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The problem with India is that no stereotype really exists. For every truth, the opposite is also true. I wonder why the NY Times, the BBC etc.. focus so much o

The problem with India is that no stereotype really exists. For every truth, the opposite is also true. I wonder why the NY Times, the BBC etc.. focus so much on the negative. Does the idea of India go synonymously with poverty for them? Yes. India has enormous challenges. But the fact remains that hundreds of millions of people have come out of poverty in just 25 years. It's time the narrative changes.

DanBC 11y ago
The BBC, especially BBC TV, have extensive positive coverage of India. There are hours and hours of documentary and factual programmes from India.
typon 11y ago
It's true of any country. Positive news doesn't get too many people's attention. If you listened to Democracy Now! every single day, you'd think the USA was a fascist state. This is not to disparage either Democracy Now! or say that the US doesn't have problems. The point is to look at a broad variety of sources and try to eliminate selection bias from your own news consumption.
- wavefunction 11y ago
  Democracy Now! has a mission of focusing on issues that should be fixed. There are plenty of outlets to get feel-good journalism and I must say that I get a powerful sense that many people are working hard to fix the issues that face the United States, rather than just an enumeration of its faults and deficiencies. It's nice to listen to educated and knowledgeable people make forceful arguments about problems and solutions, and it lends a sense of forward progress, even if that progress is minimized or difficult in the face of the status quo.
Evenjos 11y ago
I assume this article is reporting the truth about the culture and hardships these women face. If it's true, then it's not a stereotype or a false narrative. It's an honest look at what's going on in that region of India.
- anupamsr 11y ago
  Unfortunately they are not reporting any truth. Coverage of India in BBC, NY Times and western media in general is still only using Oriental tropes that are as much based on fact UK/USA are based in India. Which is to say, none at all. Reality is that women are lot more autonomous and free to do what they want to do in rural areas as well as are men. Gender ratio is much much better in rural areas all over the India over urban "educated" westernized cities. (The same westernized Indians are actually the first one to criticize anything Hindu traditionalist or rural). Women work in fields as well as men. Of course in a traditional agrarian family based society of Indian villages, gender roles are defined - but they are defined for men as well as women and none are more oppressive than the other. Unfortunately those are all nuances that don't sell well in English speaking people who are suffering from superiority complex.* *Which includes English speaking Indians and foreigners.

DanBC 11y ago

The BBC, especially BBC TV, have extensive positive coverage of India. There are hours and hours of documentary and factual programmes from India.

typon 11y ago

It's true of any country. Positive news doesn't get too many people's attention. If you listened to Democracy Now! every single day, you'd think the USA was a fascist state. This is not to disparage either Democracy Now! or say that the US doesn't have problems. The point is to look at a broad variety of sources and try to eliminate selection bias from your own news consumption.

wavefunction 11y ago
Democracy Now! has a mission of focusing on issues that should be fixed. There are plenty of outlets to get feel-good journalism and I must say that I get a powerful sense that many people are working hard to fix the issues that face the United States, rather than just an enumeration of its faults and deficiencies. It's nice to listen to educated and knowledgeable people make forceful arguments about problems and solutions, and it lends a sense of forward progress, even if that progress is minimized or difficult in the face of the status quo.

Evenjos 11y ago

I assume this article is reporting the truth about the culture and hardships these women face. If it's true, then it's not a stereotype or a false narrative. It's an honest look at what's going on in that region of India.

anupamsr 11y ago
Unfortunately they are not reporting any truth. Coverage of India in BBC, NY Times and western media in general is still only using Oriental tropes that are as much based on fact UK/USA are based in India. Which is to say, none at all. Reality is that women are lot more autonomous and free to do what they want to do in rural areas as well as are men. Gender ratio is much much better in rural areas all over the India over urban "educated" westernized cities. (The same westernized Indians are actually the first one to criticize anything Hindu traditionalist or rural). Women work in fields as well as men. Of course in a traditional agrarian family based society of Indian villages, gender roles are defined - but they are defined for men as well as women and none are more oppressive than the other. Unfortunately those are all nuances that don't sell well in English speaking people who are suffering from superiority complex.* *Which includes English speaking Indians and foreigners.