Culture shock: US basketball star visits India

[Stewie]

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/08/11/nba-star-durant-apologizes-for-india-comments.html

Pro basketball superstar Kevin Durant tweeted an apology Friday after making comments critical of India during an interview with sports website the Athletic.


Durant, a member of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, traveled to India recently, where he apparently experienced some culture shock.

“It’s a country that’s 20 years behind in terms of knowledge and experience,” the website quotes Durant as saying.

Durant also described the conditions in the area near India's famed Taj Mahal monument.

He said he was expecting “holy ground, super protected, very, very clean.” But instead, he saw “(m)ud in the middle of the street.”

In addition, “houses were not finished but there were people living in them. No doors. No windows ... stray dogs and then, boom, Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world.”


The area around India's famed Taj Mahal did not meet the expectations of NBA player Kevin Durant, he said in an interview. (Jim Richardson)

 

[big_gamer007]

It's a shock for most foreigners when they visit India first time.. A couple days ago I went to dinner with my team here in UK and our manager was telling us how scared she was when she first came to India and saw people driving wrong side on a fricking highway and pedestrians crossing roads like Rambos..

 

[Stewie]

It's a shock for most foreigners when they visit India first time.. A couple days ago I went to dinner with my team here in UK and our manager was telling us how scared she was when she first came to India and saw people driving wrong side on a fricking highway and pedestrians crossing roads like Rambos..

That's hilarious!

 

[pakistani pride]

Uhmmm maybe he can visits some places in the USA first. They are as bad if not worse.

 

[Stewie]

Uhmmm maybe he can visits some places in the USA first. They are as bad if not worse.

In his defense he was probably thinking the area around one of the wonders of the world would be majestic and clean and well developed and then he saw dirt and mud and all that so he was taken aback.

Compare that with some of the big monuments in the US, the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge, the monuments in DC, Mount Rushmore, etc are all maintained well by the authorities so maybe he was expecting tak mahal to be some nice clean place in a nice clean neighborhood with people walking around in majestic robes and stuff and not nangey bachey begging and cows walking the streets dumping gobar all over the place...

 

[Slog]

In his defense he was probably thinking the area around one of the wonders of the world would be majestic and clean and well developed and then he saw dirt and mud and all that so he was taken aback.

Compare that with some of the big monuments in the US, the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge, the monuments in DC, Mount Rushmore, etc are all maintained well by the authorities so maybe he was expecting tak mahal to be some nice clean place in a nice clean neighborhood with people walking around in majestic robes and stuff and not nangey bachey begging and cows walking the streets dumping gobar all over the place...

Though on would think that the areas around Taj Mahal - a monument India has used so much for its promotion and a monument which I assume is a good revenue source in tourism - would atleast be in tip-top condition

 

[CricketCartoons]

Never heard of this player, but can anyone share his twitter handle or facebook page?

 

[Slog]

Never heard of this player, but can anyone share his twitter handle or facebook page?

Didn't you live in US for a few years?

This is like staying in India not having heard of Dravid or Dhoni

 

[CricketCartoons]

Didn't you live in US for a few years?

This is like staying in India not having heard of Dravid or Dhoni

I have heard of michael jordan, no one else. not very aware when it comes to popular culture. In fact I get to know of some famous people after their condolence thread on PP.

 

[King-Misbah]

Though on would think that the areas around Taj Mahal - a monument India has used so much for its promotion and a monument which I assume is a good revenue source in tourism - would atleast be in tip-top condition

I think even the Taj Mahal is over rated. A lot of people who go there say the same.

 

[Major]

I think even the Taj Mahal is over rated. A lot of people who go there say the same.

You crazy bro?

When discussing taj mahel always remember the year it was built in. Little technology but yet such a magnificent structure was build.

The structure is an evidence of how with minimum technology society was able to buiod structures with absolute measurements

 

[CricketCartoons]

I think even the Taj Mahal is over rated. A lot of people who go there say the same.

True. My father in law is over seeing some work on the taj mahal and asked me if I would like to see it from special vantage points, but I am not interested in watching this mediocre monument even though it is hardly 2 hours drive away.

 

[Rafa]

Why are these Western Celebrities so shocked when they visit India? Isn't it a common knowledge that India is far from being a developed Nation.

 

[big_gamer007]

That's hilarious!

That's just one of the many examples about the cultural shock westerners get..

 

[big_gamer007]

Why are these Western Celebrities so shocked when they visit India? Isn't it a common knowledge that India is far from being a developed Nation.

Knowing and seeing something first hand is completely different, I know Africa is hot and Civil war is going on in most countries but if I visit them and see that first hand it would still shock me.. similarly I know Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan etc are facing terrorism everyday but if I visit those places and see a terrorist myself it would shock me..

 

[big_gamer007]

I think even the Taj Mahal is over rated. A lot of people who go there say the same.

Monuments are all overrated IMO but people actually admire the beauty of them.. I can't seem to find the beauty in them I visited Stonehenge a few weeks ago and found it pretty useless and waste of money..

 

[Snak3eye5]

No offense to the subcontinent but yes The obvious truth is if you're a foreigner then yes you won't see a place that's cleaner than the Us or Europe. Singapore being one of the exceptions that is actually clean. Heck I'm turned off that in the subcontinent you can just pee and defecate on the streets. You can spit where ever. It's an absolute turn off when you see this in the subcontinent. Makes you want to vomit. The chaos on the roads is another issue as well where there is no rules and regulations being folllowed.

 

[troodon]

Went by Rajghat, Redfort in Delhi before. Just 2mins away from that place, it as dirty, shabby and unbelievable pollution.

I am yet to come across a place in India which can be said to have US standards in terms of cleanliness.

 

[cricketjoshila]

In his defense he was probably thinking the area around one of the wonders of the world would be majestic and clean and well developed and then he saw dirt and mud and all that so he was taken aback.

Compare that with some of the big monuments in the US, the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge, the monuments in DC, Mount Rushmore, etc are all maintained well by the authorities so maybe he was expecting tak mahal to be some nice clean place in a nice clean neighborhood with people walking around in majestic robes and stuff and not nangey bachey begging and cows walking the streets dumping gobar all over the place...

Taj is in the old city of Agra.Nothing can be done unless you are going to oust people from their decades old homes.

 

[JaDed]

He has the right to have an opinion,many desis have negative opinion about Venice sayingits overrated and Taj Mahal too could be for many.

Will Smith had a different opinion when he visited Taj Mahal,and described it in different terms.

 

[PakLFC]

No need to apologise at all for speaking his mind. He should have known that India is a third world and over populated country before visiting.

 

[Specialisttailender]

Shocked to see this come from someone who ate once a day and moved around every year because his family was being evicted for not paying rent.

 

[Bewal Express]

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/08/11/nba-star-durant-apologizes-for-india-comments.html

Pro basketball superstar Kevin Durant tweeted an apology Friday after making comments critical of India during an interview with sports website the Athletic.


Durant, a member of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, traveled to India recently, where he apparently experienced some culture shock.

“It’s a country that’s 20 years behind in terms of knowledge and experience,” the website quotes Durant as saying.

Durant also described the conditions in the area near India's famed Taj Mahal monument.

He said he was expecting “holy ground, super protected, very, very clean.” But instead, he saw “(m)ud in the middle of the street.”

In addition, “houses were not finished but there were people living in them. No doors. No windows ... stray dogs and then, boom, Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world.”


The area around India's famed Taj Mahal did not meet the expectations of NBA player Kevin Durant, he said in an interview. (Jim Richardson)

It may have looked like mud but it wasnt mud that he saw in the middle of the street.

 

[troodon]

It may have looked like mud but it wasnt mud that he saw in the middle of the street.

If it's not mud, it may be cow dung.

 

[Stewie]

Of course it was dung.