The friction of caste is killing people. Societal inequality is killing people. The act of moving about and navigating spaces with those whom society has trained us to believe are inherently different from us is killing people, and not just the targets. Studies are showing that prejudice itself can be deadly.
Would you be willing to stand out from the crowd and stand up for what you believe is right or would you be afraid and follow the flock even though you know it’s wrong? Are you willing to sacrifice your ideals to conform to the majority? Is this why the lynchings, massacres and tortures took place .. because people felt threatened and for an easier life they just conformed to the norm? Why aren’t we just seen as being equal .. Why does it matter about where our families originated from, why does it matter what we look like .. we are all human beings .. we all have a part to play in society .. why did these people have to suffer .. and still suffer today.
Researchers now lost to history have sought to understand the infrastructure of our divisions - racial hierarchies. It takes a singular depth of commitment to understand the caste system in the hope of defeating it. It becomes a challenge as we seek to understand that our lives depend on developing this understanding. We can categorise ourselves but…Knowing the cultural, sociological and political meaning of caste, and how the category you are assigned to fits into a racialised - that is to say hierarchical - social structure, is just as important, if not more so!
We thought we would share some news that caught our attention, were thought provoking and funnily enough had us discussing.
Can you believe that the Americans thought it was just as important to keep people in their place as to win the war! If you are a success and you become a hero surely that should be celebrated and rewarded whatever colour you are? Why do people feel threatened by others' success? So if you are born into a lower caste, if you show innovation and creativity, you are then seen as a threat and becoming above your station and need to be put back in your place!
When is it right to share with your children about what could be seen as “adult” or very sensitive topics. Why do people make assumptions so quickly and can often appear reluctant to change their minds? Why do people of the dominant caste believe they are entitled .. can step in and assert themselves wherever they choose. Surely people have the right to go about their business without being accused of doing wrong when they are perfectly innocent. How would you feel living in a world of blame just because of your colour? The truth is we do!
Do you know where the term scapegoat came from? Why were people used as scapegoats for other people’s failures … Surely this is not right or fair? Why were the assumptions made by the law abiding officers so wrong that they made the people’s lives hell. The caste system allows for the guilty to shift the blame, making our societies less safe . However, a Caste system gives us false comfort, it makes us feel the world is in order, that we automatically should know the good guys from the bad guys! But do we?
Today we will discuss the pillars that uphold a belief system. It did not matter that they were based on misperceptions or distortions of convenience, as long as people accepted them and gained a sense of order and a means to justify the cruelties to which they had grown accustomed and inequalities that they took to be the laws of nature. Do listen to what the 8 pillars represent!
They were complicit in their silence as they kept quiet or celebrated evils on humankind? The case of brown eyes vs blue eyes, did it teach us anything? Do you think prejudice or hate can be unlearned? Why was there a threat to the dominant group? Could that really happen?
Who would you think is the instigator of caste or race? Who do you think led the way when it came to the horrific segregation of people? Would you say the concentration camps were worse than what was happening with black enslaved Africans in America?
Who is Miss? Who or what is Jim Crow? The Edmund Pettus Bridge, named after a Klu Klux Klan member has a place in his-story…But do you know what happened on that bridge? Where did the term Caucasian come from? And why are we still talking about race in 2021 despite so many civil right movements?
Who do you think leads you in the appropriate direction? Have your ancestors made you who you are today? Are none of us ourselves? Why are Europeans called white … can they not be called by where they come from .. Polish, Czech, Finish .. Irish? Who has the right to torture someone because of their skin colour .. surely that is simply unforgivable?
What Caste would you be? Would you really want to categorise yourself .. dominant or subordinate, black, white… surely not .. you are you. Is colour… the way to categorise people? Does classifying and elevating one group of people above another sound right to you? What do Germany, India and the US have in common?
What does caste mean to you? If you look up this word in the dictionary it means (cast) something that is fixed set to repair broken bones or the cast of a play, everyone having a role and knowing their place. My understanding of caste is very much based on people knowing their place or the hierarchy that underpins this. What does race mean when we’ve heard it for so long? Can caste replace the term race? Do we need a new language to talk about race?
From the Liberian women’s sex strike paving the way for peace to the Icelandic “Women’s Day Off” demanding economic equality…to the global impact of the #MeToo movement, history has taught us that change can happen through collective activism. Change, however, isn’t just about big headline moments, legal victories and international agreements: the way we talk, think, and act every day can create a ripple effect that benefits everyone…
We thought we would share some news updates that caught our eye, were thought provoking and funnily enough had us discussing…
Women are better at fighting cancer, but why? With a few exceptions, women are clinically treated just like we treat men! Why?…It turns out that not discriminating between the genetic sexes can be dangerous! The specialty that deals with the way the human body handles drugs is called pharmacokinetics. People working in this field have long known that there are significant differences between the sexes. However, there is a cost to women when they do not get the drugs right!
Why do females survive better? It was believed that the reason behind the demise of men was behavioural. Survival for women and babies as we have shared from our first podcast…starts right back at birth. To truly understand the reasons behind why women outlast men Dr Sharon believes we should look back… so let’s discuss
How do women conquer the challenges of life better than men? How have men been short changed? Which sex is likely to suffer a developmental disability? Are men naturally more aggressive and violent than women? Why do women see the world in a wider variety of colours?
From birth, genetic females are better at fighting viruses, infections and cancer. They do better at surviving epidemics and famines. They live longer, These are the facts; women are simply stronger than men at every stage of life. Why? And why are we taught the opposite?