Filthy pics from India...

Originally posted by 2manyquestions
Defecating, urinating, and dumping dead bodies in the same water you bathe in and drink is very, very bad. It spreads disease and makes living conditions even worse than they have to be. If poor isn't enough, being poor and sick is even worse. Having to battle diseases AND hunger at the same time is no fun.

It's not like Westerners have never dumped bodies in water. We've had the Vikings who every now and then cremated a dead body on a boat and sent it down the river (although most were buried in the ground), but generally these cultures eventually learned that burning or burying dead bodies away from the living was a way to control disease and pollution. There was a time when in big cities people would dump their sewage out their window and into the alley. Eventually they learned it wasn't healthy and developed different ways to get rid of sewage. People washed their dirty clothes in rivers, and eventually learned to not do so. Poor people living in the outskirts with no sewers built outhouses for themselves far from the house/shack they lived in, away from their water source.

I don't know if being poor has anything to do with it. I've walked through some poor Roma (Gypsy) areas. These people live in shacks at the edge of town, similar to what is shown in the photos, but I can tell you it didn't smell like death, and there were no dead bodies rotting nearby. I've also been to Mexico where people live in shacks with no electricity or running water, and I didn't smell feces or dead bodies there either. Although these places looked like hell, they couldn't compare to what was shown in those photos. You can be poor and still maintain a certain level of hygiene. One thing is for sure,.... you couldn't get me to come within a mile of the Ganges.

On the other hand if they don't mind living this way, I wouldn't want to stop them. Most of these people grew up doing what they do, so it's hard for them to see anything wrong with it. It's up to the people to decide how they want to live. All I know is that even if I lived in the ghetto or on the street, I'd still want to maintain my living area and keep it as clean as possible. It's one way to avoid extra problems.

There are HINDUS who believe in BURIAL as well. For the one's who practice burning the dead body, the process is to let the body burn completely and then dispose off the ashes in the river of their choice (Ganges). However there is a sad part to the people who are in the profession of burning the dead bodies. There have been several incidents reported where they dont let the body burn completely as soon as the relatives of the dead leave the grounds. The person incharge of the cremation simply puts the fire off and removes the unburnt wood and re-sells it. Poverty is such for certain category of people that making it through the day is a challenge with a one time meal. THe rich are super rich and the middle class is a work horse while the poors dont have anybody. Surely the half burnt corpse is eventually dumped into the river which ofcourse the fishes and other creatures dispose it off. That is their general idea. However the gas based cremation centers see to it that the body has been turned to ashes completely. The ashes are then provided in a container for your purposes. But the country is still going through changes. Hopefully in few more decades and eventually things might change for the poor people.

Originally posted by ladyinwaiting
reply to post by hp1229

 

Just a note.....your quoting needs some work.

It looks like my statements are your statements and your statements are my statements, and oh, nevermind.

Not sure what you meant but you can surely point that out specifically? That would be great

Originally posted by 547000
reply to post by sir_slide

 

Okay, so why do these people who are meticulous about being clean themselves not care about keeping public property clean or well maintained? Stuff like throwing all your rubbish in the streets and the fact that there are almost no public trashcans in India? They, unlike these poor people, are educated and have money. Why do they behave like this?

Thats because its government controlled. Not every single public services are privatized. Moreoever to change things overnight for the whole economy of a billion plus is not a simple task. It takes few decades before you see the changes. The process has started though in the early 90's. Hopefully by 2026, it is expected to be upto par with the rest of the prosperous economies.

Originally posted by TruthxIsxInxThexMist
reply to post by Vitchilo

 

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww....

Those pics are quite nasty... no wonder there are diseases in these places..... how anyone can think this is 'normal' is beyond me.... how anyone can bathe there is beyond me....

Actually makes me wonder what i've been eating when i've eaten out at restaurants.....

This photo below...... what the funk has happened there?

Are you sure this is not a photoshop job?

Originally posted by 547000
reply to post by sir_slide

 

Okay, so why do things like restrooms look like hell? And why do some Indians who move abroad continue the practice of littering? Why do they spit their disgusting paan on every wall they encounter?

They have NO respect for public property. Only respect for their own property.

edit on 14-1-2011 by 547000 because: (no reason given)

You just answered your own question. Public Property vs Private Property Anything owned and controlled by the Government usually turns to #. Thats why Government's role should be limited to certain sectors of the economy. This will eventually happen for that country. As I indicated before the process started in the 90's. The process of Privatization of industries. Surely things do not change overnight for any country. It will take few decades before you see the changes. Especially if one is living in a country with well established infrastructure, it is hard to fathom.

Originally posted by sir_slide
reply to post by 547000

 

sounds like you have a bit of a beef. i apologize but i don't have time for this.

I think you might be right. It is not people's fault. I think its partially the history, media and the Government's fault who never show the other side of the world in a positive way. People are forgetting that with such attitudes in a more globalized economy, it will be difficult to deal with progress while the so called 3rd world countries continue to progress while the so called civilized countries live in denial and keep boasting their own values and system.

Originally posted by Echtelion
reply to post by Vitchilo

 

Assume it, Vitchilo... your thread IS to bash Indian culture.

The source page of this thread is a complete load of culture jingoism and one-sided judgements that are based on ignorance. Here's some examples:

- "hole in ground" type of toilets are actually widely found everywhere in Asia and Europe, raging from cafés in Paris, to Bulgaria, to northern Africa, to hotels in Rajastan.

- Washing your butt with water is actually the most wide-spread habit in the world. Putting aside Western Christian countries and probably China and Japan. And guess what? It's MORE hygienic than toilet paper, while being more environmentally friendly. I won't go into distasteful details, but let's say water does a far better job at keeping your butt clean than paper.

- the Ganja river. It is a religious belief in India that throwing a corpse in the Ganja river carries the souls to the afterlife, since this river is SACRED. It's a well-known fact. It's crazy to see that, of course, but to other people in the world, to incinerate corpses in mechanical devices and put the ashes in hundreds of sealed little boxes all squeezed in some weird-looking buildings, it's something totally unthinkable and a profound disrespect for the dead.

- Weird disgusting diseases: can't deny it, but you find these in all third-world countries. Rather try finding these horrible deformations and sicknesses among the upper caste of India... you might not find a lot. Just as everywhere else, these problems are linked to socially-created problems of extreme poverty, and lack of hygiene as well.

Everything is perspective.

I think so too. I seriously doubt Vitchillo's motive by starting this thread. Perhaps Vitchillo is looking to express/vent his frustration/anger with the community or people he has dealt with? Perhaps he had bad experience with some of the people outside of ATS? Who knows. Nevertheless, I have dealt with these statements and comments all my life since I migrated to the states some 27 years ago. Nothing new. I have all the patience and time to explain and converse with people and possibly answer their questions. All one can do is clarify. Not convince. People are free to believe and judge all they want. Reality is what it is. One has to have an open mind and broader perception about the world.

reply to post by hp1229


well said man, well said. People here should listen to your sentiments

reply to post by lnr42


Yes I did, because that stereotype has a basis in reality. Have you ever actually been there? It's not just the uneducated that seems to have no respect for public property. For all the pontification that they, unlike materialistic Westerners, have values, there is a LOT of corrupt living.

That is disgusting...Of course if you grow up in that environment you probably don't even notice. Having a body float by while you bathe there is probably the equivalent of having some one flush the toilet while your showering here. Still...how do all those people survive in that obviously disease filled river????

Originally posted by badw0lf
Obviously you are correct, but what does it say in reality - there is a thing called common sense, and when you avoid it, you end up drinking your toilet water.

Don't expect people to say "Oh thats just him, he's always been like that" as an excuse, it's friggen stupid.

Culture? Sure there is - plenty in the water..

I'm preety sure they don't choose to drink that water.

You make it sound as if they've got the option of clean water, but think ''Nah, I'll have a drink from the this other water, near where I had that crap this morning''.

Why is it stupid ?

What would you do in that situation ? Bearing in mind that you or I weren't born feeling that poo is dirty and unhygienic. We learnt that through social conditioning.

While there's no doubt that there can be detrimental health effects from this; if these people's immune systems are more resilient to that kind of thing, then why would this be a consideration for them ?

reply to post by xanaoded


This is where I will be bathing in the ganga, cleansing my soul. This is the ganga in rishikesh.

Originally posted by sir_slide
reply to post by xanaoded

 

This is where I will be bathing in the ganga, cleansing my soul. This is the ganga in rishikesh.

Rishikesh is absolutely beautiful. You'll have a great time there. It really is something else.

Too bad the rest of the 'enlightened' 'advanced' 'open minded' 'non ignorant' dunderheads on this site seem to think ALL of India is filled with poop.

Idiots.

reply to post by Fatgoblin


I'm a dunderhead who thinks India is dirty, and needlessly so. If people had civic sense it wouldn't be the case. It's easy to blame the poverty but it isn't only the poor uneducated people who lack basic civic sense.

Oh, if only our limited senses could pick up every pollutant as a smell or an image.
One country would smell and look like a pile of steaming dung to the whole world.
Granted, it's getting some stiff competition, but it still remains one face.
What religion or lack of civic mindedness alows such madness?
Who would spew forth so much "unnatural" poison to affect the whole world?
We all must swim in THEIR dirty air every day!
Not so?

reply to post by 547000


you know NOTHING of this great land and its people, you have proven this.

reply to post by sir_slide


I know more about it than you ever will. I dare you to go to India and not say that its citizens, by and large, lack civic sense.

reply to post by 547000


sure mate, sure, you know much more about a country you've never visited than someone who's explored it extensively. nice one.

Click here for more information.

Yeah okay..
I saw the pictures, and yeah I saw a few dead bodies there... but nothing too extreme.
As long as they don't drink that water and bathe in it everyday, I don't see much of a health concern.

However, I am more surprised at some of the comments in this thread. I mean, I've seen White men eat feces (yes excrement!) from White females and vice versa for some sick perverted pleasure. Apparently, It is also quite common for White women to perform various types of sex acts with animals such as horses, pigs, dogs, etc...

I think some of the things you will find here in the states, is a lot more shocking then anything in the 2nd-3rd world...