Unpacking the Narrative: Are South Asians Well Represented in Western Media?

[@hp8029]

bro getting flooded by indians who think the rest of the sub continent wants to be seen as indian, as a pashtun from pakistan thanks for making this video because in all honesty I'm sick and tired of indians saying pakistan and india are the same when I don't share the same language, culture, religion or genetics as them

[@aaronwijetunga]

Great video 👏🏽 👏🏽 👏🏽

[@NostalgiaforInfinity]

LOL cope. The only reason Bangladesh and Pakistan exist today is because the British drew a border randomly. Culturally, linguistically, genetically they are indistinguishable from India and especially the Indian states next to them. Sri Lanka as well is genetically, ethnically, historically the same as southern India. Your entire religion and culture comes from India. Hell, not just Tamil Sri Lankans, but even Sinhalese themselves have their genetic origin in India. So yes, there is a reason why the entire Indian Subcontinent is called that. It's all been India for the past 2500 years at the very least. The modern nation states that were broken away from India are an artificial construct. In reality they are all part of the Indian civilization.

[@lostinculture]

To be honest I don't care about all of these things you are talking about. You have to come to terms with, right now we are all separate countries with different languages bro. In reality, the whole world is connected somehow if you keep going back in time, it depends how far you go. The point of this video was to show how we as a subcontinent are being misrepresented and underrepresented in western media. This is the problem! Yet you are choosing to fight each other, nice one! The whole world is an artificial construct btw once linguistics and barriers get added. All the names of the countries were man made.

[@NostalgiaforInfinity]

@@lostinculture There is no "subcontinent" without it's Indian identity. There is no such thing as "south Asia". All you diaspora people trying to invent some non-existent "muh south Asian" identity in order to squeeze into superficial western entertainment, is what's bizarre and silly. The entire Indian subcontinent throughout history was known for being a part of the Indian civilization. You being a part of some made up nation state, which are a recent invention, doesn't change the fact that your lineage, history, culture and civilization is a part of the India and your identity is Indian.

[@lostinculture]

@@NostalgiaforInfinity it’s not about using South Asia to fit into western entertainment. For me, I would love India to be represented well too. It is what it is now, we are different countries. Even our food and languages are different. But there is gonna be an agreement between us. To be honest I have love for Indian culture and the Indian people and these labels don’t really matter to be completely honest. So have a good day bro

[@farnazhesh3741]

Hello there.. Pakistan is not technically India. Pakistan can be broken down into 2 parts - Indo-Aryan or Indic and Indo-Iranian. Punjabis, Sindhis are Indo-Aryan and have lots in common with North India, while Pashtuns and Balochs are Indo-Iranian and have more in common with Persians and Afghans. Please do more research on "Greater Iran". Love from Pakistani Zoroastrian.

[@lostinculture]

Thank you for the information ❤

[@NostalgiaforInfinity]

Pakistan itself does not exist. It's an artificial construct created by breaking away several parts of India, Iran and Afghanistan. The entire reason it was created was to act as a buffer region between India, Iran/Afghanistan and central Asia. Especially to prevent the influence of the communists in the region after WW2 and to hinder India's growth after independence.

[@Arain221]

Pakistani people or Turkish and Arabs not Iranians Iranians are atheist

[@Arain221]

The fact is that srilanka Inhabitants are from east india 😂 And south india Tamil is indian group Bihar and orrisa indian group ( Sinhalese of mordern day ) Urdu National language of Pakistan is originated in delhi up And spoken by hindu muslim While Pakistan population is punjabi and sindhi Their language is indian ? Watch Indian in pixel to know more about india Iiip

[@farnazhesh3741]

@Arain97740 and yet Indian men are the most unattractive I have ever seen. I live in USA and we have lots of Indians working with us... and whenever I see Indian men I literally faint 😆. On one side we have Persians, and Persian men are some of the most good looking I have ever seen and on other side we have Indian men like Gujratis, Biharus, Bengalis, Tamilians etc. No decent girl will even look at them twice unless they are rich

[@MARZBERRY]

Very interesting and very true 👍🏽

[@nkwijtunga]

Keep up your good work Ryan 🎉

[@pr00009]

to answer the video title. No. counterquestion, why does anyone care? media is false on all fronts.

[@lostinculture]

But it’s powerful and suppresses opportunities for different groups of people so it does matter

[@sujathaweragoda5189]

Good work Ryan

[@Shss701]

Strange thing is, even when there is any positive South Asian representation, the south Asians themselves pull them down because many think that they are not the "right" kind of representations so the producers just dont want to risk it. I mean take Priyanka Chopra for example, majority of South Asians don't like her because of her faith and support of her country. Which producer will take that risk ??? No one.

[@lostinculture]

I guess your right? I’m seeing in this comment section the complicated nature of being South Asian lol. I don’t understand how there is so much tension

[@Shss701]

I guess everyone thinks they have been wronged in some way or the other and they think that if they could show the other person how they have been wronged the other person, usually a South Asian would change their mind. I guess it does come from a place of hope that the other person would understand if explained properly. But what people don't understand is that multiple people have multiple experiences of the same thing. And in the end the entire region experience a sort of duality between preserving their culture and getting over their generational trauma. It's a normal thing for people to experience I guess. A group of people who have experienced so much collective trauma needs time to unwind and the process ofcourse is messy. The western audiences just want to forget these things themselves and others to be "quick"​ about it. That is just not possible@@lostinculture

[@lostinculture]

@@Shss701 I think you are right, it takes time. Nice summary thank you. It’s a different experience in our side of the world. I’m friends with Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis so I don’t see this tension in day to day life.

[@Shss701]

Yeah yeah ofcourse, it's not a day to day thing. People from that region have a somewhat common mindset in general. It just comes out when there is a token representation I guess@@lostinculture

[@AliSidTex]

India is a Greek word the European colonialists used for anything far away in the East. Probably because thousands of years ago the furthest European civilization (Greek Empire) ever travelled was the Indus river in (ironically) Pakistan. So Pakistan and anything beyond was labelled "India". Even the South Asian Islands were Christened "Indonesia". The ocean beyond Africa was named "Indian Ocean". And even the native Americans were called "Red Indians" because they lived east of the Indus. But originally all of these places and people had their own original names which got lost in colonization. This includes India which was not a single entity but a region of various self ruling Kingdoms similar to Europe.

[@Arain221]

India itself has many languages Sindhi tamil Sanskrit hindi punjabi Urdu (orgin UP) Bangali Nepali More then 10k and oldest 2 language Sanskrit tamil Indian can look japanese Indian can look black Indian can look arab Indian can look typical indian just like you Indian can look Italian Indian can look Iranian . Indian can be jew Indian can be Zoroastrian Indian can be Christian Indian can be jain Indian can be sikh Indian can be shia Indian can be sunni Indian can be Buddhists Indian can be buha i faith Indian can be hindu India state which got snow Kashmir Himachal Ladakh Uttrakhand Arunachal Pradesh Sikkim West bengal Nagaland Desert - thar desert rajasthan Ran of Kutch white desert Island - Lakshadweep Nicobar Andoman islands Tropical ,sub tropical Everygreen , deciduous forests Dry desert ,cold desert , rainforest . Himalayan mountains range Western ghat mountain range (Alps hight ) Eastern ghats mountain range Wild life . 4 big cats tiger , leopards , Asiatic lions , cheetas (its from hindi word) Rihno one horn All kinds of animals Ancient temples Indus valley civilization Oldest civilization in the world Oldest languages Oldest religions hinduism + Jainism Most genetically-ethnic diverse nation Most linguistic diverse nation Most religiously diverse nation Most diverse wild life Most diverse landscape Most diverse foods

[@ultranoobpromaxInfinity]

You used wrong map of India 0:02 and that not acceptable please respect the territorial integrity of a country.....good luck

[@lostinculture]

I wasn’t showing India bro, I was showing South Asia

[@subhadippaul4494]

made in china globe :(

[@lostinculture]

My bad guys sorry, I’ve learned now

[@cryinginrain]

It is popularly known as Indian subcontinent because those countries were part of India at some point and have same cultural roots separation of Pakistan and Bangladesh is so controversial because it only happened on the basis of radicalism and for greed of some politicians and Nepal wanted to part of India but Nehru refused it

[@lostinculture]

We’re a part of India, not anymore. You could say that about a lot of countries but it’s not a fact right now

[@lostinculture]

I’m not even talking about the history of India in this video, more the representation of south asians in western media which affects Indians too

[@NostalgiaforInfinity]

@@lostinculture "muh south Asians" Nice job being a Useful Idiot of foreign subverters (especially China). The only people who benefit from calling the Indian subcontinent "muh south Asia" are the Chinese and g hadis. As a Sri Lankan you should have wisened up by now.

[@farnazhesh3741]

To the Indian above claiming Pakistan as part of India... I would say it again. . Please read carefully... 60 percent Pakistan geographically ( Balochistan and Khyber province) are NOT part of India. It was only during the Anglo Afghan wars of 19th century that Afghanistan lost big chunk of their land and was incorporated into British India and was later given to Pakistan. Yes, population wise a big chunk or 75 percent of Pakistanis are induc or Desi and share a lot in common with north west India. But then there is a huge chunk of Iranian peoples including Pashtuns Balochs and Tajiks etc who have very little to do with Indian subcontinent. They make 25 percent of Pakistani population

[@NostalgiaforInfinity]

@@farnazhesh3741 Half of Pakistan was part of India, i.e, the Punjab and Sindh provinces (and PoK). Historically that used to be the border of mainland Bharat, especially since the Gupta empire. Besides, like I said in another comment on this video, Pakistan is not even a real country to begin with. It is an artificial construct created by slapping together parts stolen from India, Afghanistan and Iran, mainly to act as a buffer between India and the rest of the world.

[@chaluchalu9155]

I am North Indian. I was in the UK from 2005 until 2008. I wished for the same things then, in 2024 here you are, hoping for the same changes to happen....😂😂😂 If I use any bad words, youtube will delete me...but UK is total bs.

[@lostinculture]

Thank you for sharing. Hopefully something changes.

[@cryinginrain]

Why you have to mention yourself as a North Indian?

[@ayushmishra9839]

You could have also said it by saying I am an Indian from northern part of India.

[@jsodhi91]

It’s clear that this is a hot topic.

[@lostinculture]

Hot indeed!

[@ankitmishra2404]

You look like the us guy who talks about anime ... Are you guys related?

[@lostinculture]

No 😂 what’s his name?

[@itachiofthesharingan67]

When examining the historical periods of Mughal and British rule in India, it becomes evident that certain regions that are now separate countries were once integral parts of India. This historical connection is reflected in the shared similarities between India and its neighboring countries. The varied skin tones of South Asian people, ranging from light to dark brown, often led Western observers to generalize and assume that individuals from this region were all from India.

[@lostinculture]

It’s all love at the end of the day. The labels have changed but all humans are the same too me. I just wanted us to be represented properly in western media. It was my only intention. Not to divide the whole of South Asia 🤷🏾

[@Arain221]

The fact is that srilanka Inhabitants are from east india 😂 And south india Tamil is indian group Bihar and orrisa indian group ( Sinhalese of mordern day ) Urdu National language of Pakistan is originated in delhi up And spoken by hindu muslim While Pakistan population is punjabi and sindhi Their language is indian ? Watch Indian in pixel to know more about india Iiip

[@oshanmoonamale1150]

Shout out to all Sri Lankans ❤️🙌

[@lostinculture]

My brother ❤

[@EricLehner]

Hello Ryan, from Canada. An additional perspective - there is already too much focus in Western media and society today on cultural "differences" between us. We don't need more division. The focus on differences has arisen because of advocacy by BLM and other groups representing newcomers. Excessive focus on the "differences" between us wastes time and emotional energy. Most societies in the world are not as diverse as the West has suddenly become. Those traditional societies have retained their historical demographic make-up. This is a huge ADVANTAGE for them. People living in non-Western societies can get on with daily living without constant multi-cultural and race discussion/debate. This topic has now become the dominant theme in the West because non-Western newcomers are constantly pushing this narrative. White people in the West are now paying a heavy price for this dramatic demographic change, as a result. It would be preferable that our national conversation move beyond all the grievance talk, including the obsession with representation. We should just love each other as individual human beings. Period. We need to get back to living inside everyday issues and being part of a greater community, called a nation, or a "people", instead of splintering ourselves into 100 identities - all clamoring for attention.. People of colour in Western society have arrived enmasse, suddenly, and are bringing a fixation on race/ethnicity/religion as the central theme of their personal narrative. We should be focusing on what we have in common. That is a nation worth striving for. Identity politics is limiting for everyone and exhausting. I have subscribed to your channel in order to support your new venture as a young man and wish you well in your life's journey. My advice to you is to allow yourself to embrace your many additional facets as a human spirit, beyond your cultural ethnicity. You will find it liberating...

[@lostinculture]

Hey, I already look way beyond my cultural identity, in fact, I don’t really associate with my race too much. The problem is the lack of opportunity for brown people to reach the same heights as other races. It’s not a focus on differences but the focus on being equals. To say white people are suffering is absolutely ridiculous. I am British, I was born here. I want my future kids to have the same opportunities as everyone else. It’s not just about being on the TV or advertising or the movies. It’s about being valued and feeling a part of the community you live in. And this discussion needs to stop? I haven’t heard this discussion come up …ever!

[@chandanafdo9260]

love from sri lanka

[@lostinculture]

Thank You ❤️

[@ishwarchincholkar]

00:01 Show correct map of India 😡😡😠

[@lostinculture]

My bad if I did it wrong, sorry. At least I’ve learned now

[@genchan239]

わからない🤦

[@lostinculture]

こたつ🔥

[@shafinrahman2199]

MashaAllah bro

[@Realdon1]

Ugg, what is this obsession about being represented in the western media. They are not saying south we are not represented in south asian media. 😅. Just get a job dude.

[@lostinculture]

By we aren’t represented in South Asian Media who do you mean mate? I’ve got a couple of jobs bro, you’ve literally taken time out of your day to write a comment on a pointless video, well done mate

[@Realdon1]

@@lostinculture Does western people say that they are not represented in Asian media, No. What is this some kind of Disney movie, One white man, one black, one Indian, one Chinese 😄. Why would we care we are not represented in western media.

[@lostinculture]

@@Realdon1 because a lot of us are born in the west not actually from or living in the places of our heritage. Hence why there should be because we are also a part of the community bro.

[@Realdon1]

@@lostinculture First if all, a person born in US is not South Asian. He is an American of South Asian descent. Mainly atleast they give us citizenship, PR, even there are prime minister's, vice Presidents, etc.. even presidential candidate this time Vivek ramaswami. Can you imagine a foreigner becoming president of india. Sonia Gandhi still is made fun off because of this. I have looked at this from all directions. We are adequately represented , more than adequately. Even in movies or media.

[@lostinculture]

Bro u are literally twisting my words with US South Asian decent. If you think what we have is enough, I think you are blind to it. They never “gave” me citizenship, I was literally born here bro. You are talking like there is a large demographic of westerners living in India who were born and raised there, which there isn’t. So to become the prime minister of the country it’s very difficult. If things change and there are more westerners living in India than the argument is valid. How are we represented can you tell me?