06-08-2013, 12:39 AM
(06-08-2013, 12:28 AM)carlcockatoo Wrote:In India there are four classes with the lowest one being Shudras, or untouchables, because none of the other classes were allowed to interact with them.(06-08-2013, 12:19 AM)WCPhils Wrote: Nah, I get you and you're probably right.
Plus India has that caste system which makes moving up in class practically impossible for people. Though Brazil has a pretty fucked up class system from what I've heard.
This is an interesting book on the subject
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003EV5...UTF8&psc=1
Interesting sounding book, I'll have to give that a read.
Do you mean the official class systems or de facto class divides? Because I don't really know about India, but in China for example, the class system (forgot what it's called I feel so ignorant right now) still exists in theory but is non-existent in practice (except some mostly rural provinces which are still enforcing it and is quite tragic). I watched an Al-Jazeera documentary about people living 'illegally' in Beijing and how most people who do it aren't sent back. I know Shanghai officially abolished it.
I don't meant to switch to China but since I'm already going, while there is a significant urban poverty situation, it does suck that China's middle class is mostly in the cities while most of the poverty is in rural areas. The farmland itself is overpopulated, so each person does not have enough land to grow profitable crops so there just isn't anything they can do and many live in subsidence. In some provinces where the class system is still enforced this is a significant issue as China has an urbanisation policy meant to help (which is a whole other issue in itself for another time) but isn't helping many rural families.
(06-08-2013, 12:27 AM)AliR Wrote: I'm thankful for the internet and globalization.
Me too, although there are some aspects of globalisation I am not happy about.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_India
Obviously, it's not really the same as it was 60-100 years ago, but it's still there even though it's not practiced by as many people. Like during the 2000s inter-class marriage was on the rise. Especially since women have gotten more liberties and better education. And now that better schools are being build in urban and non urban areas children from all the different classes are able to get relatively the same education.
China is one country I want to know more about. I just realized a few weeks ago that I'm pretty much clueless to what is going on there.