4 ms·

> It may seem bizarre that the caste system, a centuries-old system that organises and stratifies human society, continues to play a heavy role in deciding whic

by cheph 6y ago

> It may seem bizarre that the caste system, a centuries-old system that organises and stratifies human society, continues to play a heavy role in deciding which Indians prosper and which don't within a space many consider to be an uber-meritocracy -- the US tech landscape. Well for I'm not surprised, and further I doubt anybody in it considers it an "uber-meritocracy", it really is much more perverse.

deleted 6y ago
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mcv 6y ago
Yeah, that the tech industry is a meritocracy is a myth that's popular with the white educated middle-class men who like to believe they have more merit than other groups. (I'm a white educated middle-class man myself, and a career in the tech world has been easy and natural for me. I'd love to believe it's because I'm really that good, but I try to be aware of my privilege.)
- rational_indian 6y ago
  Don't be too hard on yourself! I am Indian and from what I can tell the proverbial glass ceiling has been lifted for brown people like me in the US. And I think the same can be said for people of other ethnicities as well. So credit where credit is due. IMHO the US is a meritocratic workplace.
- cheph 6y ago
  > Yeah, that the tech industry is a meritocracy is a myth that's popular with the white educated middle-class men who like to believe they have more merit than other groups. Dunno about all of that ... I myself am not sufficently race obsessed I guess. What I meant was that in most cases people get ahead for reasons that have little to nothing to do with merit, and in my experience also that have little to nothing to do with race. Maybe if you find yourself constantly surrounded by racists you should evaluate how your choices contribute to this. I don't have this experience. And I'm pretty sure there would be some legal implications for what you claim, so if you are aware of this and not reporting it I'm pretty sure you face potential legal liabilities. I think it is pretty disgusting that people just look the other way while they witness racism. If I ever saw anything at my place of work that would suggest any racism in hiring choices the person would not make it to the end of the day.

by cheph 6y ago

deleted 6y ago

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mcv 6y ago

Yeah, that the tech industry is a meritocracy is a myth that's popular with the white educated middle-class men who like to believe they have more merit than other groups. (I'm a white educated middle-class man myself, and a career in the tech world has been easy and natural for me. I'd love to believe it's because I'm really that good, but I try to be aware of my privilege.)

rational_indian 6y ago
Don't be too hard on yourself! I am Indian and from what I can tell the proverbial glass ceiling has been lifted for brown people like me in the US. And I think the same can be said for people of other ethnicities as well. So credit where credit is due. IMHO the US is a meritocratic workplace.
cheph 6y ago
> Yeah, that the tech industry is a meritocracy is a myth that's popular with the white educated middle-class men who like to believe they have more merit than other groups. Dunno about all of that ... I myself am not sufficently race obsessed I guess. What I meant was that in most cases people get ahead for reasons that have little to nothing to do with merit, and in my experience also that have little to nothing to do with race. Maybe if you find yourself constantly surrounded by racists you should evaluate how your choices contribute to this. I don't have this experience. And I'm pretty sure there would be some legal implications for what you claim, so if you are aware of this and not reporting it I'm pretty sure you face potential legal liabilities. I think it is pretty disgusting that people just look the other way while they witness racism. If I ever saw anything at my place of work that would suggest any racism in hiring choices the person would not make it to the end of the day.