NEW YORK, NY – A TIME writer isn’t making a lot of friends over his latest article!
Joel Stein is a humor columnist for TIME magazine and a former resident of Edison, New Jersey. Last week, TIME launched his latest article, “My Own Private India.” The column discusses the large Indian expat community in Edison.
“I never knew how a bunch of people half a world away chose a random town in New Jersey to populate. Were they from some Indian state that got made fun of by all the other Indian states and didn’t want to give up that feeling? Are the malls in India that bad? Did we accidentally keep numbering our parkway exits all the way to Mumbai?,” Stein wrote.
Throughout his article, Stein resorted to tired stereotypes about “genius” Indians and their less-desirable counterparts who run convenience stores. Stein piece is nostalgic, reflecting on his hometown which is unrecognizable to him thanks to the influx of Indian immigrants. He tries to go for the laughs and flex his witty muscles, but at the expense of making friends.
Kal Penn has spoken out against Stein for his xenophobic piece against Indian Americans. The 33-year-old actor and former Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement wrote a piece called “The ‘Hilarious’ Xenophobia of Time’s Joel Stein” via Huffington Post.
“I want to applaud Joel Stein for his hilarious account of Edison, New Jersey in his Time magazine article this week, ‘My Own Private India’; it is unique and groundbreaking as Thomas Alva himself,” Penn said.
“Critics might call Mr. Stein’s humor super-tired or as played out as the jokes about that cheap Jewish car that stopped on a dime to pick it up, or that African American kid who got marked absent at night school. Although unlike Stein’s Indian American piece, in 2010 those other jokes don’t show up in mainstream media like Time magazine. I wonder why that is…,” Penn added.
Mr. Stein wasted an opportunity to bridge the two sides of the immigration debate in a column on immigration in what once was an important magazine. His career started as a fact-checker; too bad he didn't perform the legwork to avoid mishandling a racist slur used by gangs near his hometown who committed violence against Indian immigrants. Would any other community have thought this funny or useful if he wrote the same piece for them ? Doubtful. In a post-911 world and a recession it is open season on immigrants.
thanks gr8 article.
any hate, no matter what form, should be stopped..
I wonder if time would publish a satire piece about Jews being selfish and wanting to control the world hilter foresaw that let's see them publish that
Mr Joel,
Are you really educated?
I must say he's immature.. I dont know in what world he lives if he dont realise dicriminatiion policy can never be a humor..
Hey all I want to say here is the article is just an amateur writing. If Mr. Joel was trying to be funny ,he needs to try harder, because i tried to find to find some funny portion, unfortunately there was none.That he chose to write such a mediocre piece is entirely his prerogative, he has an opinion and he is entitled to it. Having said that, Time magazine found it worthy of publishing it, that is matter which needs to debated here.
omg.there was nothing offensive about Joel's article.If anything it only showed how little Americans know about us. And Kal Penn had to respond in that manner for he was indeed once working for the white house representing the Indian population.
Helen Thomas said "Jews go back to Germany"
Germany has invented new microwave oven. IT SEATS SIX.
Now is that funny Mr. Stein?
GET A LIFE
Author should be aware of the fact that some people will take this article to the extreme level, recently bunch of school children killed a Indian origin professor who is taking the after-dinner walk in his neighborhood, and its proved that its totally a racist act and intolerance towards other community. so think about what will happen if kids like this reads your article…you are solely responsible for this…
Being pestered by so many comments and so many blogs. At least Joel Stein is famous now and without an intelligent article. But Joel won’t appreciate that obviously. It is hard to appreciate a joke when it is upon you.
Joel Stein's self serving article showed Time magazine's incompetence and bigotry. With "liberals" like Mr. Stein and Time magazine who needs Hitler or the KKK.
There will always be conmen like Madoff and bigots like Stein. Call it incompetence, indifference or facilitation the real culprits are the SEC and Time for promoting this material.
Cancel your subscriptions if you have any to this subpar publication.
I get pleasure from, cause I found exactly what I was having a look for. You have ended my 4 day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye
Maybe I’m the only one that laughed a the Jewish car and Black kid joke, but maybe it’s the sign of progress. If you’re an educated reader of TIME, then you know sarcasm when it’s disguised as Stein’s prose. I’m sure Joel is somewhere in his fancy condo eating up all the attention everyone gave him.