I’m not going to argue to prove what is ignorant or not. But, I just want to point out the flaw in your thinking and hope that you would open your mind enough to think about it.
By your argument, if India should stop investing in science and having its citizens explore space, and only focus on lifting people out of poverty or empower women, I’d love your take on the USA, the single biggest economy in the world, the mightiest superpower which could solve the problems of 1. People dying because of the healthcare system, or the school kids dying because of lack of gun control, or those living homeless in just a flick of its policy?
Should the USA stop NASA for a couple of years until those problems are fixed?
Should the USA stop all its road building projects until all its issues are solved?
India, poor as it may be, has brought some wonders into the world of science, particularly space missions, at times launching missions that achieve similar results with orders of magnitude lower costs with truly innovative ways. Please don’t categorise people, science and innovation based on where it comes from.
People want to keep drawing comparisons to the US, which obviously has a ton of issues, (and FWIW I'm not even from the US), but I absolutey think those issues should be addressed as a priorty as well. But as I said originally, there is a difference in degree between the extent and type of problems facing the two countries, and dare I say one set is more severe than the other.
> India, poor as it may be, has brought some wonders into the world of science, particularly space missions, at times launching missions that achieve similar results with orders of magnitude lower costs with truly innovative ways.
I would never doubt that or claim otherwise.
> Please don’t categorise people, science and innovation based on where it comes from.
What comment did I make that indicates that is what I am doing? I don't, and would not do that.
These kind of higher purpose establishments empowers women. These kind of places are magnet for academic oriented women science students - provides them stable, safe, intellectual environment. There are many such government research establishments from Biotechnology to Astrophysics to Defence techs.
Beyond Rocket Boys, The Inspiring Rocket Women Of India's Space History
The parent comment is implying that if every person donates anything on their personal capacity, this project would have been funded and executed easily. He is asking you to not bother with anything more than donations alone, had you been Indian.
But here you are bothering about India's perverse fixation about competing with West. Heck, If West violated every law there is and blatantly copied to advance its interests and no one else, India doesn't have money to fight in ICJ courts or otherwise. Why are you making your ignorance so apparent for no one to sympathize with you?
"to compete with superpowers (i.e. for clout),..."
Don't you understand that we are not here for show off and compete? We are competing against superpowers called poverty and societal backwardness, security of merchant navy, and all, not WEST. West is our ally and vice versa.
In fact, I have given multiple examples like Ed-Tech platforms, internet penetration for MSME, and all, but you won't listen only to come back to square one - superficial effort against superpowers. If this is not judgmental, then what is it? If this is not racist, then what is it?
The project reports are required to detail the outline the intended outcomes. Now another round is made for such outcomes to be compare at state and national level. Multiple permissions and meeetings are done here about this. In between all of these, consultants from McKinsey and BCG are brought in along with experts to assess the practicality of claims. This is not enough for you? Oh, wait. you are ignorant, how would you know?
"There is no reason for you to have taken my comment so personally..."
Why not? You say Indians are inefficient and not intelligent enough to have their own problems solved. That is racist. It doesn't matter if you talk about a country like India or India itself. You are racist to talk about a country like India then, that is all. It still makes you racist is what I want to say.
"I made a point and stated an opinion." - YOU WERE QUICKLY JUDGEMENTAL. Always ask and then say. At least say by framing it is a question to get the benefit of doubt.
A closed mind cannot be filled. Nor is an open one with a holes under. So please stop suggesting me and start listening.
The OP has a stretch of whole bunch of comments where they are simply confidently wrong but never admit it. Don't bother, it's not worth your time, just flag and move on otherwise you'll end up in 10 level deep comment threads that go nowhere.
Well what exactly are you implying sitting on the other side of the earth to suggest that Indian could have done better elsewhere? Like We Indians never have had that thought crossed our mind? We are incapable of running cost-benefit analysis and SWOT analysis? Yours is the novel idea that we should have paid heed to and should now be regretting wasting millions of dollar?
What are you implying or what are you trying to say if not my 'hearing' then?
You came out swinging with bs accusations of racism, and tons of insults, clearly breaking the HN guidelines numerous times because of your own asinine assumptions.
Why should I bother to put in effort to converse with you, when you are going out of your way to misconstrue and insult, and coming from a place of extreme defensiveness and patriotism?
If you had not tainted this entire thread, I would have loved to have a productive discussion, and if I'm wrong be corrected and learn something.
But how is that possible now after your tirades and insults? As you even said you took what I said emotional and became very heated. Worst case, I might be ignorant, but I'm not racist or hateful against people of any race or country, and you said an awful lot of crappy things, much worse than anything I've said.
" If women are empowered, lifted up and don't have to live in fear, that tends to result in huge gains for an economy."
And what makes you think we don't do that already? Did you read monthly public health outcomes and human rights outcomes research either by third party or government ministers?
Did you see no programs and collaborative efforts by NGOs and Government?
Did you see no improvements in critiqued yearly and monthly reports of famous research journals like 'Economics and Political Weekly' and Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Health and family welfare, etc?
What is your picture on comparative analysis of rape "endemic" across other factors normalized, like by country, by per capita, by development index, by any rank for that matter?
