Posted on 04/16/2012 8:37:24 PM PDT by Steelfish
Hindu’s had 4 basic castes. Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishna & Shudra. Kshatriya’s are the warrior class and are non-vegetarians meaning they can eat meat. The Shudra’s are the traditional non-touchables, who used to be the poorest people and probably ate anything they could get hands on. The other two castes are vegetarian.
The caste system is very much diluted now, similar to inter-racial marriages on the way up in USA.
I was acquainted with an Indian fellow who said he was one of the "untouchable" class, and being Catholic, he was raised in southern India. He grew up and became a Catholic Priest which brought him out of poverty and to the US to preach. He told me if he preached in India he would surely be killed. I'm not sure if this is because he is Catholic or because he's an untouchable or a little of both.
Not quite true. I was a student in a convent school and that was way back in 1950’s. All our teachers were either nuns or priests. We did not care what religion they were or preaching, they were just great teachers from my point of view.
I grew up in a city of 250,000 population, and during college years had hundreds of friends. None of us were aware of or cared what caste we belonged to. Only time caste came into any relevance was when looking for a marriage partner. Arranged marriage was the norm but not forced marriage, in my caste. Either the prospective groom or bride had the final veto power.
So the “untouchable” issue may have some relevance in villages, but not so much in bigger cities. One funny anecdote is from my favorite city of Mumbai was so cosmopolitan, when I arrived for graduate studies at Iowa City, all the movies running there for next 6 months or so I had already seen in Mumbai! The movies were obviously released in Mumbai lot sooner than Iowa City.
Hinduism is anything but “New Age”. Hinduism is FAR OLDER then Christianity.
New Age beliefs are a blend of Hindu (pantheism, yoga, meditation) and occult beliefs and practices (spirit guides, astral projection).
LOL. Here in Australia, we call them thongs - thin, leather strips. And over here, flip flops are ubiquitous. Everyone wears them and there is no such stigma attached. Imagine sweaty, rotting feet in wet socks and shoes steaming throughout the day in hot weather - blech!
Sometime people lack the cognitive capacity to use their intelligence when it is apt. Flip flops are completely relevant in many situations, especially informal ones like making a round to the local grocers. I am pressed to wonder what sick foot fetish these imbeciles nourish to stare at others feet at a store, of all places.
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