Why I’m Going to India • Hacker News Board

Re: Why I’m Going to India

#71

Post by dirkgently » Thu, May 30, 2013, 2:36 AM UTC

newnewnew wrote: post #44

pekk wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is facile to blame all of the developing world's problems on "the same deep-rooted culture/religion problem of ignorance, corruption, and generally not giving a shit about others." For starters, aren't there causes of ignorance, corruption, or not giving a shit about others?

> "For starters, aren't there causes of ignorance, corruption, or not giving a shit about others?" Not really. It's the default state of human kind. Individual rights, scientific enlightenment, and all that were invented by Europeans in the 1500s. Before that, all of human history is pretty brutal and poor.

> Before that, all of human history is pretty brutal and poor.

Interesting that you brought it up.

Ironically, it was India that was probably ahead of other civilizations way earlier than 1500s.

Then history happened.

And then finally Europeans happened - the same Europeans who invented "individual rights, scientific enlightenment, and all that".

Re: Why I’m Going to India

#72

Post by ignostic » Thu, May 30, 2013, 2:39 AM UTC

chailatte wrote: post #66

aashaykumar92 wrote: post #34

I'm seeing a lot of "What Mr. Gates is doing is great BUT [insert negatives]". Timing is everything. IMO, this is the perfect timing to start a mission such as the one Mr. Gates is. Why? Well having just been to India last year, my cousins were complaining about how India is filled with geniuses, yet very few who want to take risks (whether it be to help fix the poverty, the political system, or just start cool compa…

Bill gates can't fix - apathy from upper/middle class towards lower classes - willingness from normal citizens to live with human feces on the streets, eat in restaurants with huge garbage piles right in front - spinelessness/cowardness from the voting public so what if there are smart people in india? they are spineless/uncompassionate/unfeeling/unprideful.

Bill Gates WILL have an impact, even if it's only on a dozen people. So will the people who are inspired by him, and so do the people who have been working with the Indian people for years to make the country better.

The only people who can't fix things like this are people who throw up their hands and say that no one cares. Things can get better, despite the undermining tone of cynics like yourself saying they cannot.

Re: Why I’m Going to India

#73

Post by iamshs » Thu, May 30, 2013, 2:40 AM UTC

kailuowang wrote: post #20

If seeing how the poorest live is the purpose of this trip, I am not quite sure I understand why meeting Aamir Khan, the Bollywood star, is a highlight of it and the only one that has a picture in the beautiful poster. What I do sense there is a little bit heroism - he feels like a superhero(and justly so). It's just interesting that every time I hear about Gate's foundation and the wonderful stuff they did, there we…

If I understand it correctly, Aamir Khan is one of the biggest stars of Indian Cinema and all of his movies have been hit with indian public. Another big thing is, he has been associated with a TV Show, which airs on NDTV (presumably a well known channel) and DD (India's BBC). This TV Show is about perverse social situations in Indian Society and how to make India aware of its evils at the grassroots and take eradication steps. The show has been very well received.

I presume it to be a very good step, tapping into mass appeal of Indian Cinema and collaborating with an actor who has already done work in the field and understand the nuisances. For these initiatives to be successful, you have to pull force behind it. India's polio eradication schemes were massively popular because of various celebrities endorsing it day in and day out. They were the source of major line-ups at vaccination centers.

Re: Why I’m Going to India

#74

Post by statictype » Thu, May 30, 2013, 2:56 AM UTC

harichinnan wrote: post #30

denzil_correa wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think India and Africa pretty much have the same deep-rooted culture/religion problem of ignorance, corruption and generally not giving a shit about others. >This sort of culture has been accumulated over centuries and isn't going to go away anytime soon. I agree with the overall sentiment in your post. Some more explanation about the culture in India which is accumulated over "centuries" would be nice. Which cen…

Caste System(More like Racism. Keeping groups of people away from economic opportunity), Families where people have been desperately poor for generations(poor people create more kids on average and most of them end of poor and desperate)... 100's or millions with no primary education/even literacy...

Can you give me examples of this caste system probem?

After actually living in India for some time - my impression has been the opposite - overzealous affirmative action

Re: Why I’m Going to India

#75

Post by statictype » Thu, May 30, 2013, 2:57 AM UTC

marcosscriven wrote: post #2

While what he's doing is obviously good, I am uneasy with the whole idea that one man accumulates so much wealth in the first place, and then decides as an unelected individual what's best for a country. Having said that, I'm not sure i have a particularly good answer to this conundrum.

Having said that, I'm not sure i have a particularly good answer to this conundrum.

Well, let us know if you do. The speculative opinions of message board nerds is as important as someone who became wealthy and is putting his money where his mouth is.

Re: Why I’m Going to India

#76

Post by [deleted] » Thu, May 30, 2013, 2:57 AM UTC

marcosscriven wrote: post #2

While what he's doing is obviously good, I am uneasy with the whole idea that one man accumulates so much wealth in the first place, and then decides as an unelected individual what's best for a country. Having said that, I'm not sure i have a particularly good answer to this conundrum.

[deleted]

Re: Why I’m Going to India

#77

Post by kamaal » Thu, May 30, 2013, 3:35 AM UTC

chailatte wrote: post #66

aashaykumar92 wrote: post #34

I'm seeing a lot of "What Mr. Gates is doing is great BUT [insert negatives]". Timing is everything. IMO, this is the perfect timing to start a mission such as the one Mr. Gates is. Why? Well having just been to India last year, my cousins were complaining about how India is filled with geniuses, yet very few who want to take risks (whether it be to help fix the poverty, the political system, or just start cool compa…

Bill gates can't fix - apathy from upper/middle class towards lower classes - willingness from normal citizens to live with human feces on the streets, eat in restaurants with huge garbage piles right in front - spinelessness/cowardness from the voting public so what if there are smart people in india? they are spineless/uncompassionate/unfeeling/unprideful.

Not sure what your problem is, India or Bill Gates? You seem to have a problem with both.

>>- apathy from upper/middle class towards lower classes

Why in God's name will a middle class guy, who probably is having a thousand different battles in his own life get up every day morning to work for some body poor? By now, 'the poor' need to realize its not somebody else job do their work. Chances are no one ever will, not just in India but anywhere in the world.

>>- willingness from normal citizens to live with human feces on the streets, eat in restaurants with huge garbage piles right in front

How is this any different than the western world during the Industrial revolution? So some place like the US during the great depression?

You seem to be assuming a passing state of a society as its permanent condition. There are plenty of urban/rural housing settlement/societies in India which are as neat and clean as any western city.

>>- spinelessness/cowardness from the voting public

Care to give a few examples??

>>so what if there are smart people in india?

Now that you acknowledge that there are smart people in India. I guess you better prepare for some darn hard competition coming from us.

>> they are spineless/uncompassionate/unfeeling/unprideful.

Seriously??? How is any different than people in any country in the world. Do you think voting matters or is significant even in a country like the US. How many times were the US citizens able to prevent their country from going to war? Or how many times have they been able to change their unemployment problem themselves?

You seem to have a seriously problem with India, no idea why that is so.

Re: Why I’m Going to India

#78

Post by kamaal » Thu, May 30, 2013, 3:41 AM UTC

dwc wrote: post #28

What's up with HN lately? It seems like being contrary to contrarian is the new thing these days. Bill Gates is someone I admired at first, because he built something huge from humble beginnings. Then I reviled him for the damage I saw him cause to the industry. Then I admired him again for the global effect he managed. He is a single person trying to do the best he knows how for humanity at large. If anyone thinks r…

>>and if you oppose that?

Well there are people who will find problems with anything. I mean no matter what you do.

If you were to go out and invent a vaccination to prevent a human a human from ever catching an viral infection. You will likely find people who will criticize you for not solving the hunger problem first.

The lesson is not to take that kind of people seriously.

Re: Why I’m Going to India

#79

Post by iamshs » Thu, May 30, 2013, 4:08 AM UTC

Cherian_Abraham wrote: post #68

chailatte wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bill gates can't fix - apathy from upper/middle class towards lower classes - willingness from normal citizens to live with human feces on the streets, eat in restaurants with huge garbage piles right in front - spinelessness/cowardness from the voting public so what if there are smart people in india? they are spineless/uncompassionate/unfeeling/unprideful.

Update - Just realized I just fed a troll. Moving on! Whoa! Hold on there cowboy! What have we told you about sweeping generalizations??!! Not every person in India wakes up every morning to fix social issues. They wake up every morning to go to work, feed their families and you know..do what you and I do - when we turn the other way to the glaring poverty and injustice that is visible in our communities.

He does look like a troll, always getting top comments on India centric pieces.

Re: Why I’m Going to India

#80

Post by vishnu_t » Thu, May 30, 2013, 5:23 AM UTC

India's problem is well - Indians. The country needs to be broken up into ethnic republics with people getting real control to take decisions for themselves. Today India is an unjust empire perpetrated from Delhi.