Ramda, got it right - the vast majority of the middle class is the profile he is referring to. The providers of soul - those few from far flung places as you mention are relatively far too less. That proportion exists pretty much so in the towns and villages across India. You will not necessary find that in those Indian s switching their mobiles on before the plane stops in as much as in those beer drinking, potbellied, redneck crowd you would find in noisy middle America.
Any society needs the right balance between the seekers of pelf and the seekers of soul. The problem in India was never that there weren't enough seekers of the soul. The problem is that there weren't enough seekers of pelf - obsessed enough to create revolutions. --- Ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > C'da, > > >The entire US intellectual base, by a wide margin, > is from the middle > class; not the Brahmins, >Boston's or from > elsewhere! And it is this class > that has provided America's soul. They come from > >obscure places, > nondescript public schools, from far flung corners > of a vast land, raised by > folks >from modest backgrounds. > > While this is true and you will get little argument > from me, it is NOT the > complete story. What Rajib probably is referring to > is the vast middle-class > out there who are outside this core of intellectuals > who make policy > decisions or are in academia, research etc. > > There are just many middle-class Americans eg: the > Detroit auto body-shop > worker - who makes an above average middle-class > income, but has little or > no use for any form of intellectual curiosity. Same > is the case with the > rich Texas wheat famer/oilman, or Bible-thumping > red-state intellectual. > > These are the folks who are ultimately the decision > makers in presidential > elections and sometimes even US foreign policy - > trade, war, whatever. > > And, what you say, was very true in the 40s and 50s > America. Not quite so, > today. > > --Ram > > > > > > > On 9/12/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > > >As for the middle class intellectual base, is > there > > > > >indeed a middle class intellectual base in > America? > > > > *>Not by a wide margin, I would think!* > > * > > * > > * > > * > > *** That depends entirely on one's exposure. The > entire US intellectual > > base, by a wide margin, is from the middle class; > not the Brahmins, Boston's > > or from elsewhere! And it is this class that has > provided America's soul. > > They come from obscure places, nondescript public > schools, from far flung > > corners of a vast land, raised by folks from > modest backgrounds. > > > > > > Oh yes there are those who are the scions of the > privileged. But that is > > NOT a disqualification. It merely adds to their > strength as a group. I would > > have no complaints about positive contributions to > desi-society from scions > > of the desi-upper-crust, if it were to be visible, > if it were to be found. > > > > > > *** Those who live for material progress alone as > the sole purpose of > > one's existence, will have little more to show for > their civilization than > > consuming their way into glory that isn't. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > At 11:31 PM -0700 9/11/06, Rajib Das wrote: > > > > This discussion begets a question - why should > indeed > > being "ruly" be a desirable trait? Pulling out > your > > cellphones when the plane lands, pulling your seat > > back, being noisy - why is it so bad afterall? > That is > > just the way Indians are. As opposed to the > > meaningless hello you keep getting here in > America, > > the polite antiseptic distance when that distance > is > > not required in many Indians opinions. Does this > noisy > > habit in any way inhibit India's ability to make > > progress? I don't think so. There are other > reasons > > for sure. > > > > As for the middle class intellectual base, is > there > > > > indeed a middle class intellectual base in > America? > > > > Not by a wide margin, I would think! Not if an > average > > American has no clue what the world thinks and is > very > > surprised when told Fox News is not news after > all. > > That absence of the middle class intellectual base > was > > indeed one of the causes of America's material > > progress. The caricature of Butter Chicken in > Ludhiana > > would expand manifold in the towns and cities of > > middle America. > > > > Finally to the question of airports. The Hongkong > > airport before the new gleaming one was a mess. > Now > > they outdo the Singapore Airport. Compared to > either > > Heathrow is a mess. I am sure the Shanghai airport > > gleams harder in comparison though I have never > yet > > been there. In another 5 to 7 years, when India > does > > indeed have those new airports in the major > cities, > > many of these same comments would probably come > full > > circle. That really does not stop one from > lamenting > > the sorry state right now. > > > > > > --- Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > Ram and mm, both point here to a major > deficiency in > > > desi-society: An > > > absence of > > > an intellectual base in the middle-class. > Several > > > years ago, I > > > remember reading Pankaj Mishra's Butter Chicken > in > > > Ludhiana, where he > > > put his finger, very astutely, on this issue. > And it > > > shows! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > At 9:23 PM -0500 9/11/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: > > > > >Can you also imagine some Deshi to pull out > a > > > book and read it > > > > > > > >Hehehe Mukul da, > > > > > > > >What did you expect? That the desi will calmly > pull > > > out Milton's > > > >'Paradise Lost' . No pun intended, given the > good > > > possibility that > > > >his flight may eventually be cancelled. :) > > > > > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
