Heera Now: You're so vain, you probably think this article is about you

It's not that surprising considering 80 per cent of the current ethnic minority community is under the age of 25. So in a college, or an undergraduate, class in the late 1980s there were a few of our sort or not any at all. And when it came to the female fraternity - those were the days when they got married young, and had a family by the age of 21 - a totally different graduation of sorts.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm full of praise and mutual respect for the girls from our community who make it through the education minefield and make something of themselves, and I don't mean a useless third class combined.

But I am yet to meet an 'educated' young Asian woman who is actually intelligent!!!

Now before the email at Asian Image becomes jammed, let me explain myself fully, after the rhetoric.

Perhaps I am not hanging around in the same quarters as the educated elite these days, or just perhaps my idea of intellect is off the mark.

In my outlook, though, the really intelligent Asian girls are still the ones who get married relatively young, and go through the university of life to gain their knowledge of what it's all about.

They don't necessarily require the £10,000 worth of student debt, the used train passes, and the baggage of useless relationships to prove their worth to society.

They may have partied, experimented, and watched enough daytime television for the whole of their communities, an opportunity, if you want to call it that, that would not have been afforded to them if they stayed at home.

But who are they really kidding? They still can't shake off the word 'innit' from their limited English vocabulary.

Without the need to sound pretentious, which should be quite easy from someone like myself, it really is quite difficult to have a conversation with these modern day chattering classes.

I'm not even suggesting trying to converse with them in the relative merits of the theory of evolution against religious beliefs, or even the impact of third world debt on African crop selling.

What is even more worrying is that some ladies have also lost some the finer qualities that exist in the previously mentioned girls, who over a decade ago got married young, settled down and whose offspring is a credit to themselves and their upbringing, and their education.

What we see these days is a dilution of the educated system, where you do not necessarily have to be academically bright to get to university. It is therefore, offering a way for the malcontents to actually believe that they are bettering themselves. And what is further damaging is that they actually believe that they have a right to the best occupations, and the best society circles because they have gained a cap, cloak and certificate.

They are confident, cocky, and corrupted - but they are not eloquent, articulate or even relevant.

But simply to say that they are believing their own hype is missing the point. The same scenarios as above apply to young males also, but they can adapt and usually find they niche in society and the workplace.

But by the very nature of how our communities work is the imminent danger facing the females, and how those dangers transcend to all of us. If they were really 'intelligent' they would go on to get the better jobs.

If they were really clever they would find that family values re just as important as that job title. If they were really smart they would better their families as well as themselves, and share their success with their community.

If they were really academic they wouldn't simply disregard their family commitments in search for that all illusive career. And it is that dream of a career, detached house, designer husband and wardrobe to match that they search for - but because they simply are not smart, clever, or intelligent it will always stay ellusive.

And it is always someone else's fault and by this time they have dragged down their whole family with them in the process of mediocrity.

And what's more there's a whole new breed of them - the educated under classes. There's probably one on every street in town. You'll notice their trendy clothes and the reluctance to acknowledge anyone but their own sort. Oh how they look down on those girls who didn't go to university, who got married and raised children. 'What losers' they think. You'll also notice their finely printed curriculum vitae. Style never won over substance, and never will. And then there are the interviews that they'll attend.

Now we have the supporting cast ladies and gentlemen; the Next directory, the Debenhams fragrance counter, and some assistance from the local independent hair removal operative.

Now let's get down to the script. It's Pretty Woman meeting Educating Rita, with mild references to Legally Blonde. Unfortunately someone has lost the plot.

How they try to sound articulate, but I'm afraid it just doesn't come naturally to them. How they try to put that long word into the sentence, but there's no thesaurus to help them here, and how they try to bring some real life experience to the interview - but once again they have been living in their own world for too long. And, of course, the obligatory seven uses of the word 'innit'.

Conversation is difficult, off the cuff remarks a total no-no, irony and sarcasm will be met with fake laughs, and understated compliments totally misunderstood. Next!

Without doubt they will get employment, not all call centres have been moved to India yet. And they will still believe in their own hype, along with their supporting cast. And if all else fails they can also go and work for their uncles 'rag trade' operation. But they will never get married to someone who is a professional and rich - oh no that is way beneath them.

Heaven help us, some of these are going to the mothers to the children of the future.

You're so wrong it's just unbelievable!

(A response by Sarvat Jabeen Khan)

The temptation is to go in guns blazing but thanks to the fact I am a graduate in both colleges, I shall deal with the subject with intellect, humour and wit.

The useless third class combined is still a degree, which shows responsibility, dedication, initiative and commitment. You learn to grow up and become responsible making choices that will surely mould your future. It is a shining example for the mother, brother, sister and a whole support network that she may not be Professor Stephen Hawking but has seen it through; learning valuable lessons in life which would not have been achieved living cocooned in the nest of some may say 'ignorance' of the family home. After all a third class degree is better than a failed attempt at a HND in Brunel!!

"Yet to meet an 'educated' Asian woman who is actually intelligent". Where to start, firstly has it never crossed your mind that all the intelligent women avoid all 'educated' narrow minded generalising Asian men like yourself.

If we are to nit pick over limited English vocabulary then "innit" from the girls can be retaliated with "do one" for the boys. Come on, let's face facts, the girls are outdoing the boys - check the SAT's, GCSE's and league table's - need I go on?

'The males find their niche in society and the workplace', and where exactly is that, scanning town centres like a wild fox looking for prey and working at 'Kebab's R Us'. Every Eid they take it on themselves to hire the most impressive automobile only to do their ritual 'circling' of Whalley Range and Wilmslow Road.

The hypocrisy is that when Mr and Mrs Patel visit a females' house looking to find a potential daughter in law they are looking for the obligatory gilt framed 10 X 8 degree photo (pavay third class vee ho) taking pride of place on the mantle piece. The fact is family values count for jack diddly on the CV of life for parents looking for a potential "rishta" for their "putar" and the girls know it!

"Disregard their family commitments". These girls come home change out of their Diesel jeans put on their shalwar kameez and duppatta, stand 'shoulder to shoulder' with Amee 'bailing and saiking' rotis so as to feed the hungry mouths of the males of the family. The girls fulfil all roles 'jack of all trades and masters of all.'

I fret over the fathers of the children of the future. Picture this, a two year old in Rockport's and baseball cap. He skilfully arranges his little digits to form a letter 'W' through a mouth full of saliva and dummy he say's "wes side" - of what I think, Whalley Range? Well that would bring you to 'Ice Street', Daddy has created a 'mini me' of himself.

I would like to think that you are trying to highlight the changing face of British Asians and we are all aware of this. Are the females an easy target? It seems you have your opinion of a woman's place - and university is evidently not it!

It is this kind of ill sighted judgements that create stereotypes of Asian girls.

"Heaven help us". Well it has, you are surrounded by ambitious, strong-minded intelligent women. "There is none so blind as they that won't see" - Jonathan Swift.