Saturday, May 17, 2008

I really don't know what to make of this troubling article

So, I should be studying for cataloging or working on my Happiness Pathfinder for school, but I found myself reading my email instead.

One of the messages I got from the South Asian Sisters listserv gave the link to this article, with the one-word comment, "Disgusting."

"Indian village proud after double "honor killing" was the title of the article that the link took me to... Disgusting indeed.

I am so troubled. Troubled at this horrible deed. Troubled that there is no shame about it, that rather vindication and pride are the emotions felt instead. Yes, the wincing pain of a father who is happy to see his daughter killed to save his "honor," such as it is (or isn't), this I feel deeply. But troubled too, that it is stories like these that make the headlines, that westerners of every stripe will read with relish and shaking of the head, troubled that this is the sort of news that, on some subconscious level is desired from India and from other nations like India. If this type of news doesn't come from that part of the world now and then, how else will the West top up its IV bottle of self-esteem. And then I fall back into being troubled by my own cynical reaction. After all, foremost isn't it what happened to this girl and her boyfriend the thing that matters? The fact that life was taken away with no regard or respect? Never mind where they were. Troubled that we live in a world where have to take in the news only after enshrouding ourselves with layer upon layer of self-protection.