NationStates Jolt Archive


Australian patients are funny.

Aryavartha
08-07-2007, 03:53
In response to two doctors of Indian muslim heritage detained in relation to the latest UK bombing/attempted bombing incident (one of them was released with no charges too)...patients at their hospital do this bizarre thing.

http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=89210
Melbourne, July 7: Patients at an Australian hospital have refused to be treated by several of the Indian-trained medical staff after two Indian doctors employed there were questioned in connection with the UK failed terror plots.

Gold Coast Hospital staff including medical registrars and residents released a statement in support of one of the two doctors, Mohammed Asif Ali, who was released by police without charge after questioning. The second doctor, Mohamed Haneef, is in police custody since Monday night.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, doctors at the hospital said patients had refused to be treated by several of the Indian-trained medical staff, accusing them of having some connection to terrorism, the 'Australian' daily reported.

Queensland Health Minister Stephen Robertson said only a few of the hospital's staff had been subject to the racist treatment, which he condemned.

"They're pretty bruised," Robertson said. "There is a sensitivity among some of those overseas-trained doctors that they may be subject to racism. I'm hoping that won't be the case. It's not the Australian way."

While Robertson defended Ali, he refused to pass comment on Haneef, saying his case was a matter for the Australian Federal Police.

Ali drove terror suspect Mohamed Haneef to Brisbane airport on Monday night, where the latter was arrested, and had his colleague's laptop.


I don't get this. Refusing to be treated by the accused doctor is one thing. Refusing to be treated by doctors who look like him in another thing. But refusing to be treated by people trained by Indian doctors is bizarre (if that's what the paper is reporting)..

And what's even more funny is the health minister Robertson saying "It's not the Australian way"....lol did not Aus have an "whites only" immigration policy until recent times...? :rolleyes:
Neo Undelia
08-07-2007, 03:57
Meh. This kind of stuff doesn't even faze me anymore.
Hamilay
08-07-2007, 04:42
These patients should take it one step further and refuse to be treated by all doctors. *nods*
Thumbless Pete Crabbe
08-07-2007, 04:50
The sad thing is that the guys who tried to set those bombs off would probably have been just as happy to kill Hindus as any other British. That's a shame.
Thumbless Pete Crabbe
08-07-2007, 04:52
These patients should take it one step further and refuse to be treated by all doctors. *nods*

I'm with you on that, generally speaking. ;)
Aryavartha
08-07-2007, 04:55
The sad thing is that the guys who tried to set those bombs off would probably have been just as happy to kill Hindus as any other British. That's a shame.

whut?

Nothing has been proved yet. Atleast one (Ali) has been let go without any charges. The other may be a culprit...it was me who posted that guy's SIMI links.

None of this excuses the stupid behavior by the patients.
Thumbless Pete Crabbe
08-07-2007, 05:00
whut?

Nothing has been proved yet. Atleast one (Ali) has been let go without any charges. The other may be a culprit...it was me who posted that guy's SIMI links.

None of this excuses the stupid behavior by the patients.

That's not what I meant.

The patients are wary of people they identify with radical islam, while almost no Indians are actually affiliated with radical islam, and many islamic terrorists hate and want to kill Hindus, which your average Indian is more likely to affiliate with. That's all. ;)
Gauthier
08-07-2007, 05:08
An Indian Convenience Store Clerk in Texas was murdered in the wake of 9-11 by a brilliant redneck who thought he was an Arab. The West's epidemic of the "They All Look Alike" disease is hardly a surprise. Hell, we get plenty of that here on NSG.
Aryavartha
08-07-2007, 05:08
That's not what I meant.

The patients are wary of people they identify with radical islam, while almost no Indians are actually affiliated with radical islam, and many islamic terrorists hate and want to kill Hindus, which your average Indian is more likely to affiliate with. That's all. ;)

heehee...sorry is all I can say at this point. :)
Troglobites
08-07-2007, 05:12
Crickey!
Nobel Hobos
08-07-2007, 05:39
*...*
And what's even more funny is the health minister Robertson saying "It's not the Australian way"....lol did not Aus have an "whites only" immigration policy until recent times...? :rolleyes:

There are racist Aussies. So what?

The "White Australia policy" was repealed in 1973, and not fully implemented for a long time before that ... basically since the end of WW2, when we needed more migrants than we could get from western Europe.

"Not the Australian way" is a catchphrase of politicians here, and it's almost always used against racism or exploitation.

So basically this story is no more about Aussies all being racist than the story of an 'illegal' raping a 15-y-o was about all Mexicans being criminals.
Jonathanseah2
08-07-2007, 07:23
True enough, you (Nobel Hobos) have at least one person's support, me...
Draneidan
08-07-2007, 07:34
It's only the Queenslanders that are racist. And dumb. I've got one next door. Like animals.
Andaras Prime
08-07-2007, 07:40
Damn racist Queenslanders, they should just leave the federation.
Imperial isa
08-07-2007, 07:41
what they'er dumb don't they know who lucky that they get to see a doctor
hell when i live there it was a five year waiting list to see a heart surgeon
Andaras Prime
08-07-2007, 07:45
what they'er dumb don't they know who lucky that they get to see a doctor
hell when i live there it was a five year waiting list to see a heart surgeon

Considering that our best doctors are of Indian descent who come here because they can't get work in their own country.
Imperial isa
08-07-2007, 07:53
Considering that our best doctors are of Indian descent who come here because they can't get work in their own country.

never under stand that lot use to get looked at funny and asked what i'm doing there when i said i come from WA both at the same time
Nobel Hobos
08-07-2007, 13:59
I don't trust any doctor who can't answer intelligent questions from a layman. If they're defensive about their medical knowledge, I get defensive about my body!
Nobel Hobos
08-07-2007, 14:01
It's only the Queenslanders that are racist. And dumb. I've got one next door. Like animals.

:D
Kryozerkia
08-07-2007, 14:36
Humanity's stupidity continues to reach new highs... or is that new lows?
OuroborosCobra
08-07-2007, 20:21
It's only the Queenslanders that are racist. And dumb. I've got one next door. Like animals.

Somehow the de-humanizing nature of that comment makes it even more comical, like something from Monty Python.
OuroborosCobra
08-07-2007, 20:22
I don't trust any doctor who can't answer intelligent questions from a layman. If they're defensive about their medical knowledge, I get defensive about my body!

Actually, that is an excellent idea. In the US, doctors are reuired by law to be able to answer such questions from their patients.
Northern Borders
08-07-2007, 20:32
Oh MY GOSH!

Maybe all of those 1 billion people are potential terrorists! Maybe 1/6 of the earth population is made of terrorists!!!
Johnny B Goode
08-07-2007, 20:38
An Indian Convenience Store Clerk in Texas was murdered in the wake of 9-11 by a brilliant redneck who thought he was an Arab. The West's epidemic of the "They All Look Alike" disease is hardly a surprise. Hell, we get plenty of that here on NSG.

They used to say that about Chinese people. Hell, my dad is a doctor of Indian descent, and I've never seen him get shit from anybody. He doesn't take shit anyway.
Soleichunn
08-07-2007, 23:00
I would like to say this about the comments about racist Queenslanders:

"I don't like it" :D
Londim
08-07-2007, 23:23
Well they're Austrailian. What do you expect? :p
Regressica
09-07-2007, 08:51
Well they're Austrailian. What do you expect? :p

Them to beat you at cricket?
The Alma Mater
09-07-2007, 09:13
Actually, that is an excellent idea. In the US, doctors are reuired by law to be able to answer such questions from their patients.

I am impressed. Doctors need to be able to dumb their explanations down (one at least assumes the years of college education can not simply be accurately summarised in a few minutes) sufficiently for a layman to understand exactly what they are doing ?
Dundee-Fienn
09-07-2007, 09:55
I am impressed. Doctors need to be able to dumb their explanations down (one at least assumes the years of college education can not simply be accurately summarised in a few minutes) sufficiently for a layman to understand exactly what they are doing ?

Yup. You need to understand that some terms are only used by docs. Myocardial Infarction for example isn't well understood by patients but Heart attack is
Andaras Prime
09-07-2007, 11:17
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctors'_plot
Nobel Hobos
09-07-2007, 15:15
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctors'_plot

Don't do that.

Don't link to something to make your point, without at least a minimal attempt to summarize that point.

This is just friendly advice. I usually enjoy your little rants, but this is just cowardly. It makes you look bad.

*clicks link*
OuroborosCobra
09-07-2007, 16:56
I am impressed. Doctors need to be able to dumb their explanations down (one at least assumes the years of college education can not simply be accurately summarised in a few minutes) sufficiently for a layman to understand exactly what they are doing ?

Yup, doctors need to explain to their patients what a procedure is and what the risks are before they get the patient to agree to it. It is called "informed consent".
The Alma Mater
09-07-2007, 17:02
Yup, doctors need to explain to their patients what a procedure is and what the risks are before they get the patient to agree to it. It is called "informed consent".

So.. do people actually believe one can explain a complex medical condition in such a way that a patient completely understands every single aspect of it, even if that patient has no medical knowledge whatsoever ?
Dundee-Fienn
09-07-2007, 17:05
So.. do people actually believe one can explain a complex medical condition in such a way that a patient completely understands every single aspect of it, even if that patient has no medical knowledge whatsoever ?

You just have to give the basic principles involved not the complex pathophysiology, etc

For example if you were explaining allergic asthma you would just explain how allergens will cause a contraction of the airways, etc while not going into details about mast cells ,etc
The Alma Mater
09-07-2007, 17:44
You just have to give the basic principles involved not the complex pathophysiology, etc

For example if you were explaining allergic asthma you would just explain how allergens will cause a contraction of the airways, etc while not going into details about mast cells ,etc

So.. you would give them an incomplete summary and then pretend the patient can make an "informed" choice ?
How droll.
Dundee-Fienn
09-07-2007, 17:52
So.. you would give them an incomplete summary and then pretend the patient can make an "informed" choice ?
How droll.

You give them enough information to understand the neccessary (by necessary I mean important for a decision or for maintaining their health themselves) information about their condition and what you are proposing to do giving the pros and cons if you are proposing a treatment. They don't need to know about the interaction of cytokines and mast cells, etc involved in an allergic process because they are all leading to a conclusion which you inform them about. For example if I was going to suggest a treatment for a childs asthma I might offer the choice between a variety of treatments while explaining the pros and cons and giving a personal recommendation but it's still the patients choice. For another example if I wanted to take a patients blood I would have to explain what the procedure entailed before asking them if I was ok to proceed

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informed_consent

Maybe that will better explain it. They are given a summary of their illness or treatment relevant to a decision making process
Myrmidonisia
09-07-2007, 17:56
They used to say that about Chinese people. Hell, my dad is a doctor of Indian descent, and I've never seen him get shit from anybody. He doesn't take shit anyway.

I've had doctors of all sorts of different ancestry. The worst were the ones that were too full of themselves and the best were the ones that could figure out what was wrong and tell me what to do about it in terms I could understand. My current doctor is named Parikh and he's as good as any I've had. I don't know if he's Christian, Hindu, or Muslim -- it just doesn't matter.
Deus Malum
09-07-2007, 18:05
An Indian Convenience Store Clerk in Texas was murdered in the wake of 9-11 by a brilliant redneck who thought he was an Arab. The West's epidemic of the "They All Look Alike" disease is hardly a surprise. Hell, we get plenty of that here on NSG.

Tip of the mother-fucking iceberg.

In the wake of 9-11, crimes against Muslims all over the US quadrupled.

Crimes against Hindus, by contrast, quintupled.

It'd be funny, if it weren't so FUCKING sad. :(
Deus Malum
09-07-2007, 18:08
I've had doctors of all sorts of different ancestry. The worst were the ones that were too full of themselves and the best were the ones that could figure out what was wrong and tell me what to do about it in terms I could understand. My current doctor is named Parikh and he's as good as any I've had. I don't know if he's Christian, Hindu, or Muslim -- it just doesn't matter.

Probably either Christian or Hindu.
Myrmidonisia
09-07-2007, 18:12
Probably either Christian or Hindu.

All I've figured out is that Parikh and Patel are pretty common names. Isn't the joke that "motel" is just a misspelling of "Patel"?

Last time I was in India, it was to go to Punjab. What a nice change from the big cities! I'm going to try and make it up toward the Himalayas one of these trips...
Deus Malum
09-07-2007, 18:25
All I've figured out is that Parikh and Patel are pretty common names. Isn't the joke that "motel" is just a misspelling of "Patel"?

Last time I was in India, it was to go to Punjab. What a nice change from the big cities! I'm going to try and make it up toward the Himalayas one of these trips...

Hehehe, silly Patels. Yeah, I've heard that joke. It's probably one of the most common names in the state of Gujarat. Parikh is also a common name. Now that I think about it, unless your doc has a European first name, he's likely a Brahmin. I remember running into a few Parikhs at the last local Nagar-Brahmin get-together I went to (though this was some time back). Patel is also a Hindu surname.

Make sure you take some time to visit Delhi and see the Taj Mahal. I've never been to Punjab, but Gujarat's also nice, if you don't mind that it's practically a desert.
Myrmidonisia
09-07-2007, 18:33
Hehehe, silly Patels. Yeah, I've heard that joke. It's probably one of the most common names in the state of Gujarat. Parikh is also a common name. Now that I think about it, unless your doc has a European first name, he's likely a Brahmin. I remember running into a few Parikhs at the last local Nagar-Brahmin get-together I went to (though this was some time back). Patel is also a Hindu surname.

Make sure you take some time to visit Delhi and see the Taj Mahal. I've never been to Punjab, but Gujarat's also nice, if you don't mind that it's practically a desert.

I've been through Delhi several times and I did make the trip to Agra. I was kind of disappointed with the tour -- I had a self-absorbed Muslim tour guide that was about as likable as a Jehovah's Witness. Other than that, the Taj Mahal was overwhelming.

Not so with Delhi -- I did find a nice market that sold Gulab-Jamun but the last time I visited was on election day. Not a government building open, so I didn't see the Red Fort, or the train museum (I'm a railroad junkie) or anything else. Even Connaught Square was locked up tight.

The only time I've ever seen fewer people in a big city was when I went to Tokyo on New Year's day...It was like it had been evacuated.
Deus Malum
09-07-2007, 18:52
I've been through Delhi several times and I did make the trip to Agra. I was kind of disappointed with the tour -- I had a self-absorbed Muslim tour guide that was about as likable as a Jehovah's Witness. Other than that, the Taj Mahal was overwhelming.

Not so with Delhi -- I did find a nice market that sold Gulab-Jamun but the last time I visited was on election day. Not a government building open, so I didn't see the Red Fort, or the train museum (I'm a railroad junkie) or anything else. Even Connaught Square was locked up tight.

The only time I've ever seen fewer people in a big city was when I went to Tokyo on New Year's day...It was like it had been evacuated.

Tour guides in India are frequently self-absorbed. I went to an art museum in Bombay and the guide was so annoying I just walked off and start wandering around on my own.

Damn. Yeah you just picked a really bad day to go.

Hehe, I see the Wide World of Indian Sweets has claimed another victim. If at all possible to find Indian sweets in your area, try getting your hands on Chocolate Barfi. To die for.
Johnny B Goode
09-07-2007, 18:55
Hehehe, silly Patels. Yeah, I've heard that joke. It's probably one of the most common names in the state of Gujarat. Parikh is also a common name. Now that I think about it, unless your doc has a European first name, he's likely a Brahmin. I remember running into a few Parikhs at the last local Nagar-Brahmin get-together I went to (though this was some time back). Patel is also a Hindu surname.

Make sure you take some time to visit Delhi and see the Taj Mahal. I've never been to Punjab, but Gujarat's also nice, if you don't mind that it's practically a desert.

I have a pretty common Indian last name. It's supposed to be, at least.
Deus Malum
09-07-2007, 19:01
I have a pretty common Indian last name. It's supposed to be, at least.

Aren't you Bengali?
Johnny B Goode
09-07-2007, 20:56
Aren't you Bengali?

Yeah, I am. Is it some way out place like New York? (from the way you talk about it)
Deus Malum
09-07-2007, 21:25
Yeah, I am. Is it some way out place like New York? (from the way you talk about it)

Not really, it's just about as close to Bangladesh as it gets. That's usually never good.

Not to mention that you neighbor Bihar.

So it's not as if there's anything wrong with Bengal, per se. You've just got weird neighbors.

Edit: But since I'm not a total asshole, I'll explain that my question had more to do with figuring out how common your last name was. I mean, if you're Bengali, it's obviously not Patel, etc.
Londim
09-07-2007, 22:38
If you're planning another trip to India visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar. It' s such an awe inspiring place. Last time I went there was my last night in India on holiday visiting family. If you can visit both during day and night. Day because you can go inside the Golden Temple and night because it isn't busy and the peace is really relaxing and the Temple seems to glow.
Myrmidonisia
09-07-2007, 22:53
If you're planning another trip to India visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar. It' s such an awe inspiring place. Last time I went there was my last night in India on holiday visiting family. If you can visit both during day and night. Day because you can go inside the Golden Temple and night because it isn't busy and the peace is really relaxing and the Temple seems to glow.
Been there. Bought the souvenir sword. Got the souvenir scarf to cover my head.

Went to the Wagaborder crossing afterward and shouted at the Pakistanis on the other side. I don't know what we were yelling, but the man sitting next to me said it was like "We're great" and they'd yell something back that was supposed to be "No we are". As far as I know, we were all cursing at each other.

Weirdest dichotomy of events, too. Outside the temple, I was trying to buy a scarf. This old man kept dragging the kids that were selling the scarves away from me and my friend -- also American. I figured that he just didn't like white guys.

My Indian friend bought the necessary scarves to cover our heads and we went inside. There, we were repeatedly asked where we were from -- The first time, I was a little hesitant. I didn't think we'd be knifed in a temple, but with all those commemorative plaques around, you aren't quite sure. Anyhow, the response was a big smile and a thumbs-up. Repeated again and again.

Great day, except for the ride home. We stopped suddenly and the big TATA truck behind us got a little too close. All I could see in the back window was
TATA
Deus Malum
09-07-2007, 23:00
Hehehe.

I think the image of a Tata Sumo barrelling down the road towards me as I was walking home from the market with a marble chess set clutched under one arm has been burned forever in my memory. Indian drivers make Jersey drivers look like Nascar veterans.
Myrmidonisia
09-07-2007, 23:02
Hehehe.

I think the image of a Tata Sumo barrelling down the road towards me as I was walking home from the market with a marble chess set clutched under one arm has been burned forever in my memory. Indian drivers make Jersey drivers look like Nascar veterans.

Two questions --
Do y'all get discounts on the carved marble stuff, or is just marked up for us white guys?

Do cars run in India if the horn is disconnected?

And a third --
How much does it take to get the snake charmer to leave the snake in the basket?
Londim
09-07-2007, 23:06
Well you better be scared then. My Grandad owns a whole fleet of the TATA trucks. Each one is named after a member of our family. For al you know that could've been my one almost colliding with you :eek:
Deus Malum
09-07-2007, 23:06
Two questions --
Do y'all get discounts on the carved marble stuff, or is just marked up for us white guys?

Do cars run in India if the horn is disconnected?

And a third --
How much does it take to get the snake charmer to leave the snake in the basket?

1) I'm not really all that sure. However, the marble set I have has a marble board (black marble and white marble) with a gold border, brass hinges, a purple velvet compartment in the center for the pieces, and two sets of marble pieces supposedly each carved from a single block of marble. It's quite a remarkable little thing, though I'd imagine it's far from uncommon.

I got it for $810 rupees when the conversion was 45 rupees on the dollar. $18, or thereabouts.

2) No, not that I'm aware.

3) More than you probably had on you.
Deus Malum
09-07-2007, 23:08
Well you better be scared then. My Grandad owns a whole fleet of the TATA trucks. Each one is named after a member of our family. For al you know that could've been my one almost colliding with you :eek:

I cower in fear. Well, not really.
Myrmidonisia
09-07-2007, 23:11
1) I'm not really all that sure. However, the marble set I have has a marble board (black marble and white marble) with a gold border, brass hinges, a purple velvet compartment in the center for the pieces, and two sets of marble pieces supposedly each carved from a single block of marble. It's quite a remarkable little thing, though I'd imagine it's far from uncommon.

I got it for $810 rupees when the conversion was 45 rupees on the dollar. $18, or thereabouts.

2) No, not that I'm aware.

3) More than you probably had on you.
I ended up with a couple of carved elephants that I bought at the India Gate. The price was so low that I don't even remember what I paid. But they were nice gifts, as were some of the real scarves that I bought at the market where I discovered gulab jamun.
Deus Malum
09-07-2007, 23:15
I ended up with a couple of carved elephants that I bought at the India Gate. The price was so low that I don't even remember what I paid. But they were nice gifts, as were some of the real scarves that I bought at the market where I discovered gulab jamun.

I've found that a lot of my white friends can't handle Gulab Jamun. It's "too sweet" apparently. As if such a thing were possible.
Johnny B Goode
09-07-2007, 23:54
Not really, it's just about as close to Bangladesh as it gets. That's usually never good.

Not to mention that you neighbor Bihar.

So it's not as if there's anything wrong with Bengal, per se. You've just got weird neighbors.

Edit: But since I'm not a total asshole, I'll explain that my question had more to do with figuring out how common your last name was. I mean, if you're Bengali, it's obviously not Patel, etc.

My mom probably meant common among Bengalis. And we actually are as close to Bangladesh as it gets, because my mom was born and raised in Kolkata (Calcutta), and my grandparents still live there. My dad is from Bihar. Never wants to go back.
Deus Malum
10-07-2007, 00:17
My mom probably meant common among Bengalis. And we actually are as close to Bangladesh as it gets, because my mom was born and raised in Kolkata (Calcutta), and my grandparents still live there. My dad is from Bihar. Never wants to go back.

I can't say I blame him. Everything I hear from my relatives back in India is that it's a hellhole.
Myrmidonisia
10-07-2007, 00:41
I've found that a lot of my white friends can't handle Gulab Jamun. It's "too sweet" apparently. As if such a thing were possible.
Shut your mouth! There's no such thing. I think eating more than one would cause diabetes, but that one is really good. Chocolate barfi, here I come. We have a big enough Indian population in Atlanta for that to be a likely commodity in the right market. I just have to figure out what market that is. I'll have to call some friends that work at Emory, it seem like it's near the right place...
Deus Malum
10-07-2007, 00:54
Shut your mouth! There's no such thing. I think eating more than one would cause diabetes, but that one is really good. Chocolate barfi, here I come. We have a big enough Indian population in Atlanta for that to be a likely commodity in the right market. I just have to figure out what market that is. I'll have to call some friends that work at Emory, it seem like it's near the right place...

It'd be worth a shot. There's a wide range of Indian sweets, all of them likely good. I can't eat 90% of them because they contain nuts.

Funny how life is, eh?
Johnny B Goode
10-07-2007, 01:23
I can't say I blame him. Everything I hear from my relatives back in India is that it's a hellhole.

My dad knows so. They've got a serious crime problem that the Mafia would be proud of. When they rob you, they shoot you too. So you could lose an arm from a street robbery. It's also poor as hell, according to my dad. (who didn't have a fridge until thirteen, but that was 1959) Railway minister Lalu Prasad boasted how far the railways have come, and to prove his point, a train breaks down and the passengers have to get out and push. In Bihar (which is also Prasad's home state). Thing is, they have no crime syndicates in India. (At least no famous ones) Why?
Krakhozhia
10-07-2007, 01:31
If people refuse to be treated by a doctor of a specific ethnicity, all doctors at that facility that is being visited by the patient, should refuse to treat the patient.

Doctors go through a strident test even to practice in Australia, even now there are many overseas-trained doctors who cannot work do to non-recognition of qualifications as sufficient.

So those that do qualify, should be qualified. I don't see Aussies running out refusing Caucasian doctors treating them because David Hicks was allegedly a member of al-Qaeda.

Racist Aussies :sniper:
Deus Malum
10-07-2007, 02:51
My dad knows so. They've got a serious crime problem that the Mafia would be proud of. When they rob you, they shoot you too. So you could lose an arm from a street robbery. It's also poor as hell, according to my dad. (who didn't have a fridge until thirteen, but that was 1959) Railway minister Lalu Prasad boasted how far the railways have come, and to prove his point, a train breaks down and the passengers have to get out and push. In Bihar (which is also Prasad's home state). Thing is, they have no crime syndicates in India. (At least no famous ones) Why?

Government corruption. Who needs to form a large syndicate when a small one paying off the local law enforcement and government body can do the job in a given locale?
Aryavartha
10-07-2007, 02:54
Thing is, they have no crime syndicates in India. (At least no famous ones) Why?

D Company.
Aryavartha
10-07-2007, 03:05
Not really, it's just about as close to Bangladesh as it gets. That's usually never good.

Not to mention that you neighbor Bihar.

So it's not as if there's anything wrong with Bengal, per se. You've just got weird neighbors.


Bengal used to be a great place..has given great freedom fighters (starting with the first war of independance) and have given great intellectuals to India (Rabindranath Tagore, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Ramakrishna, Vivekananda etc).

>30 years of continued commie rule have fucked up that place. The current chief minister Budhadeb seems to realise the growing gap between the southern + NW states and the rest of the country and is trying to industrialise the state.

Bengali chicks are still awesome though. Nandita Das, Bipasha Basu...sigh..
Deus Malum
10-07-2007, 03:14
Bengal used to be a great place..has given great freedom fighters (starting with the first war of independance) and have given great intellectuals to India (Rabindranath Tagore, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Ramakrishna, Vivekananda etc).

>30 years of continued commie rule have fucked up that place. The current chief minister Budhadeb seems to realise the growing gap between the southern + NW states and the rest of the country and is trying to industrialise the state.

Bengali chicks are still awesome though. Nandita Das, Bipasha Basu...sigh..

I'll give you Tagore and hot Bengali chicks.

Gujaratis are still way cooler.
OuroborosCobra
10-07-2007, 14:37
If people refuse to be treated by a doctor of a specific ethnicity, all doctors at that facility that is being visited by the patient, should refuse to treat the patient.

While I agree with the principle of what you are saying, and why, in practice doctors would not be able to do that. It would be a violation of the Hippocratic oath, specifically "do no harm". You are doing harm by refusing treatment this way.

Remember, this oath is why in wartime doctors (well, at least the doctors for the good guys :D) have to treat soldiers of the enemy the same they treat their own soldiers.
GreaterPacificNations
10-07-2007, 14:47
I've noticed something a bit in this thread, and a fair bit in general. It seems internationally, Australians are generally regarded as racists. Kinda like the deep south of USA.

As small minded common people are, I would not peg them with being commonly and sincerely racist. Not like it seems people think they are. I have lived in 10 different towns and cities, attending 11 different educational institution, across 5 different states and territories of this country. This was spread between wealthy and poor regions, urban and rural, public and private schools.

The only place with a noticibly racist culture was the remote desert of WA, where the aboriginals are indeed repulsive, and the whites disturbingly small minded and bigoted. Suburban Brisbane was a little more 'traditionalist' than even rural NSW, but not actively racist. Again, simply insular and conservative.

Australian culture really has no axe to grind in regard to racism. Not any more than it has an issue with homosexuality. There is the usual conservative insularity, but no motivated and pervasive campaign. All in all it is a very moderate, apathetic culture with somewhat conservative, yet non-committal, values. When racism does occur, it tends to be stupid jokes, or old people grumbling. I cannot imagine a significant social environment wherein making motivated attacks of racial hate was the norm. Even in the backward wastes of the desert, you will not find burning crosses and lynching. Just pissed off idiots.

I just had to get that out, this 'vibe' I have been picking up is bothering me. Its like when people generally believe you to be gay, and you're not. Not offensive, just wrong and annoying.
Soleichunn
10-07-2007, 15:04
Thats sounds exactly like the kind of thing a [insert racist insult here] would say!
Johnny B Goode
10-07-2007, 19:09
Government corruption. Who needs to form a large syndicate when a small one paying off the local law enforcement and government body can do the job in a given locale?

Yeah.

D Company.

I'd never heard of them, but they've done some serious shit.

I'll give you Tagore and hot Bengali chicks.

Gujaratis are still way cooler.

Woud it be strange if I said I'm not really that attracted to Indian girls?