The Caste System: A Colonial Curse
A Historical Background of Caste
Hinduism, one of the oldest and largest religions in the world, is deeply ingrained in Indian culture and society. One of the most significant aspects of Hinduism is what is referred to in the Western world as "the caste system," which has been a part of Indian society for centuries. According to modern academic interpretation, the caste system is a hierarchical social order that divides people into four primary castes, each with its privileges and duties. However, the caste system as we know it today is not the same as it was in India and Hinduism before the colonial invasion. Even the word "caste" is a Portuguese word that does not have an equivalent word in Indian languages. The caste system was manipulated and co-opted by the colonial powers in India, who used it to divide and subjugate the Indian people.
Before the White Man colonized India, the varna and jati concepts in Hinduism symbolized a system of occupational and social organization. Varna was originally based on a person's occupation and abilities and was not hereditary. It was believed that every person had the right to choose their occupation and that their natural talents and skills determined this. On the other hand, Jati refers to a person's birth group or community, primarily determined by their geographical location and family lineage. There are four varnas and many hundreds of jatis. Even if certain jatis have become associated with a particular varna, it does not change that the original intent, as written in sacred Hindu scriptures, was never to create a system that linked the two inextricably.
The Portuguese, the French, and the British used the caste system to divide and subjugate the Indian people. They implemented a "caste system" based on birth and locked people into specific castes for life. The British also created a hierarchy within the castes, with the Brahmins, traditionally the priestly caste, being placed at the top. The British used the caste system to create in-fighting and conflict between castes, weakening the Indian people's unity and ability to resist British rule.
The British "divide and rule" policy was an insidious tactic that pitted different castes against each other. They promoted the idea that people from different castes were inherently different, and some were better than others. They also created a narrative that the British were superior to the Indian people, including their culture and traditions. This narrative was used to justify British rule and to maintain their power and control over India. The British also used the caste system to perpetuate their own power and privilege. They created policies and laws that favored the upper castes, including the Brahmins while discriminating against the lower castes. The British also used the caste system to justify exploiting Indian resources and labor. They argued that the lower castes were destined to perform menial and low-paying jobs, allowing the British to exploit them for their benefit.
The caste system still prevails in India, despite efforts to eliminate it, even though many notable advances in modern society minimize the influence of caste in bigger cities. Discrimination against people from lower castes continues to be a pervasive problem in rural Indian society. The same illegitimate concept of caste continues to be used by Western companies in India to propagate the importance of fair skin to this day. One of the most visible examples of this discrimination is the promotion of fair skin in Indian advertising. The ideal of fair skin is deeply ingrained in Indian culture, and people with fair skin are often treated better than those with darker skin. This discrimination is a legacy of the British "divide and rule" policy, which promoted the idea that people from different castes were inherently different.
Caste in the United States?
There is no evidence to suggest that the caste system exists in the United States. While there may be certain discriminatory practices in the US, such as racism, sexism, and classism, these cannot be equated with the caste system. These forms of discrimination are based on factors such as race, gender, and socioeconomic status, which are different from the caste system. Despite this lack of a caste problem in the United States, people hungry for power and recognition, like famous activist and socialist Kshama Sawant of Seattle, have joined forces with anti-Indian, and anti-Hindu religious groups. Together, they are weaponizing the poorly planned and minimal survey conducted by Equality Labs. They insist that the biased results of the minuscule survey of around a thousand people speak authoritatively on behalf of close to 1.7 billion South Asian people.
Let us recognize that despite the absence of a formal caste system in the United States, the country still grapples with issues of discrimination, which can be seen in various forms. Some of the ways in which this discrimination manifests itself in the country include:
The wealth gap between different socio-economic groups can create a system of privilege and disadvantage that can be difficult to overcome. This means that people from lower socio-economic backgrounds often face barriers to accessing resources and opportunities that those from wealthier backgrounds take for granted.
Discrimination and prejudice exist in various forms, such as police brutality towards people of color or workplace discrimination against women and members of the LGBTQ+ community. These systemic issues can create a cycle of oppression and marginalization that is difficult to break.
However, despite these challenges, there are ongoing efforts to address these issues and promote equality and opportunity for all. For example:
Social justice movements have emerged in recent years, such as the Black Lives Matter movement, which seeks to address police brutality and systemic racism toward people of color.
Many workplaces and organizations have implemented diversity and inclusion initiatives to create a more equitable and inclusive environment for all employees.Policies that promote equality and opportunity for all have been implemented, such as affirmative action programs, which seek to level the playing field for people from marginalized communities.
Enforcing existing human rights legislation is crucial in ensuring equality and justice for all people in the United States. Fortunately, the US has extensive human rights legislation prohibiting discrimination based on race, gender, religion, and other factors. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, for example, prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, while the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination based on disability. However, adding a new category based on the caste system, which is not present in the US, would not help address discrimination and may only create confusion and controversy, making it easier for those uneducated in the cultural intricacies of South Asian cultures to put all Hindus into an inherently negative light, regardless of their caste, or the lack of real caste-based problems.
