Chopra's exploitation - Letters to the Editor

I'm sure you've gotten sufficient letters already raking SKEPTICAL INQUIRER to task for the section in J.D. Haines's essay "Laughter: The Real Ageless Timeless Medicine" (May/June 2002) in which Haines compares Deepak Chopra's Indian accent to that assumed by Peter Sellers in his brownface role as a faux Indian in The Party. I have to say, I really am surprised that such an insensitive gaucherie made it through your usually astute editorial filter.

But I think there's an object lesson here. The very fact that Chopra's alternative medical guru act would bring Peter Sellers to the author's mind is a shameful reflection on Chopra's exploitation of his Indian heritage to bring credibility to what he probably knows full well is unscientific flimflam. Using the mystique of his (to us) exotic ethnic origin to put one over on the American public is what used to be known as Uncle Tomism. It does dishonor to both his people and to all Third World scientists.

Anne Sharp

Livonia, Michigan

J.D. Haines responds:

As a writer, the worst thing that can happen is no response from the reader. So I must conclude my piece on Dr. Chopra was a success, given comments like "racist and fallacious" [in a letter not included here] and "insensitive gaucherie. "lam really quite impressed I want to remind my critics of one small point--this is a humor piece, folks. It's okay to poke fin at people who are preying upon the public, whatever their race is. Sure I think Dr. Chopra has a funny accent. And like I said in the essay, so do I. Somehow my critics missed this point in their zeal to wave the flags of racism, insensitivity, and gaucherie.

I happen to be a member of the only minority group that it is politically correct to attack. That's right, I am a white male Southerner. My northern friends think it's finny to call us rednecks, crackers, and white trash. But that doesn't make them racists, just ignorant. I'm not attacking Chopra's race. If my observations that Chopra and Peter Sellers sound alike makes me a racist or insensitive, then my critics need to get busy attacking 99% of all humor writing. My advice to my critics is to lighten up....

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