Earlier quoted context omitted.
> rabid amount of hate will get you nowhere in life and will always keep you in a negative mood and disappointed Wat. Honestly, this attitude—equating moderate criticism with “rabid hate”— causes me to pause every time I get excited about India. There are democratic trade-offs in development. India has made them decently historically, and well recently. But the way you tank that balance is with blind jingoism.
> Honestly, this attitude—equating moderate criticism with “rabid hate” I was responding to this comment: "I absolutely hate the way fellow Indians will just try and deflect negative stories about India as western propaganda." Nice try trying to change the tone of his sentence (which was "I absolutely hate") to "moderate criticism". There is nothing "moderate" about "absolutely hating" something/someone. I was just r…
Fair enough. “I hate” in American English is a complaining—not raging—tone, though I grant it’s ambiguous and concede it shouldn’t be used.
> What difference would it make to India's growth trajectory if you lose your excitement?
Not much. Generally speaking, “fuck you, I’m beautiful” cultures that turn insecurity into a national sport have a common path.
India’s elites are savvy enough to build trade and diplomatic relationships, learn from others’ successes and failures and show outward strength. But I’ve seen this dismissive attitude towards criticism of any kind in my own family, and it’s paused at least my investing in India. (The only other places I see this, ironically, is in the U.K., Russia and rural American south.)
> I presume I have more experience about how much India has changed compared to Westerners or even NRIs who abandoned India for greener pastures and sit in the West and pontificate
Right. This attitude. It’s limiting in its rejection of unexpected sources of information. Again, it’s not common. Particularly among the elite and worldly. But as in America, when this attitude spreads, it diminishes prospects.