would not settle for girl that looked like Sabrina. That guy has low self esteem or an inferiority compex to white ppl or something. Not that there'es anything wrong with dating/marrying white ppl, just that I would marry someone way hotter than Sabrina if I was him, white or not...

I am an Indian guy, and if I was as good looking as that guy I would not settle for girl that looked like Sabrina. That guy has low self esteem or an inferiority compex to white ppl or something. Not that there'es anything wrong with dating/marrying white ppl, just that I would marry someone way hotter than Sabrina if I was him, white or not...

Welcome Sabrina, have a nice time for a while, and then find a very good, caring, loving, affectionate husaband her in India. (well, there are many men in India who can keep you happy always, but make sure you search and select the right guy), WE INDIANS would want to assimilate and absorb people like you into already diverse Indian culture and society

I am surprised nobody was able to blame President Bush for the girl's success. Maybe a few comments later.

The young woman went to India. She has found something she thinks she likes; apparently plenty of Indians find she has something worth their rupees (not innuendo).

A few Indians (and others) are offended, because a foreigner, a white one, an American, has given their fellow citizens what they wanted, so they rage in the comments. Feeble.

I have no interest in stardom, but if my choice were stay at home and do/be nothing or go oversease to do/be something and widely well-received, I think I can predict which choice most people would make, with good reason.

The last time I took computer classes in the US, all my grad instructors were Indians. They were all delightful, and most were good teachers. Perish the thought that the reason ALL of the grads were Indian might be because the US natives view Indians as IT-superior!

im surprised people are writing so much on this non issue....

Its a pretty pathetic how terrible we indians are as a race. Do you think any Indian reporter in NYtimes or WSJ will get this kind of respect. We need to start respecting ourselves more. Regarding the dating scene, it shows how pathetically repressed we are as a race sexually. A swedish or dutch guy would never chase a white girl the way we do. Indian men think caucasian women are easy. Learn to respect the person. We are just pathetic

So she likes getting attention from famous people. Who wouldn't? Why does anybody go out and get into the club scene, in any country, other than to meet people and have a good time? But a lot of you are "offended" by that.. In America we call that response "HATING".

Stop Hating.

The hot girls get into clubs free, the ugly ones pay. I guess in India, if you are a young white girl you're considered hot. People may not understand that a white girl is exotic in India, like a hot foreign female may be in the US.. (Salma Hayek, Shakira, Shilpa Shetty). I don't particularly think this girl is a bombshell or anything, but I'm not hating on the guy who does. Grow up.

and may her tribe incease.

;)

Of course she won't give it away for free, and she is just as good at Excell spreadsheet to calculate the rate of return on her investment as any self respecting "working" girl.

All her talk about being used as a good time girl is simply dishonest. She was using them for pay for her high society life style including the $24 single shot of Jose Cuervo Gold tequila just as there were using her.

To appear as a victim, she feigned disappointment and indignation to get sympathy.

Amar,
you said it like it is. Keep going and ignore your detractors.
As for Sabrina, as I was reading the article I was thinking she doesn't know what she is getting into and I was right. I was referring to the way she was used as a good time girl.

There is more to India than being flattered by the attention and the high life that goes with it. I just hope she discovers it.

Not 3 partners but 3 "sexual" partners. Please make that distinction.

In all fairness, Indian girls did not parade nude in front of camera like the white girls did in "Girls Gone Wild".

White girls want to enjoy the sexual freedom and at the same time portray themselves as the good girls next door. People can't accept this hypocrisy. They can't have the cake and eat it too.

Regardless of if you're male or female, if you think 3 partners is a LOT, you definitely need to get out more! And why has no one commented on the LOOSE character of the men she slept with. I guess Indians find it perfectly acceptable that an Indian man will sleep around-- seriously, how predictable!
My advice: Buy some protection and find your inner "loose moral character" and quit judging white people's morality based on girls gone wild, not unless you want all Indian families characterized by Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum.

" I was thinking in my head, "Surely they don't take you seriously!" In fact, they don't. The family definitely won't accept her"

SRI,

would you say this to your own granddaughter in law ?

Haha, as I was reading about dating the politicians son and the actors, I was thinking in my head, "Surely they don't take you seriously!" In fact, they don't. The family definitely won't accept her, but, moreover the boys also want to preserve their culture. Besides, she looks a little trashy. I know many Indian boys here in the US who are like that--fool around with the white girl, marry the Indian girl.

And not matter if Sabrina is loose or not, the average American girl (even the average Indian-American girl) is DEFINITELY looser than the average Indian girl raised in India--certainly the white woman will get more attention from men!

Haha, as I was reading about dating the politicians son and the actors, I was thinking in my head, "Surely they don't take you seriously!" In fact, they don't. The family definitely won't accept her, but, moreover the boys also want to preserve their culture. Besides, she looks a little trashy. I know many Indian boys here in the US who are like that--fool around with the white girl, marry the Indian girl.

And not matter if Sabrina is loose or not, the average American girl (even the average Indian-American girl) is DEFINITELY looser than the average Indian girl raised in India--certainly the white woman will get more attention from men!

Brutal patriot.

get laid.

She should have kept her butt in the states.

How about the United States comes and destroy all you anti-white filth. White's will always dominate this world. When you mix races....whites will always breed your race out of existence. We are walking God's. Get over it.

"Girls gone wild, swingers, sex parties, all are real events, and not made up in someone's fantasy.

Foreign men can't be blamed for thinking American women are loose and easy. It's likely some American women, strangers in a foreign land, do play up to that bad girl image and let loose and enjoy themselve. "

Anonymous above.

Yeah but All this , even if true is no gaurentee that you'll get any tail in your foreign land from the next American Woman you see.

This is like expecting that , when you see a pornstar in flesh and blood, she'll go down on her knees and ...uh...worship you...aint gonna happen.

A reputation, whether it's true, didn't come out of nowhere. There's always some truth to that.

The sexual revolution in America did make American women more liberated than their predecessors.

Hollywood movies about loose American women do base in part on real life stories that reflect the reality in American society.

Girls gone wild, swingers, sex parties, all are real events, and not made up in someone's fantasy.

Foreign men can't be blamed for thinking American women are loose and easy. It's likely some American women, strangers in a foreign land, do play up to that bad girl image and let loose and enjoy themselve.

To most American women sex is no longer about procreation and family, but a physcial pleasure, self entertainment, and even a source of income.

If anyone needed reasons to accept being fetishized....haha

remember what Dad told you at the table ?

"There are men in India and Women in America, STARVING!"

NJII,

Pity the poor girls who are starved for choice in male deficit America because they didn't have your "advantage", though it may come at a cost to you..

"While I've seen plenty of American women not be fast and loose while in other countries, I've seen plenty that have been---the reputation is well-deserved."
----------------------
to "It's true":

A reputation based on a stereotype of a woman you have never met is true? Nonsense! This is simply a racist, sexist stereotype. You're a hypocrite if you say you are against racism or nationality bashing.

You hardly have to go abroad to see racial "fetishizing" or objectification. I know guys of all races who'll only date Asian women. I know white women who only date black or Latino men. As a blonde/blue white woman, I've learned to stay away from guys with a "Barbie" fixation. All of these patterns are based on a fixed idea of what your race means. Ex-BFs of mine who turned out to have the Barbie fetish never got to know me because they were too busy projecting their own fantasy onto me. I was surprised just the other day when a friend mentioned he "has a thing" for tall Nordic types, the paler the better - he's an American born and trained PhD scientist from California. He's also of Chinese descent. He thinks I'm wierd for not having a racial "type".

"And on another note: really, even from a male perspective, that guy is a hunk. He could do much better. There are sooo many ridiculously beautiful indian girls out there."

Yeah, but they won't put out without an enormous amount of work. Though white girls will get preference, any girl from any ethnic category in the US - including Indian-American - will get some attention from young Indian men simply because they think American girls are more likely to have sex with them.

I suggest both Sabrina and her Indina boyfriend to get medical check-up for HIV / AIDS and STD because they belong to the high risk group of people.

funny! that's what AK said just now...

three sexual partners! that is not a lot, even by my prudish indian-american standards. girl, you've got to live life. dont get tied down!

three sexual partners! that is not a lot, even by my prudish indian-american standards. girl, you've got to live life. dont get tied down!

both you girls, cut it out. if the boys don't seem that interested, it's probably because you re doing something wrong, not because of girls from the US "coming to take away" your men...

There are newspaper articles with detail reports of white female sex tourists from rich western countries flying to third world poor countries to buy sex from young boys. This is not a secret anymore.

In the U.S., there are a great increase in the number of registered female sex offenders e.g. white female teachers having sex with her 6th grade students or high school students.

Dear Anonymous,

While I've seen plenty of American women not be fast and loose while in other countries, I've seen plenty that have been---the reputation is well-deserved.

I've seen locals go to the airport (Ecuador, Spain, elsewhere) to greet the American girls because they figure that they're easier than the local girls. And they're right.

I don't care to judge it, especially against the backdrop of male "get as much as you can" hypocrisy. But its truth is inescapable.

To the above Anonymous,

You must be a retard, why else would you rehash what you've just said a while ago. We all see you are trying to pit Asians against each other.

You tried to offend all, but you failed. Your divide and conquer trick is no longer working.

"Sorry if I personally offended you."

Huuh?

why do you think it's personal...unless this is just more baiting.

Ok I seem to be able to..

American woman with heart, Whoever implied that All American women are easy and loose? It's just that all american women have (whispers) happy woman parts...as opposed to many North African women (who have them mutilated) or indian /muslim women, who have women parts, but sometimes theyre repressed.

It's not just your heart I think people see. they see much more than just the heart...and there's nothing wrong with that....was my point...

my comment in reply to American woman with heart somehow got withheld for approval ...can I post now?

CDRAKENC:

Sorry if I personally offended you. I tried to offend all equally, based upon crass generalizations of the status quo. :-)

Just finished seeing a DVD of "Kung Pao, Enter the Fist." And I thought it was okay to talk crassly about Asians and their stereotypes, and the ingrained social notions of white superiority above Asians because Hollywood set the norm.
;-)

And of course, it is an interesting irony that one notable article is about the romantic welcoming of white women among Indians, and another notable incident is Richard Gere was run out of India because he kissed a prominent Bollywood actress.
It is an interesting contrast, but as to whether it means anything in regards to sexual-racial politics, I'm open to other people's anthropological observations.

And it is an interesting contrast because Hollywood & American TV shows white males as morally, physically, spiritually superior to and conquoring or dominating over East Asian men and paired with East Asian women. While at the same time, I don't think Indian men will let this sort of status quo and ingrained viewpoint happen so easily in their society, and I wonder what is different.

Look... Not all white women are "easy, loose" or whatever word you want to use! I, myself, am not easy nor loose and I think that this is quite offensive to say that all of us American white women are that way. I am dating an Indian man and plan to marry him. He is my life and I am his. This is about love, not skin color, race or nationality. Come on people and look around our skin doesn't make us who we are, our hearts do. Love does not see color, but it see the person for who they are. The heart sees the heart, if you will. Let's all be nice and realize that not all American women are the way Hollywood makes them look.

Look... Not all white women are "easy, loose" or whatever word you want to use! I, myself, am not easy nor loose and I think that this is quite offensive to say that all of us American white women are that way. I am dating an Indian man and plan to marry him. He is my life and I am his. This is about love, not skin color, race or nationality. Come on people and look around our skin doesn't make us who we are, our hearts do. Love does not see color, but it see the person for who the are. The heart sees the heart, if you will. Let's all be nice and realize that not all American women are the way Hollywood makes them look.

"The truth is that 99% of men in India think by being nice to an American women they can get some action, so hence the "extra attention"

Interesting coincidence. I understand 99% of American men feel the same way, too.

He is trying to agitate hostility between Indians and other Asians, so obvious. He could even be non-Asian. He and X2 could be the same person.

is there nothing you can say(anonymous) without somehow sounding like it's a patronizing jeer directed at some person/group?

Indian dudes are more savvy than the East Asian dudes, in regards to the white expats.

They are wining and dining the white women -- trophies. And scaring away the Richard Gere types who would kiss an Indian woman.

In East Asia, the white guys, even the ones who are clear rejects by white women, are on the pedestal for asian women, as walking wallets, and as an easy ticket to a rich country.

Anonymous,

so get in all your sex in the euphoria stage, seems like a good idea , no?

X2
Why would an Indian hooking up with a white person be a sign of patheticness?It's a sign of sexual confidence.(that mommy NEVER wanted you to have because youd spend all the family wealth on the woman from the OTHER culture),An indian NOT hooking up and spending time posting about OTHER Indians hooking up might be a sign of loser-ness...

Indians are stupid. Don't they have any pride in their own culture.

I only thing I know about Indians is that they all want to leave India. Now they want to hook up with white people too.

Disgustingly pathetic.

The difference between posters like you two above and she, is that some one is getting laid...and EXACTLY on her own terms, and the others are desperately trying to explain away her happy success as some kind of an aberration ...an abomination.

I bet you two are also of the type that think oriental girl parts are sideways and you grow blonder by..uh...oral sex(two of the more colorful ideas thrown up by the repressed and amorous yet "nice" boys back at school...who grew up later.....unlike...some...others.)

The story's the same throughout the third world. China, Thailand, and the rest of Asia have plenty of Americans who were losers here but are "big fish", relatively speaking, overseas. That's not to say that they're all that successful, just more successful than they would be if they stayed home in the States. So, instead of being a college dropout in the US, she's a low-level reporter in India. And instead of being another average girl here, she's considered hot stuff there. There's nothing new about this- loser guys who are fat/twice divorced/balding/drink too much/make no money and/or disgraced professionally or personally have been going overseas for professional or personal "success" for generations. If you are a divorced unemployed loser alcoholic, it can be quite effective. I'm not saying that her case is that extreme, only that recasting yourself while overseas is a well-known phenomenon. In Britain, people often say, if you can't make it in London, then try Hong Kong. The only difference here is that its a woman taking advantage of it! In that respect, good for her!

I can recommend Sabrina a good Indian plastic surgeon with spcialization in vaginal rejuvenation procedure to make her a virgin again (at least physically). The cost is much cheaper than in the U.S.

I understand this is a new fad with the American women.

She's living her dream of being in India and doing all the great stuff...eating indian food, watching bollywood films play out in real life...getting attention...why should she not want the love (and sex) that goes with it too?

Maybe she doesn't really want to be an Indian wife as much as a steady hook up with a nice guy, without getting judged as a "horny chick" whose an open invitation to an easy lay.

Most men would feel she's not going to be a good wife material if she's already had 3 sexual partners.

Even Sabrina admits to this herself: "Neither of her first two boyfriends took her seriously, she says. They considered her "the goodtime girl," just someone "fun to fool around with…because they knew their families wouldn't accept me."

or not.

Maybe Indian women are just falling down on the job and american woman (with the fetish) exploit this...uh...loophole.

Happens, no?

Maybe indian women should put out to their male counterparts more , before screaming blue murder about some chick getting it on where she likes it.

"The truth is that 99% of men in India think by being nice to an American women they can get some action, so hence the "extra attention". "

American women have this reputation of promiscuity. The American entertainment industry also reinforces this perception with American films and books that depict American women as "loose".

Maybe American women should adjust their behaviors to shed this "loose and easy to score" image abroad.

India has for a long time had different standards for its male and female citizens and the male patriarchal system is well entrenched. For a woman to get equal respect and treatment is imposssible considering the culture has already tied her down to being a virgin when she marries and second fiddle to her husband and his family once married. The people of indian origin be they abroad or in India need to critically look at their old value system and see if it works in todays world. This being said the attitude of the indian subculture is very different toward a white than it is to a white woman and that need a whole different analysis. It is frustrating to be an Indian woman in India, the playing field both at work and at home is heavily bent against women. Until the Indians look at that clearly and not hide under antique indian values the problem for women in India will remain

She looks more like a fox to me.

and fetishization is wrong ...because...?

is it any MORE or less acceptable to the mob doing the bashing here if this same was an indian girl from baroda doing this with an Indian guy from udaipur? (or respectively, georgia and louisiana)?

When there are different races involved, often the biggest source of pleasure to the people in the relationship is initially the fetish. whether the relationship lasts or not depends on where people take it from there. they could either take it beyond the fetish and become genuinely attached, or move on to someone else who has the fetish when the novelty wears off.

Either way , it's no better or worse IMO than street corner romance...or necking in chowpatti..

I would have appreciated a bit more analysis on your part, Amar, about the weird fetishization at work on both sides here. I know you see it!

A bit of advice to Sabrina's Indian boyfriend: one sleeps with dog should wake up with fleas.

Anonymous -

in the interest of not having this girl publicly demonized - insofar as her number of sexual partners goes..

http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/News/story?id=156921&page=1

culturally there is definitely some fetishism and hearkening back to colonialism - neither of which are remotely a good thing - but she took the risk of recounting her personal experience as just one of many that have been presented here.

anyone who feels like moralizing about her sexual behavior is trying to throw a wrench in the legitimate discussion that could be had about this article.

I agree with Siddhartha in wishing that this article touched more than the surface of the young woman's experience, which is interesting.

As a non-Indian quite a bit older than the young woman, based on experience of my own and others, I feel a little protective of her. Whatever the cultural set-up, a relationship with a partner who is jealous, judges you (rather than just wanting to know you better and better as time goes on), or seeks to control your behavior -- is really really really likely to be worse and worse as time goes on.

indians tend to get infuriated by anyone who doesn't have to jump through the same hoops as everyone else to get something. There is such an emphasis on "qualification" over here, even if its from a bootleg institute with absolutely no standards whatsoever, you've gotta have it if your indian. THATS as much a hangover from colonial administation as ingratiating oneself to white people. at any rate, the fact that this girl has penetrated bombay high society so easily, by merely being a doable girl from georgia, should suggest that one look for genuine glamour elsewhere. with few exceptions, indian celebrities are highly unimpressive in person, as they're the product of an incestuous clique that resides in a few contiguous bombay suburbs.culture and fashion wise there are more progressive scenes in other cities in india let alone bombay itself.

Uhhhh--so---she--is white--why is she necc. any more responsible for the british colonization of India than
a Thai is for the Rape of nanking--let's wise up, folks.

OMG stop sneering you guys...on BOTH sides. Girl can do what (who)she wants..

and I'm willing to bet a lot of them don't come off half as shallow and oblivious.

Middle class white girl doesn't mind being commodified as long as it's to her advantage.

Meet the new feminism.

In other news, it's nice to know the number of sexual partners she's had .... ew.

And on another note: really, even from a male perspective, that guy is a hunk. He could do much better. There are sooo many ridiculously beautiful indian girls out there.

I'd do her.

Oh, my, good old extreme Indian sensitivity to anything negative about India, even if it is true.

Gandhi's biggest mistake was to deride Miss Mayo for her book. He should have thanked her, and asked Indians to be a bit more introspective and reflective of what she said.

Anything even remotely critical of India is always dismissed by Indians a 'gutter report'.

Apart from the fact that this article is badly written, it projects the subject in a very negative and distasteful light. Forget how India is colonial/deferential to white women. The truth is that 99% of men in India think by being nice to an American women they can get some action, so hence the "extra attention". So whatever.

But my first question was: what does this article have to do with how the rest of the world views America? This story would have been the same in 1955 or 1995. It does nothing, serves no purpose, and ends up projecting Sabrina (I hope that's not her real name!) as a dim-witted and attention-seeking dumb blond. You owe her an apology. Talk about what she thought people's attitudes towards America or her Americanism were. Did they ask her questions about her home? About her country's decision to side with Pakistan in 1971? About anything other than: "will you be my friend?" i.e. standard Orkut openers. This is fit for the society pages of a gossip mag as opposed to something in the WaPo/NW.

A very lightweight, silly article. Baksh has once again caricatured Indian society, based on a very narrow world view and faulty logic. This kind of simplistic rubbish doesn't provide any real information. A smug, borderline-racist, and above all meaningless bit of twaddle.

What is the point of this article?

so this lady gets to live the mumbai party scene for a while ?? what else ?

is she any good at her job? has she made any real friends? is smoking cheap bidi's the height of her "free and independent" experience?

me no get!

and whats with the picture of her with the Indian women?

Dammit, why must things be so disappointing and adverse for a non-white.

It's sick that the Indians feel this way, and sick that this woman feels no qualms about using her white skin to jump the queue.

just like ......"unhealthy amount of irrational religosity, and belief in weird things like astrology, discrimination on the basis of color of the skin is one of most unattractive facets of the Indian society"

Gregor - Pray tell, What is a "Rational" amount of Religiosity?

I've experienced this preferential treatment in India and elsewhere abroad. I'm always surprised by it, given America's diminishing reputation internationally, but it's hard not to like the extra attention, however uncomfortable one is by the underlying message it sends. The flip side is that as a Westerner I've also been treated like a wallet on legs.

I guess the blogger, by writing about her, is hoping to get some whit trash tail.

Does she have any chance of becoming the President of India...cuz there are looking for one.

wow, that is one handsome guy!

Her man is cute! Yay white girl!

Basically, India is the "New America land of opportunity" where a nobody or even a loser (e.g. a school drop out)from America can come to India and instantly become a somebody or even VIP. Oh, this only work if you are white.

"gregor:
Why are we Indians so afraid of the reality?

The fact is that the skin color is given great importance in the Indian culture in judging a person's worth."

How about blond hair and blue eyes?

Why are we Indians so afraid of the reality?

The fact is that the skin color is given great importance in the Indian culture in judging a person's worth.

Just like dowry, unequal treatment of women, unhealthy amount of irrational religosity, and belief in weird things like astrology, discrimination on the basis of color of the skin is one of most unattractive facets of the Indian society which must be attacked head on if India is to take its rightful place in the family of nations.

What a horrible advertisment for India, America, education, dating, journalism and everything else in this story... What kind of message does it send? Journalism school? No! Drop out of college, and become a feature writer in a year, just because you're white! Date TV actors just because you're American! Revel in the remenants of colonialism (i.e the fact that whites get treated better than the average Indian person does in India because the old masters were white) at every chance you get! Hey, gotta love the attention, right? Current boyfriend's not a "high roller" but I guess he'll do! Better than those average Americans! Yuck.

Quote: "People cared for her meticulously because she was a visitor and the extra attention "had a very romantic effect on me." So she left college midway through to see if Mumbai was as good a place to live in as it was to visit."

I don't think a black (or any non-white) visitor would get this kind of care and attention.

Please do not advertise this phenomenon in the west, or you will face swarm of white skin losers (especially white trash, trailer trash, jobless, homeless) flooding Asian countries.

The problem all started with Asian elites sucking up to whites, then the Asian population follow their Asian elites' example to kiss up to whites.

For an Asian marrying a white personal is like a giant leap in social status to a "honorable white" status, so he/she think.

This is clearly Indian self discrimination and inferiority complex, e.g. Whites are given preferential treatment in India. Whites have higher social status in India, much like the Brits in colonial era.

This is happening in many countries, not only India. It is a good feeling for a white person, a nobody in his / her own country, to receive unwarranted respect, minor celebrity, and VIP treatments in a foreign country.