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Gandhi Is Deeply Revered, but His Attitudes on Race and Sex Are Under Scrutiny

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Re: Gandhi Is Deeply Revered, but His Attitudes on Race and Sex Are Under Scrutiny

#41

Post by raxxorrax »

dagw wrote: post #6
rapsey wrote: post #3

This recent trend of taking down past figures because they do not meet current criteria for acceptable behavior in society is disturbing. It's like people are trying to erase lessons from the past.

This is hardly recent. I remember hearing this exact conversation about Gandhi at least 25 years ago.

I think we currently are in a phase of moral panic again and that always involves finding flaws in others to push off some of the guilt. The more these flaws are contrasted by otherwise noble achievements, the better.

Re: Gandhi Is Deeply Revered, but His Attitudes on Race and Sex Are Under Scrutiny

#42

Post by ricc »

rapsey wrote: post #3

This recent trend of taking down past figures because they do not meet current criteria for acceptable behavior in society is disturbing. It's like people are trying to erase lessons from the past.

I personally believe that bringing revered heroes back down to earth is beneficial in the long the run. This humanizes them and hopefully will make the common folk realize that whatever they achieved, they can also achieve. And if more people will have that mindset, I think human progress will accelerate.

Re: Gandhi Is Deeply Revered, but His Attitudes on Race and Sex Are Under Scrutiny

#43

Post by geofft »

oh_sigh wrote: post #24
CathedralBorrow wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the difference between discussing and 'taking down'? Is there any way to talk about this without disturbing you, or would you rather that this topic not be discussed at all?

Well, they literally took down a statue of Gandhi. I wonder if we just won't be able to have statues any more? Or, we can only have statues of people whose lives are largely inscrutable or unknown to the public.

I'd rather live in a world with meaningful public discussion of controversial topics than a world with statues, if that's really the choice we face.

Re: Gandhi Is Deeply Revered, but His Attitudes on Race and Sex Are Under Scrutiny

#45

Post by puranjay »

I don't know enough about Gandhi's views on race to comment here, but his views on sex have to be seen in the context of the Indian society at that time.

This historical revisionism is so absurd. It expects people to be isolated from their social context.

Re: Gandhi Is Deeply Revered, but His Attitudes on Race and Sex Are Under Scrutiny

#46

Post by DanielleMolloy »

rapsey wrote: post #26
JustFinishedBSG wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gandhi already didn't meet the criteria for acceptable behavior during his lifetime though. It's just that people didn't know.

Such a person is always a person of extremes. The past just allowed for things to be hidden more then they can be now. > Gandhi already didn't meet the criteria for acceptable behavior during his lifetime though. That is always a matter of context. If you ask the British at the time no aspect of his met the criteria of acceptable behavior.

I could name a few influential persons of the previous century on spot who were not persons of extremes in the Ghandi sense.

Re: Gandhi Is Deeply Revered, but His Attitudes on Race and Sex Are Under Scrutiny

#47

Post by newjersey »

rapsey wrote: post #26
JustFinishedBSG wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gandhi already didn't meet the criteria for acceptable behavior during his lifetime though. It's just that people didn't know.

Such a person is always a person of extremes. The past just allowed for things to be hidden more then they can be now. > Gandhi already didn't meet the criteria for acceptable behavior during his lifetime though. That is always a matter of context. If you ask the British at the time no aspect of his met the criteria of acceptable behavior.

Speaking of the British, it is funny how Indians question Gandhi's legacy based on his personal life and contrast it to the English people who voted Sir Winston Churchill number one in 100 greatest Britons.

Re: Gandhi Is Deeply Revered, but His Attitudes on Race and Sex Are Under Scrutiny

#48

Post by fyfy18 »

Roritharr wrote: post #40
nabla9 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their failings don't remove their achievements. In the case of Gandhi it's not just the current criteria. Even during his time people saw him as a shitty person. It's good that we stop worshiping great men. Rabindranath Tagore saw him as a nihilist with fierce joy of annihilation. Many Dalits (untouchables) saw Gandhi as the enemy. While he worked alongside them in some aspects, he was patronizing towards them. Ambed…

This is one of the TILs that I could gladly have skipped. I mean, sometimes you'd rather have a wrong, but more peaceful picture of the world, than live with the impression that literally everyone out has a very dark side to them...

Sad but true. Enough internet for today I think...

Re: Gandhi Is Deeply Revered, but His Attitudes on Race and Sex Are Under Scrutiny

#50

Post by nabla9 »

Roritharr wrote: post #40
nabla9 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their failings don't remove their achievements. In the case of Gandhi it's not just the current criteria. Even during his time people saw him as a shitty person. It's good that we stop worshiping great men. Rabindranath Tagore saw him as a nihilist with fierce joy of annihilation. Many Dalits (untouchables) saw Gandhi as the enemy. While he worked alongside them in some aspects, he was patronizing towards them. Ambed…

This is one of the TILs that I could gladly have skipped. I mean, sometimes you'd rather have a wrong, but more peaceful picture of the world, than live with the impression that literally everyone out has a very dark side to them...

Ignorance is bliss. If you want to be an adult, you must take the red pill.

You can't weigh person by subtracting the negative from positive. Gandhi was still a great man despite his failings.

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