This has come up in five threads now: I live in India. Mumbai, in fact. I'm here for the Government.

[Recursion]

It's a little bit irritating. I put up with a lot of shit working for the US Government in foreign countries. Dengue Fever comes to mind. As does the Bubonic Plague. But, putting those aside, the level of hostility from this board has also been kind of depressing.

My wife is a quite accomplished U.S. diplomat. She has been promoted twice ahead of her seniority.

I do routers and switches. I'm good at that -- damn good at that -- but not as good as she is at diplomacy. So we're following her dream right now, and I fortunately have some skills to tag along. I even managed to land a US Government job here (US Government IT! Yesterday's solutions tomorrow!)

My larger point is, I find it quite irksome that in an alleged Democratic message board, I'm attacked for being "from India" despite the fact that I'm not "from" here in any reasonable sense of the word "from".

Anyways, America's richness does not depend upon India staying poor. There is a way through this for all of us. Peace.

[KG]

1. much of the comfort and convenience of the west is built on the miseries of place like india

and third world countries.

it's not a modern or american dilemma, this has been going on since the days of the british east india co.

[Recursion]

2. Yeah, I knew that already

The difference is trying to find what you can do in the actual place and time.

[brer cat]

4. I agree.

However, the OP is correct that it doesn't need to be this way. Our richness should not come as a result of poverty in India or any other country. It is horrid that our demand for cheap merchandise can only be filled by workers in sweat-shop conditions.

[Democracyinkind]

3. Sorry to hear that you caught flack.

Did you get PM's too? I once got a PM that said that I was a "traitor" and that I should STFU because I'm not "on the battle front" and therefore have lost my moral right to comment on American issues.

It is what it is. Try not to care. It's especially ridiculous in your case, as the only reason for your being there is your and your wifes service to this country. I think that you're the kind of guy I'd want to work for the gov, even though we don't always seem to agree when posting. Again, try to ignore those comments or simply embrace them for their comedic value. I think you're a great addition to DU (and you sure as hell impressed me in that math-movie guess thread).

[Recursion]

5. I let my PM's die their own cold, well-deserved death

That's all I have to say about that.

[Democracyinkind]

6. Then we're at the same point. Keep it up!

[reddread]

7. well obviously

someone has to keep those call centers running smoothly.

[Fumesucker]

10. Welcome to DU!

[Octafish]

8. Peace to you and Yours, Recursion.

Your wife is doing the thing the nation needs most -- building lasting bonds of understanding and good works.

[MADem]

9. Don't allow "people on the internet" to define or denigrate you.

You know who you are and what you are about---some anonymous keyboard kommando with an attitude has no power over you....unless you cede it to them.

I would urge you to embrace your experiences in India. Remember, every time you say "Shit, not THIS again!" (whatever "this" might be) try to remind yourself that your humdrum day-to-day life is someone else's dream vacation!

I know, easier said than done--but that's how I got through more than a few overseas postings!

[Fumesucker]

11. I've been doing this online thing a long time now

The single biggest lesson I've learned is that communication is remarkably difficult and anything you say or write can and will be misconstrued in the most negative possible manner by someone at some point.

I had it done to me in real life yesterday in fact, I was trying to defuse a situation and just made it worse, better to have kept my mouth shut.

[Lars39]

12. Pointing out that you now live outside this country is not attacking you.

It rounds out the bigger picture of "you" as you are known on DU.

[Recursion]

14. So why did you bring it up?

Seriously, what did my current duty station add to the discussion?

[Lars39]

16. Perhaps it has to do with deriding online commenting, while not being in a position

to do more yourself. Or third way agenda, take your pick.

[Recursion]

19. Fair enough

[TalkingDog]

13. Hi Recursion. You are either my Brother in Law or you may know him.

He works for the Commerce Dept.

Yeah, it's ....disturbing to see some of the xenophobia that goes on here. I want to think that "we're" better than that. *sigh*

Anyway, you've got an ally here for what it's worth.

[Recursion]

15. Thanks! I don't know any Commerce people here

But I'm sure they exist. The whole bit is like living in molasses.

[seveneyes]

17. Question about India

How common is this wiring practice?

[Recursion]

18. I see it a lot. It makes me wince.

In general, illegal power is not wired sanely.

[seveneyes]

20. That's scary

As you probably know, the uninsulated high voltage primary lines at the top of the poles in the US range from 12KV to 30+KV. If it's the same in India, there must be a lot of people getting badly burned from unintended contact with them.

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. You have access to a window on India that we lack.

I for one would love to hear what you see, what you hear, what you find funny or awesome where you live.

Actually, I did not "get" that you were in India until today, in an earlier post where you made a comment.
Very sorry to hear that some people here are actually denigrating people who live outside the country.
'Course, we who live in the South get many broad brush attacks here too....sigh.

[Squinch]

22. Sorry to hear you've been treated badly....but, um, back to that bubonic plague...

[pampango]

23. Where you live, your race or gender, should not matter.

The content of your posts should be what matters.

I saw one of your posts in which someone discounted your opinion because you lived in India. You had not even mentioned it in the thread. The other poster looked it up on your profile and then used it in an accusatory manner.

I would welcome anyone living abroad, whether American or another nationality, to share their views on life in other societies.

[hunter]

24. I've been enjoying your posts!

There's always a few people here who seem to have fallen off the Fox News Turkey Farm truck.

People in the world all want the same thing. Good food to eat, a safe place to be, and appropriate medical care and support when they are not well.

It will be achieved by diplomacy, not violence.

There's no place for xenophobia.

As India progresses, so shall we.

Your posts rock.

[Yo_Mama]

25. I'm sorry - it is undeserved. n/t

[elleng]

26. Amazing.

Sorry.

And please keep the pictures coming!

[dgibby]

27. Thanks to you and your wife for your service.

I didn't see the threads you're referring to, but just consider the sources and try to ignore them. Sorry this has happened to you.

[steve2470]

28. you seem like a good guy and you're an IT guy, extra bonus points !

I'd put anyone who brings up your current residence in India in a negative light on Ignore. I welcome input from anyone here, as long as they keep it civil and issues-directed.

Enjoy your cultural experience over there. BTW, why are the wires so tangled and not insulated ? Is it a "lack of funds" issue ? Seems incredibly dangerous to me.

[NYC_SKP]

29. Recommended. And sorry to hear about the bad treatment.

It's probably coming from people who've never been out of their own county or state.

[leveymg]

30. There's a small group of misguided India-haters here who don't seem to

Last edited Mon Sep 23, 2013, 08:02 PM - Edit history (1)

understand that the US still has a large surplus in Trade in Services that helps to offset the much larger Trade in Goods deficit (most of it due to growing imbalance in terms of trade with China.) If we were to altogether shut out Indian service workers, India would retaliate in kind, setting off a trade war in services (a US strength, overall), which would end up costing even more Americans their jobs.

None of the haters seem to understand that it's been the US-based multinationals who have been laying off most US workers and offshoring corporate operations. So, instead of blaming the upper management of IBM and Apple, they scapegoat Indian H-1B workers.

Of course, US corporate management wouldn't have anything to gain from encouraging such scapegoating of Indian IT workers, would they?

[TheKentuckian]

31. So what? What are we going to be cut off of cheap ass junk made by day slaves?

I also believe that if anyone jumps too bad that we can inform them that we won't be protecting their commerce or concerning ourselves with any intellectual property.

No Pax Americana for you!

Still jumping bad? I bet we can apply certain pressures in their unfriendly neighbor or just leave with the yahoos next door.

I'm not worried about it after that, they'll have their hands full and then some.

[Skittles]

36. LOLOL

yes, us IT workers NEVER trash the pimpers

[Number23]

32. I don't even know why you'd bother responding. Freepers and Tea Baggers use that same line

of xenophobic idiocy. You are an American. That's all anyone should care about.

[Hekate]

33. I think the real issue is why the aitch it's coming up at DU so much.

Damn depressing.

[Number23]

34. You have to ask? The answer is simple. Sid Dithers

Because Sid pisses so many people off here for reasons I will never understand and will care about even less. And because he is a Canadian. Xenophobia is apparently all the rage when it's over someone you don't like... or something.

Lots of people that love to call their fellow Americans "stupid" "authoritarian" "Turd Way" "conservadems" are brought to a frothing, impotent rage by Sid's use of the smiley. Now, you may ask "why?" but considering I don't think you and I have the psychiatric training to diagnose something so needlessly absurd, I'll leave that to others to figure out.

Many of the president's staunchest supporters are non-Americans or Americans that live abroad. When Bush was in office and the world hated him, these same folks screamed "we should listen to other countries!!" Now that many people in other countries are whole-heartedly embracing this president, these same folks scream that the voices of our friends in other countries should be ignored. And just in case that wasn't idiotic enough, some of the loudest ones making these declarations OPENLY and REPEATEDLY voice their utter lust in moving to Canada, Australia, Europe or some other great, white, Western bastion of civilization and the irony of that seems to completely whoosh over their sweet, simple little heads.

It would be hilarious if it weren't indicative of something mildly terrifying.

[bhikkhu]

35. Personally, I've always looked at that as a form of fascism

As in, if you can get people to hate each other and blame other groups for their economic conditions (as the germans were taught that the jews were to blame for their economic troubles, for instance), then it makes it much easier to direct anger and attention "harmlessly, and deflect it from the real issues. The "real issue" being almost always, everywhere in the last century, in the concentration of wealth in the top tier.

Awareness is better now, especially here, but its still fairly easy to find hatred of India, China, Hispanics and whoever else. Its too bad, and I always go back to the old IWW and socialist philosophies; "Workers of the World" can't unite or be effective towards their own interests if they are so easily pitted against one another by media-driven corporate interests spreading hate within them.

[hunter]

37. I'm past Wobblies territory into Luddite territory.

Damn it!!! This is the twenty first century. We've got robots and stuff! Life should be awesome, everyone living as artists enjoying twenty hour work weeks in satisfying careers with long vacations and excellent retirements.

How did we fuck this up?

[bhikkhu]

38. Technology replaces human labor

Its been the same story for thousands of years, really. The fewer people necessary to produce the products the everyone needs, the more unbalanced and complicated the equation for fair distribution becomes. If one percent of the population produces all the food necessary for everyone, what is a fair price for that food? And if a robotic factory produces all of some desirable product or other, what is a fair price for that product?

A simple market-based or capitalistic economy inherently concentrates wealth in the hands of fewer and fewer people as technology and automation reduce the need for labor. Government has always been the balancing factor, but that role also becomes more contentious with progress, as concentrated wealth inherently resists the redistribution necessary for an overall healthy economy.

I don't think there is any solution beyond going from one crisis to the next, but at the moment it is pretty clear we need to work for a more proactive government that works for the good of the whole. The democratic party is clearly the most intentionally effective and motivated in that direction, while the opposition is, realistically, the opposite.