Interesting viewpoint on gun ownership

[essdee1972]

Timmy, "hearts and minds" are the way to go. However, 1.2 billion hearts and 1.2 billion minds. Plus a few hundred thousand vested interests........... as some old timer said, "Dilli door ast"!

Last week, the Home Minister of Maharashtra state mentioned something like "even if we have one cop per household, we cannot stop crimes against women". He got the media, public, women's groups, et al on his head like a ton of bricks.

Earlier, in the aftermath of the tragic Delhi Rape Case, the Police Commissioner of Thane District got heavy flak for proposing that women carry pepper spray or chilli powder.

Since we are looking for differences in US and India, may I cause an earthquake here?

It is our own feudal / casteist history which causes anti-gun mentality in India, not some Colonial Law.

Before people come chasing me with firearms and airguns, let me clarify......

How many commoners do you read about in Indian history? Commoners not associated with royalty, religion, or arts. Automatically excluding such people as Chanakya, Birbal, Tansen and the numerous religious figures. Have you ever heard of someone like Kit Carson? Or the hundreds of American poineers. Have you ever heard of a "great migration to the West" (or whichever direction)? Apart from some vague references to the Aryan invasion. Only when we started tentatively squirming under British rule, that we hear about commoners. Even the 1857 Revolt was not a "democratic" movement - it sought to restore autocratic rulers who found their thrones slipping away under British influence. Till the Independence movements of the late 19th century, even the Struggle for Independence was not a "democratic" movement.

Indian government was always feudal, royal, and based on strict separation of work amongst castes. The British, finding a situation very much like their home country, took to India like ducks to water, establishing themselves as the highest caste. Clubs said "Indians not allowed", temples said "non-Brahmins not allowed".

The US, on the other hand, was always "democratric", even when that word had not been coined. The immigrants who rushed to the New World were the ordinary commoners escaping the feudal monarchies of Europe. They fought for independence not from a foreign power, but from a distant king of (mostly) their own blood. Washington was probably more "English" by blood than King George V! Slavery was an aberration to the mostly democratic fabric of the US. Maybe the old habits of their feudal homelands took long to die??

Why does India not have a culture of DIY like the US? Why do ehow.com, wikihow.com, instructables.com have mostly American contributers? Because, if I am not a carpenter by caste, why the hell should I do carpentry? There are castes to polish my shoes, to cook my food, to drive my bullock cart. There are castes to fight for me. To clean my ...... whatever. Aamir Khan did an episode of Satyamev Jayate on hereditary s*** cleaners, last year, so it is a fallacy to say that "such things do not happen nowadays".

Since there are people whose hereditary duty is to fight, why the hell should I bother to arm myself???

It is the cop's duty to protect us, screamed the media. No one had the sense or the guts to point out that the Minister was talking pure common sense. One policeman per household cannot stop crime, whether against women or men or animals. (In fact, watching this item during lunchtime in office, I mentioned this point. The women present fell pointedly silent and didn't talk to me for the whole day!!).

Whenever I hear the arguments against the Colonial laws, I am reminded of the old 80's, song, "Blame it on the rain". I think of a powerful country of 1.2 billion singing, in chorus, "Blame it on the Brits"! "Whatever you do, don't put the blame on you, blame it on the Brits, yeah yeah".

Let us look at ourselves. Why do we think that we are safe because "it is the cops' duty" to protect us? Why do we consider only police and criminals as having legitimate reasons to have guns? Why have ALL of us owning a small Victorinox or similar harmless knife faced the question "who are you going to kill?" or its variations?

I thought I was Dr. Jekyll, but the mirror told me I was Mr. Hyde!!

Mr. Bennedose, I had a similar idea. But then, the thought that I might be hauled up for creating a terrorist outfit out of 10-15 year old kids scared me!

[brihacharan]

essdee1972 » Mon Jun 16, 2014 12:59 pm
Earlier, in the aftermath of the tragic Delhi Rape Case, the Police Commissioner of Thane District got heavy flak for proposing that women carry pepper spray or chilli powder.

> A classic case of "Too many cooks (crooks) waiting to spoil the broth":oops:
Briha