Apparently its abbreviation for American Born Confused Desi. But where is the confusion? Cultural identity should be dynamic, and that’s pretty much how it has always been. Different cultures fuse together, people learn from each other, and new cultural identities are born over time.
Isn’t is better to embrace a dynamic cultural identity (rather than a static one), where you are willing to adapt to an ever changing world? You move to the US, you take on the positive values of the US culture, and keep the positive values of the Pakistani culture, win-win situation, no?
Or am I missing something here? I think its mostly used as an insult on GS.
But I don’t think this generation of desis abroad are confused about their cultural identity like the first generation who were born here of parents who had just moved from pakistan. Like the saying, na idher ke na odher ke. But this is not the case. The Brits are referred to as BBCD. I think it’s a term used by Pakistanis referring to kids aboard.
But agree that if you take the positives from pakistani and American/british culture then you can get a great dynamic culture.
Why would you want pakistani culture anyway, where its mostly about being chalak and corrupted? I think no matter where you live and no matter what culture you follow, it’s about being a good muslim, which means being a good decent human being, nothing else.
It’s quite illogical how mixing and adapting is somehow seen as a negative thing, but then again it tends to be used as an insult by those themselves who have a problem with the word FOB so they’re not exactly the sharpest tools in the box
Who cares? In my two years in the US this forum is the only place I’ve heard words like FOB or ABCD. People in the real world don’t care what kinda brown you are.
Nope. I’ve seen these two words used often enough in the real world…it’s not confined to this forum, unfortunately. I know that people’s experiences will vary and I can only speak of my own…but I’ve actually heard the term FOB used more …and in a contemptuous tone…more often than ABCD. And it’s sad cuz for many of us who live in the West…our parents/grandparents/aunts/uncles etc are “fobs” who were born and raised in the motherland and are overall good, decent, hardworking, peace-loving people. It takes time for someone who has moved from Pak to assimilate into a new env and it requires compassion and understanding. Reality is that both groups of Desis look down on each other and people in the real world actually do care what kind of brown you are… comes with many positive and negative stereotypes and fears and assumptions.
What is the confusion though? ABD’s don’t need to know everything about a culture they don’t live or breathe in…it makes no sense. Knowledge is great and people have enough of it…what they need or want to know they know. But we have no use for Pakistani culture - or at least too much of it - when we don’t live in it. “Confusion” ko door karke karna kya hai? Kaunsa teer marlega koi US mein handi roti banakay? Eid ke Eid to sab hi kurta shalwar pehen lete hein aur sewaiyyan kha lete hein. Isse zyada ka karna kya hai?
Not having many desi acquaintances might be one reason I haven’t come across these labels. At least the non-desis don’t care. To them all of us crazies with our foreign sounding names are pretty much the same. Pushing too hard at our jobs making them look bad.
