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.
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.