Joe Shearer
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A code, a code, my
Now THAT was a great post!
Pleasure reading it.
Gentlemen...please
If you want to understand the "Indian" mindset, the first thing you should do is stop thinking in binaries: an us versus them mindset can never help you understand the real world issues from the other's perspective. This is what creates the echo chamber that we're all now finding in this forum. On both sides, of course.
I myself have a habit of binary thinking: lumping all Indians I dislike with the catch-all word: 'Sanghis'. However I know it's not the correct approach: despite the incredible 2014 and 2019 election results, I am aware not all Indians think alike.
Pakistan is an artificial villain created by Indian right-wing media, Bollywood, and the imagination of social media trolls with vested interests. It surely is a blockbuster formula to be used everytime there's an Indian elections. But every formula has an expiry date: from what I am seeing in recent trends, there is growing weariness even in India on the subject of Pakistan-bashing. Now China is the new imaginary enemy.
Now these are the lumpen masses, the hoi polloi of India who were irrelevant for most years of India's founding. At least Congress never cared about their opinions much. They aren't capable of much, and even though their stupid jahill leader Modi is in charge, we know even when all of them get together, they will not amount to much. In fact, Pakistan has nothing to worry as long as the low IQ leaders of BJP are running the show. They might have found a successful formula for governing this bunch of idiots, but they know next to nothing of how to build something of value. Only Congress can do that: only Congress has ever done that. All the development seen in India today is the result of bright minds in Congress party and their great visions for the country. From Pandit Nehru's five-year plans to Indira Gandhi's Green and White Revolutions, to P.V. Narasimha Rao's economic liberalization policies, and Dr. Manmohan Singh's US-centric business policy tilt which has helped Indian economy. Even Rahul Gandhi had come with a brilliant idea: the MNREGA scheme which guarantees employment and livelihood to rural and semi-urban poor. That scheme has been a roaring success, lifting tens of millions of people out of deep poverty.
In the end, it's only the Congress that has left any tangible impact on the lives of Indians. Not that we receive thanks in return. Narendra Modi and BJP are only capable of destruction of livelihoods: from the stupid demonetization scheme to a flawed GST structure to such shoddy planning for COVID-19 impact (India has 1 million+ cases already soon to become no.1). They just don't have the capacity to think through the real problems.
There are many sane and reasonable Indians who genuinely want peaceful coexistence with Pakistan. We want diplomatic relations, free trade, cultural ties, visa-free travels, and the live performances of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
But even sane people have their limits: you cannot expect to burn the Indian flag and expect most sane liberals in India to be OK with that. Although, I personally will have no problem because I have myself burned the Indian flag as a Communist student leader in my youth. Even someone like me who gets called anti-national by his fellow Indians (yesterday, @Joe Shearer disappointed me with his lack of conviction for what I thought was our common cause), has his limits. I draw the line at insults towards Mahatma Gandhi.
That's not going to change. Every person has their own limits of how much you can push them. Even you Pakistanis do: everyone does.
Leave alone Indians, you want to deal with any foreigner, you must know the kind of things that should be said before them, and the topics that are best left alone. You don't really need to understand the mindset of the other person: you should be very clear about your own shortcomings.
Also never be too judgmental. Trust me, you follow these ideas and suggestions. It will change your lives in relation to dealings with Indians, Sri Lankans, Thai, Japanese, insert whatever nationality. It's never a complicated thing to understand the other person.
Now THAT was a great post!
Pleasure reading it.