Chapter 23 Flashcards
What does the steamboat dinner ritual in the 19th century South reveal about caste?
It shows that caste trumps class—free Black passengers, despite paying fares, were still relegated below all white passengers and crew due to caste hierarchy.
Why are free Black people considered a threat to the caste system?
Their freedom and presence in upper spaces challenge the core logic of the caste system—that Black people belong at the bottom.
What makes public and recreational spaces “test tubes” of caste interaction?
These spaces force diverse groups into confined interactions, revealing implicit caste codes and triggering confrontations when those codes are breached.
What happened to a Black women’s book club on a Napa Valley wine train in 2015?
They were ejected and met by police for laughing too loudly—an incident revealing discomfort with Black women occupying elite leisure spaces.
What dynamic did Wilkerson experience frequently as a Black woman flying first class?
Microaggressions and caste-based assumptions from flight attendants and passengers questioning her legitimacy in that space.
Why was Wilkerson’s experience on the flight (with the carry-on) so symbolic?
Her request for help was denied due to implicit caste assumptions—her presence in first class contradicted the flight attendant’s unconscious expectations.
What happened during Wilkerson’s later flight with a white man behind her in first class?
He physically pressed against her body without consent to retrieve his bag, and no other passengers intervened, showing silent caste complicity.
How did Wilkerson describe the passengers’ silence during her harassment?
As “caste solidarity over principle”—bystanders chose not to disrupt the caste norm, even when injustice was happening in plain sight.
What is the broader implication of these caste skirmishes in elite spaces like planes?
They expose the fragility of the caste illusion and highlight how marginalized people are still policed and degraded for breaching invisible borders.
What case symbolized public horror at caste-based mistreatment on planes in 2017?
Vietnamese-American doctor David Dao being violently dragged off a United flight, which he compared to fleeing Vietnam.
