[Sandy B]

While there isn't much I can add to the responses, I have to reiterate that colorism and even racism is alive and well in India. Dravidians were a race of people (black, small in stature, angular-round features) who emigrated from Africa to inhabit India. There are other ethnic groups in India that can be physiologically differentiated from each other. As for the non-black preference: The Aryans imposed the caste system on India such that light skin was favored over dark skin. Dravidians were relegated to 'untouchable' and low caste positions, which also largely took away opportunities for education and advancement. This institutionalized racism and colorism. While Dravidian culture considered black as beautiful, their culture has been assimilated or destroyed. British colonization exacerbated the situation. You can see the effects of colorism on India to this day. It is evident in the large market for 'skin bleach.' Also, take a look at who is in the Bollywood movies and who isn't, definitely not dark-skinned starlets. Many Indians hope that their children are not born with dark or non-Aryan features both because of their internalized racism and also because of the reality of society. Kids with those features will usually be less favored than kids with Aryan features and lighter skin. From what I have seen, this kind of thinking has become like second-nature. Because India can be considered mixed-race, you may call this colorism rather than racism. Personally, I feel the plight of Dravidians needs to be connected to that of Black people in general. In addition, you probably shouldn't hesitate to see the discrimination latent in the statements made by those Indians.

User Detail :  

Name : Sandy B, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White, Religion : Christian, Age : 21, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Author]

Posts