So part of this reminds me of things people used to say here, "The Irish are all idiots, and they're here to take our jobs". Having (unfortunately) spent a long time in out sourcing I'm well aware of the issues involved in farming out work to countries including India, and the cultural differences within those organisations that aren't always compatible with a more Western approach, however I quite regularly experience incompetence from 'local' hires too :) For out sourcing I think it seems worse, as something has been wholesale handed over to a third party. Third parties are rarely as engaged, be they outsourcers or local contractors in my experience. With outsourcing it just happens on a grander scale, and the cultural differences become more visible at scale.