2 ms·
Reading between the lines of the article suggests that the officials wanted a bribe (which is also what several commenters pointed out). I have never, ever been
by ahomescu1 13y ago
Reading between the lines of the article suggests that the officials wanted a bribe (which is also what several commenters pointed out). I have never, ever been in any experience like that with a US official (been in the US since 2010 on a student visa).
- parennoob 13y agoI'm not sure whether said commenters have ever tried to transact business in India, but the picture is slightly more complex than slipping a thousand-rupee note into someone's hand and getting your work done. Often, the average Indian official is overworked, severely underpaid, and has living quarters that are in a far-flung, horrible area which is probably worse than the homeless shelter in a typical American city if you compare the quality of life and amenities. Sometimes, these officials are on the lookout for money, other times they are in a severely strained psychological state, and need some form of empathy. (Note: I freely admit that is a case that is very different from the States -- just saying that it is not a cut and dried form of corruption, as some seem to insist. And for that matter, the US has a lot of institutionalized corruption in the form of lobbying.)