Casteism in India has been a common problem for a long time. But as the new generation, we promised to bring in some change to every other problem. At times, we unknowingly or knowingly end up doing things as we’ve seen since our childhood. That comes up as our habit, but it actually is very casteist and offensive to the people we do or say things to.
Here’s the list of some very casteist things we do/ we see:
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1. Not calling out people who discriminate between castes
We often dodge people we know, like friends and family, while they discriminate. But in order to revolutionise we need to call them out too.
2. Discriminating between you and your domestic help
Giving them different utensils to eat, different bottles to drink water from, asking them to sit down while you’ll sit on the bed or sofa. This is clearly casteism and you better simmer it down, since if you have a child, they are learning this from you.
3. Taking pride in your own caste
Often we take pride when we belong from a high caste, we start boating about that certain fact. Forgetting it’s very wrong to make other people look down upon.
The ones who were defending Jadeja & Raina taking pride in their caste (used for oppression) have an objection to a state (Punjab) celebrating its contribution to the national team.
Also, they won’t speak a word against the hounding of a Dalit female hockey player’s family.
— Jas Oberoi | ਜੱਸ ਓਬਰੌਏ (@iJasOberoi) August 5, 2021
4. Telling someone they don’t look like their caste
We all have a stereotypical typical of castes in our heads. Like brahmins should be the person to do puja, etc. Telling people they don’t look like them, even if you mean that as a joke, could hurt sentiments.
5. Saying you don’t see caste
It’s a good thing to be open-minded and not to discriminate. You may have never faced casteism because you belong to the upper caste, but people from lower communities are constantly reminded about their caste.
I don’t live in North India. And I have studied at an IIM. Faced caste discrimination there as well. Caste is practised in all spaces. You’re just not aware about it because you don’t see it happening in front of you or because it is not done to you.
— Sophie (@astrazenitha) August 5, 2021
Also “educated people don’t see caste” or “I never see caste” are both wrong! These are privileged statements that only an upper caste person can make — because caste doesn’t affect you!
Oh, also look up the Cisco California case.
— Sibin (@sibinmohan) July 29, 2021
6. Why to bring caste into this?
There are many assault cases in which the caste was part of the reason for the incident. It happens to the lower caste people since they are the targeted ones.
7. Asking people about their caste
Kya karoge janke? It is not necessary to ask people their caste even if you work, study or share a room together. This move is absolutely terrible and very much illegal. Cause this is how casteism and differentiation start in most places.
8. Using words like cha**r, bha**i etc as slurs is a big no
You can use the name of whole communities as slurs to refer to people you see beneath you. But using slurs could show that you are kind of ashamed of calling them who they are.
9. Being defensive against the reservation category
Yes, it is frustrating sometimes to see a student who scores 70% get into college whereas you who score 90% still didn’t make it, because of the reservation category. But do not forget, when it comes to social pressure, you are far more privileged than them.
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Why should I pay for the crimes which my ancestors have done ?
— Pranav K (@Pranav_Kass) July 30, 2021
10. Asking about them being well-dressed
Just because they belong to a lower caste doesn’t mean they are not financially stable. Stop being dumb, ya.
Babasaheb Ambedkar as a Lawyer in Bombay High Court. wikimedia
11. Being stereotypical and having an imaginary image of them in your head
Thinking all Dalits to have a moustache is dumb. Because they have been attacked and even murdered when they tried to grow a moustache.
12. Taking up Dalit spaces to talk about Dalit issues when you aren’t a Dalit
Is casteist, doesn’t matter how liberal you try to be. That’s right Swara Bhaskar, you can’t do that, no matter how progressive your filmography is.
swara bhaskar came to jamia and spoke instead of muslim and student leaders, she came to jantar mantar today and spoke instead of dalit women. stop placing celebrities at the front of social justice movements!!!! pass the mic, it’s not your space to occupy right now.
— 🛋️🪴 (@hibiscusflwrs) October 2, 2020
Can somebody ask Swara Bhaskar to pass the mic?
You’re doing the same thing to #DalitLivesMatter what your industry counterparts did to #BLM. I get your itch for activism sis but we savarnas need to amplify and not hijack their reach.— बिल्ली 💙 (@meowist_life) October 3, 2020
13. Making films to spread “awareness”
Those kinda films do nothing but fill up brains with the fact that they belong to get treated like that since they’ve been getting treated in the same way for years now.
I don’t think movies like Article 15 or Madam CM empower Dalits. Keeping the all-UC cast aside, the movies are clearly made from an UC gaze with casteist stereotypes being enforced or the UC saviour rescuing us. Makes you feel misrepresentation is just as bad as no representation
— Sankul Sonawane (@Sankul333) January 22, 2021
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14. Hosting debates
You might be jobless, you might have a lot of leisure time, but all of us don’t. We might make up time for debates that make sense but not for debates like, “should we have a reservation category?” Stop it, dude.
15. Saying nonsense like ‘manual scavenging is spiritual’
What is this behaviour?
In his book, Karmayogi, PM Narendra Modi talks of manual scavenging as a “spiritual experience”. I urge him to ask a manual scavenger if s/he feels even remotely spiritual while cleaning other people’s excreta. #StopKillingUs https://t.co/v33WlVspXh
— Bezwada Wilson (@BezwadaWilson) February 25, 2019
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