An interlude in sleeplessness

[loneraven]

Dear three am: platonic is good but I'd rather be sleeping together. I am at the stage of the old mental cycle where I have to be walking-into-walls exhausted before I'll go to sleep; otherwise, I just lie in bed with my eyes shut worrying about things I can't fix or change, and it's no good for anyone. I'm kind of a wreck right now, actually. I

Comments

[brewsternorth]

Why Indian Men Are Still Boys.

Interesting! I think some other Western media source had picked up on that general trend, but it's good to get the actual local take on it. (I have an original - female - fictional character of Indian descent in the works, so this is relevant to my interests.)

[loneraven]

I think the Western media on the topic will by necessity be flawed; it's such an enormous contention that I think it really can only be viewed from within.

[flashofalchemy]

Loved the article - it made me laugh at points, at made me a little depressed at others. I think a lot of it is true not just of Indian men, but men from the developed world generally.

[loneraven]

Do you think? Please do elaborate! Because my thought was that it's in the developed world where this sort of thing is, slowly, slowly, on the way out, and it's us developing millions who haven't made an inch of progress on it.

[flashofalchemy]

I'm not at my most eloquent at the moment (still in a weird, drugged-up post wisdom teeth extraction phase) but basically - I think middle class men in developing countries aren't too different from middle class men in the developed world (of developing origin, like NRIs and whatnot). Both are educated and "Westernized" to some extent but still ready to resort to traditional attitudes when it suits them. I think it's worse in developing countries just because being chauvinistic/patriarchal is the norm, not the exception. Sucks, doesn't it?

[forthwritten]

I found the article really interesting, thanks! Part of my interest comes from observing my dad - he's generally well-behaved, but helpless and expects to be looked after (case in point: mum and sister went to India, I stayed with him to dog/dad-sit, I had to teach him how to change bedding. How do you get to your fifties and not know how to change a duvet cover?!). Watching him and his mum is one of the things guaranteed to put me in a foul mood.

[loneraven]

*laughs* Do you know, a while back my mother went away and my dad wanted me to do something - type something for him, or something, I forget what, which I didn't want to do. We were making dinner at the time and I remember telling him I'd do it if he could find the salt cellar in the kitchen on the first try without asking. Needless to say I didn't have to do whatever it was!

[ressie_noldo]

I have been having some Words with my esteemed father on the subject of 'really, Dad, do you have to employ a maid, and does she really have to bring you glasses of water from the water thingy five feet away?', & also went to school with several Entitled Young Indian Men, so bits of that article resonate uncomfortably & far too deeply. I think I rather love it, though. (Of course, I'm not convinced I don't fall into the 'mad NRI harpy' category.)

[loneraven]

I propose a Mad NRI Harpy club. We could have mimosas and a secret handshake. It'd be awesome.

[loneraven]

I waver on the topic! Garak is so lovely, but their-love-it-is-so-fraught.