Desi Manifesto Blog: The Forum for South Asian American Men

* The quirky and forward-thinking Canadian TV (CBC) show, “Little Mosque on the Prairie,” is being adapted (and potentially ruined) by FOX. Even if it doesn’t make it to air, this is progress. Unless it’s some kind of feeder for “24″ villains. Ugh. Props to writer Zarqa Nawaz, as she has created a show unlike anything currently around. The desi moment is that she’s of Pakistani origin, BTW.

And she answered some questions after the pilot aired. Watch the pilot (takes a long time to load). [Thanks Nirali Magazine]

* Adhir Kalyan, whom we blogged about in our review of the CW’s “Aliens in America,” bagged a role as an up-and-coming wunderkind doctor on FX’s “Nip/Tuck.” Amazingly, the writers of the show displayed their all-world creativity when they named the character “Raj.” On a happier note, that boy is going to get LAID, both on the program and in real life, because of his role on that show. It’s LA, you know. And I 100% support the sexual objectification of the Indian male by women as well as the resulting residual play from the trickle-down effect. [Thanks Angry Asian Man]

Terrible couple of weeks for large swaths of Asia, from the South to the East to the Southeast. Whether it was Cyclone Nargis bludgeoning Burma (though perhaps the ruling military junta’s indignant stance is the greater tragedy as her people suffer), the 7.9 magnitude quake in central China, or the terrorist attacks in Jaipur, India, this has been a devastating and shitty month for the most populous regions of the world.

Sometimes I feel resigned to the cycle. If Buddha and the Gita had it right, life is just suffering. Is this an un-Disney circle of life? Maybe this is just how things go, and will we ever change anything unless we change everything? And what new problems will those changes bring?

I was not Christian, I was not white. This alone was enough to invalidate any chance of being president… [But in] this new millennium, in this present day, things have changed. We finally have a South Asian candidate running for president – Barack Obama.

Before you point out the obvious, allow me to explain.

Sure, the news in general is skewed towards the twisted aspects of daily life as opposed to the righteous and uplifting. But that’s even more exaggerated regarding Muslims in American media. This is the one article I’ve read in many months that portrays Muslims in a positive light. That’s about a 25-to-1 ratio.

Do you honestly believe there are 25 atrocities committed by Muslims for every one virtuous act? I do not.

Various cultures have tried isolating those who are “different.” They’ve all claimed it was for benign purposes, some going so far as to say it was to benefit the minority group. In recent history, the Nazis made the Jews wear “pieces of flair” (thanks, Office Space). The Americans sent anyone of Japanese origin into camps during WW2. The Taliban made the Afghani Hindus wear patches. The Americans made blacks live in separate areas of the country when they tried the “separate but equal” debacle. Rather than protecting the smaller group’s members, these plans simply divide them from the majority, destroy the bonds that have integrated them into society, and make it easier for the majority to view the smaller group as a foreign entity, a “them” vs. “us” scenario.

I can confirm for you that the potential disaster of a cultural hodgepodge these white writers (assumption, but I’d bet money) threatened to put together is not only enjoyable at times, but is also tonally uplifting and not a complete cultural massacre. Perhaps more like a back alley stabbing. But with Hollywood nowadays, that’s a boon.