Caste System Fostered and Propped up Groupism in Nepal Corrals People into Small Social Circles Part II

The "brilliance" of the caste system is what Ambedkhar characterized as its inherent "graded inequality."

In Nepal, the gradation can be found not just between the five castes, but also between the ethnic groups, between communities that make up an ethnic group, within communities and therefore between individuals.

And because social status is valued so much, the gradation has determined who you could marry and form a familial alliance with, which in turn dictates who you socialize with the most. Were inter-caste marriage the norm, the caste system would break down.

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When Looks Can…Deceive

Nepalis generally make a lot of assumptions about and are judgmental of fellow Nepalis based on their appearance and/or their name and/or surname, a consequence of our social system, the monstrous caste system.

In this blog post I relay a typical incident of a fellow Nepali making assumptions about who I am and what I do based entirely on my facial features -- my ethnicity.

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Caste System Fostered and Propped up Groupism in Nepal Corrals People into Small Social Circles Part I

In Nepal's brand of groupism, the most important and valuable functional unit is the extended family. That and following the dictates of the caste system means that we live and move within small social bubbles. Who one forms alliances with -- such as marries, works, socializes with etc. -- depends a lot on ones ethnicity and caste. It's as if like we are still tribes living in the hunter-gatherer phase of human evolution!

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When Nepalis Use the Caste System to Make Others Suffer…with an Exception

Outcastes, foreigners, according to the caste system, are supposed to be of lower status than Dalits, and therefore even more "impure." At one time, some category of them were treated as such. But no longer. Nepalis changed their views of, attitude towards, and behaviors with them within a little more than a generation. When will we do the same when it comes to fellow Nepalis and stop discriminating against them so so much more?

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Pointing out structural issues in Nepal, to Khas-aryas, is…”pointing fingers”

When pointing out systemic and structural issues in Nepal, the structurally privileged, the hill so called high caste Hindus either go on the defensive or offensive. One of the offensive tactics they use is to accuse the person of "pointing fingers" at them! I have had that. What would have been welcome, among other things, is them listening to our analysis and evaluations and working with us to establish a more just and equitable society.

Continue ReadingPointing out structural issues in Nepal, to Khas-aryas, is…”pointing fingers”