The Fold

There are but two ways to look at this problem ( if I do not second guess myself and propound a third way). 

Say, there is a certain fold, that rests on certain norms. Some of these norms advocate inclusivity , while the rest encourage  discrimination. If you happen to fall or at any rate believe that you do, outside the ambit of the inclusivity in this fold, there are two ways you could tackle the situation.

The first approach suggests that you raise your voice against discrimination and launch a struggle to crossover to that particular spectrum of this fold, wherein you no longer are discriminate against. The said approach, however, informs us, that you do not have a problem with the fold itself, rather only the exclusionary norms prevalent therein.

On the other hand, you could also ( brushing aside that mischievous fox-grapes analogy), try to discover whether the fold does hold any intrinsic worth or offers benefits that warrant any struggle to cross over to the other side. In that, you excavate the latent merits embedded in the fold and pit them against the atrocities that you are compelled to face, in order to avail the said benefit. 

The second approach opens up a third possibility; that of abandoning the fold in its entirety. By entirety , we mean absolutely. It means ( returning to the fox-grapes analogy) foregoing the entire pursuit of getting grapes. And if there were some low hanging specimens on offer, turning our back to them as well.  

The aforesaid will not an intuitive reaction unless you happen to figure out, as you mull over the situation as it is, that the benefits that the fold offers are  diminutive, compared to the systemic discrimination you have to endure. Maybe, the aforesaid benefits are not genuine benefits but mere extensions of the malpractices, that act as cheap enticements , to lure you into the trap of accepting the oppressive terms of the arrangement. 

There also is a very strong possibility that you may discover that the benefits are in fact real and sizeable , but it is not necessary to be in the fold to avail them. That they are available even outside the fold, without any malignant baggage. 

Then again, one even more important revelation can visit you, on this trip. That the benefits that the fold offers  (ostensible or real, but meaningful to you) only exist because of the fold’s basic structure. Perhaps, the multilayered discrimination that thrives in the fold, is what entitles you to avail the benefits. In this scenario, you would have to confront an uncomfortable choice- do you leave the fold in-toto, continue to enjoy whatever big little benefits are on offer or leave the fold , knowing fully well that life outside the fold may be one of individual freedom but material deprivation.