Frederick [FN] Noronha wrote: > Can you have caste without casteism? > Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2008 01:11:04 -0700 (PDT) From: "Rajan P. Parrikar" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Yes, you can. Just as you can have race without racism, nation without nationalism, Islam without Islamism...you get the idea. > It is perlexing that these simple matters are as yet unknown to you. > Mario responds: > Rajan, > Here is something so simple that even you seem to have missed it. > "Race" is part of one's natural genetic make-up and cannot be chosen or changed. "Nation" is a political jurisdiction that one can choose to live in or not. "Islam" is a religion that one can join or leave if they wanted to. > None of these exist, in this modern day and age, for the sole purpose of discriminating against others on the basis of an accident of birth as opposed to an individual's character and achievements - which is what "caste" does. > Caste was a man-made social system, and if it ever served a constructive social purpose, which I doubt, that era is long gone. > It is perlexing that this obvious distinction is as yet unknown to you. >