i lika these guys

wow, i just got hungry.

@Michael – you bring up an interesting point. These guys seem to be getting a lot of grief for what people see as a sterotype. But in speaking to them, their look is very much based on Barnum and Bailey, kind of early century traveling carnivals. Maybe I’m naive, but I see that more than I see any kind of malice. Would love other people’s thoughts.

I think ultimatley what is going to work for these guys is the food, and they’ve done a good job with it. The costume and schtick will likely fall away after the initial novelty does.

In all actuality I don’t really care. I think it’s funny. But what’s funnier is that if they DID wear blackface and sell soul food, instead of dressing like stereotypical “Indians” from the sub continent they’d be getting a lot more than just grief.

And, of course, dressing like a hillbilly and selling pulled pork wouldn’t even get a second glance from the constantly offended.

In my mind, it’s probably easy for many east Indians to shrug off Pojol Bros’ shtick because almost all the ones I know are accomplished and rather well off. Plus there’s not much in the way of really negative stereotypes in tv or film — which mostly seem to come from Mira Nair — that americans have access to. serving soulfood in blackface is
a major “haha no” when you consider the volumes of negative portrayal of black folk and the fact that it’s not as easy for them, even the accomplished ones, to shrug it off as easily. It’s a stereotype that sticks and you only need to go as far as some of the comments to Jeff and Dakota’s “15 minutes in NoVA” piece, with the references to lazy thugs who hand out on the corner to see that. It’s about as funny as serving food wearing a starving Ethiopian costume (whatever that entails). Anyway, Michael’s comparison’s sounds a little like the knee jerkery I’d catch on Fox and Friends.

I don’t know if he qualifies as village idiot or troll tho …

Point is either stereotypes are bad, regardless of who is being stereotyped, or they’re ok, depending on who is being stereotyped.

Is stereotyping Indians ok because most of them are well off, despite stereotyping them, but stereotyping blacks isn’t because most are not well off or because there’s more “history” of them being stereotyped? Hell look at the British treatment of Indians when India was a colony – the N-word was rampant when applied to them:

http://books.google.com/books?id=2iOB4rmA2VUC&pg=PA312&lpg=PA312&dq=Indians+Niggers+India&source=bl&ots=AniOTMdhXs&sig=4kyh1lr8IzmCCGdXa8f5zmC_BWs&hl=en&ei=S2tbSqOBFoyS8wT158HVBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9

And of course no one sees the correlation between any of this and stereotyping a “hillbilly” but do you think that the hillbilly would appreciate someone well-off dressing themselves up as a stereotype from WVA as a schtick to sell their product?

A comment about “black people steal” is racist, a comment that someone from WVA screws their sister is humor.

What’s the difference? It’s both stereotyping, right?

P.S. Dave – I found a South Asian who says it is racist and stereotypical, now you, too, can say it is racist and stereotypical, unless you’re going to dismiss his personal feelings as someone being stereotyped. Are you?

“The marketing gimmick is some play on a traveling “gypsy” cart, which is extremely offensive to me as a South Asian. I was absolutely shocked to see them dressed up in fake turbans (which have deep religious significance) and fake long mustaches. There is nothing “creative” about this venture – it is just an EMBARRASSMENT on multiple levels. Racism starts with ignorance of how to relate to other people’s cultures. So it’s quite appropriate for fojol’s fake profiles to invoke “Go back to…” language and attack me for sticking up for my culture. But these clowns should get some black-face paint…just to make it feel more authentic.”

http://www.yelp.com/biz/fojol-bros-of-merlindia-washington#hrid:MEgDfaMFbbCCymbh0Kkwbw

I really like Butter Chicken.

awesome, I was in adams morgan after MJ died and these guys rolled up blasting thriller out of the van—18th st dannncee partyy

The key to understating the difference between stereotypes and racism is to identify which groups have power, and, thereby, which groups are systematically oppressed by stereotypes.

Awesome food, terrible photography. Geez… keep blowing out channels and killing shadow detail….

fuckyeah Eric!! send me a link to your website puhleeeeeaze.

loser.

Worst. Comment thread. Ever. Focus on the damn food. It’s so tasty and delicious. Why aren’t these dudes at Fort Reno? Those little high school kids would go ape-shit for this stuff. Please Fojol, come to the August 2nd Benjy Ferree show at Fort Reno. And can you bring some cake, too? Yum.

also, please come to all Screen on the Green dates:

July 20: “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”
July 27: “Dog Day Afternoon”
Aug. 3: “On the Waterfront”
Aug. 10: “Rebel Without a Cause”

Hey Jeff, if we are supposed to focus on the food, then why the fuck are they dressed like that?

the world bank protester crusty punks must be on vaca from BYTwatch this week. this is red meat steaming tofu to them folks.

Chad with the win.

I’d have to consult my meeting notes, but I’m pretty sure this thread is why we created the aptly-named shitshow

I wish I could figure out a way to hijack my own comment thread back.

I do love Jeff though. Glad I’ve been drinking. Has anyone been to the W yet?

Been to the W- bunch of boners in sport coats

TBF jason, i long ago stated why i can’t get down with the shitshow. it’s a personal thing and kind of stupid. but also, i’ve mostly refrained from saying a lot of what’s on my mind re this discussion specifically because this ain’t the shitshow.

oh good. expect to see some guy walk up to them at ft reno and tell them how racist their retarded schtick is.

I’m not sure what to make of these Fojol guys and I am of Indian origin. At first I laughed, then I wondered if the food is any good (sounds like it is). And now I’m kind of offended but I can’t pinpoint why. It’s little things like the names they use (Fojol.. Ababa Du.. Gewpee.. Kipoto… Merlindia.. wtf?). The circus schtick is kind of funny and the disco music and funky van are all in good fun. But why are they in this pseudo “desi” gypsy get-up which looks like it came from Rajasthan? A true carnival/circus theme would be fine but what they’re doing is Orientalist and I think that’s why it bugs me.

Hey Anna, nice to see a Sepia Mutineer on here (I used to post a while back but now I’m an infrequent visitor). Is this SM-worthy, possibly?

Re: Fitsum’s take on it, I’m not mad at him because he doesn’t decide for me or anyone what’s offensive or not, no matter how many desis he knows. (He’s a damn good photographer so maybe I’m aesthetically blinded by his comments.) Regardless, you make a good point byf lipping the Fojol thing on its head and looking at it from the turbaned Sikh perspective. In any case, I doubt any of these Fojol dudes know how to get down to bhangra in true Punjabi ishtyle.