Analysis on Indo-Chic- Late Capitalist Orientalism and Imperial Culture

   The article "Indo-Chic: Late Capitalist Orientalism and Imperial Culture" and "Arabs, Islam and the Dogmas of the East" describe the conflicts of the term "orientalism" and how Europe and the United States have utilized the term in order to overexaggerate the lifestyles and cultures of the groups of people living in Asia. This also leads to the ignorance of people outside of Asia, as they only view people based on the way media portrays Asians and overexploit the culture of the people while ignoring their existence and struggles. In Sunaina Maira's article, she points out the contradictions and ignorance of the United States, as non-Asians and the media have shunned Indians for using their own product, and then glorify non-Asians who exploit and utilize these products, such as henna. The problem with other ethnicities using henna is that they completely overlook the cultural significance and aspect of henna while not giving credit or are willing to understand the perspectives of the originators of henna. Even though culture is always changing and challenging the authenticity of pure culture is supposed to be a problem, I believe that culture isn't as quick to change as people see it as and is more contributed and dependent on the region of the world in respect to the population rather than the ethnic makeup of the person's skin. For example, a white person who was raised in China and learned the mannerisms and cultures of China would be technically more ingrained to the Chinese culture than a third generation Chinese American who has never visited China. This would be due to the fact that the white person who has been living in China is more used to the lifestyle and the way people have conducted themselves in order to survive. However, I would also like to point out that culture is also on the basis of gender, skin color, class, age, religion, and more. To simply rely on race as an excuse for the formation of culture would be considered an overgeneralization and an understatement. The reason why some Indians would be irritated by the fact of non-Indians using henna is because the origins and cultural significance of henna is associated and connected to the culture and lifestyle of the masses of people who live in India. Also, history would also play a role for  who would take offense in terms of using the word "orientalism". Some Asians would be irritated by a White person in America using the word "orientalism" because in America, the term has been used as a negative connotation by that group to offend and oppress the Asians within U.S. history and European imperialism due to the idea of superiority complex. I would like to also argue that ethnicity is a biological construct that is evident within the DNA features whereas race is a social construct invented through a hegemonic force. That being said, culture is usually formed by the experiences of the masses through a certain region and lifestyle. Although the term "oriental" does have a negative connotation amongst the Asian culture, I would like to argue that it is dependent on the circumstance of the situation and the intent of the person who is using the word "oriental". During the World Earth Fair, the Native American merchant who sold me a clown kachina doll asked, "are you oriental". Although the term is supposed to be offensive, I simply chuckled "why yes, I am Chinese, but your artwork is fascinating and in a way resonates with me. He then told me how most of his customers happen to be Asian and were interested in his artworks and products. This conversation then led to a connection and relation point between Asia and the native culture. However, had I took offense to the comment instead of lightly laughing at it, I would have caused conflicts within the service. However, because I knew he had no mal intent when asking the question of "orient", I had no issue with the comment and didn't need to raise defenses. Sometimes, using a race is necessary if it is difficult to describe the person that I am trying to identify, but it is all within the notion of context and purpose.