
Gandhi Is Deeply Revered, but His Attitudes on Race and Sex Are Under Scrutiny - happy-go-lucky
https://www.npr.org/2019/10/02/766083651/gandhi-is-deeply-revered-but-his-attitudes-on-race-and-sex-are-under-scrutiny
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rapsey
This recent trend of taking down past figures because they do not meet current
criteria for acceptable behavior in society is disturbing. It's like people
are trying to erase lessons from the past.

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mruniverse
We laude past figures with our current criteria for acceptable behavior. Why
not criticize?

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rapsey
Because we laud them for their undeniable achievements.

Criticizing with current criteria of acceptable behavior is just an ad
hominem.

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CathedralBorrow
I think it's quite healthy to be able to discuss say, a person's legacy, from
different angles rather than restrict discussion to only the good parts.

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mruniverse
Christopher Hitchen's reporting on Mother Teresa comes to mind.

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rishav_sharan
Fairly rubbish article. It didn't go in depth about any such allegations. Yes,
Gandhi in his earlier years would have been a racist by today's standards. And
he did evolve as his views on humanity evolved.

This is a far better article on his "racism"
[https://m.telegraphindia.com/opinion/how-gandhi-shed-his-
rac...](https://m.telegraphindia.com/opinion/how-gandhi-shed-his-racist-
robe/cid/1679529)

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bansheehash
If anyone is looking to understand more about the Gandhi phenomenon, I
recently read (and highly recommend) Arundhati Roy's meticulously referenced
introduction to "Annihilation of Caste". She does a terrific job of
identifying the motivations of Gandhi and his supporters

[https://www.amazon.com/Annihilation-Caste-Annotated-B-R-
Ambe...](https://www.amazon.com/Annihilation-Caste-Annotated-B-R-
Ambedkar/dp/1784783528)

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growlist
Kind of amusing that Gandhi was attacked from the establishment, imperialist
side by Churchill, and is now under attack from the opposite side. Poor Gandhi
can't win.

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quetzthecoatl
somehow i feel it's the same side. The "establishment" uses whatever is the
trendy means. He is a human, not a saint. It's good that people point out
stupid things he believed in/did/said - it only humanizes Gandhi.

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amundsentb
Can we not be allowed to have heroes without someone mentioning that they go
to the toilet the same as us?

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growlist
I notice this also. I wonder whether it's part of the general policy that
seems to be prevalent of keeping the public in an ongoing state of confusion.

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puranjay
I don't know enough about Gandhi's views on race to comment here, but his
views on sex have to be seen in the context of the Indian society at that
time.

This historical revisionism is so absurd. It expects people to be isolated
from their social context.

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emmelaich
Worth reading:

The Gandhi Nobody Knows

[https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/the-gandhi-
nobod...](https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/the-gandhi-nobody-
knows/)

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ricc
I highly recommend Joseph Lelyveld's book[0] to anyone interested in reading a
generally unbiased biography of Gandhi.

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Soul:_Mahatma_Gandhi_and...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Soul:_Mahatma_Gandhi_and_His_Struggle_with_India)

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ptah
I would actually hold him up as an example of how to move from being racist to
becoming a fighter against racism.

either way his development of non-violent resistance is still invaluable

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jamil7
Revolutionaries are ordinary human beings with real character flaws and
struggles. A lot of them have been people looking for redemtion or with
nothing left to lose.

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holstvoogd
As with many historical figures, I feel we need to separate the person from
their legacy & achievements more. Yes Gandhi was a dick, but the fight for a
free India and the end of the caste system seems a good cause to me.

That doesn't mean it was 'all worth it' or 'ok, beacuse...'; it means the
person and the effects they had on the world are not the same thing. A
terrible person can do good & a good person can commit heinous acts.

The other way around the ridiculousness is more obvious: The nazis fixed the
German economy and saved the country from collapse; so the whole genocide and
war thing are no longer relevant?

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pnako
#CancelGandhi

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valarauko
Nathuram Godse likes this.

