3 ms·

Here is the real reason http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2325502/Map-shows-worlds-racist-countries-answers-surprise-you.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/n

by known 10y ago

Here is the real reason http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2325502/Map-shows-worlds-racist-countries-answers-surprise-you.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2325502/Map-shows-wo...

jccalhoun 10y ago
how does racism explain why people in India won't help other Indians? I know Indian has a wide diversity of languages and religions but even at the very least I would expect people from the same group to help but that doesn't seem to be the case here.
- tunap 10y ago
  India's Caste System is very rigid, apparently. I asked an Indian friend in college to explain it to me before the interwebz. After the rage she showered upon me for asking I never followed up. Perhaps I will now... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_India https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_India
  - shripadk 10y ago
    Caste system is not the same as Racism. However, it has nothing to do with accidents. When you see a person involved in an accident in India you won't be able to make out his/her caste by looking at them (unlike race where the racial features are apparent).
    - tunap 10y ago
      Thanks for the info, I assumed apparel and appearance were distinguishable between the groups. I will follow up on my unanswered inquiry for my edification.
      - shripadk 10y ago
        I can help you get a fair idea of the prevalent caste system: 1. You can get all knowledge about the caste system from the interwebs. Especially read up on "Manu Smriti" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manu_Smriti https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manu_Smriti). The caste system that was practiced centuries ago does not exist today. So whatever you read on the interwebs take it with a grain of salt. A lot has changed for the better. 2. Caste doesn't come into picture in day-to-day life (unlike race where you might be harassed for the race you belong to as there is no escaping your racial features). 3. Caste plays a major role in marriages. Inter-caste marriages are discouraged by a section of the society. This is more prevalent in northern parts of India in comparison to the south. 4. Education/Government jobs have a quota system for lower castes. This has become a reason for hatred between the upper and lower castes because it doesn't encourage meritocracy. 5. In some really orthodox parts of Indian society (which is very small) segregation exists where lower castes are not allowed for example to take water from the same well as the rest of the village. 6. Violence on lower castes still exists in some villages. However I can happily say that I have hardly come across any casteism myself. Maybe that is because I live in urban India.
    - aianus 10y ago
      How does the caste system survive if you can't tell what caste someone is by looking at them? Is it on your ID card? Can you tell via their accent? Is there anything stopping someone from moving to a different city and pretending to be a different (better?) caste?
      - shripadk 10y ago
        No you can't tell by looking at their ID card or their accent unless the surname of that person clearly indicates the caste. > Is it on your ID card? EDIT: The only place where you ever need to fill your caste is in your application for ID card or while applying for an University. However, your caste is not printed on the ID card though you are provided a certificate for it (that you need to provide in case you want to avail any government benefits). You can see an example of Voter ID card here: http://3.imimg.com/data3/RA/DI/MY-513699/pvc-electrol-photo-identity-cards-epic-500x500.jpg http://3.imimg.com/data3/RA/DI/MY-513699/pvc-electrol-photo-... This is an example of Aadhar Card (similar to SSN in the US): http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2yVnN-Mji48/VK6hZ6KAWAI/AAAAAAAAG-M/fGktImJyuRc/s1600/aadhaar-card.jpg http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2yVnN-Mji48/VK6hZ6KAWAI/AAAAAAAAG-... > Is there anything stopping someone from moving to a different city and pretending to be a different (better?) caste? That won't work. The issue is that no one wants to "leave" their caste. There is no better or worse caste these days. It was the case centuries ago where the Brahmin caste was considered superior to the rest (when Kshtariya Kings ruled India). That is no longer the case. In the ancient times, education was only restricted to upper castes. These days we have quotas (almost 50%) in education/jobs sector for lower castes. The only place where caste has a major impact is in marriages and politics. If you love a person from a different caste and your in-laws are against your caste you'll have a tough time dealing with that situation. Unless your in-laws are total whackos (see news reports on honor killings) you should be able to convince them. Those who can't convince elope and get married. When it comes to politics casteism is rampant. If you belong to a particular caste and your caste does not have enough representation in that constituency you are standing from you are bound to lose (irrespective of whether you are a good candidate or not). Each caste votes as a group and only vote for their own candidate. The reason for that is all castes in India want a slice of the pie. Some castes want higher quota in education while others want quota in private sector etc. If you hear stories about how bad the caste system is in India take it with a pinch of salt. Most of it is politicking. There are however a few real cases of caste based violence that mostly go unreported by the mainstream media as the people involved in that violence do not have political patronage. If you hear someone saying that they want the caste system to be abolished what they really mean is the modern caste system (of which I gave examples of) rather than the traditional caste system (that which existed centuries ago and of which you find a lot of articles/writings on the interwebs).
shripadk 10y ago
Huh? What rubbish! It has nothing to do with race. In India we do have a caste system but even with that you won't be able to look at an injured person and get to know his/her caste.
- curun1r 10y ago
  Being able to know someone's caste has nothing to do with it. It's the willingness to see someone else as an "other" rather than part of your own group that allows you to dehumanize them. The caste system teaches people to become desensitized to the suffering of those around them, which is a precondition for the behavior described in the article.
  - shripadk 10y ago
    Nonsense. Is this something you learned from reading articles online? The caste system doesn't teach people to become desensitized to suffering around them. Quote me the scripture which supposedly "teaches" you such nonsense. The only one that is directly associated with caste system is Manu Smriti and even that scripture does not say any such thing. If you know anything about Indian history you'll know that caste system by itself was not the problem. It was the misuse of that system by upper castes. The modern day caste system is way different to the ancient caste system that was practiced in the 11th-12th century.
  - shripadk 10y ago
    If the caste system teaches people to become desensitized to the suffering of those around them why do the same people go en-masse to rescue the so called "others" when a natural tragedy or terror strike takes place in India? Do they suddenly forget the "teachings" of the so called "caste system"? Or are they conveniently becoming desensitized when only a person/family meets with an accident? Don't you see how ridiculous your statement sounds now?
    - curun1r 10y ago
      Your continued defense of the caste system is entirely missing the point. This isn't and Indian thing, it's a human thing. It's a prerequisite for allowing suffering to take place without feeling the need to help and owes to our tribal nature. Look at any genocide or mass murder in human history and you'll find the targeted group was an "other" that those perpetrating the slaughter were made to feel was fundamentally different from them. Or look at it in reverse...have you ever traveled to a far off place and met someone who was from, say, your home state/province? Back at home, you'd feel very little connection with them since the live in a different city from you and you're surrounded by people in your city whom you feel closer to. But meet that same person half-way around the world and suddenly you feel closer to them. They're now more part of your tribe than those around you. We're tribal animals, by nature, and our capacity to help and tolerate the suffering of those we consider to be in our tribe is significantly different from those outside our tribe. If aliens invaded, you'd see almost all racism and human conflict disappear almost overnight. We'd become a human tribe struggling against an alien "other". But absent that, we'll continue to subconsciously divide ourselves along tribal boundaries. In your rabid defense of India from what you perceive is an attack on one of its customs, you're perceiving me to be an "other" to the Indian tribe. This is well established human psychology. My point was that the caste system is divisive, by it's very nature and purpose. According to our understanding of the human capacity for experiencing the suffering of others, anything that divides us in any capacity can only increase the kind of unfeeling behavior described in the article. And you need look no farther than India to see the exact opposite type of force. How many devout Buddhists would stand by idly as someone in a car crash lay dying? The Buddha realized (warning: ridiculous oversimplification approaching) that our sense of self is an illusion and we're all one...there is no "other." When viewed through that lens, what is the hassle of being dragged into and administrative mess or needing to pay for hospital care when compared to the suffering of a dying person? A Buddhist would jump in to help without even the slightest regard for the consequences that would result.

by known 10y ago

Here is the real reason http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2325502/Map-shows-worlds-racist-countries-answers-surprise-you.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2325502/Map-shows-wo...

jccalhoun 10y ago

how does racism explain why people in India won't help other Indians? I know Indian has a wide diversity of languages and religions but even at the very least I would expect people from the same group to help but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

tunap 10y ago
India's Caste System is very rigid, apparently. I asked an Indian friend in college to explain it to me before the interwebz. After the rage she showered upon me for asking I never followed up. Perhaps I will now... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_India https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_India
- shripadk 10y ago
  Caste system is not the same as Racism. However, it has nothing to do with accidents. When you see a person involved in an accident in India you won't be able to make out his/her caste by looking at them (unlike race where the racial features are apparent).
  - tunap 10y ago
    Thanks for the info, I assumed apparel and appearance were distinguishable between the groups. I will follow up on my unanswered inquiry for my edification.
    - shripadk 10y ago
      I can help you get a fair idea of the prevalent caste system: 1. You can get all knowledge about the caste system from the interwebs. Especially read up on "Manu Smriti" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manu_Smriti https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manu_Smriti). The caste system that was practiced centuries ago does not exist today. So whatever you read on the interwebs take it with a grain of salt. A lot has changed for the better. 2. Caste doesn't come into picture in day-to-day life (unlike race where you might be harassed for the race you belong to as there is no escaping your racial features). 3. Caste plays a major role in marriages. Inter-caste marriages are discouraged by a section of the society. This is more prevalent in northern parts of India in comparison to the south. 4. Education/Government jobs have a quota system for lower castes. This has become a reason for hatred between the upper and lower castes because it doesn't encourage meritocracy. 5. In some really orthodox parts of Indian society (which is very small) segregation exists where lower castes are not allowed for example to take water from the same well as the rest of the village. 6. Violence on lower castes still exists in some villages. However I can happily say that I have hardly come across any casteism myself. Maybe that is because I live in urban India.
  - aianus 10y ago
    How does the caste system survive if you can't tell what caste someone is by looking at them? Is it on your ID card? Can you tell via their accent? Is there anything stopping someone from moving to a different city and pretending to be a different (better?) caste?
    - shripadk 10y ago
      No you can't tell by looking at their ID card or their accent unless the surname of that person clearly indicates the caste. > Is it on your ID card? EDIT: The only place where you ever need to fill your caste is in your application for ID card or while applying for an University. However, your caste is not printed on the ID card though you are provided a certificate for it (that you need to provide in case you want to avail any government benefits). You can see an example of Voter ID card here: http://3.imimg.com/data3/RA/DI/MY-513699/pvc-electrol-photo-identity-cards-epic-500x500.jpg http://3.imimg.com/data3/RA/DI/MY-513699/pvc-electrol-photo-... This is an example of Aadhar Card (similar to SSN in the US): http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2yVnN-Mji48/VK6hZ6KAWAI/AAAAAAAAG-M/fGktImJyuRc/s1600/aadhaar-card.jpg http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2yVnN-Mji48/VK6hZ6KAWAI/AAAAAAAAG-... > Is there anything stopping someone from moving to a different city and pretending to be a different (better?) caste? That won't work. The issue is that no one wants to "leave" their caste. There is no better or worse caste these days. It was the case centuries ago where the Brahmin caste was considered superior to the rest (when Kshtariya Kings ruled India). That is no longer the case. In the ancient times, education was only restricted to upper castes. These days we have quotas (almost 50%) in education/jobs sector for lower castes. The only place where caste has a major impact is in marriages and politics. If you love a person from a different caste and your in-laws are against your caste you'll have a tough time dealing with that situation. Unless your in-laws are total whackos (see news reports on honor killings) you should be able to convince them. Those who can't convince elope and get married. When it comes to politics casteism is rampant. If you belong to a particular caste and your caste does not have enough representation in that constituency you are standing from you are bound to lose (irrespective of whether you are a good candidate or not). Each caste votes as a group and only vote for their own candidate. The reason for that is all castes in India want a slice of the pie. Some castes want higher quota in education while others want quota in private sector etc. If you hear stories about how bad the caste system is in India take it with a pinch of salt. Most of it is politicking. There are however a few real cases of caste based violence that mostly go unreported by the mainstream media as the people involved in that violence do not have political patronage. If you hear someone saying that they want the caste system to be abolished what they really mean is the modern caste system (of which I gave examples of) rather than the traditional caste system (that which existed centuries ago and of which you find a lot of articles/writings on the interwebs).

shripadk 10y ago

Huh? What rubbish! It has nothing to do with race. In India we do have a caste system but even with that you won't be able to look at an injured person and get to know his/her caste.

curun1r 10y ago
Being able to know someone's caste has nothing to do with it. It's the willingness to see someone else as an "other" rather than part of your own group that allows you to dehumanize them. The caste system teaches people to become desensitized to the suffering of those around them, which is a precondition for the behavior described in the article.
- shripadk 10y ago
  Nonsense. Is this something you learned from reading articles online? The caste system doesn't teach people to become desensitized to suffering around them. Quote me the scripture which supposedly "teaches" you such nonsense. The only one that is directly associated with caste system is Manu Smriti and even that scripture does not say any such thing. If you know anything about Indian history you'll know that caste system by itself was not the problem. It was the misuse of that system by upper castes. The modern day caste system is way different to the ancient caste system that was practiced in the 11th-12th century.
- shripadk 10y ago
  If the caste system teaches people to become desensitized to the suffering of those around them why do the same people go en-masse to rescue the so called "others" when a natural tragedy or terror strike takes place in India? Do they suddenly forget the "teachings" of the so called "caste system"? Or are they conveniently becoming desensitized when only a person/family meets with an accident? Don't you see how ridiculous your statement sounds now?
  - curun1r 10y ago
    Your continued defense of the caste system is entirely missing the point. This isn't and Indian thing, it's a human thing. It's a prerequisite for allowing suffering to take place without feeling the need to help and owes to our tribal nature. Look at any genocide or mass murder in human history and you'll find the targeted group was an "other" that those perpetrating the slaughter were made to feel was fundamentally different from them. Or look at it in reverse...have you ever traveled to a far off place and met someone who was from, say, your home state/province? Back at home, you'd feel very little connection with them since the live in a different city from you and you're surrounded by people in your city whom you feel closer to. But meet that same person half-way around the world and suddenly you feel closer to them. They're now more part of your tribe than those around you. We're tribal animals, by nature, and our capacity to help and tolerate the suffering of those we consider to be in our tribe is significantly different from those outside our tribe. If aliens invaded, you'd see almost all racism and human conflict disappear almost overnight. We'd become a human tribe struggling against an alien "other". But absent that, we'll continue to subconsciously divide ourselves along tribal boundaries. In your rabid defense of India from what you perceive is an attack on one of its customs, you're perceiving me to be an "other" to the Indian tribe. This is well established human psychology. My point was that the caste system is divisive, by it's very nature and purpose. According to our understanding of the human capacity for experiencing the suffering of others, anything that divides us in any capacity can only increase the kind of unfeeling behavior described in the article. And you need look no farther than India to see the exact opposite type of force. How many devout Buddhists would stand by idly as someone in a car crash lay dying? The Buddha realized (warning: ridiculous oversimplification approaching) that our sense of self is an illusion and we're all one...there is no "other." When viewed through that lens, what is the hassle of being dragged into and administrative mess or needing to pay for hospital care when compared to the suffering of a dying person? A Buddhist would jump in to help without even the slightest regard for the consequences that would result.