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| Death to girls being kissed; Culture shock | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 16 2007, 03:04 PM (412 Views) | |
| Evil_Henry | Apr 16 2007, 03:04 PM Post #1 |
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In Vino Veritas
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Another bizarre "would be amusing if it wasn't actually real" story from the East. Gere kiss sparks India protests Actor Richard Gere has sparked protests in India after kissing Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty at an Aids awareness rally in New Delhi. Demonstrators in Mumbai (Bombay) set light to effigies of the Hollywood star, while protesters in other cities shouted "death to Shilpa Shetty". ---- I'm not sure about this blood lust and how seriously to take it. Is anyone actually serious? My views are so far removed from wishing death (to achieve what, exactly?) that it seems absurd - to the point I have trouble imagining they really mean it. It reminds me of Eddie Izzard's joke about the French and Champagne - opening bottles at the merest suggestion of achievement (crossing the road, buying a loaf of bread, etc) - but when it came to something major, like a wedding, they crack open the beer. Effigies get burned so often now, it's getting silly. Those things take time to make, you'd think. Are there vast warehouses with generic dummies piled high somewhere? Next to boxes of American and European flags? And if effigy burning is the Eastern "champagne" reaction, what happens if someone does something really bad - like piss on a dignitary? Beer, hopefully. |
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| ConfusedMonkey | Apr 16 2007, 03:10 PM Post #2 |
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Satan Valid
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I like the way they rounded off the article:
No shit...
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| There are no promises or assurances in any shape or form contained in the above post. Do not trust this Monkey. | |
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| Pestiferous | Apr 16 2007, 03:19 PM Post #3 |
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Chief Officer of Operations and Quality Management Controller
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I don't find this THAT bizzarre. These are just protestors - this isn't the government of India requesting a public apology from Gere, and jailing Shetty. These are demonstrators, protestors... This is no different than extremists in western cultures that shoot abortion doctors, or PETA pouring red paint on people who wear fur coats. This isn't representative of a full country's views. |
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| Evil_Henry | Apr 16 2007, 03:20 PM Post #4 |
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In Vino Veritas
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Maybe they just really like making effigies? "That was rather shocking, I suppose. Anyone fancy playing with the papier mache again?" |
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| Evil_Henry | Apr 16 2007, 03:26 PM Post #5 |
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In Vino Veritas
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I agree it's not representative of the majority - as it's quite frankly lunacy - but the reactions to abortion and cruelty to animals very rarely result in death threats on such a scale (sheer mass of numbers) These public protests are an absurd reaction that leaves no room for raising the stakes. She gets kissed, without reciprocating, and gets cries of "death!" If she'd kissed him, what then? I imagine exactly the same reaction - it's not like they'd do anything worse than burn another effigy. If they'd slept together, the masses would probably just make a really nice effigy with a lot of detail and burned that. Basically, all this effigy burning is starting to look a bit stupid. |
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| Pestiferous | Apr 16 2007, 03:49 PM Post #6 |
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Chief Officer of Operations and Quality Management Controller
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Where are you getting your "mass numbers!" idea? I can't find anything in the article more descriptive than a mere "while protesters in other cities shouted "death to Shilpa Shetty". " which could be 5 people only. Based on BBC's tendency to sensationalize what they deem as backwards in other countries, I'm really not feeling anything towards this story other than "So what?". As for burning effigies...it's what protestors do, lol. How can it be getting old? Aren't protests getting old, then? What about people who paint their faces for sports games? Hasn't that been done to fucking death as well? |
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| Evil_Henry | Apr 16 2007, 03:54 PM Post #7 |
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In Vino Veritas
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I don't think it's all that common. Wishing death for something irrelevant and trifling. Doesn't happen here - hence culture shock. |
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| Pestiferous | Apr 16 2007, 04:20 PM Post #8 |
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Chief Officer of Operations and Quality Management Controller
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Mmmnn, sensationalism. I think the whole story is sad, to be honest. It's not representative of the majority, the government of India isn't jailing anyone or demanding an apology...You see it as trivial and irrelvant, while I see it as an American going into another country and creating a grand, unnecessary display on a culture's famous person, forcing his beliefs on her and everyone there. Gere should have known better. Just as you don't want burqas in your schools, Gere shouldn't be bringing his culture's beliefs (or lack of) into India. Death threats happen all the time over stupid things - abortion, blogs, animal activists, poaching...God, football players in Britain get death threats over a bad game. I don't think these protestors really want Shetty to die, rather they want it clear that certain behaviours are still not allowed, and should not be handled so lightly. They don't want to see their female role models swept up by an arrogant American in front of their daughters and have that seen as proper and acceptable behaviour in their country. |
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| Evil_Henry | Apr 16 2007, 04:37 PM Post #9 |
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In Vino Veritas
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No, they don't. There are people with serious mental problems who act individually in this way, of course - and there are people who attempt to disturb a player's mentality for their own ends - but there are not group protests and calls for the death of a football player. Over here, you ask for someone who is bad at football to be transferred to a weaker team. It just seems so much more dignified than a call for execution or damnation. As for Richard Gere - he offended some sensibilities - still not really in the realm of death. What is the equivalent in the west? You can even renounce God and you'll just make some people grumpy. I do it all the time. So the reaction is very different in India and requires very slight triggers to cause explosive reactions and outpourings of violent sentiment. Their culture is either far less diverse and so any breach of the norm is life shattering OR they really like an excuse to burn something and shout death a lot. |
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| Pestiferous | Apr 16 2007, 05:39 PM Post #10 |
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Chief Officer of Operations and Quality Management Controller
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Again, you have no proof or even cause to believe mass numbers are "calling for the death" of Shetty. You have a vague media reference which amounts to no more than protestors - not the Indian government - upset about the events, and an even smaller number of those saying Death. Why? Because eastern cultures are on the media hotplate now. And yes, football players in Britain DO receive death threats over bad games. Referees receive death threats over stupid calls. What do you do, only skim news coverage for overreactions in other countries, and ignore your own? |
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| ConfusedMonkey | Apr 16 2007, 07:53 PM Post #11 |
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Satan Valid
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There's more on this story from different sources. It's been all over the news today. http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2007/ap...tar_shilpa.html
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200704161965.htm
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| There are no promises or assurances in any shape or form contained in the above post. Do not trust this Monkey. | |
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| Pestiferous | Apr 16 2007, 09:33 PM Post #12 |
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Chief Officer of Operations and Quality Management Controller
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Wait, where are the mass numbers demanding Shetty die? The whole problem with this, apparently, was the want of her death. All I can find now is protestors wanting an apology, and the more outspoken ones have even been arrested - clearly, the government of India does not support this. This is no more than your average radicals seen everywhere else in the world, on various causes. |
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| ErgonomicLogic | Apr 17 2007, 02:39 AM Post #13 |
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Ninja Valid
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Guess who the minority is demanding it? Thats right...Fucking muslims |
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| RevWolf | Apr 17 2007, 03:07 AM Post #14 |
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MacGyver of Sex
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shit ergs, I'd a never have guessed |
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| Evil_Henry | Apr 17 2007, 09:16 AM Post #15 |
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In Vino Veritas
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That's garbage - can't you tell the difference between one lunatic and a large group protest? They're not even comparable. There have never been, nor will there ever be, massed groups of people calling for the death of a footballer regarding a performance - at least not in this country. Individual nutters obviously exist. It's not the same - it's usually mental illness. |
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| Pestiferous | Apr 17 2007, 02:13 PM Post #16 |
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Chief Officer of Operations and Quality Management Controller
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For the last time, there weren't "mass numbers" of protestors calling for Shetty's death. It shocks me that you can't distinguish fact from sensationalism. |
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| Evil_Henry | Apr 17 2007, 02:19 PM Post #17 |
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In Vino Veritas
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"People came out on the streets in hundreds to protest and burned the effigies of Gere." Are you suggesting that burning the effigy of Richard Gere is a light hearted way of showing disapproval or that the immolation of a likeness is actually quite serious - tantamount to a death threat in and of itself? You're being awfully blinkered. |
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| Pestiferous | Apr 17 2007, 02:29 PM Post #18 |
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Chief Officer of Operations and Quality Management Controller
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And you're forgetting mob mentality, and the fact that very few of those people would actually want to see those two die over this. Get a grip. |
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| Pestiferous | Apr 17 2007, 02:33 PM Post #19 |
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Chief Officer of Operations and Quality Management Controller
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I'd also like to bring you back down to earth, and help you to realize that burning effigies isn't necessarily a death wish either. When people burn an American flag in protest, this doesn't necessarily mean they want all of America to burn and sink. |
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| Evil_Henry | Apr 17 2007, 02:36 PM Post #20 |
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In Vino Veritas
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I find flag burning extremely offensive - and think that's exactly what it suggests (and is intended to suggest). What do you think it means? We are 'mildly disgruntled'? |
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7:14 PM Jul 11