Today on NPR’s “Fresh Air”, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson explained her point of view that “racism” falls short of describing the current situation in the USA — that “caste” system would be a better term. Quoting from WHYY’s summary of the program:
“Wilkerson describes caste an artificial hierarchy that helps determine standing and respect, assumptions of beauty and competence, and even who gets benefit of the doubt and access to resources. “Caste focuses in on the infrastructure of our divisions and the rankings, whereas race is the metric that’s used to determine one’s place in that,” she says.”
A highly recommended discussion. Visit this link to listen (38 minutes, link is at top): https://www.npr.org/2020/08/04/898574852/its-more-than-racism-isabel-wilkerson-explains-america-s-caste-system