4 ms·

I consider pay more like a caste system in the US. It's a way to separate people who "deserve" to be highly paid and people who don't. Working in software, it a

by VS1999 3y ago

I consider pay more like a caste system in the US. It's a way to separate people who "deserve" to be highly paid and people who don't. Working in software, it always felt odd that I make 3x as much as the guy making my food and have 10x the expendable income, even though they work harder at much more miserable work. The first degree of separation is whether you can afford to do a 4-6 year take home test that's getting more and more expensive each year.

JumpCrisscross 3y ago
> consider pay more like a caste system in the US Caste != social hierarchy. It's divinely-attributed, multi-generational, immutable social hierarchy. What you're describing is bog-standard social stratification. We aim to do it by economic utility. But even though we're not good at economic mobility [1], in a caste system that mobility is near zero. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_mobility#Worldwide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_mobility#Worldwide
- VS1999 3y ago
  Caste is absolutely about social hierarchy. At least half the definitions I've looked at mention both those words.
  - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
    > Caste is absolutely about social hierarchy Caste is a specific system of social hierarchy. What you're describing--some people having it better than others--is common to all systems of social hierarchy.
    - VS1999 3y ago
      What would be a better word for what I'm describing, then? India still has a caste system even with their government driven programs of mobility and hiring quotas, and more people moving upwards through marriage. It's not literally the same but it seems analogous enough to me.
      - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
        > What would be a better word for what I'm describing Social stratification, separation or hierarchy. Or more simply, supply and demand. What aspect of how we separate people are you trying to home in on?

by VS1999 3y ago

JumpCrisscross 3y ago

> consider pay more like a caste system in the US Caste != social hierarchy. It's divinely-attributed, multi-generational, immutable social hierarchy. What you're describing is bog-standard social stratification. We aim to do it by economic utility. But even though we're not good at economic mobility [1], in a caste system that mobility is near zero. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_mobility#Worldwide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_mobility#Worldwide

VS1999 3y ago
Caste is absolutely about social hierarchy. At least half the definitions I've looked at mention both those words.
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago
  > Caste is absolutely about social hierarchy Caste is a specific system of social hierarchy. What you're describing--some people having it better than others--is common to all systems of social hierarchy.
  - VS1999 3y ago
    What would be a better word for what I'm describing, then? India still has a caste system even with their government driven programs of mobility and hiring quotas, and more people moving upwards through marriage. It's not literally the same but it seems analogous enough to me.
    - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
      > What would be a better word for what I'm describing Social stratification, separation or hierarchy. Or more simply, supply and demand. What aspect of how we separate people are you trying to home in on?