The line at the grocery store was quite long, but moving quickly. The whole process of check-out seemed quite animated – the clerk scanning the items, the customers sliding the credit card through the card reader, signing the digital pad, collecting the items along with receipt, and leaving. The clerk, his name-tag confirming his ethnicity of India, seemed quite efficient at his job.
At my turn, I stepped forward and followed the sequence. After the scan, I started collecting my items. I slid my American-Express through the card-reader, getting ready to leave as soon as the clerk hands me the receipt.
Then, out of nowhere, the clerk announced politely, “Sir, can I see your card and an ID?” Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: american-culture, brown skin, Culture, Desi, diaspora, expat, immigrant, India, india abroad, Non Resident Indian, NRI, NRIs, Race Relations, unconcious bias