India's Capital: Rude and Crude

Hmm. Interesting article in Outlook India on the culture or lack-there-of in Delhi. India's rape capital -- creepy! The reduced pollution, the booming economy, the new overpasses/roads...I noticed all this as soon as we stepped out on day 1 last year when I visited India with my family. The creepiness came later when you see people (== nasty guys) giving you looks without giving you a look. I didn't get it for the longest time. I assumed it was because we were American or dressed funny but I guess its going to happen if you're groomed, light skinned and a young female. Hmm. Disappointing more than anything else.

Delhi's Seven Deadly Sins

Aggressive, lawless driving; India's road accident capital
Touting, hustling culture, grab-what-you-can-get mentality: law-breaking acceptable across classes, everything 'negotiable'
Callousness towards the vulnerable: disabled, visitors, elderly, poor
Most unsafe city in India for women; India's rape capital
Obsession with hierarchy & status
Officious, self-important political and bureaucratic class
Appalling cultural and professional manners

Aren't a lot of these just exaggerated attitudes of the "FOB"s you run into here in the states? The callousness towards the vulnerable -- don't even get me started on this. Its part of the reason we didn't' take my brother with us on our trip. Obsession with hierarchy and status...ha. That is definitely not something new. The whole where are you from in Delhi ...its a lot like asking someone which borough in New York you live in (not work in because those are entirely separate ;-)). The lack of respect for people's time and the lack of respect for the law -- I have a hard time believing this is also a qualifying Delhi trait since over half the H1-ites here carry the exact same mentality. I don't think all the Indians I've met are from Delhi so something makes me think the attitude isn't necessarily genuinely of the city. Perhaps all the negatives of the 'westernization' of the east is managing to deposit in the capital and now its prevalent enough to make the journalists speak out.

haha I guess this would not be the time to mention the last on my list of 'prospects': A Delhi-ite that definitely used his first conversation with me to express how 1)good looking he is 2)his BMW was in the shop and 3)his father was from Harvard...~_~