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The problem he outlines about India are real and are serious ones. But the article is a shallow one and the author makes grand sweeps of imagination to make som
by sateesh 14y ago
The problem he outlines about India are real and are serious ones. But the article is a shallow one and the author makes grand sweeps of imagination to make some crass generalizations.
Consider a few of these:
Indian culture itself is quite disorienting. The people can be incredibly warm and hospitable, or cold and rude depending on the context and how they know you. The conclusion I eventually came to is that if they already know you, or if they’re somehow benefiting from you, then they can be incredibly warm and open people. But if they
don’t know you, or if they’re trying to get something out of you, then they are a prickly, conniving bunch.
Is this a specific Indian behavior ? You can find sycophants in any part of the world. It is not that Indian culture is wired to sycophancy.
But what Sanjay told me about Indian people is bizarre but true. He said Indians will rarely, if ever, resort to violence. As a foreigner, you never have to worry about being robbed, or having a knife pulled on you, or getting beaten up by a gang of thugs and having your kidney
carved out of you. And this is true.
Except that it isn't. Cases of foreign tourists being robbed,threatened at knife point, mugged aren't rare. As a tourist one has to exercise caution in India as much one would do in any other country as a tourist.
BUT, Sanjay said, an Indian will lie to your face. He’ll say anything to get what he wants from you. And most of them don’t see it as immoral or wrong. So on the one hand, they won’t stick a gun in your face to take your wallet. But they’ll hand you fake business cards and offer to sell you something that they don’t actually have, so that
you’ll voluntarily empty your wallet to them on your own accord.
Won't any conman from any part of the world operate the same way ? The author is stereotyping just because his Indian friend told it to be so.
- therandomguy 14y ago"Is this a specific Indian behavior ? You can find sycophants in any part of the world. It is not that Indian culture is wired to sycophancy." The problem is when majority of the population demonstrates this behavior. And with personal experience, I found this to be very true as well. I'm not saying this is scientific observation, just my personal, which matches with the author's.
- jhatax 14y agoI agree with a number of points made in the article and the general comments about corruption in India. I disagree with the assertion that Indians are out to thug you for your money, and that is not the case with businessmen in America. Having recently bought a new car, I know full well how so-called, honest, American car dealers operate. Additionally, I am familiar with the "fair" and "transparent" lending practices of the bankers. How can you discount the eBay hood-winking, the mortgage crisis, medicare/Medicaid scams, identity theft, browser-cookie based tracking, etc. that all originated in the very United States of America that you consider so virtuous? Is profit not the motivation behind all of these immoral activities? Please, get off your holier than thou perch and see the world for what it is: Everyone that owns a business is out to make a profit. Even the small business man inside of you that is looking for the best deal regardless of the impact it has on the business you are under-cutting. Once you see this reality, you will also realize that there has always been, and will always be, a tug of war between a consumer and a producer/supplier/business-owner. Except of course if you are dealing with a not-for-profit.
- akandiah 14y ago"Having recently bought a new car, I know full well how so-called, honest, American car dealers operate." You'll find that this is the case in most parts of the world. Please enlighten me if you find an honest one.