When you travel in this beautiful country of ours, have you seen the signs? The marquees, the ones close to the ground, usually a yellow background, with the letters made of plastic so you can change the message? You know the kind I’m talking about, don’t you? Maybe you’ve seen them right in the town where you live. If you’ve seen them, they say, “American Owned”, and they are on motels- usually the Mom and Pop type motels (one level older than 1950’s era motels), but also on Super 8 and Days Inns here and there. Do you know what that’s all about?

If you don’t, have you ever wondered? It’s all about a place in India- a place called Gujarat. It is known for its people and the surname of Patel. Patel, as a surname, is the second most popular name in India with Singh being the most popular. I don’t know what the Singh’s do, but the Patels are landlords, or more specifically, hospitality lords as they run inns and lodging houses. Their ancestry of doing this has long been handed down and has something to do with the caste and sub caste system that holds a family or those named thusly to the business passed down by others of their sect. Here in America it started in the 1940’s, but the biggest influx was in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The Patels from India came and bought old run down motels and refurbished them. They opened them up and competed in the hotel motel market. These run down and dilapidated businesses could be had for a song as they lay crumbling on highways and byways on America. The Interstate highway system took care of the Mom and Pop motel when they built corporate fortresses out on the bypass at the end of town where the freeway exit is. Enterprising capitalists these Patels, no? Buy an old piece of property for a good price, fix it up and open up and make a few bucks. The American way, free enterprise, business competition. Since many of these entrepreneurs didn’t have a lot of money, they did most of the work themselves and if they hired anyone to help them, which was rare because of the expense of it- they hired family members.

They actually have a phrase for this taking place- It’s called the Patel Phenomenon. These sub caste people with the surname Patel and their relations coming to America to resurrect the motel business. This is not discriminatory in any way when you think about it. Consider that America’s motels constitute what could be called an ethnic niche: a certain ethnic group becomes entrenched in a clearly identifiable economic sector- like Italians owning pizzerias, or Japanese people running judo schools, the Korean dominance of the deli-and-grocery sector in New York — a city where the Chinese run most laundries and Sri Lankans, in case you didn’t know this, run most porn-video stores. Or the Arabs in greater Detroit, who have a stranglehold on gas stations, or the Vietnamese who monopolize nail salons in Los Angeles. And with the influx of Somalians to Minneapolis and their takeover of the Taxicabs, you see what I mean.

To some groups, it was natural. Like the pizza and Judo things. To others, well, I’m not sure the Somali people drove cabs in Africa, but the Patels did run inns and lodging and carried this forth in America when the time was right for sensible investment in older structures that could be had for very lucrative prices. Back to the signs. When a person of Eastern Indian descent buys a motel and fixes it up and goes into business right down the street from another motel owned by the Smiths who have been around for years, the Smiths want you to know that they are White Anglo-Saxon Americans and that the people owning the motel down the street, the Patels, are darker skinned and not American citizens. But do they know they are not American citizens? Not in every case they don’t. Many Patels are citizens. Many have been in this country legally for many years or were born here. Some are third and fourth generation American citizens. Funny how these same people might buy products made in other countries, like China, so they can save money to decorate their American motel rooms. Buying Chinese made goods at Sam’s Club like furniture, bedding and fixtures doesn’t help the National economy. So, their cry of being American owned isn’t a cry to give your money to an American citizen as opposed to spending your money on a foreign owned enterprise, is it?

It’s not about saving America and the economy at all. It is about discrimination. Don’t go to the motel down the road because it is owned by a dark skinned Indian man with an accent to his English. By the way, Eastern Indians were speaking English longer than the USA has been around. I’ve always wished I’d have the resources and hutzpah of Michael Moore. I’d do a documentary of traveling the United States and with hidden camera, ask the proprietor of the motel with the American Owned sign what that means. Personally, I won’t stay at a motel that puts up such a sign. This excerpt, comes from an article from an Asian American Empowerment group called Model Minority:

More than 50 percent of the U.S. economy lodging properties and nearly 35 percent of all hotel properties are owned by Asian-Americans, according to the Asian American Hotel Owners Association.

In Colorado Springs, immigrants own more than 30 motels and hotels, including nine owned by Asian-Americans and 25 by Polish-Americans. There are about 150 motels and hotels in the city, according to the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

Several motels on the West Colorado Avenue strip near the Mecca Motel, owned by the Salinas’, are owned by European immigrants. Just down the road from the Mecca is the Buffalo Lodge, which was bought three years ago by Polish immigrants Liz and Andy Wiszniewski.

The Wiszniewski’s moved from Poland to the United States in the 1970s, became American citizens and their children were born in this country. They don’t like Salinas’ sign.

“He’s trying to get business by saying he’s American-owned and everyone else is not,” Liz Wiszniewski said. “He’s trying to say, Stay with me. I’m American. Don’t stay with anyone else.’ I think that promotes hatred.”

I agree. The Wiszniewski’s’ are American people too. They speak with an accent. In the case of the Patels, many have dark skin and might also have an accent. These Americans don’t want anyone of any other ethnic background other than White European American Citizens to own motels and compete against them. They also make slurs that the motels owned by other ethnic groups are dirty and that the American Owned sign means their motel is clean. All this implied with a sign? You bet. It may not be said out loud to every traveler, but it is written about in magazine and newspaper articles, letters to the editor, financial and trade publications, blogs and on TV and radio news stories. In doing research about this article, I have been reading many statements made by white motel owners saying that the Indian owned motels were dirty and that they had bad smalls coming out of them because they were cooking ethnic food that stinks. Probably referring to curry I’d guess. Stereotyping any ethnic culture as dirty. There was even a reference to the name of Patel meaning Motel in Indian. That isn’t such a bad guess. Stereotype your competitors. Claim they are not American citizens. Put up a sign to perpetuate this discrimination.

To me, by telling me what is wrong with some other establishment, and not saying what is good about yours, is a turn off. I will not turn off the road and go to a motel that has a sign that claims it is American owned. For that matter, when I do walk in to an establishment, if I see a spirit of negativity, I leave. The posted signs are a dead giveaway. You’ve seen the ones I am talking about. No this, No that, you Can’t do this, you Can’t do that. They are unwelcoming and negative and tend to control your actions and are usually based on a past experience. Someone used a washcloth to wipe off their windshield, so a sign must go up telling you you’ll pay for said washcloth if you use it in such a fashion. They very easily could provide and old rag or asked that the washcloths not be used for such. A real difference to me as far as positive and negative energy.

What I look for is the cleanliness of the grounds. The upkeep of the structure. The signs might say ‘Clean rooms’ or ‘Free WiFi’. Am I to assume that every person who owns a motel and operates a business in the United States is doing so legally? Why not? Am I suppose to judge another person and their ownership of a business because of the color of their skin or their accent? Check it out next time you’re on the road. Or look around where you live. Do you see the signs? I wonder why I’ve never seen a sign at a Chinese restaurant that says American Owned, or the Mexican restaurant for that matter. How about those Italians? Johnson’s Italian Restaurante?

Stop prejudice. Stop discrimination. The fear mongers have us hog tied and senseless.

Peace to All.

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