Coconut, Banana, Twinkie! These terms don’t refer to their edible counterparts but are slang terms for Indians, Chinese, and Native-Americans who have lost aspects of their indigenous culture. Filled with racial overtones, they stereotype people from diverse backgrounds by thinking in colours.
‘What’s brown on the outside and white on the inside? Coconut!’, is a common trope used on people of South Asian origin.
Often second or third-generation migrants, many Indians who grew up outside of India don’t necessarily reflect their cultural underpinnings – be it the language, accent or mannerisms of their parents and grandparents. For many, this is a coping mechanism, helping them feel like a better-fitting piece inside their new homes. Second-generation children in New York City are far better adapted to NYC culture than their parents.
The problem starts when these kids return ‘home’ – the country of their ethnicity. For example, many Chinese-Americans don’t speak Mandarin. In some places, the slang for them is banana – yellow on the outside and white on the inside.
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