• NevermindNoMind@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    California passed a law banning caste discrimination, but Gov Newsome vetoed it after Indian backlash. Their argument was that by singleing out caste discrimination, your calling attention to an Indian cultural practice that totally doesn’t happen anymore (it does, even in the US), and since your bringing negative attention to and falling out an Indian cultural thing doing so is therefore racist/discriminatory. To me this just sounds like white people being against an anti discrimination law because it makes white people look bad because of their past practice of discrimination, and racism totally doesn’t exist anymore. Like if race or caste discrimination isn’t a problem anymore, then the law does nothing, so what’s the big deal?

    It bummed me out that the Indian community in CA was so up in arms about that law, as it not only would have protected people, it would have sent a message to the world, and India in particular, that we’re firmly against caste discrimination. Especially if the Indian-American community was vocally backing it. It could have done some real good. Also, Newsome is a coward for doing what is politically expedient for his presidential ambitions, rather than doing what’s right.