> I think what you are describing is class based rather than caste based. Caste is explicitly based on heredity and is unchangeable. You're right, of course, a

> I think what you are describing is class based rather than caste based. Caste is explicitly based on heredity and is unchangeable. You're right, of course, and that's a valuable distinction to make. Anyone in one class at Google could move to the other and they would be accepted. > The fact that the two classes are made up mostly of different ethnicities is probably caused by a confounding variable, such as different educational opportunities, as well as discrimination of course. In California at least the racial component is pretty clearly due to history: The Spanish took CA from the Indians, and then we took it from the Spanish (and now the Latinos are gradually taking it back in a largely peaceful demographic transition.) Throughout the state, even in the most progressive enclaves, there's this racial/class system. (Come to think of it, would that count as a caste system?) To me the weird thing isn't that progressives don't want to hang out with "the help". That's hypocritical but unsurprising. The thing I find strange is when other nationalities/ethnicities come into the picture and they slot into the system in different classes.