How To Be An Anti-Casteist • Hacker News Board

Re: How To Be An Anti-Casteist

#11

Post by gruez » Fri, Oct 02, 2020, 2:17 AM UTC

erklik wrote: post #3

clumsysmurf wrote: post #2

After an interview I attended at a fintech company, my Indian team lead straight out said she was trying to figure out the interviewee's cast. I was not familiar with the concept -- so my expression was mostly blank -- but she immediately followed up with "oh, I shouldn't have said that". I took no action, but wasn't sure what to do. After I learned more about it, I started to wonder where I was in this hierarchy. If…

In an interview, it seems to me as highly unethical and likely discrimination. Although, not sure if there are legal ramifications to this sort of thing though.

caste isn't a protected class so they might be fine legally.

Re: How To Be An Anti-Casteist

#12

Post by Spooky23 » Fri, Oct 02, 2020, 2:18 AM UTC

People are people and always have ways to flag people outside the tribe.

Re: How To Be An Anti-Casteist

#13

Post by erklik » Fri, Oct 02, 2020, 2:21 AM UTC

gruez wrote: post #11

erklik wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In an interview, it seems to me as highly unethical and likely discrimination. Although, not sure if there are legal ramifications to this sort of thing though.

caste isn't a protected class so they might be fine legally.

Yeah. I wasn't sure there was any legal recourse. Nonetheless, it does seem highly unethical to make a decision in an interview based on caste.

Although, the OP's case, the person did quickly realize her mistake, but bias might still be present.

Re: How To Be An Anti-Casteist

#14

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Oct 02, 2020, 2:21 AM UTC

[deleted]

Re: How To Be An Anti-Casteist

#15

Post by CydeWeys » Fri, Oct 02, 2020, 2:21 AM UTC

gruez wrote: post #11

erklik wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In an interview, it seems to me as highly unethical and likely discrimination. Although, not sure if there are legal ramifications to this sort of thing though.

caste isn't a protected class so they might be fine legally.

If you listen to the linked podcast you'll learn that it in fact may qualify as a protected class, and that there is currently a pending lawsuit that may rule on this.

Re: How To Be An Anti-Casteist

#16

Post by throwawayuuid » Fri, Oct 02, 2020, 2:23 AM UTC

I am just a regular unhyphenated American at a FANG, and I've never gotten a job offer when any of my interviewers were Hindustani. Coincidence, maybe? I think this particular nepotism is not exclusively internecine.

Re: How To Be An Anti-Casteist

#17

Post by JumpCrisscross » Fri, Oct 02, 2020, 2:25 AM UTC

clumsysmurf wrote: post #2

After an interview I attended at a fintech company, my Indian team lead straight out said she was trying to figure out the interviewee's cast. I was not familiar with the concept -- so my expression was mostly blank -- but she immediately followed up with "oh, I shouldn't have said that". I took no action, but wasn't sure what to do. After I learned more about it, I started to wonder where I was in this hierarchy. If…

I have Indian heritage, and I’m clueless about this. Are there dog whistles I’m missing?

Re: How To Be An Anti-Casteist

#18

Post by plaster » Fri, Oct 02, 2020, 2:25 AM UTC

gruez wrote: post #11

erklik wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In an interview, it seems to me as highly unethical and likely discrimination. Although, not sure if there are legal ramifications to this sort of thing though.

caste isn't a protected class so they might be fine legally.

Note that in many states, caste and other ancestry discrimination is unambiguously protected. There have been any number of suits claiming the Civil Rights Act prohibits caste-based discrimination; I don't think there are any high-level rulings about whether it does, but the basic argument doesn't seem implausible.

Re: How To Be An Anti-Casteist

#19

Post by rhexs » Fri, Oct 02, 2020, 2:27 AM UTC

clumsysmurf wrote: post #2

After an interview I attended at a fintech company, my Indian team lead straight out said she was trying to figure out the interviewee's cast. I was not familiar with the concept -- so my expression was mostly blank -- but she immediately followed up with "oh, I shouldn't have said that". I took no action, but wasn't sure what to do. After I learned more about it, I started to wonder where I was in this hierarchy. If…

The same thing you should do if your team leader says they don’t want to hire any other subgroup because of discriminatory reasons. Just to be clear, this is exactly equivalent to and just as bad as racism in every way.

Re: How To Be An Anti-Casteist

#20

Post by astrea » Fri, Oct 02, 2020, 2:27 AM UTC

throwawayuuid wrote: post #16

I am just a regular unhyphenated American at a FANG, and I've never gotten a job offer when any of my interviewers were Hindustani. Coincidence, maybe? I think this particular nepotism is not exclusively internecine.

Based on the language in this comment, I can't help but imagine you somehow let your internal biases affect your behavior and language during these interviews.