My wife is Indian, so I try to pay some attention to Indian politics at least a little. India Uncut by Amit Varma is a pretty good source for the little things that make Indian politics and culture a little bizarre. Indian society is still very conservative in many ways, but what I see in the short blurbs Amit points out is a society much like what the Religious Right seems to want here. On the other hand, it’s comforting to know that the problems in the U.S. aren’t unique. Amit’s most recent post on victimless crimes mirrors my thoughts almost exactly:
Our dubious sense of morality is responsible for all these stupid laws…Morality’s a damn good thing, but only when it is rooted in respecting the rights of others. Laws that infringe on the rights of people to live their lives as they please are deeply immoral – and they exist even in countries that pay lip service to freedom.
Indeed. Some other gems:
On protectionism: “Producers exist to satisfy consumers; production is the means and consumption is the end. Protectionism is a policy built on the premise that consumers exist to satisfy producers.
On reservations (similar to affirmative action here in the U.S., but for castes instead of race): “With prosperity and an open economy, barriers of caste gradually erode. Yes, India has a long, long way to go before we’re prosperous enough and open enough, but consider that reservations actually increase one’s awareness of caste, and exacerbate tensions between them. You cannot fight injustice with injustice. ”
Good words. I highly recommned the blog.