Cast-ism is rampant in India (my home). It's largely inertia and upbringing that keeps it flowing through the stream of time -- this interia is a billion strong. These recent years have seen higher levels of (visible) activism, with many "superstar" celebrities participating in on these causes.<p>If I had to guess how bad caste-ism is for an american audience -- it's appx equal to 40s-50s racism in the US. I hold hope that the internet-in-the-pocket revolution taking place here with truckloads of Android phones will hasten the dawn of a more tolerant, rational milieu.<p>Slightly tangential -- I've recently read Cialdini's "Influence: Science and Practice", and articles like these bring the ideas expressed in the book into foreground.
This is an extraordinary short article because it tells you (through the personal example of the recent Nobel Peace prize winner) that there is always something burning inside us that never goes away. Maybe, it gets tempered so as not to 'brand' unwilling participants but it is always there. Thanks for posting this.