The United States has long been divided over what it calls “affirmative action,” a system of racial preferences intended to overcome the lingering consequences of slavery and discrimination against black Americans. India is now becoming divided in much the same way, and for much the same reason – the emerging system of “reserved places” aimed at redressing centuries of caste discrimination.
针对所谓的“平等权利法案”，即一项旨在消除奴隶制度和歧视美国黑人带来的挥之不去的阴影的制度，美国社会长期以来一直争论不休。印度社会现在正以极其相似的方式走向意见分野，并且原因也极其相似，也就是旨在矫正存在几个世纪之久的种姓歧视的新兴“保留地”制度。但是印度的美好意图如同美国的平等权利法案政策一样误入歧途。