The Worldview Behind Slumdog Millionaire
Posted: Wednesday, September 16, 2009
by Jim Anderson
Weddings That Last
I found Slumdog Millionaire to be a curious movie. It comes from the emerging Bollywood in India, and it exposes the contradictions of the worldview that is prevalent in the area, that has perpetuated the caste system. This movie is all about the human struggle in the lower end of the caste system. When Americans see this film, they are appalled by the oppression, yet the caste system is an integral part of the society in that part of the world where Hinduism prevails. In our society we are beginning to embrace postmodern values that consider all religions equally valid, yet we contradict ourselves when we are offended by the oppression we see in this caste system.
There are an increasing number of Dalits converting to Christianity despite the anti-discrimination laws that the Indian government has passed to compensate for their discrimination. When they convert to Christianity, they lose their benefits under these laws, and it puts them into a state of grinding poverty. So those 25 million plus secret Christians pretend to be Hindu in public to avoid persecution. India is thought of as a democracy, but is without one of the basic tenants of a democracy, freedom of religion.
That is what the character Jamal, in this movie Slumdog Millionaire, is up against. Going on a TV show to win a million dollars to win the heart of a woman who is above his caste is considered a crime. Though, it seems he is Muslim, I'm not sure. This should remind us that we do pretty well here in America. We have built a country based in a Judeo-Christian worldview, and though there are still those who live in relative poverty, it is hard to find anyone living lives like the untouchables in India. Instead of our poor being resentful of the rich and demanding reparations from our government, they would do better to think about what they do have and what is really important in life. They need to recognize there are opportunities available to them that they can't see without help. Our wealthy could be more generous in helping give the poor more assistance in helping them see how to lift themselves out of poverty. We don't rely on our government to do this for us. That is consistent with the worldview we have in the U.S.
So while the economic growth in India is impressive, and is giving rise to a new version of Hollywood, the worldview of the society is headed for a crisis of contradiction. As more light is shed on Indias society, more questions will arise about the worldview of Hinduism and reinforce the American values while people flee to the U.S. for a better life. Hopefully, we will preserve those values and not let the emerging postmodern ideas attempt to destroy what we have built and integrate worldviews that allow for destructive ideas like Indias caste system. At the same time, maybe we can learn from what we see here, and remember the foundations of our values as a country that we hold as self evident and true, that when we put our trust in God and not in money or political power we build a healthier and stronger society.
For further discussion see my article Slimdog Millionaire.
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