14 Demandas Comun

14 Frequently Asked Questions

Demanda Des: Como sur castes e nontocablia?

Question Ten: What about caste and untouchability?

R: Castes es la divide erital de sosia barati fundida sur ocupa. La clase la plu basa, regardada como nontocables, sufri de discrimina e maltrata. En Barat, lo es nonlegal cuando on discrimina, maltrata o insulta cualcun sur la funda de sua caste.

A: Caste is the hereditary division of Indian society based on occupation. The lowest class, deemed untouchables, suffer from discrimination and mistreatment. It is illegal in India to discriminate against, abuse or insult anyone on the basis of caste.

Responde plu longa: Caste, de la parola portuges casta cual sinifia “clan” o “linia de familia,” refere a du sistemes de sosia indu. La prima es varnas, la divide de sosia a cuatro grupos: laborores, comersiores, legores / enforsores de lege, e pretes. La du es djatis (jati), miles de sindicatos ocupal de cual la membros de los segue un mesma profesa. La membros de djati sposi usual a en sua propre djati e segue tradisiones pertinente a sua djati. A urbes los entra comun otra ocupas, ma ancora organiza sposis a en la djati.

Longer answer: Caste, from the Portuguese casta, meaning “clan” or “lineage,” refers to two systems within Hindu society. The first is varna, the division of society into four groups: workers, business people, lawmakers/law enforcers and priests. The second is jati, the thousands of occupational guilds whose members follow a single profession. Jati members usually marry within their own jati and follow traditions associated with their jati. In urban areas they often enter other occupations, but still usually arrange marriages within the jati.

Ricia, spesial a urbes, vinse comun la sistem de caste. La industri e educa ia altera multe la sistem de djati de Barat par elimina o cambia la profesas sur cual lo ia es orijinal fundida, e par abri posibles nova de emplea. La djatis evolui oji a funsiona min como sindicatos e plu como clanes grande de familias relatada. A la fondo on trova persones conoseda como nontocables. ci fa la laboras la plu susia e ia sufri multe como la persones negra de America, ci ia es librida de sclavia sola a 138 anios ante aora. Leges forte ia es asetada en Barat per fini discrimina de caste. Indus moderna deplora justa la maltrata de caste e labora per fa cosas en bon modo. Multe como en la SUA, lo es un taxe difisil cual va ocupa desenios, spesial a la viletas.

Wealth, especially in urban areas, often trumps caste. Industrialization and education have greatly altered India’s jati system by eliminating or changing the professions upon which it was originally based, and opening new employment options. The jatis are evolving to function today less like guilds and more like large clans of related families. At the bottom are the so-called untouchables, who perform the dirtiest jobs and have suffered much like the black people of America, who were freed from slavery just 138 years ago. Strong laws have been passed in India to end caste-based discrimination. Modern Hindus rightly deplore caste abuse and are working to set matters right. Just as in the US, it is a difficult task that will take decades, especially in the villages.

Esplica detaliosa: Castes es, sin duta, la basto la plu grande con cual indus es bateda. Lo es enseniada a scolas Ueste como la atribui defininte o fali grave de induisme. Nontocablia como un sistem formal xoca persones Ueste. Un de respondes cual nos pote fa es la separa de du cosas: la strati sosial e la problem de discrimina de raza o clase.

Elaboration: Caste is, no doubt, the biggest stick that Hindus get beaten with. It is taught as the defining attribute, or fatal flaw, of Hinduism in Western schools. Untouchability as a formal system shocks Westerners. One response we can make is to separate social stratification from the issue of racial/class discrimination.

Problem prima: strati sosial. Barat es un de la sosias la plu vea de la mundo. Lo ia susta un continua de cultur e relijio tra miles de anios. Europa, a la otra lado, ia vide milenios de cambion. An tal, on debe revade mera a ante la revolui industrial de sentenio 17 e trova un sistem sosial cual ia es simil a castes. A acel tempo, sosia european ia es composada de la elite con imobila (incluinte familias reial, un caste erital cual on manteni asta oji), mercatores, artisanes e campanianes. La artisanes ia crea sindicatos, organizas de profesa cual ia servi egal como laborerias sindicatida e monopolios mercatiste. La erita de sindicatos resta en tal nomes familial Ueste como Smith, un forjor. On ia ave no sistem publica de educa, e cada jenera ia aprende a casa la ocupa de familia. On ia ave poca cambia tecnolojial, donce careras ia es statical. La industri e educa publica ia altera (ma no ia destrui) esta sistem de clase a la Ueste, multe simil a como los cambia castes e djatis en Barat oji.

First issue: social stratification. India is one of the world’s oldest societies. It has sustained a continuity of culture and religion for thousands of years. Europe, on the other hand, has seen millenniums of upheaval. Still, one only has to go back to before the 17th-century industrial revolution to find a social system that is similar to caste. European society then comprised the landed elite (including royalty, a hereditary caste maintained to this day), merchants, artisans and peasants. The artisans formed guilds, occupation-based organizations that served both as closed unions and marketing monopolies. The guild legacy remains in Western surnames such as Smith, a metal worker. There was no public education system, and each generation learned at home the family occupation. There was little technological change, so jobs were static. Industrialization and public education altered (but did not destroy) this class system in the West, just as they are changing caste and jati in India today.

Problem du: discrimina de raza/clase. La plu de baratis no conose la estende de discrimina en la Ueste oji. En America, per esemplo, sentos de miles vive povre e sin casa a stradas de sites, como “nontocables” vera. La sites esuan es plu segregada de raza ca ante la promove de diretos sivil de desenio de 1950 par causa de “fuji blanca” a la suburbes. Americanes negra reseta condenas plu sever ca americanes blanca per la mesma crimin. Multe americanes nativa vive a la fondo de sosia, povre e alcolomanica, en sua reservadas nonfertil. Esta tipo de responde — nos pote nomi lo la defende de “Ance vos” — no implica ce indus no debe labora plu asidua per fini la discrimina de caste. Ma lo remente otras ce ancora no pais en la mundo ia libri se de discrimina de raza.

Second issue: racial/class discrimination. Most Indians are unfamiliar with the extent of discrimination in the West today. In America, for example, hundreds of thousands live destitute and homeless on city streets, as true “untouchables.” US cities are more racially segregated than before the 1950s Civil Rights Movement because of “white flight” to the suburbs. Black Americans receive harsher sentences than white Americans for the same crime. Many Native American Indians live at the bottom of society, destitute and alcoholic, on barren Indian reservations. This kind of response—we can call it the “You”re one, too” defense—doesn’t mean Hindus should not work much harder to end caste discrimination. But it reminds others that no country in the world is yet free from racial discrimination.