The hierarchy of caste is about power
I have been reading the excellent book Caste by Isabel Wilkerson.
Isabel presents a nuanced reframe of racism and class…suggesting that “the hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power – which groups have it and which groups do not.”
To watch the rise of racism and white supremacy across the globe has brought me, and many others, pause. And I, as a white female, can never understand fully the experience of being a person of colour.
But as I write millions of ethic Uighur’s in China are being persecuted, perhaps sterilised, and many more millions of people live in refugee camps trying to escape war, terror and religious intolerance. Humans can and do treat each other monstrously.
Like any systemic issue, racism and caste is complex, reaching back deep into the history of humanity. There is no quick fix. No simple conversation.
As a white female I can speak of my experience of caste and power. This is a subject that unites many of us, except for those perhaps who have been born in the upper echelon, but even still, it lives there….status, how much you are worth, the size of the houses…it goes on and on.
Humanity has done very well in erecting artificial hierarchies of power. ‘White trash/red necks/the unclean/uneducated…these are real experiences. And if the ladder of hierarchy has 10 rungs and you are at rung 2 (1 is the bottom of the heap) and you suddenly find that rung 1 is gaining advantage on you, you might get pissed and act out badly towards those on rung 1. Caste lives at all levels and pervades gender, religion, ethnicity, education, size, age…
Until we break down the entire system that says anyone has superiority over another, until we bust our artificial rungs of power, until we choose as an advanced civilisation to give all people and earths creatures respect, dignity and access to education, health care, child and elder care, housing…we are playing the game of better than, or not worth anything, or only worth something if ‘I’ profit.
I want a day where I see another human and notice the colour of their skin, the way they dress, as a passing observation no greater than the colour of someone’s eyes, or their height.
Photo taken November 23rd 2020
