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How Big Tech Is Importing India’s Caste Legacy to Silicon Valley

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Re: How Big Tech Is Importing India’s Caste Legacy to Silicon Valley

#11

Post by objclxt »

doggodaddo78 wrote: post #4

Who's worked with Brahmin IITians, raise a paw? :paw emoji here: I hope the Valley absorbs all of the world's horrible tech sociological antipatterns because I ejected from that heap. Transient gold miners descended on the place where I grew up, treated it disposably, and failed to make any effort to integrate because they're just visiting to make their coin. Sunnyvale Costco is like an airport in Burma (okay, Myanma…

> because of the predominant "fuck it" attitude: don't learn the customs, don't speak the language, don't put down roots, and don't interact with locals [...] when you bring in a junior software engineer's extended family, you're getting a swath of average people too

There isn't a huge amount of difference between what you're saying and what the previous president had to say on immigrants coming to the US - "when Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best". Which a lot of people find an extremely problematic perspective.

You're entitled to your opinion, but I find it a little ironic when your HN profile says you have:

> Love for all: LGBTQ+, BLM, poly, AGR, and misfits of the world unite.

Re: How Big Tech Is Importing India’s Caste Legacy to Silicon Valley

#12

Post by lhorie »

doggodaddo78 wrote: post #4

Who's worked with Brahmin IITians, raise a paw? :paw emoji here: I hope the Valley absorbs all of the world's horrible tech sociological antipatterns because I ejected from that heap. Transient gold miners descended on the place where I grew up, treated it disposably, and failed to make any effort to integrate because they're just visiting to make their coin. Sunnyvale Costco is like an airport in Burma (okay, Myanma…

I'm sorry but consider that this right here is discrimination too. Go to Costco in Markham, Ontario and you're going to be seeing a lot of chinese people in the way you describe too. But then consider: when was the last time you stepped into your local hmart (a Korean supermarket chain)?

People congregate with similar people. This is something torontonians have gotten over ages ago. Mingle if you want to, but also accept that not everyone is a lend-sugar-to-neighbor international social butterfly. NIMBYism isn't going to help.

Re: How Big Tech Is Importing India’s Caste Legacy to Silicon Valley

#13

Post by devoutsalsa »

ricardobayes wrote: post #8
doggodaddo78 wrote: post #4

Who's worked with Brahmin IITians, raise a paw? :paw emoji here: I hope the Valley absorbs all of the world's horrible tech sociological antipatterns because I ejected from that heap. Transient gold miners descended on the place where I grew up, treated it disposably, and failed to make any effort to integrate because they're just visiting to make their coin. Sunnyvale Costco is like an airport in Burma (okay, Myanma…

Well, there is at least gold where you grew up. Lots of other areas have gone through the same transformation without the 'gold'. For example where I live is a touristic part of Spain. It wasn't touristic at all 40 years ago, so much so that people washed their clothes in the river (not joking). Come mass tourism they abandoned everything and erected megahotels. But tourists priced locals out, nobody can afford housi…

I was just in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Everything was geared towards grabbing those tourist dollars. Nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there. I’d feel a little better about it if the tourist cash stayed with the locals, but I don’t suspect it does. It’s like displace local culture with tourist culture, and pray the tourists keep coming.

Re: How Big Tech Is Importing India’s Caste Legacy to Silicon Valley

#14

Post by akimball »

ricardobayes wrote: post #8
doggodaddo78 wrote: post #4

Who's worked with Brahmin IITians, raise a paw? :paw emoji here: I hope the Valley absorbs all of the world's horrible tech sociological antipatterns because I ejected from that heap. Transient gold miners descended on the place where I grew up, treated it disposably, and failed to make any effort to integrate because they're just visiting to make their coin. Sunnyvale Costco is like an airport in Burma (okay, Myanma…

Well, there is at least gold where you grew up. Lots of other areas have gone through the same transformation without the 'gold'. For example where I live is a touristic part of Spain. It wasn't touristic at all 40 years ago, so much so that people washed their clothes in the river (not joking). Come mass tourism they abandoned everything and erected megahotels. But tourists priced locals out, nobody can afford housi…

It creates “opportunity”. Feed enough oats to the horse, and some comes out for the sparrow. Tourism and gentrification both embody “horse and sparrow” economics, i.e. the opportunity to eat effluent, which may or may not be better than simply not eating.

Re: How Big Tech Is Importing India’s Caste Legacy to Silicon Valley

#15

Post by holistio »

doggodaddo78 wrote: post #4

Who's worked with Brahmin IITians, raise a paw? :paw emoji here: I hope the Valley absorbs all of the world's horrible tech sociological antipatterns because I ejected from that heap. Transient gold miners descended on the place where I grew up, treated it disposably, and failed to make any effort to integrate because they're just visiting to make their coin. Sunnyvale Costco is like an airport in Burma (okay, Myanma…

Also, I noticed some commenters make harsh and hateful generalisations about people they do not actually know.

Sigh.

This comment above made me a bit sad.

Re: How Big Tech Is Importing India’s Caste Legacy to Silicon Valley

#16

Post by doggodaddo78 »

marcinzm wrote: post #7
doggodaddo78 wrote: post #4

Who's worked with Brahmin IITians, raise a paw? :paw emoji here: I hope the Valley absorbs all of the world's horrible tech sociological antipatterns because I ejected from that heap. Transient gold miners descended on the place where I grew up, treated it disposably, and failed to make any effort to integrate because they're just visiting to make their coin. Sunnyvale Costco is like an airport in Burma (okay, Myanma…

>failed to make any effort to integrate because they're just visiting to make their coin I mean, have you seen the waiting times for Indian US green cards? You may literally die of old age before getting through the queue right now. The system is structured to make them disposable temporary workers and not future American citizens. So why is it surprising that they act like it?

It's a fucked-up system that perpetuates fetishization of a "golden Willy Wonka ticket" in order to mint underpaid workers on a leash. I've seen such tech workers make 3-10% of equivalent native salaries, and live in appalling group housing conditions to save money. (TCS, anyone?) There isn't a magic or easy answer. It is what it is.

Re: How Big Tech Is Importing India’s Caste Legacy to Silicon Valley

#17

Post by srameshc »

I once was volunteering at an event. I was having a causal conversation with another guy and after a while he asked me my last name and decided to not indulge in any further conversation anymore. This is one of many instances I experienced. There is a paper about caste oppression. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3725938

Re: How Big Tech Is Importing India’s Caste Legacy to Silicon Valley

#18

Post by throwaway3021 »

throwaway713 wrote: post #3

I don’t know anything about Indian culture; could someone who is from there shed some light on how prevalent the prejudiced mindset is? E.g., do 80% of people think the caste system is stupid and outdated whereas the other 20% still hold some prejudice toward Dalits? What about Indians that have moved to the U.S.? And is this issue improving quickly or slowly?

Very prevalent - but less likely to see in workplace than in social life (relationships, housing). This article also alludes to social aspects (study groups, etc) in IITs and not so much on academics.

Not based on any formal survey but my perception is 80-20 tilts towards higher caste population believing in superiority of their caste. I would also add many believe reservations for backward caste is unfair.

Hindu nationalist movement (ruling party and its offshoots) will have a positive impact on caste conversation in India for sure. Unfortunately prejudice will be directed against minority religions as a result.

One important aspect the article did not mention is the impact of religion and conversion among Dalits that gave them a ticket (not always the case) out of caste based discrimination. Slowly but steadily religious rights have been taken away from them by the right leaning governments post independence.

Re: How Big Tech Is Importing India’s Caste Legacy to Silicon Valley

#19

Post by doggodaddo78 »

holistio wrote: post #15
doggodaddo78 wrote: post #4

Who's worked with Brahmin IITians, raise a paw? :paw emoji here: I hope the Valley absorbs all of the world's horrible tech sociological antipatterns because I ejected from that heap. Transient gold miners descended on the place where I grew up, treated it disposably, and failed to make any effort to integrate because they're just visiting to make their coin. Sunnyvale Costco is like an airport in Burma (okay, Myanma…

Also, I noticed some commenters make harsh and hateful generalisations about people they do not actually know. Sigh. This comment above made me a bit sad.

Harsh? Hateful? Where? Why are you shouting "racist! racist!" so frivolously?

You and your assumptions make you sad. I lived in the Valley for 40 years, consulted in Fortune 500's and startups.

YOU are the ignorant and intellectually-bankrupt one.

Re: How Big Tech Is Importing India’s Caste Legacy to Silicon Valley

#20

Post by majjgepolja »

objclxt wrote: post #11
doggodaddo78 wrote: post #4

Who's worked with Brahmin IITians, raise a paw? :paw emoji here: I hope the Valley absorbs all of the world's horrible tech sociological antipatterns because I ejected from that heap. Transient gold miners descended on the place where I grew up, treated it disposably, and failed to make any effort to integrate because they're just visiting to make their coin. Sunnyvale Costco is like an airport in Burma (okay, Myanma…

> because of the predominant "fuck it" attitude: don't learn the customs, don't speak the language, don't put down roots, and don't interact with locals [...] when you bring in a junior software engineer's extended family, you're getting a swath of average people too There isn't a huge amount of difference between what you're saying and what the previous president had to say on immigrants coming to the US - "when Mex…

Most of BLM/LGBTQLMONOP hipsters are still racist towards Indians and Asians because that's not even criticized.
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