RIHLA #3

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India's "Untouchables" Face Violence, Discrimination

1. This article relates to what we are learning in class because we had conducted an activity where a 4 to 5 member group was part of a group in the caste system. We had to treat the "Untouchables" like an outcast, which they were. They were unworthy and considered "unclean" and had very little pay. We treated one of our team members just like an "Untouchable". We didn't talk, look, or even care that the "Untouchable" was just sitting there feeling worthless.

2. According to the activity performed in class, I think the people of India responded to the caste system the same way as everybody else did because the Aryans did invade them and stole India's ideas. There were four classes of people that were part of the caste system. Not all the people of India were considered "Untouchables", but some of them were and they were treated horribly.

3. The treatment toward the "Untouchables" relate to the treatment of people in United States history by the discrimination between African Americans and white people. I think of the "Untouchables" as the African Americans, during the time of MLK and racial discrimation. African Americans were concidered an outcast to all people. They were treated horrible, considered unclean, and recieved very little pay. The other three groups, of the caste system, excluding the "Untouchables" were the white people. They socialized, ate, married, worked, and were liked by many people; on the other hand, African Americans("Untouchables") were not.

4. This article was interesting to me. The thing that caught my attention the most was when the article stated that most of the crimes that occured involved even the police. That surprised me because the police are the people that are supposed to stop the crime not engage in it themselves.

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