I'm not saying everything is hunky-dory in India. I'm saying that if someone thinks the fix is "Oh just apply Americanism in this particular aspect" then that someone is naive.
The answer, however naive and simplistic it may seem, is to distribute responsibility equally, for instance by expecting both genders to provide for their families. Respect cannot but follow. This is why giving women access to all kinds of jobs is a key issue.
- are one line long
- provide categorical judgments of absolute negativity
- originate "from above", from an authority figure with a much higher intelligence and much better understanding of the topic
- provide no information or arguments whatsoever
Pretty nice example right there.
1. Ad Hominem, that is, a personal attack.
2. Appeal authority, although in this case he did not even mention a specific authority.
EDIT: The authority is actually named, it's "anthropology".
2. I didn't include enough detail in my post to actually conclude whether my appeal to authority is fallacious, since that entirely depends on in what manner I'm citing the authority. On the other hand, the post I responded to contained implicit appeals to supposed authoritative information ("There is a universal correlation...", emphasis mine) and the subsequent conclusions based on that authority.
If you are unmarried and thus, by most Indian standards, live at home, you will be required to take care of your aging parents exclusively (minus financial matters), which also is often not very pretty.
Sons are expected to take care of their parents in terms of spending money. Daughters are not b/c quite frankly, they do not have exclusive control of any money in this system. Instead they are expected to wait on them -- and the rest of the family -- by cleaning, cooking, etc.
Second, the tradition of the bride's family paying in the U.S. has significantly lessened over the years. More young people pay for their own weddings or share the cost with their parents.
My parents's paid for the bulk of my small wedding (which despite being deliberately small and my hack of avoiding having to pay for the location, was still probably $20k once my dress, the reception, airfare/hotel for my parents and sister, flowers, photos and other assorted pre-wedding meals were dealt with -- weddings are just fucking expensive), and were happy to do it (and were happy they were able to do it), but if they would have been unable to cover the bill, my husband and I -- or his family -- would have stepped in, no questions asked. Like, it wasn't even a concern.
Source: Am Indian.