Ever been to India? Why do people find it so depressing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The amount of poverty and classism is alarming.

You are expected just to ignore it and not make eye contact.

I don’t follow. Not make eye contact? With who?

With anyone staring at you, and they will be staring. The poverty is not remotely similar to the poverty in the US. The amount of people (families) living on the street is shocking. The traffic is shocking (family of four on a motorcycle, with a toddler hanging on to it's mom, and an infant in her lap, etc).

Really? The people I know from there seem middle class or wealthy. Is it just bc they’re from a higher caste?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bollywood is not India just as Hollywood is not US.

Not helpful

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved my trip to India. But the level of poverty is a huge culture shock, and some can't take it. Likewise with the caste system (I thought of it as something we'd been taught about in school that was a thing of the past; it certainly is not a thing of the past, and it is horrible).

It's not just that the rest of the Indians ignore it; it's more that they think the lower classes are "in their place" and they don't give it a second thought. It is horrible. It's unreconcilable within a rational human brain.

Really? Is that everyone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The amount of poverty and classism is alarming.

You are expected just to ignore it and not make eye contact.

I don’t follow. Not make eye contact? With who?

With anyone staring at you, and they will be staring. The poverty is not remotely similar to the poverty in the US. The amount of people (families) living on the street is shocking. The traffic is shocking (family of four on a motorcycle, with a toddler hanging on to it's mom, and an infant in her lap, etc).

Really? The people I know from there seem middle class or wealthy. Is it just bc they’re from a higher caste?

Yes. They likely have a driver, nanny, house keeping and are completely middle class. Sure go once for the experience, but I won't be headed back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The amount of poverty and classism is alarming.

You are expected just to ignore it and not make eye contact.

I don’t follow. Not make eye contact? With who?

Clearly you haven't been to India.

Hence the post, dummy

Sigh.

You can't really drive or walk through a city without being swarmed by poor people -- many of them very young children, many very physically deformed, crying and looking very said and begging. They stare until you make eye contact. Then they beg and beg. And it never stops. There are thousands of them, so you can't connect with someone even if you want to. Because it is never ending. Like an avalanche of human pain and suffering. And your only hope to get through it at all is to not make eye contact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The amount of poverty and classism is alarming.

You are expected just to ignore it and not make eye contact.

I don’t follow. Not make eye contact? With who?

With anyone staring at you, and they will be staring. The poverty is not remotely similar to the poverty in the US. The amount of people (families) living on the street is shocking. The traffic is shocking (family of four on a motorcycle, with a toddler hanging on to it's mom, and an infant in her lap, etc).

Really? The people I know from there seem middle class or wealthy. Is it just bc they’re from a higher caste?

Yes. Very much yes.

[Anonymous]

There is groping of women all the time in India. That is the mildest offense towards women. Indian men have a reputation for being abusive, not just to women but to others.
There is just chaos everywhere you go in India.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved my trip to India. But the level of poverty is a huge culture shock, and some can't take it. Likewise with the caste system (I thought of it as something we'd been taught about in school that was a thing of the past; it certainly is not a thing of the past, and it is horrible).

It's not just that the rest of the Indians ignore it; it's more that they think the lower classes are "in their place" and they don't give it a second thought. It is horrible. It's unreconcilable within a rational human brain.

Really? Is that everyone?

It's enough of everyone that the system of horrible discrimination persists.

I was at a conference in the hills outside of Mumbai and the very old man who made us our meals and looked after us seemed to be working an insane amount, from before dawn until after dark and when I asked about it I was told "He's grateful to have the work, this is what he was born for." Mmm hmmm. Maybe he would have liked a different kind of work, but it wasn't an option. It's ugly.

[Anonymous]

The Amazing Race went to India a while back. One of the contestants was a college-aged guy and they were driving on a train past slums. He looked out the window and started crying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved my trip to India. But the level of poverty is a huge culture shock, and some can't take it. Likewise with the caste system (I thought of it as something we'd been taught about in school that was a thing of the past; it certainly is not a thing of the past, and it is horrible).

It's not just that the rest of the Indians ignore it; it's more that they think the lower classes are "in their place" and they don't give it a second thought. It is horrible. It's unreconcilable within a rational human brain.

Really? Is that everyone?

It's enough of everyone that the system of horrible discrimination persists.

I was at a conference in the hills outside of Mumbai and the very old man who made us our meals and looked after us seemed to be working an insane amount, from before dawn until after dark and when I asked about it I was told "He's grateful to have the work, this is what he was born for." Mmm hmmm. Maybe he would have liked a different kind of work, but it wasn't an option. It's ugly.

The work is fine, but he was doing twice as much as he should for less than half the pay he should.

[Anonymous]

If life were so great in India, people would not immigrate as soon as they had the minimum means—and not immigrate to the West but everywhere in the world. Tanzania, Kenya, and South Africa have huge Indian populations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved my trip to India and would go back in a heartbeat, but it is absolutely overwhelming in many ways.

The poverty is a gut punch, but I also found the sheer humanity a lot to take in. DC felt weirdly uncrowded after that.

I felt the same. Also put on five pounds because I loved the food so much.

We got invited into some random people's wedding and just had a wonderful time - but the whole trip was like that; we could go anywhere and next thing we knew we'd be invited to participate in something, and we were at a stage of life then where we always said yes.

I'm glad you have good food memories!
I couldn't eat anything. Our stomaches just aren't conditioned for it (it would take a lot more time and acclimation). Had to be super careful and still got pretty sick towards the end of the trip. Our friends who lived there told us (and it's generally well known) that food preparation is sketch. There were lots of public health initiatives/bill boards about basic handwashing. It's simply not done there (yet)

[Anonymous]

I really struggled with seeing the poverty there and how they were treated. The sheer amount of children just crushed me. I've felt similar in other countries I've been to, but India just seemed worse. Perhaps because of how crowded it is too.

Op, you seem to have a very glam view of India. Your friends are from well off families and you think it's like Bollywood. Id suggest you tubing some videos.

[Anonymous]

India is a country of contrasts. Beautiful and…not beautiful all at once. Definitely worth the trip. Food is amazing and the high end places are very high end but the poverty is so extreme. The pollution can be pretty bad depending on where you’re at.

There are some very cool things to see and do but I get that it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The amount of poverty and classism is alarming.

You are expected just to ignore it and not make eye contact.

I don’t follow. Not make eye contact? With who?

With anyone staring at you, and they will be staring. The poverty is not remotely similar to the poverty in the US. The amount of people (families) living on the street is shocking. The traffic is shocking (family of four on a motorcycle, with a toddler hanging on to it's mom, and an infant in her lap, etc).

Really? The people I know from there seem middle class or wealthy. Is it just bc they’re from a higher caste?

You mean people who immigrated from India to the U.S?

No one is getting into the U.S. from India without having money these days.