Facebook, Orkut and the Caste System
Posted on January 26, 2010, by Hanna Ingber Win, under India, International, Media.
India’s ancient custom of caste has made its way into the modern world of social media. Here is my GlobalPost article on how caste plays out on Orkut and Facebook.
MUMBAI, India — A man who goes by “hemant” types out a question: “Are you embarrassed that you are from the scheduled castes or scheduled tribes?”
One by one, members of the online community of SC and ST, which compose the lowest castes and groups in India, begin responding:
“Rajni”: “No my dear i never felt ashamed due to my caste.”
“Mr”: “When I was an innocent school-going boy, I feel embarrassed to reveal my caste due to discrimination and my helplessness, later during my college days I started coming out of the closet and was very aggressive to those who criticize me.”
An apparent outsider, “Arun,” responds: “You people cannot compete on your own. You people do not have strength of character, therefore you people are ready to bow your head down and beg. Beggars cannot be choosers. You are low caste because you people compromise on your self respect.”
Continue reading here.
