Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site gitpyr.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!gatech!gitpyr!partha From: partha@gitpyr.UUCP (Partha Dasgupta) Newsgroups: net.nlang.india Subject: Re: India and the Media Message-ID: <197@gitpyr.UUCP> Date: Mon, 4-Mar-85 05:54:46 EST Article-I.D.: gitpyr.197 Posted: Mon Mar 4 05:54:46 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 7-Mar-85 03:55:55 EST References: <2440@hplabsc.UUCP> Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA Lines: 58 > [Kumar @ HP Labs] > India as a country does not figure too prominently in the news > media in the United States, but when it does, it is more often > depicted as a poor, hot, overcrowded, undernourished, ex-British > colony, rather than the new, emerging nation that it is. Sounds unsubstantiated to me. American media does not exactly kiss the feet of India, but then again why should they. In general they are quite truthful and more objective than Indian media is of America. > Few of my American-born friends are free from the stereotype of India > that the media cultivates. Why single out India? Ditto for ALL other countries, England included. So whats your gripe? Wash out the brains of these poor demented Americans? Have you cared to think about what the general Indian thinks about the (big baad) West? > The thesis of the article seems to > be that India is in very poor shape, and that the Indians have > no one but themselves to blame. Who else do they have to blame? Ronald Reagan? Or the ever maligned British? C'mon man, stop passing the buck... > (it actually exports crude today, since its own refineries don't > have the capacity!). Wonderful!! Aren't we all so proud of that. India also exports high grade iron-ore because we dont care to make steel of it. And we get a few quick bucks out of these resources without the bother of having to process it. Its all the fault of those damn British -:) > And its democracy, young as it is, has taken a firm hold... But of course. Jawaharlal Nehru... Indira Gandhi... Rajiv Gandhi... !! -:) > I wonder if there is any organization of Indian-born Americans > which is interested in speaking out against such biases in news > reports and projecting what many of us feel is the more balanced > view of the country. If there are any such organizations, I'd > like to hear about them. I don't. Probably I love India as much as you do, maybe even more. But I like to consider realities. What you want is biased glorification of India like what the ****-ed up Indian media does. Form organizations of Indian-born Americans, American-born Indians, or what have you. Speak up for all you like. But the truth will remain that India is in a very crummy situation (albeit improving, but *very* slowly), and we are the only people to blame. Everyone is looking up to dear Rajiv as if he is the avatar who will work wonders for India. Maybe he will. Maybe he won't. Time will tell. -- Partha Dasgupta Georgia Insitute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 ...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,masscomp,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!partha