Who is Afraid of Dr. Sanjay Gupta?

Good for Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

But I fear it's a mixed blessing for the rest of us much more run-of-the-mill South Asians. It's exciting to see someone who comes from your stock make it big. The South Asian Journalists Association forum is justifiably excited about someone "oh-so-cute and eminently mediagenic". But another neurosurgeon-makes-good story is going to make the rest of us look even more like underachievers.

"What's the matter, beta? Why can't you be more like that nice Sanjay Gupta? Not just a neurosurgeon but on CNN AND meeting Obama for two hours?"

Not only is he dashing and articulate. Not only did he do brain surgery on a 2 -year-old Iraqi boy while embedded during the Iraq war, now he might be the new Surgeon General. Let me pause, and reel in the envy!

And his only qualm, according to the Washington Post "is said to involve the financial impact on his pregnant wife and two children if he gives up his lucrative medical and journalistic careers."

Golly. This is a South Asian parent's dream. He's 39 and he's already followed the four stages of a good Hindu life -- childhood, education, family and now a sort-of-renunciation-and-service.

South Asians have long been anointed the model minority. Spelling bees, Pulitzers, now a young bright Republican governor and a young, personable Surgeon General. There are 200,000 Indian-American millionaires and 41,000 doctors. Keeping up with the Patels can get a little harder each year.

Two years ago, a 19-year-old South Asian Harvard student found her world crumbling when it was discovered she'd plagiarized her chick-lit novel. At that time I'd commiserated with Kaavya Vishwanathan because of the pressure to excel at everything we do. Kaavya wanted to write bestselling chick-lit AND win the Booker AND try investment banking. In the end she took one disastrous short cut that ruined everything.

The fear is in the race to the top with the Sanjay Guptas of the world, those who don't conform get left further behind. Gays, undocumented men who work the graveyard shift in 7-11, abused women whose visas depend on their husbands -- they tend to get swept under the carpet. Minorities, when they really succeed have to be better, faster, smarter, brainier than their peers. Competence is not enough. They have to dazzle. (Kumar in Harold and Kumar might be a pothead but he's still a medical whiz!)

And while the Sanjay Guptas of the world deservedly become role models for their community, and the pride of their parents, they can also mean that a community obsessed with academic success will put that much more pressure on their kids. Put them on the autopilot to careers in medicine, engineering, chartered accounting. If Dr. Sanjay Gupta can do it, so can you. Yes, we can.

That is why immigrant parents like the Guptas give up their homelands to make new lives in antiseptic American suburbs where everyone mangles their names. Sanjay Gupta lived up to his end of the unspoken bargain (and then some). Some of the rest of us might want to have the anonymous freedom to fall on our faces and fail spectacularly as writers, musicians, actors without letting down the whole village. Or do strange things like study the underground economy, do labor organizing, make documentary films -- things that don't light up the Diwali potlucks with envy.

It's great that we have Dr. Sanjay Gupta out there -- a worthy first-class role model. I hope his success frees up other young South Asians to succeed (or fail) in their own ways. But I fear I can instead see that hit Indian reality show -- Who Wants to be the Next Sanjay Gupta? Aka Suburb-dog Millionaire.

Smart, media-savvy and articulate, Sanjay Gupta will surely make a great Surgeon General. I guess I just don't want to listen to my mother go on about it.

Comments

[sydc]

Yes, the bar is set so much higher for us so-called model minorities, and while we should celebrate Gupta's ascent, he is just one face of the South Asian community. It'll be interesting to see how he handles his new role--I was less then impressed with his performance during his spat with Michael Moore over 'Sick'. Let's hope he is a little less sanguine about the stater of our health care system now that's he not just a talking head.

[SouthJerseySteve]

Oy vay! Dr. Gupta's mother must be so proud of her famous doctor son. Put Sanjay and Barack together and I may wet my pants with excitement! {snap}

[TruthAndTheory]

all I know is, I love it!

[weatherwaxx]

I don't trust anyone who's been glad-handing for CNN.

I also know a few doctors -- and I know that none of them have time for making smiley-face on television.

I can sort of see the point of most of Obama's appointments, but this one is just ... I can't see it. Does he want a medical expert or a sound-bite television medical talking head?

[rwt1138]

I think the latter. The Surgeon General really has very little actual power and is largely a bully pulpit. Technically, the position is more or less a sound bite TV talking head anyway, so he's probably the most qualified for the job.

[Sandip Roy - Huffpost Blogger]

And he does have a full head of hair. A talking head that looks good on TV!:)

[superlive]

Gupta is not a Universal Healthcare sort of guy, which makes him all Neanderthal so far as I'm concerned.

[Mixpixlix]

I'm wondering if he's "seen the light?" I can't image that PE Obama offered him the position if he hadn't agreed to carry the torch.

Dr. Gupta got his clock clean a few years ago when he challenged as false reporting the numbers in SICKO and was later forced to apologized, which he did grudingly.

At first I thought it was a good pick based on Dr. Gupta's visibility. But I want some confirmation that he won't use the bully pulpit of the Surgeon General's office to serve his corporate masters.

[January24]

Sanjay Gupta is charismatic and brilliant. What a great choice. (Sort of makes up for picking Leon Panetta -- lousy choice.)

[Sandip Roy - Huffpost Blogger]

I dont know if the head of the CIA and the Surgeon-General are quite comparable in terms of their impact .

[kinnu]

As a young Indian woman, I was completely shocked at your story and whining.
Seriously, if your logic stood then we can say that African Americans all over the country are also upset or don't want to be compared to that overachieving Obama. Yes, all these parents are pressuring their kids to become the next Obama, or his wife.

This is good news that a talented, articulate, and intelligent person has been offered a position where he can make a difference for our nation. He is an inspiration and I am proud of him not only being Indian, but because this incoming government brings in youth, vivacity and dynamism.

Your closed minded thinking that parents are going to compare their kids and pressure them to become the next Sanjay Gupta is ridiculous. Sanjay Gupta is a good thing and I am proud that there are good role models out there.

[Jamchinadian]

Don't take yourself so seriously. He was being light-hearted in his "whining".

[Sumocat]

I just did a quick glance through the list of past SGs, and it appears the last Surgeon General who was actually a surgeon appears to be C. Everett Koop. That means if Gupta gets the job, he would be our first Surgeon General who is a surgeon in nearly twenty years. That's kind of cool.

[redwhiteandblue22]

Yeah, but the Surgeon General is really a public health position. I would much rather have someone with real public health experience (i.e., MPH from Harvard or Johns Hopkins Schools of Public Health) than a surgeon who doesn't. Someone who supports Universal Healthcare or at least understands health policy and management from a non-corporate viewpoint would be nice. Also someone who gets his or her facts right and is humble enough to admit when wrong. Nope, Gupta is not the man for the job.

[Jimmyboyo]

"I guess I just don't want to listen to my mother go on about it. "

LOL

:-)

[Margary]

good for him, I like him!

[DennyCrane]

Excellent post. I've known a lot of asians and the pressure to achieve is enormous. In most households, getting straight A's or getting into medical school would be cause of celebration. But it seems like in the South Asian community, these achievements are so common that they're no longer noteworthy. That's a shame and I can only imagine how it makes the people who didn't achieve that success feel. While it's great for minorities to have role models, I personally don't think people like Sanjay Gupta and Bobby Jindal are good ones. Yes, they've both achieved enormous success but at what price? Gupta is a shill for big pharma and Jindal doesn't seem to have a problem supporting a party that championed people like Strom Thurmond and Trent Lott. These people should not be held up as role models for South Asians. Instead, they should be a source of embarrassment.

[KNadine]

Funny!! I was very excited to hear the news about Gupta yesterday, however, I was also a little jealous because of his age - he's 2 years younger than me and seemed to have lived a lifetime more than me. Gupta & Obama are really going to make a lot of people take stock of their own lives.

[StopThePlanet]

He may be a bright, overachiever but he is a bad choice as surgeon general. He is clearly in favor of the agendas of the medical and pharmaceutical industries at the expense of average citizens. His fabricated arguments against universal health care made that clear. His appointment is contrary to the interests of Americans.

[m4rk0]

No doubt.

[msjimmied]

I doubt your mother would bring up Piyush Jindal as an example.

[Sandip Roy - Huffpost Blogger]

Ohh I would never underestimate my mother. What a nice family man that Bobby Jindal is. :)

[blustate135]

LOL! One of my dearest friends is South Indian and some days I can't believe the pressure she is under from her family. She has a JD and an MPH but the family won't be happy until she's married (to a successful South Indian of course) and then focus will be the house and the grandchildren...