Religious stereotypes and the middle finger put to test!

There are only a few things that catch and hold my attention. Not being a prude but my attention span loses to my 2month old puppies. I would'nt win a staring competition if I wanted to if something bright walked by in the backdrop and I'd blink and move away to realise it was a new Mango or Prada bag- totally worth it, or as Charlie Sheen would say (better say it before he manages to get a trademark)- Still winning!
Here's what caught my attention and held it recently. I found this in a colleagues mailbox (No I wasn't hacking her account, I was simply doing a part of my job-and yes it involves opening other peoples' mail I.D's):

"Today I made a formal Affidavit before the Oath Commissioner in Meerut whereby I have declared that considering the overall adverse and undesirable effects of Caste system in India, from today onwards, I shall be having no caste of mine. Thus, in all administrative, official and social documents, records and acceptances, wherever caste is needed,in my case it shall be deemed to be “No Caste” or “Caste-less”. I have also removed the “T*****r” surname attached to my name “A******” so that henceforth I shall be called only “A******” instead of “A****** T*****” in all administrative, official and social documents, records and acceptances. At the same time, I shall also be working in my own little way towards the cause of a Caste-less society. How would my friends react to it?"


I blanked out the name and NO those aren't expletives but look at the bigger picture. I share the sentiment. Not only caste but the larger picture-stereotypes. You would expect me to say 'Thank god I'm not a Hindu and don't have to deal with this caste crap' but if you were to know Christians are also divided into different sects, not necessarily upper or lower as the castes are divided but divided nevertheless and one is very offended when mistaken for the other.

Religious I am not. As a kid it was becuase I was too lazy to get up for church and too busy asking mom if God did indeed exist then why he was afraid to meet us. As an adult the idea of stereotyping someone because of the religion they belong to disgusts me. Maligning a Muslim because he simply is one, disgusts me. Saying Muslims don't have a bath and stink disgusts me further. Saying a Sikh Sardar is dumb because he is essentially a sardar is demenaing and illogical. Getting offended when your mistakenly mistaken for a south Indian is ridiculous. 'No I am not a Madrasi or Tamil (it is said with a scorn). Do I look black to you?" Are you seeing how superficial it all is-stereotypes? How would MY friends react after reading this is unclear but react they do on most occasions as what I write becomes a topic of debate. Will I be outcast? Not really, I never gelled with the extremists-freaks they are. They might hackle or take it for what it is or tell me it bored them to death but for what I know, they will agree, because most of them are gems in a nation full of rocks-the gem hasn't been discovered yet-hidden beneath layers of stereotypical solidification (is that a word even?) The last part was boring I agree, I go a bit philosophical these days...I am older and wisdom tooth still troubles!