I have been writing about the caste system in India which is still very present in the society. Yesterday I already gave one example how politicians further support the awareness of castes because it serves their own purpose.
Officially they claim to be working against any discrimination due to castes and you are by law not allowed to call people by their caste name. There are some measures which are taken with the intention of ensuring that people of lower casts have a good chance in life. One of these is to have a certain quota of government jobs and university seats reserved for people from lower casts.
On one hand I believe that they want to make effort to help people from lower casts but what actually happens is that the gaps between the castes become even bigger! When there are more qualified applicants from higher castes and those who apply from lower castes, the government will still give jobs to the lower caste applicants if they need them to fulfill their quota. It doesn’t matter how unqualified the lower caste applicant or how qualified the upper caste applicant is, if they need to fill up their jobs or seats for their quota, they will and the lower caste applicant will get the job.
I do not think this is the right idea to help destroy the caste system. On the contrary, if the parameter of measuring who should get a job is your caste, it immediately just makes a separation in between people of different castes. Additionally belonging to a high caste does not mean that you are rich! It has nothing to do with your financial status. So why not give the chance to study to those who cannot afford it on their own? A rich person from a lower caste could very well be able afford to pay for his studies but poor people from any caste have difficulties and have to struggle for it! Why not, if you anyway want to hold seats, make scholarships for those who really need it? If you can find out their caste, you can surely find out their financial status! Lend your shoulder to those who cannot walk on their own!
Again I feel that politicians in general are not really the well-wishers of the population. They think of their next election, who will vote for them and thus can even deepen this separation and bad feelings in between castes simply to have better chances for winning.
Related posts
Caste Discrimination in India’s Schools – Equality in ours! – 17 Jul 12
3 Groups of People who want to keep the Caste System and their Reasons – 20 Jun 12
5 Ideas how to get rid of the inhuman Caste System in India – 19 Jun 12
Daily Hypocrisy among Followers of the Caste System – 18 Jun 12
Legal Version of Honour Killing – Making your Children Outcasts – 22 Nov 11
Honour Killings due to Caste, Religion, Culture and Society – 21 Nov 11
Honour Killing due to Castes – Attempt to control Love – 18 Nov 11
No Respect for lower Castes in Hinduism? Become a Buddhist! – 3 Oct 11
Westerners supporting Caste System by pretending to be Hindus – 20 Sep 11
the same thing has happened in the US with minorities there. I think in the beginning it was good thing because it helped push people into a mode of acceptance, but now that the level of acceptance is high it seems like special treatment to anyone only further distances groups of people.