Indians are obsessed with White Skin: Freida Pinto

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souro

@souro

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Posted: 10 years ago

#41

Originally posted by: K.Universe.
[off topic] Sorry, I think I didn't do a good job of distinguishing between Souro the poster and Souro the moderator. My mistake.

You do a fine job as a moderator.

I guess sometimes it becomes necessary to accommodate quantity even if it means you have to sacrifice quality, when it comes to allowing topics. I can understand that.

If I start closing all those topics which are just discussion topics and not debatable, most people would find it stifling.

On topic, your contention about me posting my own experience. I know that it is only the experience of one person (me) and in no way can be considered to reflect the whole picture. Which is why I stated it in the beginning that it's just my experience that I haven't come across skin colour based discrimination in my professional life, not my expert opinion that it is non-existent in India. Although I would assume it is not very prevalent in professional life, because I have not seen reports of people not being hired or getting fired because of their skin colour.

From the articles that I've seen around, the discrimination or preference, whatever we might choose to term it, is more in our informal social life, where we tend to find fair skinned people to be more beautiful. The most frequent allegation of this discrimination/ preference is that guys prefer fair girls for marriage. Which I feel is a completely personal choice. Physical attraction being important in marriage, it's obvious a guy or a girl will choose someone they find attractive. And if a guy/ girl finds fair skin attractive and therefore marries a fair girl/ guy respectively, I don't know how he/ she can be faulted.

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souro

@souro

Alumni

+ 2

Posted: 10 years ago

#42

Originally posted by: K.Universe.

It was kind of an open secret in the past that when it comes to air hostess and career in glamour world, fair skin is preferred. However, it's no longer like it used to be. Now dusky beauty is a phrase that is frequently used in the media and there are several successful and popular actors, actresses and models who are dusky. I don't know how hard Freida Pinto tried to establish her career in Hindi film industry before moving to Hollywood, but her not achieving success in Hindi film industry can be for so many reasons other than skin colour. Many fair skinned actors and actresses don't become successful, whereas dark skinned actors and actress go on to become successful. Which indicates that it's not just skin colour that determine which actor and actresses will become successful. Connection inside the industry, features, talent, charisma, everything plays a part.

Such favouritism is detrimental for progress in my opinion. If a person hears from childhood that he/she is not that good looking because of his/her dark skin, whereas another guy/girl being adored by others for his/her fair skin, then obviously it can affect the person's self confidence and very unfairly so. Making derisive or any kind of comments on someone's skin colour which can hurt that person, rarely happens and is never encouraged; but in informal settings away from a particular person or in general discussion among friends and family, skin colour is discussed. Even that, although apparently harmless, will obviously help in shaping the mindset about perception of beauty linked to skin colour. However, other than the mindset changing over time, I don't know what else can be done in that matter. We cannot force people to like dark skin and we cannot punish them for liking fair skin, nor can we stop them from discussing it informally with friends and family.

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souro

@souro

Alumni

+ 2

Posted: 10 years ago

#43

Originally posted by: K.Universe.
Like Birdie said, we also discriminate people based on intelligence and skill. After all, either everything is determined by the time one is born or everything is worked on. Either way, some attributes get favored, which means those who don't have these attributes are discriminated against. Granted, the intelligence aids progress but the question still is of fairness. Is it fair to do to the not-so-intelligent what we do to the not-so-good-looking?

In my opinion it is fair depending on what skills are needed to do the job.

If the viewers don't want to look at a not so good looking actor or actress in the lead role of a movie, the producer and director will take on a good looking actor/ actress, because that is what is needed to make the movie successful and profitable, which is the aim behind making the movie.

Similarly, some jobs require intelligence, hiring a not so intelligent person won't get the job done. If we are looking for the best sprinter, we will look for the fastest runner not the most intelligent person. For singing, we will look for the best voice, not the fastest runner.

Such discrimination happens all the time and is absolutely fair because it is based on merit and on necessity. It becomes unfair only when an advantage which is irrelevant for the job at hand is given priority even at the cost of the actual skill needed. If we start recruiting the best looking person as a surgeon, even if there are better surgeons available, then that is unfair.

Edited by souro - 10 years ago

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@K.Universe.

Voyager

Posted: 10 years ago

#44

^^

So we seem to be saying that it is not OK to discriminate based on looks (of which skin color seems to play a prominent role, at least in some countries) but it is OK to discriminate based on intelligence / skill level. Reason being, the benefits such an approach yields when hiring the right person or promoting the right talent.

But what if, in one of your previous paragraphs, I substitute looks with intelligence (or equivalent)?

"If a person hears from childhood that he/she is not that smart because of his/her intellectual capacity, whereas another guy/girl being adored by others for his/her intelligence, then obviously it can affect the person's self confidence and very unfairly so. Making derisive or any kind of comments on someone's smartness which can hurt that person, rarely happens and is never encouraged; but in informal settings away from a particular person or in general discussion among friends and family, intelligence is discussed. Even that, although apparently harmless, will obviously help in shaping the mindset about perception of intelligence linked to grey matter. However, other than the mindset changing over time, I don't know what else can be done in that matter. We cannot force people to like the not-so-intelligent and we cannot punish them for liking smart people, nor can we stop them from discussing it informally with friends and family."

Does it sound equally bad?

Question was, "are we being fair to all?" Apparently not. Even if for the right reasons. But if that's the case, the rule to "not discriminate" already became arbitrary.

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souro

@souro

Alumni

+ 2

Posted: 10 years ago

#45

If a person is being told that he is stupid all the time or being told that he is not good because another person is more intelligent than him, that will still be wrong.

But I was saying that discrimination is fair and necessary when the job at hand needs it. It can be discrimination based on any criteria, whether looks or intelligence or physical power or something else. However, discrimination based on a criteria that is not important for the job at hand, is unfair.

Edited by souro - 10 years ago