Of standards and other assorted rants
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
I’ve lost all respect for the Desipundit website now. Ever since its Chief, Vulturo made remarks like ‘not Madrasi chicks – ewww’, I have made up my mind not to patronise the site he’s incharge of anymore. I do know that there are loads of others on the panel of the website but if this is the way the chief speaks, what about all the Indians then? Being a Madrasi chick myself, I feel like I should make a stand. Not that one person staying away is going to put any serious dent to the popularity of their massive fan base but what the heck, I do not trust them or anything they say anymore. He prattled something about how he isn’t a racist as Madrasis or not a race per se and that is so inane, I do not want to elaborate on it.
It was at that moment of time that I was so proud to be a Desicritic – maybe we are not half so well known as the Pundits but hey, there’s no way Aaman Lamba would ever be caught dead uttering such words. Not too sure Dee would have let him breathe, even if he had! So I am real glad with my lot.
While I am at it, I might as well go all out and admit that I find their nominations for couple of categories for the Indibloggers award real suss. I mean, who’s on the panel? At least three of the jury are directly or indirectly connected to the site. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
(Okay, okay when I have gone off something, I make no bones about it, I admit!)
Posted by DesiGirl 6:13 pm
Labels: desicritics, desipundit, indibloggers, vulturo
I saw red and told him to stop with the racist jokes and he looked chagrined.
He showed me four sites with Madrasi Chicken and told me its as well known as Chicken25.
Talk about a racist chicken recipe, I haven't heard of a Punju chicken or Gujju chicken;)
Secondly, DC has its own share of troubles - half the topics on the site are constantly over-run by SIF loonies. While some of the pieces are good, its difficult to read anything worthwhile in the commentary. Plus I have seen DC giving space to these for their colums too. So, does that mean DC endorses their rabid views ?
The moderation policy is simple- No Personal Attack; apart from that all kind of fur flying is allowed.
Also anyone can be a writer on DC provided they can write and their posts are not libelous.
That is the beauty of DC that it allows everyone to have an opinion but they do have to defend it on the open boards.
Today DC is seen as an official News Source and for a young online magazine it is a proud achievement thanks to our writers.
Rest is, of course, your viewpoint and you are most welcome to it:)
(DG, Apologies but I couldnt resist :)
Yeah I've heard of the Madrasi chicken too - dunno where that comes from. Chicken Madras is one thing, Madrasi chicken is something else entirely, isn't it? And poor Aaman!
Apu,
You woman! Never respond to emails and then you post two messages here back to back. Proof that u check my blog with regularity eh? Ok, getting back to what you said about DC and DP, I don't understand your point with the type of sites the two are - aggregator and content based have nothing to do with the point I'm trying to make. I am moaning about the person who's supposed to be in-charge of a site being the sort of char. For the record, Vulturo writes for DC as well! It is not the links and endorsements on a site that I am talking about - it is about the people running the site and their outlandish views.
MM,
Too right, girl. We have to be the most racist bunch of people the world has ever seen. Every time we face something here, I keep thinking 'well, no diff really - I'd be treated like the same sack of shit back home as well - no change there really!' Isn't that pathetic?!
To draw an admittedly tenous analogy, did all Indians automatically espouse Hindu right-wing politics when AB Vajpayee was elected our PM through a democratic process?
While DP's leader may have made ostensibly racist remarks on a public forum, it does not in any way detract from the purpose DP serves in itself. Why put DP down for the views of one of its team members?
I am sure there are bigots of some form of the other in any large team (including DesiCritics). Does that very fact vilify the group per se?
Perhaps I did not understand your point.
IMO, Aaman has done a great job with DC and I can understand how difficult it must be to maintain order with so many writers.
Supremus, the "best of the Indian blogosphere" is our opinion. You are free to disagree. We would die a natural death if a majority of readers thought otherwise and stopped visiting us.
Contrast this to now a days, when almost (not all) the posts can be classified amongst not more than 10 writers in Indian blogosphere - surely there are more writers out there,aren't there? If you are saying that DP is totally depended on user tip-offs, then you dont' really need a bloated list of 20 contributors hehe :-).
All I am saying is, Desipundit no longer showcases the best of Indian Blogosphere in general - and that is of course my opinion :-). As said, I still think Desipundit is a tad better than desicritics. I only wish you start linking again hehehe :D
S
The other option as we saw in October was killing off DP which wasn't taken too well either. Damn it! what do you people want? :)
Shivam, You guys are doing a fine job.
But anyway, respect your opinion but would hate to lose a reader just because a contributor said something on his blog.
Vulturo is not just a contributor, is he? He is the owner of DP now, which is why I am so shocked. Anyways, one reader staying away is not gonna make a diff to your site now, is it? :)
DC might not have the spiffy layout like DP and we might still be a fledgeling site but we are slowly learning and growing. As an Editor, I know how many discussions we have regarding the various issues that arise on an everyday practice. I recently got my wrists slapped for calling someone a twit!! (and rightly so, Dee!)
Vulturo is not just a contributor, is he? He is the owner of DP now.
Nope. I'm the owner (always have been).
And trust me, I've always loved what DC is doing. Aaman knows that. I'm also a part of DC network. Just time and priorities have made me a stranger there.
DG - totally agree with you re DC & DP. DC is still finding its own space, and while I may disagree with a LOT of posts out there, I do find it to be much more open to divergent opinions, and also less "coteried" (if that's not a real word, I create it now!)
Oh right! Sorry about that mistake then. I thought he was at the helm of DP now since you've got major work (ish?) commitments.
TBS:
Yeah DC rocks eh? ha ha! We know we have miles to go yet but we are enjoying the journey getting there.
Interesting point! Maybe I should ask the Boss that!! :)
Best Designed Blog:
Desipundit
Best Directory/ Clique/Service :
Desipundit
HA bloody HA!