why are indians so obsessed with the narrative of credentialism? (asking this as purebred ethnic indian daughter of indian immigrants) also trying to create a taxonomy of indian cultural narratives

i think it's celebrated, time and time again, when a middle aged indian guy finally goes to complete even _more_ postgraduate research, finally, at a designer-brand school, in something like business or cybersecurity or whatever

one of the most culturally ironic and cringe experiences in my life was when my parents dragged me to some high school graduation ceremony of one of my dad's client's son's. this kid was graduating as the valedictorian of a neighboring district, going into an IVY.

they asked his tennis coach, a white boomer, to deliver a speech at the ceremony. it was honestly insulting. he stood there is the most inauthentic manner and near robotically executed a speech congratulating this kid's credentials and number-one-ism, without a hint of passion

and in the most exaggerated, overblown possible way. i believe he knew what he was doing, and so did i. but all the uncles and aunties had no guts to face any possible breach of the accepted narratives/consensus reality, so everyone pretended like it was a completely normal thing

and no one acknowledged the obvious contradiction b/w professed language and body language, tone. pretty fucking awkward and pretty obvious that the tennis coach was about to grab a drink and drive off immediately, was used to being asked to go to these things.