I think violence, of this type happening anywhere in the world is an indicator of growing intolerance and lessening of compassion . I think people in general give vent to their fruatrations and anti-social elements in the political fabric of any county, which cannt address the general concerns of their people at large play these ploys to divert attention from the core issues of concern.

This is really the result of stress.

Mostly financial stress and is building everywhere. That and magnesium deficiency which causes aggression and violence. The phosphates in soft drinks (coke) leaches magnesium. The soils are depleted and the produce has almost none.

The few that benefit to the detriment of the many have created dysfunctional systems and stolen the wealth of the producers.

I would suggest rock dust, seaweed and amaranth.

Hi Dave,

Really interesting post. I had not yet read or seen anything in the news concerning this event.

You mentioned a word in your piece that has always stuck in my "craw": Multi-culturalism. I think much of the negative attitudes and anger between peoples of different backgrounds is this constant pressure by the media and the politically correct to honor and teach multi-culturalism. In my opinion this constant reminder of the fact that people are different is what leads to much of this. First let me say people dress differently, speak differently and worship differently. They have different skin colors and nationalities. These are observable facts, they don't have to be taught they are obvious.

When schools spend so much time preaching to children and adults about the differences between people, why are we surprised that during times of crises we focus on the differences between people, rather than how we can help each other? During crises we form into our tribes, after all aren't we different?

I think in order to change this mob mentality, we should be focusing on our commonalities rather than our obvious differences. We all want enough food and shelter, we all want our children to be educated and safe, we all want respect and love in our lives.

If we spend more time connecting with what makes us all human we're less likely to see people who may dress or speak differently than ourselves as the "other", and instead realize that we're all in this together.

Peace,
Scott.

Richard...come on...do you really think people are less tolerant than they were when there wasn't pop? LOL!

Historically, humans are probably more tolerant of each other now (much due to the information boom) than ever in history. Sure things like this happen, but they happen far less than they ever did.

Peace,
Scott.

PS - I don't drink soda...and I can be a real dink sometimes :).

Pretty scary. According to the NYT article I got the impression that there seemed to be some level of organization (white supremacist groups vs. the arab groups) behind these riots in contrast to the French riots which seemed spontaneous.

As always, this is the handiwork of powerful groups/organisations who provoke people.The outcome, as always, is the irrational-frenzy mobs attacking each other..and bloodshed.The groups responsible for creating Manimals, is never found guilty.

Read on BBC that it was kinda preorgainzed by white supremacists after some trouble with people ME/Mediterranean origin. And it always gets more difficult for us turban wearing sikhs in these countries. When I lived in Morocco it was the muslims and not french who thought i was an islamist and was denied entry in a posh club by arab guards but later on let in by the french owner.

Nice one, Richard LOL! But your point about stress may be right on.

Humans have been always divided, whats news about it. Probably the last 50 years have in-fact a period of transformation, at least in some parts of the world.

We are yet to reach a critical mass of world population that can grasp "contextual" thinking . By that I mean, our minds are made of absolute worlds, each of them "real" . We dont get it that everything occurs in one context or the other.

In the context of love and acceptance , its diversity, multi-culturalism etc.

In the context of hatred and threat, it becomes "casteism", "racism" etc.

The reality is they both exist as one, and occur different depending on individual contexts.

And how do we get people who are poor, oppressed and tired, to live in the context of love and compassion, when they see on a consistent basis that the world of the previleged is not any different contextually.

Hi Scott,

Multi-culturalism is a relatively new teaching in schools. It's unlikely that people participating in the riots were taught multi-culturalism as kids.

In New York City, multi-cultural course content has reduced interracial tensions in the children attending New York City school. It remains to be seen if these teachings will persist once the kids reach the more competitive and testoterone-fueled world of adults.

New York City has hundreds of distinct immigrant populations, yet it has very few racially-motivated violent incidents per year. It could be a hotbed of violence, but it's not.

This is due in part to city government policies that are about 25 years old, that are quite strict in prohibiting various kinds of discrimination. These policies apply not only within New York City government agencies, but also to companies doing business with New York City. Ecomonic opportunities for those of varying cultural and racial background are broader and less stratified than in many other places. The end result is a more equitable distribution of wealth throughout the New York City area.

These policies were put in place to address issues that led to racially-motivated violence in New York City in the '60's and '70's. That violence reached its heights in synch with two periods of recession in the US. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers of color were out of work. The New York situation then was very like the current situation in the French banlieus.

I would be willing to bet that the underlying reasons for intercultural and interracial violence can always be traced back to issues of wealth and power, or lack of the same, no matter what the immediate trigger for the violence may be.

The fact that the riots in Australia were magnified due to kids text messaging their friends to come and join the fighting, is a concern. In wealthy countries, young people often have too little serious work to challenge them, too much time, too many gadgets at hand, and too little family supervision or involvement. Young people who contribute to the world in a meaningful way, and have a feeling of connection with their families and community, are more likely to understand others and less likely to act out against people different from themselves. Daily engagement with other people and ideas promotes understanding. Contra that, availability and use of electronic gadgets reinforces a sense of wealth-delimited class consciousness, turns young people away from others, and focuses them on the devices and their own cliques of friends, and is thus divisive.

One can ask if young people's use of cellphones and other messaging devices to connect with their friends and freeze out others, is a natural expression of a desire to be with like humans. My guess is that it's an expression of acting out the fact that such kids' parents are underinvolved in their lives, and undercommitted in terms of time and focus, in showing love and teaching their children how to become responsible and caring adults.

Cheers, Heather

Scott,

"These are observable facts, they don't have to be taught they are obvious."

Do you really think people will learn from just observation. I Don't think so. May be, it is true with grown up mature adults. But definitely not with immature kids. Remember, the guys who went on rampage are drunken kids. You can't expect them to reason on their own. Even with so much education, people think all Sikhs who wear turban and beard are Osama. Without education about these differences, there is no way they will be able to distinguish. If only people can think in a sane way on their own, we wouldn't be having this much violence in our world.

Nice points ,Heather.

The lowest level of existence, ontologically, you find most likely amongst the very poor and the very rich. The ground of being is very similar. One extreme is devoid of any possibility, so is the other extreme which has emptiness.

The most grounded group is in the middle. In India, we commonly refer to it as a "middle-class" mentality. It values hard-work, education, tolerance and thrift.

Not that the "middle-class" is saintly, just that their lives are more engagaed in building something constructively.

Hi Santosh,

Good points yourself. One thing that redeems life for the very poor (though they wouldn't look at it this way while they're still poor, and for many that means they never understand this value in their own lives, because they will never leave poverty): They know what it is to suffer, and suffering opens up the heart.

Cheers, Heather

Heather, Santosh and Krish,

Thanks for responding! Heather, I think it's debatable whether Multi-cultural curriculum has been the key to the shift in New York. I'm well aware of the racial problems that New York City and many of the bigger cities in the 60's and 70's had (I'm old enough to remember them I'm sad to say). There were multiple reasons for them, social injustices etc. However, I don't think that they were due to the fact that people did not recognize that they were different...if anything it was a lack of understanding about our commonality that was the cause.

I would agree that living together and working along side each other makes greater connection, but not because we learn that we are different. I think what we learn is that despite our obvious differences we are the same. Recoginizing that the Self that is in me is in you is more powerful than spending inordinate amounts of time explaining that we're different.

Krish,

I would suspect that this reaction in Australia was one of a mob mentality...they are independent of reason and therefore any kind of education would not be of help. What would be of help is as previously mentioned: connection with family, less time spent engaged with electronics, etc.

Peace,
Scott.

I am amongst all that is happening here and I am confused. True, the tension has always been a little higher here amongst middle eastern Australian youth and certain radical caucasian groups, but never has this occurred. I am appalled at the violence in attempt to uphold the true 'aussie icon' identity. Australia, in the last century or so, has not known violence on the basis of racial prejudice, but now, things have changed forever. If these riots escalate, it is not only middle eastern groups but also South east asian and other races that will be the target. Financial turmoil, unemployment, an uncertain global political climate and the new anti-terror legislation has slowly added fuel to this blaze. Middle eastern groups have been the target of supremist anger ever since 9/11 as well as a range of domestic, isolated incidences. At the moment the beach is littered with racial souveniers. Riots at the local mosque in Lakemba have flared up beyond control with over 1200 people protesting the backlash. I will keep you posted.

Hi Scott,

Just wanted to clarify -- I said that it was unlikely that multi-cultural teachings have had an effect, positive or negative, on violent adult or "young people" bias crimes in NYC, so far (since the kids who've been exposed to these teachings are not quite young adults yet). However, bias tension within the schools is down. I don't know if the effect will persist after the kids become adults, and face adult competiion and stresses.

What's made a difference in NYC has been two-plus decades of addressing economic and social inequalities through changes in government rules, and applying those rules to both the government agencies themselves, and the vendors who do business with the city. The changed rules have been in place for more than two decades, and have made such a substantial difference to minority economics that even after the downturn of 2001, minority nabes like Harlem, Brownsville, and Bed-Stuy did not have major suffering (as has happened in the past in these communities in other downturns). This was due to the effectiveness of the rules in changing the mind-set of employers, so when the recent downturn came, those who were laid off were those with the least experience and value to the companies they worked for, rather than those of different cultures and colors, as used to happen. In other words, employers are less biased, because they have to be to stay in business in NYC. As a result, even though the city was affected economically, overall, crime did not rise, bias crimes did not rise, etc., as used to happen.

From these observations comes my thought that ecomonics and power (meaning loss / potential loss of these) are the deepest motives for cultural and racial crimes.

In the US, the heaviest history of bias crimes is associated with African Americans, mostly perpetrated against them, but also, in more modern times, perpetrated by them. There is an inverse relationship between bias crime and economic fairness here. More fairness = less crime, and less fairness = more crime.

When bias crimes are directed at races or cultures other than African Americans here in the US, the conflicts tend to be between people descended from prior generations of immigrants, and new immigrants. The people who've been in the US longer feel a direct economic threat from new immigrants, with their survival-mode work ethics (full of energy and ready for hard work).

Cheers, Heather

Heather - Great report. I'll vouch for the fact that everyone feels at home in New York.

Hi,

Definitely it seems arabs were attacked by Crazy Australians.
Okay I am just curious about arab's contribution to multicultural western society.

If you look at non white minority contribution to western society

Asian (Chinease,Japanese,Korean etc etc) :
They are very very hard working community and was part of infrastructure development in USA 100 years ago and still they are contributing in lots of key areas(Shipping,technology etc etc) in western society.

Indian

Doctors,Engineers and many other professionals from India contributing a lot to western society.

Jews :

Do I need to say anything about Jews..They control everything.I mean everything.They are great minds.

Hispanic and Latinos :

Low paid job and overall hardworking community.

Arabs

????????????????????????????????????????????????/
They only have is OIL …that is it..

I haven’t seen any significant scientific contribution to human kind by any Arabs or should I say from any Muslim….. may be one or two exception. And irony is they will be the first to use latest technology to harm/Kill us .

My Point is to survive in highly competitive western society they need to do something other then making lame excuses about racism.

Jignesh

Magnesium Deficiency Apparently Increases Violent Crime
by Paul Mason, Pres.
Healthy Water Association

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some symptoms of magnesium deficiency are irritability and belligerence [1].

Another symptom of magnesium deficiency is depression [2]. Depression is a mood disorder that can lead to suicide [3]. The activity of serotonin receptors is affected by changes in magnesium levels [4,5,6,7,8]. Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary says that serotonin is a potent vasoconstrictor and is thought to be involved in neural mechanisms important in sleep and sensory perception. A relationship between migraine and magnesium has been established [9]. There is also a connection between migraine and major depression [4]. It has also been found that magnesium relieves the depression of premenstrual syndrome by changing serotonin activity [10].

This suggests that part of the high rate of violent crime could be mitigated by ending the magnesium deficiencies that have been imposed as a result of the FDA's approval of magnesium-deficient water, magnesium-deficient white flour products such as white bread and buns, and cola drinks which cause loss of Mg due to phosphates contained in cola drinks, and high-fat diets which combine with Mg in the digestive tract forming useless magnesium soaps which are excreted. Thus, All-American meals of hot-dogs or hamburgers on magnesium-deficient buns, accompanied by greasy fries, and washed down with colas, may eventually lead to Mg-deficiency, reductions in serotonin, and increases in violence.

A connection between magnesium deficiency and suicide has been found. In a study of suicide statistics, French scientist M. L. Robinet discovered that:

The comparison of geological maps and statistics establishes in a striking manner the influence of the magnesium content of the soil on the number of suicides...It is evident that one doesn't commit suicide because the soil is poor in magnesium. But, those who regularly absorbed a good amount of magnesium salts have a more stable equilibrium, they support adversity with more calm and do not renounce everything to avoid some sorrow...The use of magnesium permits one to support adversity with more serenity.

CITATIONS
1. Davis, Adelle. Let's Eat Right to Keep Fit. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. New York. 1970.

2. Bricklin, Mark. New respect for nutritional healing. (Editorial). v44, Prevention. Feb 1992.

3. Mondimore, Francis Mark. Depression, The Mood Disorder. The John Hopkins University Press. Baltimore. 1990.

4. Breslau, N.; Davis, G. C. Migraine, physical health and psychiatric disorder: a prospective epidemiologic study in young adults. J Psychiatr Res. 1993 Apr-Jun.

5. Swanson, Don R. Migraine and magnesium: eleven neglected connections, Perspectives in biology and medicine. 1988 Summer.

6. Mauskop, A.; Altura, B. T.; Cracco, R. Q.; Altura, B. M. Deficiency in serum ionized magnesium but not ICa 2/IMg 2 total in patients with migraines. Possible role of ratio. Headache. 1993 March.

7. Gallai, Virgilio; Sarchielli, Paola; Morucci, Piero; Abbritti, Giuseppe. Red blood cell magnesium levels in migraine patients. Cephalagia. 1993.

8. Gallai, Virgilio; Sarchielli, Paola; Coata, Giuliana; Firenze, Caterina; Morucci, Piero; Abbritti, Giuseppe. Serum and salivary magnesium levels in migraine. Results in a group of juvenile patients, Headache. 1992 March.

9. Facchinetti, Fabio; Sances, Grazia; Borella, Paola; Genazzani, Andrea R.; Nappi, Giuseppe. Magnesium prophylaxis of menstrual migraine: effects on intracellular magnesium, Headache. 1991 May.

10. Facchinetti, Fabio; Borella, Paola; Sances, Grazia; Fioroni, Loredana; Nappi, Rossella E; Genazzani, Andrea R. Oral magnesium successfully relieves premenstrual mood changes, Obstetrics and Gynecology. 1991 August.

National identity is constructed, promoted, and institutionalised by Governments and serves their political purposes. It is shaped, sustained, and altered through legislation and administrative practices. A country's citizenship legislation in particular reveals its conception of the ideal citizen, and of the qualities required by foreigners if they are to be accepted into the community of the nation. Current German and French citizenship legislation provide two contrasting examples of this.

During the twentieth century, Australian governments have successively constructed and sustained two, essentially incompatible, images of Australian national identity—the ANZAC myth and multiculturalism. The former was constructed by the official war historian, C.E.W. Bean, during the First World War. It was institutionalised immediately after the war, particularly through the establishment by Bean of the Australian War Memorial, and of a politically powerful organisation of returned soldiers. It served the important political purpose of encapsulating Australian nationalism within a framework of loyalty to Britain, of countering anti-British sentiments perceived to underlie the rejection of conscription during the war, and to defuse a possible nationalist reaction against enormous casualties sustained by Australian soldiers in that essentially British conflict. It was a white. male, Anglo-Celtic image of Australian national identity which failed to reflect the faces of Australian women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and other non-European and non-British minorities in Australia.
In 1973, after thirty years of mass migration, about half of which comprised people from a wide range of non-British cultures, the Australian Government recognised the impact migration had had on Australian society and culture by redefining Australia as a multicultural society. Although in 1973 few people understood its meaning, by then most of the legislation and administration practices which had reflected and sustained the image of the 'real' Australian as being of British ethnicity and culture, had been abandoned. They had proved to be obstacles to the Government's desire to absorb migrants into Australian society and to persuade them to accept Australian citizenship. Amendments to migration, citizenship, and social welfare legislation clearly evidence this.
All subsequent governments abandoned the image of Australia as a homogeneous society, accepted that Australia was diverse and multicultural, and progressively introduced legislation and administrative change designed to institutionalise a particularly Australian version of egalitarian multiculturalism within the bureaucracy. This was done from the 1980s by instituting Access and Equity reporting requirements, and by developing multicultural policies. The new vision of Australian national identity was first formulated in 1989 in the National Agenda for a Multicultural Australia. Citizenship is now seen in terms of equality of rights and responsibilities associated with membership of a political community, rather than with our former status as British subjects. To date, the redefinition of Australian national identity and the practical steps taken to institutionalise it, have been better understood within the bureaucracy than in the community as a whole
However, Since 9/11, Australians have had a growing need for national identity. Many people have question whether we should become a republic or remain tied to the Britain. We had a national referendum in the late 90s, resulting in deciding to stay with Britain.
It has been interesting to see many Australians making the annual pilgrimage to Galipoli (the beach where the Anzacs landed and suffered massive death and casualties). Mostly young people wait for sunrise draped in Australian flags, hugging loved ones and remembering those who gave them the freedom in which they enjoy today. Our Government has warned travelers to be cautious about going to Galipoli, due to the threat of terrorism. This has made people more determined than ever to go.
The Australian Government has been taking on the Bush Administration tactics of ‘terror warnings’. John Howard has been trying to give police great powers to arrest suspected terrorist. The media has been constantly showing images of police wearing black masks breaking into houses by smashing doors and windows. The media has been thriving on the ‘US vs THEM’

Department of Family Medicine, Pomeranian Medical Academy, Poland: The effects of magnesium physiological supplementation on hyperactivity in children with ADHD.

Mag Res 1997; 10(2):149-56. The report from this institute states that dietetic factors can play a significant role in the origin of ADHD and that magnesium deficiency can result in disruptive behaviors.

Schoenthaler S: Vitamins Against Crime: supplementation and antisocial behavior in institutions. Medical Nutrition 1990; 34-37. Brain function requires adequate nutrition, and correction of chronic undernutrition can improve antisocial behavior. Researchers have found that vitamin and mineral tests can be a good indicator of violent behavior.

Sanstead H: A brief history of the influence of trace elements on brain function. J Clin Nutrit 1986; 43:293-98. Historically iron, copper, manganese and zinc deficiency have been associated with mental impairment. Manifestations of such deficiencies include confusion, violence, dullness and death.

Don't forget Australia was a penal colony, just like earth is.

But did you know that the US was also used as a Penal colony?

The British used North America as a Penal Colony through the system of indentured servants. Convicts would be transported by private sector merchants and auctioned off to plantation owners upon arrival in the colonies. It is estimated that some 50,000 British convicts were banished to colonial America, representing perhaps one-quarter of all British emigrants during the eighteenth century. When that avenue closed in the 1780s after the American Revolution, Britain began using parts of modern day Australia as Penal Colonies. Some of these early colonies were Norfolk Island (which became the flogging hell meant to deter even the most hardened criminals- see cat o' nine tails), Van Diemen's Land and New South Wales. Advocates of Irish Home Rule or of Trade Unionism (the Tolpuddle Martyrs) often received sentences of transportation (the harsh regime started during the long shipping) to these Australian colonies.

In colonial India, the British had made various penal colonies. Two of the most (in)famous ones are at Andaman islands and Hijli.

France sent criminals to tropical penal colonies. Devil's Island in French Guiana received forgers and other criminals. New Caledonia in Melanesia (South Sea) received dissidents like the Communards for a time.

Both Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union used Siberia as a penal colony for criminals and dissidents. Though geographically contiguous with heartland Russia, Siberia provided both remoteness and a harsh climate. The Gulag and its tsarist predecessor, the katorga system, provided slave-type labor to develop forestry, logging and mining industries, construction enterprises, as well as highways and railroads across Siberia.

Laws are used to create criminals which in turn are used as slaves.

muslims don't believe in peaceful coexistance.where ever there r muslims there r problems.

Jignesh,

You forgot Blacks. What about Blacks? Apart from the entertainment/sports industry in US, what else could you say they are contributing (perception wise) to the rest of the world in white majority countries? They are still looked down upon even in the US. Somehow this tension is not about contributing to the society but about race. Why are the jews still so much hated specially in Europe even when they contribute so much?

Muslims in UK are clubbed with Indians, in fact they even call Indians as pakis and all of us are famous for our corner shops. In Germany the turkish people live in peace with the Germans and own all the fast food joints. Turkish food is to germans what indian food is to the brits.

I think there is big difference between arab muslim and non arab muslims.

Dalbir

Hi Dalbir,

In the US, black people here (referred to as African Americans or Africans, depending on where they were born) are contributing as extensively as are other cultural groups. African Americans and Africans are great contributors to this society in every way.

The fact that you are not aware of this is part of the legacy of old lies spread by the people (westerners, Arabs and Africans) involved with the old African slave trade, and slaveholders. To justify what they were doing to people from Africa, such people said African slaves were less than people. Some of the founding fathers of the US were slaveholders, so when the country was created, slavery was not stopped or addressed. It was the need of the US majority to stop slavery, that led to the Civil War in 1860 here (after which slavery in the US was finally stopped). However, the legacy of old lies about people of African origin has persisted.

Nonetheless, the trend in the US for the majority has always been to accept people of African origin and recognize their broad contributions to the country, and the increase in broad acceptance of people of color throughout the US is testament to this fact. While there are still people in the US who think of people of African origin as being less than other people, most Americans do not think that way, and recognize the contributions of people of African origin in every field of American society.

It is an unfortunate fact that the few people who carry hatred of others and greed in their hearts are often more vocal than the majority of people who don't. But because a voice is loud, does than means it's right? The answer, of course, is "no".

Are Jewish people still hated in Europe, or is your statement another echo of the past? Anger against wealthy Jewish people who became involved in the financial sectors of Europe (because their religion did not forbid them to charge interest) was due to economic jealousy. Anger against poor Jewish people was of the same type of "they are different" anger that is being expressed in Australia against Arab people. Does that mean the Aussies participating in the riots are right? Does that mean the Europeans who participated in pogroms in the last century and prior, and last century's holocaust, were right? Does either type of culturally-based riot / violence mean that the majority of people hold the opinions expressed by the rioters? The answer to all three questions is "no". The curent attitudes of a few Aussies, and the past attitudes of a few Europeans, are and were wrong, and the majority of people recognize that.

Hi Jignesh,

Those of Arab origin who are now working in other countries are contributing as much as their host countries will allow. The recent French riots are due to economic inequality in France, as those of Arab origin are less likely to be able to get employment, etc. Does that mean the employers and others in France who look down upon people from North Africa and the Middle East are right? Of course not. These recent immigrants to France (and other countries in Europe) were drawn there to do work Europeans did not want to do. Now that the economies have changed, such workers are stranded in their host countries. This is a pattern that happens over and over again for all immigrant groups in every country that allows immigration. The pattern is: Immigrant group enters host country to fill employment need, employment need changes as job slots are filled and economies change, host country resentments rise, immigrant group resentments rise, immigrant group adjusts to changes in economy by making and finding new opportunities, immigrant group becomes successful, host country's and immigrant group's resentments subside.

To give an example: You are proud of Indians' contribution to other countries, but in the majority of host countries until recently, immigrants from India were derided as taxi wallahs, waiters and newsstand workers. It's only in the past 20 years or so that the non-Indian view towards immigrants from India has changed. Why did that old view change? Indians no longer a recent immigrant group. They have been in their host countries long enough to have built an economic base from which to expand their own opportunities, just as all other immigrant groups have done in the past. I don't doubt that people from Arab countries will be capable of doing the same, over the next 40 years or so.

(I do believe that the effective marginalization of women in many varieties of Islam may retard Arab immigrants' upward mobilitity in their host countries. Such negative attitudes towards women cause damage to a strong source of energy and wisdom that has historically been a strong part of the dynamic that has allowed other immigrant groups to move steadily towards economic successes in their host countries. Moreover, the lack of recognition by many expressions of Islam that women are whole and equal human beings leads to a disconnect between men and women, especially boys and their mothers, which damages the psychological health of people who participate in those forms of Islam.)

To all,

Those who spread hatred of others and perform violent acts are the few, not the many, These loud bullies may get attention from time to time, but that because they are loud or violent does not mean that they are right. Most of us recognize that they are wrong and do not support them.

Cheers, Heather

Heather,

Indians prospered in the US because, the American Industries chose to hire the engineering and medical talent that India mass produced. Thanks to our leaders, India took the path of Industrialization after Independence, which needed qualified man-power, which in turn lead to investments in educational infrastructure. Being an Engineer or a Doctor was a sure road to employment in India, which lead to mass engineering /medical degree pursuits.

Good lot of these graduates migrated to the west in search of wealth and creative freedom.

It had nothing to do with how long an immigrant group has been around. The taxi-wallahs and the waiters continue to be around ( esp in the NY/NJ area), but the rest of the country sees Indian doctors or software developers.

Therefore, my point is, it had everything to do with what India is culturally and socially to have created people who value contribution and create wealth.

Many other immigrant group similarly carry their cultural baggage, which aren’t empowering but saddled in legacy of out-dated thinking that individuals have to works harder break-out and make something of themselves .

Hi Santosh

I agree that India's focus on modern technologically-based growth is paying off. However, it doesn't tell the whole story.

If the approach is successful in and of itself, why was there any need for emigration?

If the only reason for success outside India is the government focus, does that account for Jewish, Italian, Irish, and other ethnic groups' strides in the same fields that Indians are now becoming known for? (Those groups' home countries' governments did not have the same focus as India has recently had.)

Cheers, Heather

I'm an indian, born and raised in Europe.

Muslims have been in Europe much longer than Indians have been in Australia and USA. They've been in France, Germany, UK, Holland for over 40, 50 years now and look what they've done? They have ruined it!

In Holland muslims make up 60% of prison population while only 6% of the population is muslim. Forget the terrorists, this is their major problem! Always and everywhere beeing a menace.
I know this is hard on the well behaving muslims but they're just not doing enough abt it, are they?

Look what's going on all over the world. I would almost support the ozzie youth, it's not abt the life-guards,it's abt the muslim gangs, rapes etc, having no respect whatsoever for the country and culture that's feeding you. If my culture would be under threat I would probably react the same.

Their racism is more blatant than white racism. If a muslim dates a white girl and her parents are not happy abt it they're called racists. If you want to date a muslim girl you should be happy getting away without having your throat cut. That's called multi-culturism.

Sure, we Indians have had problems but we 're adapting quite well and showing progress all the time, modernising while keeping our culture alive. Just like any migrant group has done in the past.

Jay Varma

i think i dont get anything u all are talking about. what the hell is happening ?!

Jay Varma

you so right mate.

Im a Aussie these srum bags call us "anglo-saxons" all sort of names they treat our women like trash bash poeple for no reason un less u are muslim or arab.

its true its a world wide problem.

I can't believe it, my co-worker just bought a car for $55808. Isn't that crazy!