Assignment 4- Bhoomi Shah

This is a very personal topic for me as I have grown up in a semi-conservative household. My parents are originally from India, and for the majority of their lifetimes they grew up in rural middle-class homes. This had a significant impact on their thinking. Indians are already one of the most discriminatory groups of people in the world (for example the caste system) but democratic ideals have been penetrating the country for the last 50-80 years or so. The only issue is, tradition is hard to break and not everybody is opened minded to the thought of independent women or gay rights as you would hope. Especially in the more outlandish parts of the country where western ideas and technology are not that affluent, non-conformity earns you relentless backlash. I honestly don't know my parents' opinions on these controversial topics. Every time I have tried to discuss with them where their beliefs lie, I've been told to never talk to anybody about those things because they don't affect me. But to me they do. They help me develop myself as an individual and become a more proactive citizen. There's never been a specific time when I've decided to change the way I think and be more inclusive and open-minded. It sort of just happened as I grew older. Nothing ignited a passion in me to speak what I thought to be the truth. I simply felt that I no longer wanted to hide my opinions. My mom was thankfully was very receptive of my reformed beliefs, even if she didn't agree with it. I no longer thought religion was as important as my parents made it out to be, I had no issues with a girl not wanting to marry or wanting to marry someone out of her caste. I supported gay rights and I was pro-choice. Everything my parents told me not to think about, I did, not out of spite, but as a result of growing up.