[thechat] Re: Books?

Madhu Menon webguru at vsnl.net
Fri Dec 7 22:56:17 CST 2001


At 05:07 AM 12/8/2001, thechat-admin at lists.evolt.org typed these words:
>WCIS? (What Can I Say?) ... there are assholes in every culture ...
>['Course ... We tend to grow 'em a tad bigger over here!]   ;-)

Incidentally, I wrote a very proper reply to him, telling him how mistaken 
he was about many things and that it would be a good thing to recognise the 
existence of other cultures, even when they differed from his.

I also politely told him that I perceived some of his remarks to be racist.

I got an abusive reply that started with "You ignorant fuck I was talking 
about
your Godforsaken hell hole of a country taking jobs from mine."

and...

<quote>

Recognise
 >that
 >there are other cultures out there, some far older than yours.
 >
 >It's sad to see such racism still prevelant on the Net...

Well I am Black and you actually have the guts to call me racist? I
have never said anything racist it is a trade issue. India is trying
to dump cheap labor scabs into the US tech industry. You can't use
the excuse "oh you don't like us because were Indian" NO I don't like
that every job Bangalore takes from Seattle it puts someone in
Seattle out of work. HOW IS THAT RACIST?

</quote>

What really amused me was when he said "The American way is the best way 
because we're the richest, most powerful nation in the world!"

(Email me offlist if you want the rest of the messages)

The man is apparently a WTO protestor who's angry that we Indians "steal 
American jobs" and have a "parisitic economy to boost the piss weak 
monetary unit".

I wrote to him that I had many good, kind, and helpful American friends 
(including on mailing lists), and he said you were all "brainwashed 
Americans". :(

He's clearly very upset.

Anyway, I know he doesn't speak for most of you.


>Can I bug you for a list of some worthwhile Indian authors/books worth
>reading?

Confession time. I haven't read *any* Indian authors recently. No, I kid 
you not.

Actually, I haven't read much fiction in a long time. My bookshelf is lined 
with nonfiction books waiting to be finished. I recently got my books 
insured because I'd spent so much money on them.

But friends that I trust recommend Vikram Seth, Shashi Tharoor, V S 
Naipaul, Arun Shourie, Khushwant Singh, Rabindranath Tagore, and Frederick 
Forsyth (oh, he's not Indian. Ooops.)

I'm currently reading "The Blind Watchmaker" by Richard Dawkins.
Obligatory link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393315703/madhumenon



>That might <hangs head here because he can't read anything else> have
>decent English translations?

Damn, I though you wanted English books by Indians. Sorry, I have no clue 
about this one. I think in English, so they're the only books I read.

Try here: http://dir.123india.com/arts_and_culture/literature/authors/


>I might have a Bhagavad-Gita and/or a Kama Sutra laying around the house

What extremes!   ;)

>- but that's probably the extent of my Indian collection. ... Ummm ...
>assuming those *are* Indian, of course.

Oh yeah. My great grandfather actually wrote the KamaSutra, but nobody 
would buy a set of cheesy illustrations. He was going broke, so he made up 
the story of this old sage called Vatsyayana who wrote it centuries 
back.  Needless to say, it sold like hotcakes, not to the local Indians, 
most of whom have never read it, but to gullible foreigners who flocked to 
buy it   :)

(oh, to any attractive single women out there - ladies... I come from the 
land of Kamasutra. I know *all* about it, bay-bay! ;)         (do best 
Barry White impersonation here)


Madhu
(feeling silly)



<<<   *   >>>
Madhu Menon
madhu at members.evolt.org
Blog: http://madman.weblogs.com






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