Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2007 13:58:10 -0800 (PST) From: Santosh Helekar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Is Gilbert trying to say that Cornel, Mario, Victor and RKN, who criticized his creative definition of casteism, are simply mediocre Goans, while Gilbert is the one with achievements? > Mario adds: > Who knows anymore what Gilbert is trying to say? His most memorable recent "achievement" has been to re-define the meaning of caste to turn it upside-down. > So, according to Gilbert, those of us politely but persistently asking people to quit using caste in their personal decisionmaking are the casteists, and those making ridiculous excuses for the system, claiming that it's really not that bad, that it never prevented them from dancing with Bamon girls, that it is now only to be found in the matrimonial ads., and writing comical but serious-sounding essays to "understand it better", are the poor and underprivileged victims. > Then, according to some of the caste-apologists, the modern Goan community has new forms of discrimination based on personal choices, character and achievement that we need to be MORE concerned about. This sophistry postulates that those who distinguish themselves by their character and achievements and other personal choices and opinions, are actually WORSE than those who are distinguished by Goan society and those pesky matrimonial ads. simply because of the families they were born into. > In one recent post Gilbert claimed that he had joined the movement against caste. However, those of us who thought we had detected an epiphany in progress soon found that the movement he was talking about joining was the one that was arrayed against those of us who want to abolish caste as it is defined in the English language, i.e he was using his own re-definition. > We now have to watch out for what Gilbert writes in two languages, standard English, and his version:-)) >
