Chapter 5

I have always been amazed at what humans are capable of. As we previously learned it is believed that homo sapiens began in one area and over time migrated to other areas of the planet. This essentially can mean that we are all the same. In Paleolithic times there was no need for class systems or a belief that one human was better than another. However, as we became more “civilized” this all changed. We began to see social hierarchies based on birthright, slavery, and discrimination between the sexes. I feel that it is important to study this history and learn from the, in my opinion, inhuman acts of people who lived thousands of years before us. It has taken so incredibly long for ideas such as slavery to be seen as not okay and for women to have equal rights. It is also a newer concept that you can start at the bottom in a lower class and through hard work potentially move your way to the top. One of the more interesting systems to me is the caste system in India. It is all based on birth and you more or less have no way to control or change your fate. It feels so oppressive and confining for those who are unfortunate to be born a Sudra or even worse an untouchable. The photograph on page 225 in our textbook really showed the division between the classes. The landowner will hire a lower caste employee but will not risk making any physical contact with him out of fear that the lower caste will rub off on him. It’s very telling of the discrimination that was imbedded into the culture that I’m sure even though times have changed still exists to a point.