When people meet me at first they automatically assume I am a coolie which is a terminology for an Indian laborer who is low on the caste system. I usually have to swiftly educate them regarding my family history explaining my paternal grandmother was an East Indian woman straight out of Bombay, India.
Therefore along with my Euro-Caucasian blood it makes me hard to place at times. Ever since I was a little girl both my maternal family and paternal grandmother made it quite clear to me not to let anyone ever call me a cooley.
They would expound by saying in India they have a caste system and coolies were generally blue collar workers who at times did not possess very stellar traits. Sometimes they are the ones who partake in underhanded acts, break laws and their personalities can be quite rambunctious.
Whereas, real Indians tend to be more refined, educated, mild mannered, philosophical and sensible in their reasoning. We are living in a time where just about every part of the world is being overcome with racial indifferences and caste systems.
Although we may know certain information about a select group there is no need to lambaste them with their short comings day and night. Yet, people continue to create a great divide with some of their unflattering thoughts.
Lately it seems as if there is an Indian invasion going on in the United States which one could call the browning of America. Due to this sudden migration many Indians are getting a lot of negative press because there is a difference between true Indians and coolies.
Just the other day I was sitting in the arboreteum reading a book when I heard two people discussing Indian folks. They were yammering on and on about how untidy, messy and sloppy they were. They even began criticizing their food, body odor and way of dress.
The manner in which they were talking suggested these individuals believed the Indians were bringing down the neighborhood by defacing and devaluing their property. As I eavesdropped on the heated conversation I realized these folks were ignorant because they were not referring to well-bred, classy Indians, they were talking about coolies who at times appear to be a bit brash in their ways.
I truly felt badly for these persons because it just showed how much their world was limited from not traveling to other regions of the world. If they did they would begin to understand the mind set of the folks they were talking about.
Real Indians are builders and changers of society they are the ones who are involved with projects concerning science, math, medicine and journalism. In their own right they are world changers and bring light and beauty to any society they choose to engage in.
Whilst some cooleys tend to run a-muck in any society they live in. At times the women may be the husband stealers, or filled with cunning capers. The men are said to have charlatan ways and be filled with all sorts of tricks and scams.
Growing up in Jamaica it was relatively easy to see the difference between real Indians and cooleys because they carried themselves in a dignified manner and were usually the doctors, scientists, teachers and shop keepers of the island.
They remained true to their culture and traditions. They lived in a reserved manner and tried not to cause too much attention to themselves. Cooleys were more westernized and somehow sought to partake in new trends.
At the end of the day I believe there are good and bad people in every culture and most are influenced by their life experiences. So with that resolve I usually stand my ground when others assume details regarding my Indian heritage. On occasion I get annoyed when others label deeds, words and actions pertaining to Indians without any real basis.
Fighting For My Life Memoir 