Hmmm I'll take the rug and maybe the perfume, that'll be all!
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Both chapters 1 and 5 by Bald portrayed an evident irony of Americans in the early 20th century who were fascinated by and longed to consume "Oriental" goods as they were what defined high class and culture but at the same time imposed legal and social barriers to belittle and dehumanize the very people who produced and sold these goods. This dual treatment created the basis of an understanding of American attitudes towards Asians, seeing the value for them only for their material contributions.
Some specific ways Americans used to encourage the riddance of Asians were immigration laws. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Alien Contract Labor Law of 1885 were two laws that directly affected South Asians' ability to be in the U.S. Although these laws were not aimed specifically at Indians at first, they ended up creating an environment that was hostile and resilient to accepting all Asian immigrants. The Chinese Exclusion Act wanted to block entire racialized groups from entering which they attempted to justify as protecting American labour from foreign infiltration. This was implemented much further than just Chinese workers and affected Bengalis. The Alien Contract Labor Law was aimed at preventing cheap labour laws coming from immigrant workers. These laws made it extremely difficult for South Asians to enter America without loopholes such as changing their identities to a different racialized ethnicity that was “more tolerable” such as Puerto Rican. This tactic shows the ways Bengali Muslim lascars would use to somehow combat the restrictions and seek habitat in the states.
As I said earlier, there is an obvious irony where Americans were captivated by the exotic appeal of "Oriental" goods but rejected the people who produced them. Products like silk, embroidery, rugs, and perfumes were goods, consumed by middle and upper-class Americans and were seen as symbols of luxury and sophistication. Yet, as Bald explains, this fascination with the “Orient” was almost strictly materialistic. The "India" that Americans tolerated was a fantasy, a juxtaposed "Orientalist" vision built by European and American imperialists, who depicted India and the broader East as mysterious, exotic, and unknown. On the other hand, the Bengali peddlers, who brought these goods to the U.S., faced hard scrutiny and suspicion which left their labour unappreciated, and their presence unwanted.