Pradeep Vairamani
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Joined Dec 31, 2022
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www.theswaddle.com/saving-the-world-like-a-savarna
Oct 24, 2023
4 Highlights
Individualism is the philosophical justification used by elite Savarnas to escape structural accountability. Any discourse that links them to the contradictory and exploitative networks within their own family and peers is dismissed by saying, “I am not them, I am not my family, I am my own person.” This would be fine if much of the Savarna worldview was built upon structural foundations, instead of individuality. From a young age, the guidance, the opportunities, the networks and introductions, the material benefits of privilege, the intangible social benefits of intergenerational wealth and literacy, and the fact that Savarnas in influential positions prefer their own people for responsibility all define Savarna “merit.” This merit is collectively aggregated but asserted individually. Simply put, no elite Savarna can claim to be “their own person.”
Be it gender, sexuality, mental health, anti-capital, anti-fascist, or even anti-caste organizing, owing to their “better developed” social polish, confidence in the public spotlight, hyper-radical performance, etc., such elite Savarnas tend to stand out, co-opt leadership spaces, and set the agenda.
“I feel marginalized communities are expected to express only those aspects of their identities that Upper Caste people find palatable. Casteism and communalism is often covert but widespread.”
The “theatre” of Brahminical heroism/saviorism comes from a deeply internalized narrative of victimhood. In many Brahmin myths, there is a recurring trope of the poor Brahmin who is scorned, ridiculed, and misunderstood and yet persists on his path of purity.