--- In [email protected], "jim_flanegin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <no_reply@> > wrote: > > > > Ok, because I have some free time this afternoon, > > I'm going to take advantage of that fact and riff, > > Curtis-style or Edg-style, on my feelings about > > those of the Indian persuasion and why I feel that > > there is a *great deal* of racism in their culture. > > > > First, a necessary definition. When I use the word > > 'racism' in past posts or this one, I am *including* > > in that definition *any* support of or justification > > of the Hindu caste system. I *define* the caste sys- > > tem as a form of racism, which I further define as > > the systematic suppression of one social or racial > > or religious class by those who consider themselves > > "better" or "more highly evolved" or "more privileged" > > or "more worthy" than they are. The caste system > > just manages this racism without the luxury of being > > able to recognize those they wish to suppress visually, > > by their physical or racial characteristics. > > > > Second, unlike many of you here, I have never been > > to India, or wanted to go. The place just doesn't > > appeal to me. So my experience with Indians is > > limited to daily interactions with *expatriate* > > Indians -- in the United States and in Europe. > > That said, in those environments I have interacted > > on a pretty much daily basis with *hundreds* of > > Indian nationals of various religions and, if Hindu, > > of various castes. About the only thing these folks > > had in common was having come from India and being > > computer programmers. So that's the subset of Indians > > I am familiar with. > <snip> > So shoot me. > > > > Hang on, I'm reloading... > > Pardon me for saying, but you are so full of it in this case, it > spills out your mouth. And if you repeat that quote of mine out of > context where I responded to Curtis saying that I wasn't insulting > him, you are mistaken this time. (For a writer you have such a poor > understanding of context, it boggles the mind.) I *am* insulting > you, or more precisely, I am insulting your racist attitude against > Indians from India. > > First, there are nearly a billion people in India, and a far greater > percentage of the population here in the Bay Area is Indian vs. in > New York or France. To extrapolate your opinion of these billion > people based on your racist views of a few hundred is unforgivable. > > I find Indians here in the Bay Area to be far from the churlish, > spiteful and arrogant individuals you describe. They tend to be as > well educated, personable and as well rounded as anyone else I know. > And unfailingly polite. And this is true whether or not they have > just arrived here, or been here for years. Same goes with the > Indians I interact with in India, in business meetings. Are they > *better* or worse as a class of people than anyone else? Can't say. > Haven't met all one billion of them. > > A racist, like you, is someone who will extrapolate the worst about > a group of people based on carefully selected experiences and > observations. Hence those who call black people and Mexicans lazy. > You are no better. Just another member of the KKK in my book. > Nothing cool or spiritual about that. Just deeply ignorant. > > Your ignorance of the caste system makes me blanch, too, sounding to > me most like a fat cat Republican who declares all unions to be bad > because they have been associated with corruption. The caste system > in India is a system whereby society is organized according to its > dharma. Does it work perfectly today? No. Does any other social > convention? No. Another example of your racism. > > Racism is a byproduct of ignorance, which you have displayed by > having interacted with select groups of Indians, formed an opinion > of the other billion, and now declare that you would not go to India > because of your racist opinions. You are one Ugly American.
But guess who here would be the first to raise an outcry if someone else had made unflattering remarks about the population of a country on the basis of knowing a few expatriates in a very highly specialized profession?
