Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Amendment to last post

I know I told you that I wouldn't dive into politics anymore but what I said in my last post may seem a little ethnocentric on my part and I want to clarify myself a little bit. Hopefully I haven't offended anyone of Indian background or citizenship as that is not my goal.
Yes there are certain classes of people in India but this is also true in America, although there may be far more people belonging to the lower classes in India. Also, I was confusing the term class system with caste system, which is what I really meant to say. The Indian government does surprisingly recognize certain people as members of a lower caste, but to my understanding this is mainly for the purpose of a type of title nine reservation of jobs for people from poor backgrounds. While there are people who have not taken to capitalism as well as others, there are no official laws in India that deter anyone of a lower caste from increasing their individual wealth, as was the practice of the former caste system in India. What I meant by stating that the caste system still exists in India is that the social and socio-political structures in India are still very much enthralled in such a system. This mostly takes place in rural areas where the poor, uneducated masses of India live. Here it is easier for politicians to get away with making poor farmers believe that they need to pay money for certain constitutionally protected rights. I believe that there is also a level of ignorance that exists here that makes it easier to adopt a caste like system.
I hope I haven't offended anybody by saying this. If there are any Indian people reading this who believe my views to be false in any way, please let me know.

2 comments:

  1. Hey Brick,

    I think it is great that you are putting your views out there, especially if Indians are reading them. I have found that making an argument and allowing yourself to be corrected (or told you are correct) by people more familiar with those issues is one of the best ways to learn.

    Enjoy your remaining time there man!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Bryan,
    Do you have a chance to visit with the laborers? It would be interesting to know their hopes and plans for the future. I wonder how the dreams of the young people compare to that of the young people here?
    Love you,
    Grandma G

    ReplyDelete