The Murder of Navroze Mody: Race, Violence, and the Search for Order is a journal written by Deborah Misir in 1996. Misir was a third-year law student at the University of Minnesota at the time. Almost a decade passed after this article was published on Navroze Mody in volume 22 number 2 on pages 55-75 (Misir). Mody was 30 years old when he decided to get a drink in Hoboken, NJ with his non-Indian business friend. However, Mody never made it home, he was beaten and mugged by a group of Hispanic children. The Dot-busters are group of residents that signify as anti-Indian Americans originating in Northern New Jersey. Keywords such as culture, race, and assimilation help analyze the oppression Asian-Americans endured in America, specifically in
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According to Robert G. Lee, culture is defined as “…the particular way of life of a group of people, the expression of intellectual and aesthetic sensibilities, or the production of goods, tastes, and meaning itself” (Schlund-Vials). I also believe culture is defined as the beliefs, morals, and values held by a particular social and ethnic group. Asian-Americans have always been expected to be hardworking, educated, and docile. The three expectations are all examples of the model minority myth. Model minority myth is the culture America has branded on to Asian-Americans for decades prior to the murder of Navroze Mody. An example of how culture had a negative impact on Indian-Americans in Hoboken, NJ is the term “Dot-busters”. This derogative term refers to the bindis worn by many Indian women to represent their culture and religion. Dot-busters were also a group of people in Hoboken, NJ whose mission was to “…go to any lengths to get Indian-Americans to move out of Jersey City” (Misir). During this time, Indian culture, including clothing, odor, and religious principles were all under scrutiny. Residents of Hoboken had issues with different aspects of the culture. Dave, a resident of Hoboken, spoke to a reporter stating that, …show more content…
According to Lisa Sun-Hee Park assimilation “…two different social groups follow a cycle of progressive stages of interaction. This was understood as a universal, natural process that begins with competition and ends with assimilation. Assimilation, then, was understood as inevitable” (Schlund-Vials). Park’s definition describes assimilation as stages of interaction which is accurate, however I believe that assimilation is dependent on willingness of a person or group to assimilate. Assimilation may not be inevitable always, but it may be common for many reasons. Due to the actions by numerous racial groups towards Indian-Americans in northern New Jersey, many Indian families decided to not assimilate and deny the form of model minority culture. Many residents disliked the “Dot-heads” for numerous reasons. A few examples are because of the way they smelled and dressed. The Dot-busters stated Indian-Americans should assimilate to the American culture, “…the Hindu people – they should live the way we live… They should live in our culture the way we live” (Misir). Misir further states how this man conjoins white American, Blacks, and Hispanics all against Indian-Americans. In result, many Indian-Americans did move out of Jersey City, however Dr. Lalitha Masson would protest all Dot-busters. Dr. Masson is the founder and head of the
According to Robert G. Lee, culture is defined as “…the particular way of life of a group of people, the expression of intellectual and aesthetic sensibilities, or the production of goods, tastes, and meaning itself” (Schlund-Vials). I also believe culture is defined as the beliefs, morals, and values held by a particular social and ethnic group. Asian-Americans have always been expected to be hardworking, educated, and docile. The three expectations are all examples of the model minority myth. Model minority myth is the culture America has branded on to Asian-Americans for decades prior to the murder of Navroze Mody. An example of how culture had a negative impact on Indian-Americans in Hoboken, NJ is the term “Dot-busters”. This derogative term refers to the bindis worn by many Indian women to represent their culture and religion. Dot-busters were also a group of people in Hoboken, NJ whose mission was to “…go to any lengths to get Indian-Americans to move out of Jersey City” (Misir). During this time, Indian culture, including clothing, odor, and religious principles were all under scrutiny. Residents of Hoboken had issues with different aspects of the culture. Dave, a resident of Hoboken, spoke to a reporter stating that, …show more content…
According to Lisa Sun-Hee Park assimilation “…two different social groups follow a cycle of progressive stages of interaction. This was understood as a universal, natural process that begins with competition and ends with assimilation. Assimilation, then, was understood as inevitable” (Schlund-Vials). Park’s definition describes assimilation as stages of interaction which is accurate, however I believe that assimilation is dependent on willingness of a person or group to assimilate. Assimilation may not be inevitable always, but it may be common for many reasons. Due to the actions by numerous racial groups towards Indian-Americans in northern New Jersey, many Indian families decided to not assimilate and deny the form of model minority culture. Many residents disliked the “Dot-heads” for numerous reasons. A few examples are because of the way they smelled and dressed. The Dot-busters stated Indian-Americans should assimilate to the American culture, “…the Hindu people – they should live the way we live… They should live in our culture the way we live” (Misir). Misir further states how this man conjoins white American, Blacks, and Hispanics all against Indian-Americans. In result, many Indian-Americans did move out of Jersey City, however Dr. Lalitha Masson would protest all Dot-busters. Dr. Masson is the founder and head of the