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A Sense Of Proportion

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by satchitananda, Jan 7, 2019.

  1. satchitananda

    satchitananda IL Hall of Fame

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    The lady worked as a domestic help. She is alleged to have stolen two pieces of clothing from a house. A hue and cry is being raised in the forum about this. Questions have been raised about security - why are the maids not searched while leaving the complex? A written letter has been obtained from her, admitting to her 'crime' and put up on the forum. She has been barred from coming to the complex again.

    One would have thought people have got their revenge. No. Demands are being made to put up her photo with name on an app which residents of the complex use to hire maids. I shudder to think of the public humiliation she is being put through. She stole. She has been punished. Is that not enough? Probably they want to make an example of her. They want to protect themselves from employees with sticky fingers. But can one really do that?

    Day in and day out we are being robbed by politicians, government, bureaucrats, business people ...... the list is endless. How many of them are subjected to this kind of vengeance? You throw out one party (even they have their supporters) and bring in another. After 5 years you throw out party 2 and bring back party 1. Then why not let one individual who has allegedly stolen a couple of items of clothing go?
     
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  2. sindmani

    sindmani Platinum IL'ite

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    True. Since they rich and in high position people forget the issues and move on. But when poor people steal a piece of bread from a shop out of hunger then they are beaten up when caught. We don't realise if their basic necessities are met then they won't steal again.
    In this case the maid requires a counselling regarding not to take things again . But humiliation will lead her to depression. Hope some one helps her out and encourage her to be a better person . May be the maid is having kleptomania , a tendency to steal unwanted things .
     
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  3. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    It's the revenge of the middle class. They cannot fight the powers that make their lives frustrating so they exert their indignation on the weak and helpless. Like the man who gets chewed out by his boss at work and goes home to make his wife miserable. It's the way of the world isn't it? Victimizing the ones that can't fight back; a way to make emasculated egos feel less impotent. Makes me think of a quote by Anatole France,

    In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal loaves of bread.

    The rich commit crimes and pay a fine. The poor can't afford the fines so they pay with their freedom and go to prison. And we call it justice!
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2019
  4. satchitananda

    satchitananda IL Hall of Fame

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    Hey sindmani, so good to see your response. True, only those who wear the shoe know where it bites. I would like to say that the position of the working class has changed considerably in India today. It is not so dire as it was, say 15 years ago. Today they have most of the basic requirements, some comforts too. However, when they still live in shanty towns under unhygienic conditions, their lives are ruled by goons of political parties who terrorize them and when they see people living in luxurious apartments, they aspire to have a fraction of what they have.

    As for trying to educate them in trying to optimize their living conditions, they refuse to change. We can't do much as they almost seem to inhabit a different planet. It is hard to make them to change their ways - refusal to save, live well within their means, sincerity towards work, hygiene etc. The problems are too complex - social, cultural, economic. It will take decades to change anything.

    However, while they need to be taught not to steal (yes, it could be kleptomania, it could be genuine need, it could be greed .....) and that can be taught only through consequences such as loss of job, such large scale humiliation might not serve the purpose. It might even make things worse, especially if the allegations are not true. One might have reasonable suspicions but unless there is 100% proof, nobody can be accused. A 'confession' can be obtained under duress. So it really means nothing.
     
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  5. satchitananda

    satchitananda IL Hall of Fame

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    That's really very well put. Nails it. If only people would concentrate and direct this anger against the political brigands of this world, maybe the world might be a better place to live in.
     
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  6. GeetaKashyap

    GeetaKashyap IL Hall of Fame

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    In a way, it is fair as many householder's go to offices or stay preoccupied with routines and a maid is supposed to be a paid helper. When she steals, it is a breach of trust.

    It is wrong to assume that all the maids are poor and helpless. Of late, they are reasonably well paid and taken care of in most households. Since their work doesn't call for any paperwork or written agreements they stop working whenever it suits them, take unscheduled leave and if thrown out of job, they ensure that the other maids from the locality do not take up your work and so on. Most complaints against them are regarding the misuse of householder's trust, forced increases in salaries, unsecured loans and non-cooperation at the crucial moments.

    Any employee caught pilfering from their offices are seriously punished, aren't they?

    This is an excess and illegal action from the residents of the complex. Humiliation to this level was uncalled for.

    Just 2 days back, actress Mousumi Chatterji's (trusted) maid was caught by police for stealing actress's bangles worth 1 lakh and according to the maid, she thought nobody would notice a small theft! Most of us have noticed missing cutlery, some small change, watches etc but we choose to keep quiet for want of evidence and our sense of fairness(!) but how often is it appreciated by the maids?

    It is a matter of hierarchy; we are powerless somewhere and powerful at some other places.

    While dealing with those in power, we are powerless but that doesn't mean we shouldn't act even when we can to protect ourselves or our properties.

    A fair and judicious approach should be used by all.
     
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  7. satchitananda

    satchitananda IL Hall of Fame

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    Totally agree with all your points regarding the benefits and treatment they enjoy these days. I was only trying to highlight the extent to which the people are trying to humiliate the lady which you agree is excessive. Like I said in my response to Sindmani, they have basic needs satisfied, reasonable comforts, but unfortunately they do not know how to economize, save and blow up on unnecessary luxuries, drinks etc. Obviously, wants only keep increasing. However, they are impossible to truly 'educate' and hence there is nothing beyond this that one can do to help them out. They are a law to themselves.

    As for punishing for theft, there is no PROOF. No CCTV footage, nothing. On what basis is the person being humiliated to this extent? In those high rise apartments, clothes put out for drying can fly out, kids throw their toys out of balconies ..... many get returned, but do all? Automatic assumption - maid stole.

    Everyone is innocent unless PROVEN guilty. As for misdemeanours, it is sufficient to throw them out of your job, but such public humiliation and baying for their blood is totally unnecessary.
     
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  8. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    Three years back, my sister lost her diamond ear studs and two diamond nose rings while she was in the bath room taking oil bath. Before taking bath she normally kept the ear rings and nose studs in a small steel dubba and used to keep it inside the rice drum. She used to keep her thali chain also in another dubba nad kept in the same place.Normally she used to wear everything after 3 P. M. only.This has been well noticed by the servant maid. She came, swept the floor,cleaned the vessels. She phoned to her husband by cell, and handed over the diamond items to him and kept the thali chain untouched purposely.My sister's husbnad, 90 , was sitting on the sofa half asleep.The maid's husband had made enquiries about his health etc even while having the jewel in his pocket.
    The maid waited for my sister to come out.She was talking to my sister for half an hour. My sister found out only at 3P. m. that the jewels were missing.
    Next day she asked the servant maid.She made sathyam by keeping her fingers on the burning camphor. The servant never accepted.She was sent out. But no police complaint was lodged, since police may know the loneliness of the elderly couple and they may themselves send some culprits.A police officer well known to us himself advised not to lodge any complaint which may land us into greater difficulties.The same maid works in other flats in the same apartment.
    jayasala 42
     
  9. satchitananda

    satchitananda IL Hall of Fame

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    This reminds me of a lady who worked for me a while ago. She was very curious about my jewels (mostly artificial except my kutti jhimkis). I had a suspicion that she was pilfering things though I had no proof of the matter. She burnt my dupatta while ironing it and threw it out without telling me (even though I never scold them for breaking or burning stuff ..... it could have happened even if I was doing it). The other lady who works for me noticed her doing it and brought the dupatta back. I just showed the dupatta to the first one without any comments. Then I asked her why she had to be so sly. She could have told me. She had also burnt BH's shirts and hidden them in various corners of the cupboard. Still I left it at that. Eventually she took leave (one of the countless times) and that is when I found my earrings missing. I still suspect she took them, but to this date I cannot say for sure she did. I replaced her with another person because of the infinite number of AWOLs. She also worked for a relative of mine. I just kept quiet until they asked me. But ensuring no one employs her would have been an extreme.
     
  10. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    The other day, a friend of mine was lamenting in the club that we all lacked a sense of propotion. Then he pointed his finger at me and said that for the size of tummy I had, I would be well propotioned if I were 12 feet tall! He further added that we were all fortunate that in drawing the Vitruvian man, Leonardo da Vinci took into account only the extremities of the human body. As he gulped his sixth glass of beer, he loosesned his waist belt a bit and lamented why beer had a tendency to attach itself only to the tummy.
    PS: Sorry for the digression on the sense of proportion!
     
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