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Comment by inglor_cz | Hacker News Reader

Even in the West we consider some jobs off-limits to holders of certain offices. Imagine a SCOTUS judge cleaning sewers for money or shooting porn when the court is not in session.

Caste works in a similar way, but is determined by birth.

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I donot Think children of potus would suddenly become sewer cleaners either. is that determination by birth? Problem has been and is poverty. if british government treated india like england none of these problems would exist.

British government treated English (and much worse, Irish) working class like dirt too. Poverty in 19th century Britain was indescribable, even though people like Dickens tried their best to put the images into writing for future generations. Victorian Britain was extremely classist.

However British government developed institutions in England and Ireland which eventually led to overall greater wealth and equality for most of the population. Whereas in India these institutions were systematically short-circuited to create inequality and a locus of power/wealth that favoured British colonialists.

Oh, the British Raj treated the Indian poor and lower classes like untouchables, with a good dose of racism mixed in. I've seen images barring Indians from establishments; this report mentions "No dogs or Indians allowed" https://www.smh.com.au/world/no-dogs-or-indians-colonial-bri...

You still see casteism and classism in Indian today, although it may be more subtle.

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