Saturday, September 27, 2008

Looking Sleepy Dude!

Monday mornings and that's the first thing I hear as I walk in to my team bay area. Reach the cafeteria, and more on the same lines follow...Turns out this is becoming a refrain every working day of the week! "Looking sleepy!" "Hello, are you sleepwalking?" "Did you sleep in the cab?" followed by "...Your eyes look half-closed!"

Why should it matter???

Maybe it's supposed to be a north Indian greeting on the lines of "My, you look tired today!" People don't realize it's as rude as telling someone they are looking fat!

Last time I heard "Looking sleepy!" I retorted, "My! And you look astonished!" Laughter.
I said, "I think it's racist to tell a person of Asian stock that they look sleepy just because they have smaller eyes. How would you like it if I told you that you look astonished all the time because your eyes are so big/wide?" That person got the point.

1 down. How many more to go?

9 comments:

Arunima said...

Hi!

Thanks for dropping by. :-)

Astonished! ha ha

Jayanta Oinam said...

isn't it funny? such tiny eyes yet able to see the whole world; where it TRANSPIRE AND CONSPIRE(in the lines of Arunima)?
somtimes, Stonished!

Anonymous said...

My first visit Tani (among the debris of 1000 incomplete projects), won't stay long but just to say hello (I was to busy yesterday to even exchange greetings) and to say that I read the recent post and quite like it. Well done!
One comment: in North India they don't find it insulting at all if you comment on somebody's girth, they think it's a sign of health! I guess, other sensibilities are also somehow similarly plaqued (as in blocked arteries) when it comes to their worldview.

Thangjam Hindustani said...

@Jayanta, Tanmoyda, Arunima: Thanks for comin' by...
I guess we should say don't underestimate those "sleepy-looking" dudes :)
It's true though that world views can be extremely myopic if we choose to see only through our own eyes instead of choosing to see the colorful world of other cultures :)

Unknown said...

Wondering whether I ever said that to you , sorry if I did . Btw I really like the 'magically aligned ' description. Miss discussing my dreams with you !!!

Thangjam Hindustani said...

@rt: :)

Novice said...

Hee hee hee. Nice. Keep writing.

amna said...

very very honestly, i dont see what the big deal is. at the risk of sounding rude (Again!), i think people who take offense at 'you look tired' because they translate it to 'you look like crap' are just a bit too snobby. I take it in the stride. I say, 'yes, I AM tired' or 'do i?' and that's it.

but then again, i don't care too much for what other people think. wait, that's not true. hmmm.. maybe its just that its extremely hard to offend me. yeah, thats it :)

Dont worry babes, your eyes are just fine. let others say what they want. answer and move on!

Thangjam Hindustani said...

@nags: I feel like it's a big deal because the comment isn't about "looking tired" but "looking sleepy" just cos you have small eyes :)

the positive way to look at it would be your way, but then again, comments and jokes with a racial tinge are not funny or so innocent. just my take.