R(ea)(u)der's Digest ??

So Reader's Digest comes out with their rudeness Index and not surprisingly our biggest Metro, Mumbai, comes first (remember it's rudeness Index). And all hell breaks loose in the blogworld, newspapers and letters to the editors. Anyone who has an avenue to express themselves have decried the digest's methodology, recounted their own tales of helpful mumbaikars and so on.

This is all amusing to me. I am curious to see if other countries will react the same way if they were judged last in such made-to-loose contests/surveys etc. We seem to be afflicted with this disease called Foreigners-have-to-praise-me Syndrome. We also seem to be afflicted with another disease called It's-All-About-Me syndrome.

I, for one, cannot find one reason why we should even bother with RD's survey. I mean it's not going to stop any commercial activity, it's not going to stop any future investment in the country. Why are we so self-centered that it doesn't take much to light our short fuse ? Our nostrils flare and eyes redden in an effort to justify and defend our nation from the foreign onslaught.

I accept India is the rudest place of all to those people who expect doors to be opened for them in establishments.
I accept India is the rudest place of all to those people who expect a thank-you for giving someone business.
I accept India is the rudest place of all to those people who expect others to pick up books/papers that they dropped on the road.

So be it. I don't have to defend our ways. I don't have to find an excuse for our ways. Our ways are our ways and I'm proud of it. If we want to change we will. We have changed before (hell how do u think we've survived for 3000 years) and we will in the future out of our own volition.

But let us stop pandering to these silly surveys and so called notions of rudeness. We can be rude but just let us not lose our humaness. For to be rude is also part of being humane. Will someone rate the cities on humaneness index please?