Indian diaspora that can critique the American society through the lens of race, fails colossally when it comes to the question of caste. Upper castes who migrated here still refuse to see or even acknowledge the immense privilege of caste they carry.
While we can critique Appu’s fake accent, we are unable to see the toxic ways in which caste manifests itself. Or how this inherently enables “chic” acceptable forms of “islamaphobia” and reinforces deeply accepted ideas inequalities.
Why are we unable to look inside and offer scathing critique is our behavior ? How valid is our analysis of race, when we refuse to engage the question of caste, and privilege. Especially when India is ruled by hate speech spewing leaders invested in the project of violence.
Hindutva — or whatever it’s newer more toxic manifestation of hate are — thrives on basis of caste. Which means we need to be able to offer better critiques, that doesn’t justify everything in the name of representation.
Yes I want to see myself represented, but what does that mean ? It doesnt mean just seeing a brown women on screen. What is the function of a brown women who represents the most regressive ideas ?
— Brown washes imperialism and colonial occupation
— glamour washes patriarchy
— Brown washes imperialism and colonial occupation
— glamour washes patriarchy
— culture washes endogamy
Critique of race without caste, reducing diversity to tokenism and refusing to see our ugliness means we reproduce caste, with dollops of wokeness. This makes us unreliable allies and worse, an hinderance to building better societies.
Critique of race without caste, reducing diversity to tokenism and refusing to see our ugliness means we reproduce caste, with dollops of wokeness. This makes us unreliable allies and worse, an hinderance to building better societies.
<we need to do better>
End
End
