Impact of U.S “Caste” Policies
Many are unable to understand the impact and harm caused by caste policies and laws on Hindus and Indian Americans living in the west. “What’s the harm” is the question that arises over and over again.
For years we shared our lived experiences -2nd generation Hindu children growing up in the west shared the trauma they faced in middle schools, when Hinduism was taught via the traumatic lens of caste, cows and conflict. In some cases, teachers made them role play the supposed caste pyramid and more widely, peers bullied them for being Hindu. A broad swath of Hindu customs and Hindu festivals like Holi and Diwali are being tarred as “casteist” and oppressive. Hindus in tech and other workplaces report being subject to caste trainings and the subject of increasing stereotyping. In the case of Sundar Iyer this suspicion resulted in a 5 year witch hunt that cost him his job and reputation.
Academic Research Validates Harm Done to Hindus
If this real life evidence was not enough, we found academic confirmation of the harm done by biased caste trainings in the research done by the Rutgers Social Perception Lab and Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI). The shocking findings revealed how “caste training” was significantly more likely to make an average American stereotype Hindus as oppressive, worthy of punishment and even agree with Hitler like statements against the community. Read the report and articles to find out more.
- How DEI Pedagogy Produces the Hostile Attribution Bias – NCRI Report from Nov 25, 2024
- Caste Training Fuels Hate and Authoritarianism, Reveals New Study by Network Contagion Research Institute – American Kahani