Live data from Hacker News

An effort to ban caste discrimination in California has touched a nerve

politico.com

321–324 of 324 posts

Re: An effort to ban caste discrimination in California has touched a nerve

#321
post #317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So we can agree that imminent (during the next administration) abolition was not something most confederate politicians considered likely? That's the only thing I had when I wrote the word "believe". > Why then should the South believe any statement made by Lincoln? Because it was politically infeasible to actually abolish slavery in the next 4 years and because Lincoln is still accountable to his northern voters (ov…

> I'm not sure treachery is the right word. You are rejecting the literal words they used to describe the Republican party, which I quoted. Those are by definition the right words for describing their viewpoints because that is what they wrote. You also reject the reasons they wrote to justify secession, because you think it did not make sense. Remember, these are people who believed "the servitude of the African rac…

> You also reject the reasons they wrote to justify secession, because you think it did not make sense

No, I never said that.

> Remember, these are people who believed "the servitude of the African race, as existing in these States, is mutually beneficial to both bond and free

How is this relevant? I never defended slavery or claimed that the southern states did not rebel to protect slavery.

> if you filter the primary documentation through your own interpretations and discard anything that does not make sense to you.

I'm not doing that either.

Did you read the quote you posted?

> "The prohibition of slavery in the Territories, hostility to it everywhere, the equality of the black and white races, disregard of all constitutional guarantees in its favor, were boldly proclaimed by its leaders and applauded by its followers ... We know their treachery; we know the shallow pretenses under which they daily disregard [the Constitution's] plainest obligations

Could you explain how exactly am I misinterpreting it?

If you reading that quote as "we believe that the abolition of slavery is imminent and will happen in the next years" that's a pretty obvious misinterpretation.

Re: An effort to ban caste discrimination in California has touched a nerve

#322

I've seen this firsthand at a multinational bank with Indian co-workers. I discovered this when, out of frustration, I commented to a co-worker that a certain VP and his line managers were being idiotic and wonder why some of the more competent lower managers were not being listened to. That co-worker whispered that it was because of the caste system, which is why he himself never got promotions he deserved. I also s…

[dead]

Re: An effort to ban caste discrimination in California has touched a nerve

#323

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Boston Brahmin" doesn't capture any of the subtleties of caste, nor is it long lasting. The salience of that group lasted at most two centuties, and most Americans wouldn't immediately place someone named Ted Brinley in that group on hearing the name. Exogamy was rampant. The same things are not at all true of a Brahmin.

nor is it long lasting . Good point, there’s no such thing as old money, or legacy admissions, or even good old-fashioned racism in America. We left that in the 20th century!

Race as we know it is a modern invention, approximately four centuries old. It's a toddler compared to caste.

Re: An effort to ban caste discrimination in California has touched a nerve

#324
post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course; but that’s a pretty big leap. It is very unlikely that some non-Indian bigot decides to study up on castes and begin discriminating on their basis. On the other hand, it is a very short leap that someone who is Indian might. Thus, in reality Indians are much more likely to break this law.

1. There are plenty of laws that, in practice, only affect certain groups. There are plenty of laws around reproductive rights and sexual assault that are written in a way that they effectively target only one gender. Certain professions such as doctors and lawyers have regulations around what they can and cannot do because of their professions. Certain taxes effectively target only certain socio-economic classes. 2.…

To be clear, I agree with you. I just disagree with the idea that it doesn't target a specific group / help a specific group. It does. I also don't see anything wrong with that.
Post reply on HN