Goanet meets in Goa: December 27, 12 noon and January 7, 4 pm (meeting point: Kala Academy canteen). See you there! ------------------------------
On Mon, 22 Dec 2003, Mervyn Lobo wrote: > Fred, > I asked a simple question, "Is the caste system good > or is it bad?" It seems you can't answer this question > but, instead, can give me a history of the > planet............ Good or bad to whom? To me? We were not discussing individual responses, but the existence of caste or lack of it in today's society. Including among Catholic Goans. > I can't talk for the Kenyan clubs but my impression is > that the first ones did not allow tailors, cooks etc > and as such, those excluded started their own clubs. > Keep in mind that all the Goan clubs in East Africa > have already celebrated their 100 year anivesaries so > you are really talking ancient history here. You have a point. But till how long back did these exist? One generation? What if the post-Independence exodus of Goans had not happened? Wouldn't they have been still running on the same lines? And it's not only Kenya that one should be talking about, but similar practises -- in differing shapes -- among diverse Goan communities across the globe. To say that Catholics don't have caste structures is like digging our neck into the sand, ostrich-like. > As for chosing a partner based on education, class > etc, I hope it's my sincere hope it's the partners > choosing and not their parents :-) How is this relevant to the issue of caste? We're just side-stepping the matter. (Anyway, what's so terrible about the parents' choosing? Isn't it just another way of doing things? Are we juxtaposing our own values and assumptions onto other societies? Is a proposed-marriage system inherently worse or inferior to the magazine-adverts of the Western cities that seek relationships based largely on physical attributes? Or, to a system of cyber-matchmaking? I have my doubts... Whatever works best is best.) > > It's okay to say so if I'm occupying a large country > > that belongs to someone else in the first place ;-) > > I hope you are aware that you are an immigrant in > India. The original inhabitants are now called > "tribals." That's true. But I don't claim to be holier-than-thou unlike my friends from Canada. I do believe that such issues need to be tackled and sorted out, and that the concerns of deprived caste and tribal groups need to be addressed by everyone who cares for a more just society. Just suggesting that it is "somebody else's problem" is a hopelessly inadequate response. FN ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
