Posted by: Kiddo July 1, 2013
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I will not address discriminatory comments talking about particular castes (Ranas/Shahs/Shresthas); As I said earlier, Eutab does bring interesting point. Let's address that w/o making this thread a racially charged tirade.
"Kiddo, are you somehow offended by my comments? I am not proposing to force my way into everyone's throat. Not at all. I am not really, still why are you so afraid of looking 'in' from the western's viewpoint? "
So, if I respond to your argument, I am offended? No, I am not offended. As far as afraid of looking, just because I don't agree with a vantage point that makes me afraid of the view? I don't think you understood my reference of "western definition of equality." I can expand on this, but to summarize, I am referring to the fact that cultural bias and practices are not always a bad thing and doesn't need to be weighed from a different (western) view point which doesn't understand the context of practice. Yes, I can't judge each and every practice from western view point, specially if the practice is not an unfair one. I can expand on this if you want, but let's go to your next point.
"Call it modernism, call it democracy, call it westernization, call it whatever...all are headed in the same direction..from the US to Nepal, Tashkant to Tehran."
Call it English, Nepali, Arabic or Amharic, language is an identifier of a community/culture and doesn't need to be assimilated in the name of progress. Hajur/tapai are parts of language, let's not act as if we are talking about a satanic ritual that needs to be weeded out here.
"Now, let's talk history: basically every culture held that ta/tapai/hazur differentiation. You do recall Shakespearean ye, thy etc; don't you? We are little too lame to get over these."
What makes you think that what English did is the right thing and we are wrong? Even with the premise that they were right, didn't we go from "Twam" (sanskrit) to "timi/hajur?" Hey, we changed too..we must be good as well then.
"While majority of the people are into their own lives, perhaps the secluded minority of aristocrats needed some way to distinguish and feel better about themselves."
Why didn't you make this accusation to any other dialects of Nepal that is different to the mainstream language used by most? Go to Darchula and the Nepali spoken there is slightly different, should I say they wanted to seclude themselves from the herd because they wanted to feel better? Since I am not a historian, let's say I go with your point and say this group of people decided to use the "aristocratic" language to feel better about themselves; was any harm done to the masses? Is this wrong? Was this language prohibited from use by any other caste (on the contrary, you might agree that the language goes beyond the caste the posters seem to refer to).
"So address each other, strictly within the group, gave a sense of superiority. But you real analyse their mindset, perhaps some people wonder if it in fact an inferiority complex."
That's one possibility, I can also suggest that people who view it as an inferiority complex might have the same complex. One group of people uses a different kind of language to address, another group of people is offended by it, who's got the complex?
"I think rethink sees it already, that if you replace 'hazur' by just 'tapai' and so on; the sky is not going to fall."
And if we don't the sky is going to fall? Why stop at Tapai? Why not timi? Why separate? Doesn't English language address each age group same? You are okay with distinction between tapai and timi, and not with tapai and hazur.
(Do you truly believe that 'ta' doesn't have any negative impact on our juniors? see how confident the similar aged kids here seem compared to our kids backhome in 'ta' atmoshphere.) Just saying.
You think calling our juniors "ta" drove down their confidence? I am more close to friends who I call "ta" than those who I call "timi" (or even "tapai"), I must be doing a severe injustice to their confidence. Fact is, the word in itself doesn't have any connotation-it's the context you use it with. My folks call me "ta", my friends call me "ta," I never had any issue with it. Trust me, I have friends (and even I consider myself as one in the group) who have more confidence than the kids around here. It has nothing to do with "ta" or "timi" or "hajur" but how you were raised and values you were taught.