Caste superiority is rooted in primitive tribal sh , you can't understand it logically, its as if since the time you were born you are subtly or explicitly told certain people are inferior. Even a generation or two ago, if a dalit drank from a glass, they would throw the glass out rather than wash it. Even progressive Indians who say everyone is the same regardless of caste would flip out if their child wanted to marry a dalit. You condition children like that from birth you will obviously get more than a few people with messed up opinions on dalits. Brahmins being at the top of the caste system have even stronger traditions regarding caste and what not (thus a stronger chance of indoctrinating their children with a more messed up version of the caste discrimination that other high castes also practice)
I’m proud to be a Brahman and quite orthodox in my behavior despite not having been born in India. And my children are also proud despite now being third-generation Americans. I ask myself, do I feel superior to other people. In a vague way yes I suppose. There are a wide number of cultures and lifestyles available to me in modernity. If I didn’t think being a Brahmana was better, why would I bother? But hierarchy is not at the forefront of my mind and I would wager not for most Brahmanas either.
Compare to the Jews. They are “the chosen people” and in dark corners of the Internet you will hear conspiracy theories about secret Zionist plots to take over the world etc. but is that really how most Jewish people feel? The ones I’ve talked to just it think it means they have a special responsibility for social justice etc.
What is an upper caste? The dominant political and economic power in most parts of rural India are what the bureaucracy would call OBCs. In my limited experience they are more clannish and prone to violence against outsiders including Harijans than Brahmanas who nowadays are mostly urban.
