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Most of the guys I went to engineering school with were Indians (Brahmins), and they'd frequently mention how the jobs here paid more, but they still wanted to

Most of the guys I went to engineering school with were Indians (Brahmins), and they'd frequently mention how the jobs here paid more, but they still wanted to go back to India because they'd have to treat their servants "differently" here. I just assumed it was a payroll issue. Perhaps I assumed wrongly.

phire 9y ago
It varies from area to area and case by case, ranging from servants who live in nearby shanty towns who are payed "technically livable wages"; To live-in servants who are paid what we would consider unfair wages, but compensated in food and board. Even among the live-in servants there will be huge ranges in the fairness (or in this case, existence) of the wages they get, the amount of respect they are given, the quality of the food/board, the amount of free time they get, and the amount of rights they are allowed to express.
praneshp 9y ago
Did you usually ask your Indian clasmates' caste? Or did they volunteer that information themselves?
- yardie 9y ago
  If you're familiar with Indian culture you can kind of tell the caste from the surname.
  - 13of40 9y ago
    Don't know how contemporary this advice is, but this seems to be the guidance: http://www.hindubooks.org/scriptures/manusmriti/ch2/ch2_31_40.html http://www.hindubooks.org/scriptures/manusmriti/ch2/ch2_31_4...
    - praneshp 9y ago
      In many parts of India, in most cases, Mr Foo Bar's kid will be called Baz Foo. So as people start calling their kids more modern names not derived from Sanskrit, the text you linked starts getting outdated.
  - praneshp 9y ago
    I'm a little bit familiar with Indian culture; I think it's not that easy to tell the caste from the surname. It's probably easier to figure out if someone is Brahmin I guess.
  - nirav72 9y ago
    Not really. Sure you can most likely tell a Brahmin by their surname. But anything below that in the caste hierarchy and hard to tell. For example in Gujarat, many lower caste people have last names that are same as Rajputs. They changed their names to avoid discrimination.
    - yardie 9y ago
      Oh definitely agree their. I've met a quite a few Indians (I assume some were Brahmin) in university. They all shared the same surnames like Chakrabati, Mithra, Gupta, etc. Yet, none of them were even remotely related. I was told the names were derived from castes. In the west we still have nobel names like "de la", von, etc. as indicators that this person is of royal decent.
- frandroid 9y ago
  Many Brahmins I know can't help themselves but tell others about it, unlike people from other castes.
  - praneshp 9y ago
    Ha ha, you must know enough people from both sets ;) I've found that vegetarian-ism is a stronger indicator than someone telling me they are Brahmin. Or, if they are somewhat practicing, their sacred thread is sometimes visible.
    - frandroid 9y ago
      Do only Brahmins wear a thread?
- jstewartmobile 9y ago
  Whenever we'd talk girls, if I suggested someone who wasn't a Brahmin, first they'd look at me as if I were asking them to date livestock, then they'd tell me they only date Brahmin girls.
kamaal 9y ago
There is a saying : “To the privileged, equality feels like oppression.” If you already belong to a community in a geo-location which holds and controls entry to key places in every walk of life. It makes zero sense to migrate to a different place and stand in the queue like a plebeian.
- jstewartmobile 9y ago
  That's a good one. Is there a source, or is it just a folk saying?
  - Chris2048 9y ago
    It's not great, as it's often abused as a soundbite to defend any unreasonable accusation of privilege.
saiya-jin 9y ago
A soon-to-be-married couple of Brahmins I met few years ago in India while backpacking seemed very nice. Very modern and educated. Till the point of discussing life of small kids from lowest caste (Dalits) - it felt natural and correct to them that 5-6 years old would work in a fireworks factory. "You know, they bring a bit of money home". I was speechless for a while, not wanting to start yelling on them. Maybe I should have had. I am pretty sure they wouldn't enjoy THEIR 5-6 year old kid working every day with possibility of losing fingers/dying. And of course forget school, and any good future whatsoever. Damn, it still makes me angry! Bear in mind that most Indians you can meet in the west are Brahmins, common folks wouldn't be able to afford schools good enough to get out. Caste system is fading and it will die eventually, one of great evils of mankind and in fact a form of slavery for lower castes.

phire 9y ago

It varies from area to area and case by case, ranging from servants who live in nearby shanty towns who are payed "technically livable wages"; To live-in servants who are paid what we would consider unfair wages, but compensated in food and board. Even among the live-in servants there will be huge ranges in the fairness (or in this case, existence) of the wages they get, the amount of respect they are given, the quality of the food/board, the amount of free time they get, and the amount of rights they are allowed to express.

praneshp 9y ago

Did you usually ask your Indian clasmates' caste? Or did they volunteer that information themselves?

yardie 9y ago
If you're familiar with Indian culture you can kind of tell the caste from the surname.
- 13of40 9y ago
  Don't know how contemporary this advice is, but this seems to be the guidance: http://www.hindubooks.org/scriptures/manusmriti/ch2/ch2_31_40.html http://www.hindubooks.org/scriptures/manusmriti/ch2/ch2_31_4...
  - praneshp 9y ago
    In many parts of India, in most cases, Mr Foo Bar's kid will be called Baz Foo. So as people start calling their kids more modern names not derived from Sanskrit, the text you linked starts getting outdated.
- praneshp 9y ago
  I'm a little bit familiar with Indian culture; I think it's not that easy to tell the caste from the surname. It's probably easier to figure out if someone is Brahmin I guess.
- nirav72 9y ago
  Not really. Sure you can most likely tell a Brahmin by their surname. But anything below that in the caste hierarchy and hard to tell. For example in Gujarat, many lower caste people have last names that are same as Rajputs. They changed their names to avoid discrimination.
  - yardie 9y ago
    Oh definitely agree their. I've met a quite a few Indians (I assume some were Brahmin) in university. They all shared the same surnames like Chakrabati, Mithra, Gupta, etc. Yet, none of them were even remotely related. I was told the names were derived from castes. In the west we still have nobel names like "de la", von, etc. as indicators that this person is of royal decent.
frandroid 9y ago
Many Brahmins I know can't help themselves but tell others about it, unlike people from other castes.
- praneshp 9y ago
  Ha ha, you must know enough people from both sets ;) I've found that vegetarian-ism is a stronger indicator than someone telling me they are Brahmin. Or, if they are somewhat practicing, their sacred thread is sometimes visible.
  - frandroid 9y ago
    Do only Brahmins wear a thread?
jstewartmobile 9y ago
Whenever we'd talk girls, if I suggested someone who wasn't a Brahmin, first they'd look at me as if I were asking them to date livestock, then they'd tell me they only date Brahmin girls.

kamaal 9y ago

There is a saying : “To the privileged, equality feels like oppression.” If you already belong to a community in a geo-location which holds and controls entry to key places in every walk of life. It makes zero sense to migrate to a different place and stand in the queue like a plebeian.

jstewartmobile 9y ago
That's a good one. Is there a source, or is it just a folk saying?
- Chris2048 9y ago
  It's not great, as it's often abused as a soundbite to defend any unreasonable accusation of privilege.

saiya-jin 9y ago

A soon-to-be-married couple of Brahmins I met few years ago in India while backpacking seemed very nice. Very modern and educated. Till the point of discussing life of small kids from lowest caste (Dalits) - it felt natural and correct to them that 5-6 years old would work in a fireworks factory. "You know, they bring a bit of money home". I was speechless for a while, not wanting to start yelling on them. Maybe I should have had. I am pretty sure they wouldn't enjoy THEIR 5-6 year old kid working every day with possibility of losing fingers/dying. And of course forget school, and any good future whatsoever. Damn, it still makes me angry! Bear in mind that most Indians you can meet in the west are Brahmins, common folks wouldn't be able to afford schools good enough to get out. Caste system is fading and it will die eventually, one of great evils of mankind and in fact a form of slavery for lower castes.