Today's Oprah: Women of India killed by their husbands when they can't

[Deja Q]

pay the dowry... (edit: Killed, or burned alive and left to suffer...)

Great. America is helping more inhumane evil people to make itself more rich. (in other ways, we're just as evil. x( )

We helped today's "terrorists" when fighting those evil commies in the 1980s.

Now we're helping more anti-human-rights people by giving them our jobs.

[liberalhistorian]

1. Damn, I thought that

practice was pretty much over and done with, how disgusting!

[DuctapeFatwa]

2. Like the burka thing in Afghanistan, that's been going on for 1000s of yrs

Although I am not a fan of Vajpayee (or VODGE-pie, as bush calls him) or the BJP, in all fairness, bride burning in India, like the horrific customs of Pashtunistan, predates any and all modern influences.

On the positive side, it is more difficult to find people who claim to be in favor of the practice today.

[Deja Q]

7. It's a sick practice...

Well, Vodge-pie should modernize more than the technology. He's in charge, he should be helping out his own people. Women are not worthless and are probably worth more than men. Of course, he's a man in that society and even Oprah lamented that it'd take a woman to point out the abuse that's going on over there.

And I got burned when they said that, in India, a man who is wealthy demands a higher dowry. Bizarroworld... and in their rising economy (just wait until corporate america betrays them as they are to America;s jobforce...) India's about to have a lot of men demanding a lot of dowry or else watch as the whole country lights up in a fiery blaze... x( Uncivilized and disgusting to the extreme, how men can get away with abusing or killing women, I don't care if it is their culture... it's barbaric and wrong.

I think it's great that Oprah and Lisa (who quit "The View" just to do this) cover this monstrous practice. They rock. Maybe with their story on the issue will political change start to take place.

[DuctapeFatwa]

9. I am not aware of a drop in incidences of bride burning in Indira's time

As someone points out below, it is usually the mother in laws who do this.

Subjugation of women is only as successful as women are cooperative.

[IronLionZion]

22. My dad demanded 0 dowry when he married my mom

bride burning is an archaic custom that very few ignorant, uneducated villagers do. It's against the law.

Not everyone does the dowry bullshit either. Women don't have to look very hard to find a good progressive guy who doesn't demand a dowry.

[BiggJawn]

3. I read that it's not the husbands...

It's the MOTHER-IN-LAWS who kill the brides.
The groom's family makes the ridiculous demands, one example I heard had the groom's mother gouging the bride's father at the wedding. the new car and big-screen TV weren't emough, she wanted new cars for ALL her kids, too!

And I guess the husbands just sit back and think "Kewl...I don't have to give any of this stuff back after she's dead, either..."

Everytime I read one of these stories I think of my ex-M-I-L...

[rudeboy666]

4. say what?

"Now we're helping more anti-human-rights people by giving them our jobs."

How do you justify that generalization?

Besides, were is it written that those are 'our' jobs?

[Deja Q]

10. American companies... and forgive me, I'm against globalization.

As for generalizations, I've had far worse aimed at me and other people like me.

And they are our jobs. America needs to support its own first. How the hell do you have an American economy where all the jobs people need to support families and to purchase nice things go out to other countries for pennies on the dollar? America's infrastructure is being wiped out and it sounds like you're happy for it. They're American companies. They should create living-wage jobs for Americans so Americans can then pay for all the products and services they need. A country of retail stores isn't going to cut it, and the bulk of today's new jobs are in retail.

Corporations can give jobs to the rest of the world, but they are keeping wages low to help out their own greed and they in turn are devaluing the remainder of the jobs in America. Again, say 'toodles' to the infrastructure.

I hope you're under the age of 21 because you're not going to like what corporate america is doing to the world you'll get to spend 50-60 years working in.

Corporations should be improving conditions for Americans, and around the world if they want to globalize. Not pandering to their own greed and stomping on everyone else in the process. In the end, they're tightning the noose around their own neck...

Here's a link, read it please: http://www.onlinejournal.com/Commentary/011604Conover/011604conover.html

[rudeboy666]

12. clarify

I think that your generalization verged on the edges of bigotry. If you are against globalization, then by all means present your arguments. However, taking a cheap shot at Indians (that is how I read your original post) is unjustified.

True, there are serious human rights abuses in India. However, using certain human rights abuses (that seems to demonize Indians) in order to make an economic argument is uncalled for.

p.s. I never really said whether I am pro or contra globalization. I only made a statement of fact i.e. our current economic system of which jobs are not guaranteed.

[rudeboy666]

18. p.s. re-read your original post

I re-read your original post.

And unless I misread you, I pretty much stand by my response.

Do you have any evidence that suggests that the people taking 'our' jobs are killing their brides?

I'm sorry but your original post is ambiguous.

I am not trying to start any sort of flame war. I just want you to clarify your original post. As it stands, it could be read in the manner I suggest.

[supernova]

5. An on-going problem in India

unfortunately.

The other thing that happens is some brides get acid thrown in their faces to disfigure them so no one else will want to marry them. So sad. :evilfrown:

[foo_bar]

6. anti-human-rights people?

You can't generalize the ancient practices in a few Indian subcultures to a billion people speaking 1600 dialects, much less from the point of view of a thriving American caste system.

[DuctapeFatwa]

8. hey, look at all the Americans who blame a billion Muslims for 9-11

Who says they can't blame a billion Indians with more diversity than the Lower East Side on Saturday for bride burning?

[kixot]

11. Yeah but two wrongs don't make a ...

... oh nevermind.

[DuctapeFatwa]

13. You are correct. They don't. What I am saying is, what can you expect?

Lou Dobbs wears Joseph Goebbels footie pajamas.

It is so confusing for them to distinguish a South Asian Muslim from a South Asian Hindu, or Sikh, or Jain, or Parsi, demonizing the entire subcontinent is much more efficient.

[supernova]

14. Who's demonizing?

Are you saying bride buring isn't a problem? Just curious.

I'm not generalizing anything. I don't think this is a problem in all of India, but some cultures do have this problem.

So, what's the deal from your end?

[DuctapeFatwa]

20. see post #2

[Rabrrrrrr]

15. It's only a small subculture that does that

Though yes, it does still go on.

To economically force someone to radically alter their culture is just as terrible as the practice itself, in my opinion, and WAY WAY WAY less effective than applying subtle, but long-term, pressure that will eventually cause them to change, but at their own pace, and through their own ownership of the change. Otherwise, yeah, we could go make them change and stop, and then - like tryuing to stop abortion by making it illegal - they'll go do it secretly, they'll lie about it, and/or they'll become very, very bitter at the culture that blackmailed them into change.

Especially when it's something so deep-rooted in the culture as this.

Not saying I think it's a good thing to do, but it is their culture, and it's not the government telling them to do this.

[Cleita]

16. Actually, it's against the law in India, but

tribal law often overrules and getting people to turn in the perpetrators often makes the police's work more difficult. I really don't think lumping all Indians together is wise. We all know that ignorance can only be fought with education.

[CanuckAmok]

17. Good ol' Oprah! 25 years too late, as usual.

n/t

[DuctapeFatwa]

19. more like 4500 but good point

[IronLionZion]

21. That's completely illegal

only a few whackos do that! India is a lot more progressive than people think. Women have more rights than in most countries in that part of the world. And Indira Gandhi was one of the greatest prime ministers ever.

I'm Indian.