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India’s elites have a ferocious sense of entitlement

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Re: India’s elites have a ferocious sense of entitlement

#61

Post by angersock »

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #10

This is not elite entitlement. This is right wing entitlement. The recent death of Maggie reminded me of what she really changed - she made it ok to be selfish and disdainful of "undeserving" poor. India was a hybridised socialist country for a very long time - coming out of that will look at lot like Britain the in the eighties I suspect - and if you want to put bets on the next two term incumbent - they will look a…

This sort of maltreatment of those less materially well-off predates any modern concept of political frameworks by centuries if not millenia.

Re: India’s elites have a ferocious sense of entitlement

#62

Post by angersock »

yarou wrote: post #57
PAULHANNA84 wrote: post #47

India has many wonderful things to offer but my biggest issue in that country would be the cast system. The untouchables! I think it's awful that any human is deemed less than human at the point of birth. Awful!

Actually, the caste system isn't that much of a problem anymore. Because of various affirmative action programs, many former Dalits have risen to high governmental posts and industry titans.

Out of curiosity, have there been any students comparing caste of origin with corruption?

Re: India’s elites have a ferocious sense of entitlement

#63

Post by ashray »

jimrandomh wrote: post #32
ashray wrote: post #6

Ooh, no comments, I'll bite. The last time I said something negative about Indian society I had my personal details thrown all over HN. Wonder what's going to happen this time. So here's the thing. This article is pretty spot on. We, the privileged of India, do indeed feel entitled. There's absolutely no doubt about that. My theory is that the population pressure in India is so very high that you're always fighting f…

> You know what these people call themselves? Middle class. They refuse to acknowledge that they are wealthy. No, they've got it right. The distinction between middle class and lower class is entirely about wealth, but the distinction between middle class and upper class is not. Wealth is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for being upper class; the distinguishing features are flexibility and power, not money.…

You're 100% correct. However, the poor in India are truly trapped, almost like slaves to their own poverty (http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/08/generat...). By comparison those who have acquired sufficient wealth are free to do whatever they please!

With that freedom comes a responsibility to acknowledge it and to not act like complete idiots. Unfortunately, even the rich to a large extent aren't aware of how rich they truly are.

Re: India’s elites have a ferocious sense of entitlement

#65

Post by [deleted] »

nbouscal wrote: post #53
16s wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are countless cases of where rich people would push poor people on bikes off the road and into ditches with their cars. That would be a serious crime in the USA. If you did that, and you got caught, you would be in very serious trouble. And, it would not matter how rich you were. That's assault, perhaps with intent to harm or kill and civilized society does not tolerate it.

> it would not matter how rich you were. Which USA do you live in?

[deleted]

Re: India’s elites have a ferocious sense of entitlement

#66

Post by wilfra »

16s wrote: post #59
nbouscal wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it would not matter how rich you were. Which USA do you live in?

Every part of America I have ever been in would not tolerate that. It's illegal.

It may not be as bad as some countries where you can just pay the cops but the rich and well connected in America definitely play by a different set of rules, especially with regard to punishment.

Example: a rich old woman in my hometown was drunk in the morning and ran over a guy riding a bicycle and killed him. She ended up getting probation. Not a day in jail. Put a poor minority behind the wheel of that car and they are going to prison for a long time.

Re: India’s elites have a ferocious sense of entitlement

#67

Post by potatolicious »

scscsc wrote: post #35

It's not the rich. It's the "nouveaux riches"... Happens all over the world. Little education + fast money does that.

This... doesn't make sense at all, and is also simultaneous a True Scotsman fallacy.

For one thing, the vieux riche inspired entire revolutions with their compassionless, ridiculous, indefensible behavior. The wealthy nobility is a primary reason why so many countries are now democratic.

Clearly "being a complete dick" is not the exclusive purview of the nouveau riche. The notion that people who inherit their wealth are less likely to abuse it over people who earn it quickly also doesn't pass a lot of mental muster.

The distinction between "nouveau riche" and "vieux riche" smells like (and is) a classi No True Scotsman.

Re: India’s elites have a ferocious sense of entitlement

#69

Post by scarmig »

nbouscal wrote: post #53
16s wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are countless cases of where rich people would push poor people on bikes off the road and into ditches with their cars. That would be a serious crime in the USA. If you did that, and you got caught, you would be in very serious trouble. And, it would not matter how rich you were. That's assault, perhaps with intent to harm or kill and civilized society does not tolerate it.

> it would not matter how rich you were. Which USA do you live in?

The USA has mostly evolved (I use that word advisedly) beyond that.

There's certainly all kinds of horrific things about the USA's class system. But the USA has to a large extent depersonalized them: if you as an individual commit physical violence against another individual, you go through our legal system and you get punished.

Where the USA's class system goes wrong is in vaguer systemic issues. Everyone equally has the chance to get an expensive lawyer to argue you down to a lesser sentence, but few can afford the best. Everyone equally has the chance to purchase a house that's not in an ex-radiological waste dump, but that's mighty abstract to the folks in Hunter's Point.

It's pretty brilliant, because you really can't focus on any individual in particular to punish for its sins. Which in the end makes the USA's class system much more fault tolerant, because revolt against it has to take the form of amorphous, unactionable rants about the System.

Re: India’s elites have a ferocious sense of entitlement

#70

Post by PAULHANNA84 »

yarou wrote: post #57
PAULHANNA84 wrote: post #47

India has many wonderful things to offer but my biggest issue in that country would be the cast system. The untouchables! I think it's awful that any human is deemed less than human at the point of birth. Awful!

Actually, the caste system isn't that much of a problem anymore. Because of various affirmative action programs, many former Dalits have risen to high governmental posts and industry titans.

That's good to hear. My friend was recently in India some months ago and when visiting he was delegated a servant which he didn't even ask for or want. The kid was not even allowed to sit on the couches! Sad.
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