Are Discover Card commercials racsit?

[Trekker4747]

Discover Card has been running a series of commecials featuring a man having trouble with his non-Discover card ans calling support only to get an Eastern-European call center and talking to large hirsute man with a thick accent talking in typical script form with the name "Peggy."

It seems to me this commercial is trying to... suggest the problems people have when they make calls to call centers only to get an Indian call center (i.e. talking to someone "not American.") That the person is disconnected from the problems of the caller, foreign and given a fake identity to talk to the customer with, and is otherwise usless to "really help."

While using Eaastern European callcenter characters isn't "racist" the ideas behind the commerical, to me, seem to suggest....

I dunno. Maybe it's just me.

 

[Nick086]

I don't think they are, but have you ever tried talking to those peole over the phone? Americans of all racial backgrounds can relate to it. Except if someone is an Indian American they can just to talk to them in Hindi which prolly eases the situation.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Indian Americans speak Hindi? People in Indian call centers speak the same dialect as well?

 

[thestrangequark]

Assuming the individual in question knows Hindi. I know plenty of Indian Americans who don't. Besides, Hindi is just one of around 40 different languages in India.

 

[Amaris]

I think the commercials are funny, and I see it more as a commentary on customer service as an afterthought, as it being shoddy and poorly executed by the lowest bidder than I do as a racial theme.

 

[thestrangequark]

Wasn't it a woman calling customer service in that commercial?

 

[Nick086]

Indian Americans speak Hindi? People in Indian call centers speak the same dialect as well?

I worked at a Target in New York, we had Indian Team Members that spoke Hindi or a dialect to the Indian woman at the customer's relations

Assuming the individual in question knows Hindi. I know plenty of Indian Americans who don't. Besides, Hindi is just one of around 40 different languages in India.

While there may be other langauges spoken in India, Hindi is the offical language in the country. Just like Russia has a hundred different languages, but the offical language in the country is Russian. Just like the Tatars and Chechens know their language and Russian.

 

[Trekker4747]

I don't think they are, but have you ever tried talking to those peole over the phone? Americans of all racial backgrounds can relate to it. Except if someone is an Indian American they can just to talk to them in Hindi which prolly eases the situation.

So it's not racist because the stereotype they're presenting is "true."

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Indian Americans speak Hindi? People in Indian call centers speak the same dialect as well?

I worked at a Target in New York, we had Indian Team Members that spoke Hindi or a dialect to the Indian woman at the customer's relations

Assuming the individual in question knows Hindi. I know plenty of Indian Americans who don't. Besides, Hindi is just one of around 40 different languages in India.

While there may be other langauges spoken in India, Hindi is the offical language in the country. Just like Russia has a hundred different languages, but the offical language in the country is Russian. Just like the Tatars and Chechens know their language and Russian.

English is also an official language in India and is actually more universal.

 

[thestrangequark]

Indian Americans speak Hindi? People in Indian call centers speak the same dialect as well?

I worked at a Target in New York, we had Indian Team Members that spoke Hindi or a dialect to the Indian woman at the customer's relations

Assuming the individual in question knows Hindi. I know plenty of Indian Americans who don't. Besides, Hindi is just one of around 40 different languages in India.

While there may be other langauges spoken in India, Hindi is the offical language in the country. Just like Russia has a hundred different languages, but the offical language in the country is Russian. Just like the Tatars and Chechens know their language and Russian.

I know this. I spent a month in Mumbai last summer. The point being made is that it is a big assumption to state that an American of Indian heritage would be able to easily communicate with an Indian in Hindi.

 

[Nick086]

Indian Americans speak Hindi? People in Indian call centers speak the same dialect as well?

I worked at a Target in New York, we had Indian Team Members that spoke Hindi or a dialect to the Indian woman at the customer's relations

Assuming the individual in question knows Hindi. I know plenty of Indian Americans who don't. Besides, Hindi is just one of around 40 different languages in India.

While there may be other langauges spoken in India, Hindi is the offical language in the country. Just like Russia has a hundred different languages, but the offical language in the country is Russian. Just like the Tatars and Chechens know their language and Russian.

English is also an official language in India and is actually more universal.

Yes it is

 

[JarodRussell]

Discover Card has been running a series of commecials featuring a man having trouble with his non-Discover card ans calling support only to get an Eastern-European call center and talking to large hirsute man with a thick accent talking in typical script form with the name "Peggy."

It seems to me this commercial is trying to... suggest the problems people have when they make calls to call centers only to get an Indian call center (i.e. talking to someone "not American.") That the person is disconnected from the problems of the caller, foreign and given a fake identity to talk to the customer with, and is otherwise usless to "really help."

While using Eaastern European callcenter characters isn't "racist" the ideas behind the commerical, to me, seem to suggest....

I dunno. Maybe it's just me.

You make the connection, not the commercial. So yes, it's just you.

 

[Nick086]

Indian Americans speak Hindi? People in Indian call centers speak the same dialect as well?

I worked at a Target in New York, we had Indian Team Members that spoke Hindi or a dialect to the Indian woman at the customer's relations

Assuming the individual in question knows Hindi. I know plenty of Indian Americans who don't. Besides, Hindi is just one of around 40 different languages in India.

While there may be other langauges spoken in India, Hindi is the offical language in the country. Just like Russia has a hundred different languages, but the offical language in the country is Russian. Just like the Tatars and Chechens know their language and Russian.

I know this. I spent a month in Mumbai last summer. The point being made is that it is a big assumption to state that an American of Indian heritage would be able to easily communicate with an Indian in Hindi.

Well, this girl and I saw the conversation going down one day at customer service. They grow up learning the language at home from their parents. Just like an American with Hispanic ancestry would have no trouble speaking Spanish to Mexican.

 

[thestrangequark]

I worked at a Target in New York, we had Indian Team Members that spoke Hindi or a dialect to the Indian woman at the customer's relations




While there may be other langauges spoken in India, Hindi is the offical language in the country. Just like Russia has a hundred different languages, but the offical language in the country is Russian. Just like the Tatars and Chechens know their language and Russian.

I know this. I spent a month in Mumbai last summer. The point being made is that it is a big assumption to state that an American of Indian heritage would be able to easily communicate with an Indian in Hindi.

Well, this girl and I saw the conversation going down one day at customer service. They grow up learning the language at home from their parents. Just like an American with Hispanic ancestry would have no trouble speaking Spanish to Mexican.

I don't doubt what you saw, or that many Indian Americans do speak Hindi. However, just as many don't. Not all Indian Americans are first generation. My best friend's parents are from Delhi, and she speaks no Hindi at all (nor any other Indian language). Neither do 4 of her cousins. They grew up speaking English, like most Americans.

I have another close friend who is of Korean descent, but speaks no Korean. One can't just assume that someone speaks the language of their ancestors.

 

[Nick086]

I know this. I spent a month in Mumbai last summer. The point being made is that it is a big assumption to state that an American of Indian heritage would be able to easily communicate with an Indian in Hindi.

Well, this girl and I saw the conversation going down one day at customer service. They grow up learning the language at home from their parents. Just like an American with Hispanic ancestry would have no trouble speaking Spanish to Mexican.

I don't doubt what you saw, or that many Indian Americans do speak Hindi. However, just as many don't. Not all Indian Americans are first generation. My best friend's parents are from Delhi, and she speaks no Hindi at all (nor any other Indian language). Neither do 4 of her cousins. They grew up speaking English, like most Americans.

I have another close friend who is of Korean descent, but speaks no Korean. One can't just assume that someone speaks the language of their ancestors.

Quite a few Indian children I grew up with spoke Hindi around their family or their friends of Indian decent. Where I live most Indians I know are first or second generation they still hold on to their cultural ties and their language. I know two guys that are Polish and they can speak Polish. Where I live quite a few people speak the language of thier ancestors. I don't assume anything

 

[thestrangequark]

^Again, I agree that many Indian Americans do speak Hindi. However, assuming that someone can speak Hindi because he or she is of Indian descent is, well, assuming. There's no other word for it. Like I said, it has been my experience that many don't.

 

[Nick086]

^Again, I agree that many Indian Americans do speak Hindi. However, assuming that someone can speak Hindi because he or she is of Indian descent is, well, assuming. There's no other word for it. Like I said, it has been my experience that many don't.

Depends on the area where you live.

 

[Captain Ice]

^Again, I agree that many Indian Americans do speak Hindi. However, assuming that someone can speak Hindi because he or she is of Indian descent is, well, assuming. There's no other word for it. Like I said, it has been my experience that many don't.

Actually there is another word for it. Assuming anything at all about a person just based on their appearance and ethnic background is racist.

 

[Starbreaker]

Well, it's true. These guys at AT&T tell me their name in Mike or Bob...

 

[Nick086]

^Again, I agree that many Indian Americans do speak Hindi. However, assuming that someone can speak Hindi because he or she is of Indian descent is, well, assuming. There's no other word for it. Like I said, it has been my experience that many don't.

Actually there is another word for it. Assuming anything at all about a person just based on their appearance and ethnic background is racist.

Your calling me a racist?

^Again, I agree that many Indian Americans do speak Hindi. However, assuming that someone can speak Hindi because he or she is of Indian descent is, well, assuming. There's no other word for it. Like I said, it has been my experience that many don't.

So your saying now I'm a racist.