In India, reservation is a caste-based affirmative action policy. In layman's terms, it is the practice of reserving seats in government jobs and educational institutions, for specific groups of people. The system was established to elevate the highly neglected and deprived backward castes ( unpriviRead more
In India, reservation is a caste-based affirmative action policy. In layman’s terms, it is the practice of reserving seats in government jobs and educational institutions, for specific groups of people. The system was established to elevate the highly neglected and deprived backward castes ( unprivileged) to the same level as the upper castes.
Although the system boosts the self-esteem of people from different unprivileged groups and gives them a chance to showcase their talent, people from the general category have to take a back seat and watch their dreams get crushed.
In today’s society, even an above-average individual from a general category has very little chance of getting into a good government university because of all the reservations for the minor groups. No matter how skilled or talented an individual is, there is always a chance of him losing his seat to an undeserving candidate. This outlook can sometimes lead to self-doubts about one’s accomplishments, particularly for those who do not benefit from reservations and believe they must compete on a different level.
Therefore, to achieve true equality of opportunity, systemic inequalities must be addressed, which may necessitate policies such as reservations to ensure fair treatment.
See less
The Phrase that "Discrimination is in our blood" readily implies that it is something hard-wired in human nature. Although this is true to a great extent—that humans have the tendency to organize, segregate information, and thus, differentiate on the basis of various attributes like race, gender, agRead more
The Phrase that “Discrimination is in our blood” readily implies that it is something hard-wired in human nature. Although this is true to a great extent—that humans have the tendency to organize, segregate information, and thus, differentiate on the basis of various attributes like race, gender, age, and so on—it is also important to know how to differentiate natural propensity from socially constructed behaviors.
Psychologically and sociologically:
1. Evolutionary Psychology: Some argue that humans were evolutionarily programmed to quickly put people into categories as a human survival mechanism. This provided the early humans with the ability to rapidly see who was friend and who was foe. It may have created an evolutionary predisposition toward those who are like us and distrust of those who are different.
2. Socialization: Much of what we view as discriminatory behavior we learn through socialization. Family, media, peers, and institutions were those who taught us the norms, values, and biases. These learned behaviors can turn out to reinstate and perpetuate discrimination.
3. Cultural Context: Discrimination varies a lot from one culture to another and throughout history. What in one context is perceived to be discriminative might not be so in another, hence it suggests that much of this behavior is culturally determined as opposed to being biologically disposed.
4. Malleability: Human behavior is very easily modifiable. Whereas we might have some hard-wired tendencies, we are also capable of empathy, insight, and change. Education, awareness, and policy have an enormous potential for reducing discriminatory behaviors.
5. Moral and Ethical Responsibility: Notwithstanding any natural tendency, we have the moral and ethical responsibility to struggle for equality and justice. Inequities and biased behaviors are recognized and challenged as a part of building a society that is fairer and more inclusive.
Somehow, while the roots of in-group favoritism may be partially related to evolutionary factors, discrimination in the form it occurs today is essentially of social and cultural origin. This means that it is also within our powers to change with education, policy, and personal responsibility.
See less