Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 6 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 17 years, 11 months ago by
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- Why are most 7-11's and gas stations run by (Asian) Indians?
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Name : Ginna, Gender : F, City : Hazlet, State : NJ Country : United States,About two years ago I was hosting a representative from a large manufacturer in India. We got to be pretty close friends, and I felt comfortable enough to ask him this same basic question - only, I asked why so many 'Patels' seem to own and operate small hotels(Motel 6, Super 8 etc) in the United States. He acknowledged that this was indeed more than a coincidence and had to do with the Indian Caste System. The Patel Caste (if I am calling that by the wrong name, no disrespect intended) are small hotel and shop owners (and presumably other small businesses). When they come to the United States, they do what they know. According to my Indian friend, the older generations can sometimes tend to live within their Caste System, even when living abroad, in presumed freedom. Their children, however, quite often adapt to the freedoms in the United States and take advantage of the opportunities afforded them outside their traditional caste 'definition,' going on to be doctors, lawyers, managers, teachers, etc.User Detail :
Name : David S., Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 30, City : Columbia, State : SC Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College,Most aren't. Most convenience stores are run by white people. In places where there is a significant Indian/Southeast Asian population, convenience stores are staffed by Indians who need to put food on their table. If you come to this country without established connections or an advanced college degree, you work where you can until you can do better. It may seem particularly so where you live because a lot of immigrants settle in and around New York, but if you drove into an area where the inhabitants were largely of some other group, you'd find the convenience store workers ironically also belong that group; unless there's an established higher and lower class.User Detail :
Name : Mandi, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 21, City : Boston, State : MA Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I just wanted to say that what David S. said about the Indians doing what they know is absolutely correct. Although it's not known as the 'Patel Caste,' Indians with the last name Patel are business people in the Caste System, so wherever they go they continue to do what they know, and what they are taught is their place in society. I would also like to say that not ALL Indians own hotels and 7-11 stores. Many are professors, engineers, lawyers, doctors, accountants and CEOs, not to mention many other professions.User Detail :
Name : Avanti, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Hindu, Age : 18, City : Starkville, State : MS Country : United States, Occupation : College Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class,They are making a living, which is a lot more than I can say for the number of American sitting around collecting welfare checks.User Detail :
Name : Wynter, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Indian American, Age : 24, City : San Francisco, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Consultant, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,In addition to running convenience stores, in our area a lot of Patels run small motels. In other places such as New York, there are a lot of Korean-run stores (many of whose owners have college degrees from back home). If you think about the typical immigrant family, they have only one major asset: a willingness to put the whole family to work. That's what it takes to run a convenience store, because you want people you can trust at the cash register. You can buy into such a store without too much capital, because the inventory is where the bulk of the money goes; and then you and the rest of your family work in shifts (and sometimes sleep in the back). You make a go of it, and perhaps bring other relatives or friends over and help them get set up. In the LA area, I believe, there is quite a concentration of Cambodians in the donut shop business. As I recall the story, one family made a go of it and cloned their success throughout the Cambodian community. In a similar way, my father became an accountant because he had relatives who were successful accountants at a time when jobs were scarce. In my town, the butchers and greengrocers have tended to be Polish (as were a lot of their customers, with everyone else shopping in supermarkets). There are plenty of bodegas around, and those would be run by Latinos because they specialize in ethnic foods and other items, so that's a slightly different situation.User Detail :
Name : JerryS, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 52, City : New Britain, State : CT Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,
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