1) Caste discrimination & atrocities
2) Caste based inequality in education, land, housing/other assets, income, health, etc.
3) Social structure based on Varna & Jatis

As social movements/activists, how do we prioritize & how much time & energy we devote to each of them? 1/n

In a society with inequitable social structure and caste based inequalities of above kind, discrimination might be -& as ex-untouchables like us know-it is every day affair.

So where do I put my head and heart on? 2/n
Do I shout & cry every day when I see discrimination or with a 'cool' head strategize & work for changing social structure & removing/reducing those inequalities?

At a societal level, who should do what? 3/n
If I don't shout, cry & protest, I might be seen as insensitive & perpetrators might take it for granted but if I keep doing it, where do I stop because discrimination of various kind in any geography internet society is every day affair & like happening in my own house 4/n
Why I am speaking loudly on these issues is being active on Twitter/FB for some time, I got an impression that what matters most or perhaps what is made more visible is discrimination than the root causes. Is my impression wrong? 5/n
In the Phule-Ambedkarite brick & porter type ideological movements I worked, we always tried to prioritize change in social structure over discrimination & even inequality. & that often was a contested decision as it alienated some people who wanted to work on discrimination 6/n
I'm not sure if there is clear cut answer abt prirotisation & allocation of time & energy as there are pluses & minuses on both sides. To me discrimination needs immediate attention, inequality could be addressed in medium term & change in social structure is a long term work 7/n
And I am wondering if there are individual (preferring immediate vs long term results), class (middle vs working) & mode of working (virtual vs on ground) differences in priroritization & allocation of time, energy & resources 8/n
Jyotiba Phule was thrown out of the wedding procession in Pune, so was Babasaheb Ambedkar from the houses in Baroda. Both decided to work almost entirely in their life on the inequalities & social structure: discrimination acting as trigger for long term changes in structure 9/n
For ex. will/did George Floyd moment trigger long-term changes in racial & economic relations & structures? Will farmers protests lead to similar changes in agri/economic, land, caste relations in rural & urban society or shall we keep going through the cycles of protests? 10/10

More from Economy

Long rant: This @WSJ article bemoaning the decline of price theory is really worth highlighting. The economic theories and so called "laws of economics" that the WSJ consistently and religiously defends, are the source of their authority, power and privilege.


So called economic "theories" like "you get paid exactly what you are worth" and "markets are perfectly efficient" and "when wages rise, jobs fall" and "raising taxes on the rich kills jobs and growth" and "increasing justice decreases economic efficiency" and...

"Government intervention in markets always creates more harm than good" and "any regulation that constrains corporations kills growth and productivity", etc etc are effectively a protection racket for the rich. It is a set of internally consistent and mathematized conjectures...

That are all demonstrably nonsense. But getting people to accept these "theories" as laws of nature and immutable, timeless truths is the most effective way our current economic elites have found to maintain and enhance the status of the powerful and persuade the weak and poor...

to shut the fuck up and accept their lot in life. Now, FINALLY, some economists- are actually beginning to look at the real world evidence to determine whether these propositions actually describe anything real here on planet earth. Let me save you some time. The answer is NO.

You May Also Like

I think a plausible explanation is that whatever Corbyn says or does, his critics will denounce - no matter how much hypocrisy it necessitates.


Corbyn opposes the exploitation of foreign sweatshop-workers - Labour MPs complain he's like Nigel

He speaks up in defence of migrants - Labour MPs whinge that he's not listening to the public's very real concerns about immigration:

He's wrong to prioritise Labour Party members over the public:

He's wrong to prioritise the public over Labour Party