Which culture do you find more fascinating: India or China? (crime, jobs)

[Trimac20]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

I find China more interesting because its a mix of the ancient and modern. In terms of architecture for example China has ancient pagodas and futuristic cities. Chinese food also is much better than Indian food though I do like the local Indian buffets! China has more modern cities even though both China and India are still mostly poor especially in the countryside.

I am actually of Chinese descent but I do find Indian girls a little bit more attractive than Chinese ones. In terms of culture I think China has modernized more though it still has a long way to go, but culturally India seems very backwards like their attitudes toward women, the caste system, etc plus I like beef especially steak and burgers so that will not go well in India. HOnestly both China and India have a long way to go before they can be equal to Western countries.

The Indian food everywhere I've been seems to feature a lot of meat. I'm guessing this is catering to westerners, or more Muslim Indian? Are all strict Hindus vegetarian? Southern Indian food, which is common in Singapore and Malaysia, is largely vegetarian.

I think one area China beats India is definitely the modernity of it's major cities and the glitz and glamour. People are saying India is an emerging superpower but it's still a long way behind China.

Some Indian girls can indeed be really beautiful, I agree.

[burgler09]

Are you referring to the history of India? Or are you referring to the India of today, with close minded racist people? Their views are backwards, they give no freedom to their children and they control their lives. They live in fear of society, they will disown their children for simply choosing a career path they don't agree with. Indians live in a big lie, simply because they are worried with Raj next door might say. Just because a country is backwards, doesn't make it 'enlightening'. It makes it racist and backwards, its equivelent to looking at USA in the 1940s and saying how interesting it was back then because it was so different from today.

Look at India's caste system, look how they treat their own people. They use their religion and views as an excuse to look down on people, treat them worse and keep them down. No different than any other racist bigot.

[Neuling]

Originally Posted by burgler09

Are you referring to the history of India? Or are you referring to the India of today, with close minded racist people? Their views are backwards, they give no freedom to their children and they control their lives. They live in fear of society, they will disown their children for simply choosing a career path they don't agree with. Indians live in a big lie, simply because they are worried with Raj next door might say. Just because a country is backwards, doesn't make it 'enlightening'. It makes it racist and backwards, its equivelent to looking at USA in the 1940s and saying how interesting it was back then because it was so different from today.

Look at India's caste system, look how they treat their own people. They use their religion and views as an excuse to look down on people, treat them worse and keep them down. No different than any other racist bigot.

Things are changing fast, especially in the cities. I have a friend in Pune. While her parents were still married off to each other, my friend and her brother already choose to date who they want. My friend's brother has married someone from a completely another caste, and of a different skin color. First their parents were against it, but he did it anyway and now they like the woman their son married. Young Indians are educating and raising their parents.
India is in flux like hardly any other countries in the world. And sooner or later change will get to rural areas, too.

[CairoCanadian]

I thinking dismissing poor or socially backwards countries ( all relatively speaking, of course ) is a great mistake.

Yes, the USA a hundred years ago was rife with far more inequality for women and minorities than today, but does that mean that there weren't many great and interesting things about the country that existed at that time, or that there weren't many people trying to make their country a better place? No. There are people trying to change India and China for the better, and history has shown things can change ( and in many cases, are already beginning to change ) for the better.

[BigCityDreamer]

Originally Posted by CairoCanadian

I thinking dismissing poor or socially backwards countries ( all relatively speaking, of course ) is a great mistake.

Yes, the USA a hundred years ago was rife with far more inequality for women and minorities than today, but does that mean that there weren't many great and interesting things about the country that existed at that time, or that there weren't many people trying to make their country a better place? No. There are people trying to change India and China for the better, and history has shown things can change ( and in many cases, are already beginning to change ) for the better.

Great points. 200+ years ago, the U.S. was what we would today consider a third world country and much more "caste"-like than it is today. People like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were certainly very racist by modern standards (they owned black slaves).

Yet, we still consider that time to be one of the greatest in U.S. history and regard these men to be founding fathers of the nation. A nation or time is never all bad. Perspective is the key.

[choroneko]

I'm Chinese but I am more intrigued and fascinated by India's culture. It's so enchanting and very mystical. The Hindu religion or way of life interests me most. I'm also fascinated by many Buddhist teachings and way of life.
The Indian food is among the best of the world. I am a fan of spicy, salty and strong flavored foods. One of my favorite sounds is the music of Sitar.

[jtur88]

Actually, I don't find cultures to be "fascinating" at all. They just are what they are, and I accept them as such. I find it rather boring to watch Discovery Channel shows about "fascinating" cultures. I don't define "culture" as costume festivals staged for the cameras and tourists, but the everyday dynamics of life in their community context.

Both China and India are undergoing a meteoric change in their cultures, as globalization is placing them under heavy pressure to conform with a world (i.e., American) cultural standard. There are places in both countries that cannot be distinguished from a shopping mall in Akron.

[Neuling]

I don't think it is an American cultural standard. India is and always will be very different from the US. There is more similarity with Europe, especially Britain.
The shopping mall as such developed outside the US anyway, and centuries earlier. It doesn't have much to do with culture anyway as it is rather superficial. Culture involves key aspects such as language, customs, etc. When you look at movies for instance, Indian movies are completely different from American ones.

[ashleyg999]

Originally Posted by burgler09

Are you referring to the history of India? Or are you referring to the India of today, with close minded racist people? Their views are backwards, they give no freedom to their children and they control their lives. They live in fear of society, they will disown their children for simply choosing a career path they don't agree with. Indians live in a big lie, simply because they are worried with Raj next door might say. Just because a country is backwards, doesn't make it 'enlightening'. It makes it racist and backwards, its equivelent to looking at USA in the 1940s and saying how interesting it was back then because it was so different from today.

Look at India's caste system, look how they treat their own people. They use their religion and views as an excuse to look down on people, treat them worse and keep them down. No different than any other racist bigot.

Looks like you are a backward, close minded racist person yourself making extreme generalizations about people and culture you have no clue about. Also, it's not just in India but even here in USA that people are constantly pressurized by society to do what's deemed as "cool" by the society, look at all the people living beyond their means simply because they want to confirm to the societal standards of the good American life having a huge house they don't need, having a car for each family member, and spending a ton on accessories they don't need.

Also, how do you know the USA of 1940s? Did you live in those times? I have been to India and got a lot of friends who are Indian, just because they have a different culture doesn't necessarily make them inferior to us and such an attitude on your part only makes you look like a supremacist fool. Also, if you talk about their caste system, look at your own nation in the first place starting with the massive genocide of Native Americans, the slavery and exclusion of African Americans, the alienation of Asians in the West from mainstream society not to mention the countless number of wars and deaths caused to innocent people for no fault of their own.

So yeah please keep the egalitarian tune to yourself, and stop preaching morals to the rest of the world about good old USA.

[ashleyg999]

Originally Posted by Neuling

Things are changing fast, especially in the cities. I have a friend in Pune. While her parents were still married off to each other, my friend and her brother already choose to date who they want. My friend's brother has married someone from a completely another caste, and of a different skin color. First their parents were against it, but he did it anyway and now they like the woman their son married. Young Indians are educating and raising their parents.
India is in flux like hardly any other countries in the world. And sooner or later change will get to rural areas, too.

I agree, but please ignore burgler's comments, he seems like one of those backward, trailer trash ignorant Americans who has no clue about any other culture and thinks the world starts and ends with his little trailer trash.