At some level there are castes in every country. It is soemtimes called tribulism or North/South/East/West divide. Most Indian people do not agree with the Caste system however it does exist. Therefore cannot be or should not be ignored.

It is fair to say that most people are racist. It is deep in us all. An example: is from the writer Queen Bee above. Probably without intention she/he has made a racist comment about the West. Honey, we do have culture and tradition by the truck load but just like you we have a few mindless jerks who love to cause trouble. Thanks for being nice.