"What is your political orientation" Poll

[glennds]

I'm pretty much exempt from the caste system in India. The caste system is a Hindu construct and I come from a state that has been Catholic for about 500 years, a Portuguese colony at one time. That, plus my status as an expat place me in an exempt category.

The caste system is a complicated story. Very rooted in Indian culture, which itself is very rooted in Hinduistic tradition, even more these days thanks to the brand of populism of the Modi government and the Hindification movement. But caste is also an institution that does an effective job of stifling India and keeping it backward.
Generally speaking in India, the lower you go down the socioeconomic and education ladder, the more caste matters. Which is to say the more ignorant the environment, the more discrimination seems to thrive.

Fantastic answer. Thank you. Very much appreciated.
Mark

Mark, where the caste system is most potent unfortunately, is for the Dalits (untouchables). The other castes are mainly shades of grey differences in a complicated hierarchy that I don't even fully understand. But I know that the Dalits are in a completely separate inferior class by birth, and this inferiority will follow them around in India for life. For the rare one that can overcome obstacles and access higher education or financial success, it helps, but they are still a Dalit and in the company of orthodox hindus or in the villages, it will shackle them with an unfortunate stigma.

When I say I'm exempt, it does not mean in a positive or negative way, just neutral. Most expats will be assumed to be privileged because in order to have emigrated overseas it takes privilege. Except for Dalits that go to places like the Gulf states as contract unskilled workers.

What your earlier comment implied was correct. Technically the caste system was abolished in 1950 after India's independence. But the tradition is deeply embedded in Indian culture so it is alive and well in practice, just less intense in the more sophisticated cities and circles.

So while racial tension is a problem in the US, but India has no business criticizing anyone else because it is one of the most racist countries in the world save for some of the Middle Eastern countries perhaps. Gender discrimination against women too. Skin color is an issue, lighter=better, darker=not so good.
It's a great country in many respects, full of entrepreneurial energy and brilliant talent. But until infrastructure issues and societal issues like these can be resolved, it will be hard for India to truly join the ranks of the first world industrialized countries. If that day comes, it will be a force to be reckoned with.

[Mark Leavy]

Mark, where the caste system is most potent unfortunately, is for the Dalits (untouchables). The other castes are mainly shades of grey differences in a complicated hierarchy that I don't even fully understand. But I know that the Dalits are in a completely separate inferior class by birth, and this inferiority will follow them around in India for life. For the rare one that can overcome obstacles and access higher education or financial success, it helps, but they are still a Dalit and in the company of orthodox hindus or in the villages, it will shackle them with an unfortunate stigma.

When I say I'm exempt, it does not mean in a positive or negative way, just neutral. Most expats will be assumed to be privileged because in order to have emigrated overseas it takes privilege. Except for Dalits that go to places like the Gulf states as contract unskilled workers.

What your earlier comment implied was correct. Technically the caste system was abolished in 1950 after India's independence. But the tradition is deeply embedded in Indian culture so it is alive and well in practice, just less intense in the more sophisticated cities and circles.

So while racial tension is a problem in the US, but India has no business criticizing anyone else because it is one of the most racist countries in the world save for some of the Middle Eastern countries perhaps. Gender discrimination against women too. Skin color is an issue, lighter=better, darker=not so good.
It's a great country in many respects, full of entrepreneurial energy and brilliant talent. But until infrastructure issues and societal issues like these can be resolved, it will be hard for India to truly join the ranks of the first world industrialized countries. If that day comes, it will be a force to be reckoned with.

A lot of wisdom there, glennds. I see the same thing from a different window. Of the five or six serious mentors that I have had in my life, three of them were Brahmin. And we hired Punjabis to do the scut work.

Since then I have worked a lot in the Middle East. Untouchables and Philippines did the scut work there. I watched a tent village burn down when a cooking fire went awry. Oh well. The next truck will bring in replacements...

Thank you so much for your comments. Honesty is a rare commodity.
Mark