[pcx66]

> People in India don't even have the reasonable expectation of riding a public bus without getting raped to death

That was very, very offensive. Are you an Indian? or at the least been to India? My mother has been using public transport for 25 years (now traveling upto 150Kms for her job). She never had a problem. Show some data and or shut up your arrogant mouth.

[harlanlewis]

I think he's referring to a recent spate of rapes in India that received a lot of exposure in the US press.

TIME just posted an article about high-profile gang rape in India a couple days ago: http://world.time.com/2013/09/02/india-fury-over-gang-rapes-...

[pcx66]

Yes, I got that. Here's my take on it, which might contradict most of the stories out there. I don't think the many number of such recent cases is a new occurrence. It's just that the media is using 'Rape cases' as their 'News topic for the year', making sure they make a big deal out of such cases, which is a good thing.

But media concentrating so much on this topic is because people are finally ready to talk about such stuff. I've heard of dozens of rumors of rape that were allegedly subdued over the last few years. I think the Delhi rape incident was the tipping point.

I don't think rape cases have increased, I think the reporting and public outcry have gone up. India is finally dealing with the most shameful parts of a society whose discussion was until now anti-cultural, any discussion related to sex is anti-cultural. In our movies the most just thing for a rape victim was to get them married to the rapist, that was considered giving the victim a life, go figure that out.

Despite all that, I and several other people go by our day mostly care free. There is a sense of security in our social lives. Shit still happens, where doesn't it not happen. But this shit is not new, it is not unique to us. Making such lame shallow comment about a culture is insensitive.

[phaus]

It isn't a shallow comment. Receiving Justice in India is largely a function of gender and caste. I mention it not because I look down on India, but because I see so much potential in that country that may never be fulfilled if it doesn't fix its government, and its social attitudes towards women and poor people.

I don't think that there is a dramatic increase in rapes in India, its just that information flows more freely now. I agree that its getting attention because people in India are finally ready to talk about such issues. When I talk about India being a shitty country, I'm talking about the government, and the people who allow the caste system to persist. Many average Indians are outraged by the way that rape victims are treated, yet the government just wants everyone to act like its OK to punish the victims.

For what its worth, I bitch about the United States just as much if not more than any other country, because we have been fucking up a lot lately too.

[yarou]

> It isn't a shallow comment.

It is, because it reeks of irony, cultural chauvinism, and a fundamental Western bias.

> Receiving Justice in India is largely a function of gender and caste.

Replace gender and caste with money, and your statement becomes correct. In fact, there is quite a bit of reverse discrimination when it comes to the caste system.

Your earlier comments show a complete lack of understanding and context of Indian culture, so I won't bother picking them apart. All I can say is, it must take a scary level of indoctrination to draw the logical conclusion that "no wonder there are so many rapes in this country!" from "error in reprinted CS book".

[phaus]

I'd be a cultural chauvinist if I went around telling everyone how America is awesome and can do no wrong. I actually spend a lot of time complaining about my own country's problems, so I don't really understand this accusation.

It would be ironic if I were on here denying the problems that my own country faces, while commenting on India's. But as I said, I spend a lot of time talking about that as well, so irony doesn't make sense either.

What is the context of Indian culture that makes institutional corruption, gender / class discrimination, and the demonization of rape victims OK? Once again, please keep in mind that I'm not talking about all of India, just the corrupt government institutions and wealthy individuals that are comfortable living in the middle ages.

I don't see why this is such a controversial view, if you made a comment about corruption in America, I'd be more inclined to agree with you than to act like my personal honor has been besmirched because my country isn't perfect.

[saraid216]

> Despite all that, I and several other people go by our day mostly care free.

http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=4741

[pcx66]

> People in India don't even have the reasonable expectation of riding a public bus without getting raped to death

Why so many negative votes? What was wrong about me being offended by such an insensitive statement. The statement was factually incorrect. Is it not arrogant to comment on a country like that without data?

[phaus]

Because it's like me getting personally offended when people call the United States out for it's illegal surveillance programs. I'm not offended, because I didn't have anything to do with it. As a citizen, all I can do is vote in every election and raise awareness.

Presumably, you didn't rape anybody, and you probably don't have any major political/government connections that would allow you to make things better in your country. You are just a bystander in a place that has some significant problems. So am I, but that doesn't mean I get personally offended when people talk about it.