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Trapped in Silicon Valley’s hidden caste system

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Re: Trapped in Silicon Valley’s hidden caste system

#111

Post by _jal »

bin_bash wrote: post #90
jmyeet wrote: post #51

It's crazy to me to see people saying "this doesn't exist because I've never seen it". Here's a good rule to live by: privilege is invisible to those who have it. Just think about that. I'm not Indian so can't speak to that experience but discrimination masquerading as "culture fit" is just as rampant in Silicon Valley as it is in the rest of the US. This includes racism, ageism, misogyny and classism. If you don't t…

> This includes racism, ageism, misogyny and classism. If you don't think MIT/Stanford grads in their mid 20s at Big Tech companies have more doors open to them you're crazy. Of course they have more doors open to them. They went to a good school and worked at a well known company.

Different 'good schools' are received differently, though. If you work in Bay Area tech, a Stanford degree is more equal than others.

--Someone who went to a good non-Stanford school and works for a well-known company

Re: Trapped in Silicon Valley’s hidden caste system

#112

Post by redtriumph »

rajeshp1986 wrote: post #13
belval wrote: post #7

To Indian commenters on HN, how much of that is true? Do you feel threatened when a coworker asks about where you are from? It's something I do ask from time to time (not during interviews obviously, but during lunch for example) out of pure curiosity. Should I stop? I guess that I should explicitly add that I am not from India. Cross-cultural communications can be a bit difficult at times and I'd rather not make blu…

I don't find any truth in it at all not especially in Silicon Valley. These articles are a coerced effort to bring up the caste divide from India into US and divide the Indian diaspora.

This is just my experience. But I can point you to handful folks from my circle whose friendship worthiness depends on belonging to one of the "dominant caste". In fact, I can also share an anecdote when person A was really fond of person B since B had last name that sounded like one of "dominant caste" last names. Once person A came to know the subtle difference in person B's last name, there was noticeable behavior change in person A.

Re: Trapped in Silicon Valley’s hidden caste system

#114

Post by bajirao »

cscurmudgeon wrote: post #12
belval wrote: post #7

To Indian commenters on HN, how much of that is true? Do you feel threatened when a coworker asks about where you are from? It's something I do ask from time to time (not during interviews obviously, but during lunch for example) out of pure curiosity. Should I stop? I guess that I should explicitly add that I am not from India. Cross-cultural communications can be a bit difficult at times and I'd rather not make blu…

A lot of it is FUD. California withdrew it's Cisco case but you wont' see any coverage of that here. https://thewire.in/caste/california-drops-caste-discriminati... I am from India and have been in the US for more than a decade. I come from a low caste. The only folks who have asked about my caste and asked if I am from a higher caste are white Americans due to my vegetarianism (voluntary for ethical reasons). > Do y…

>I come from a low caste. The only folks who have asked about my caste and asked if I am from a higher caste are white Americans due to my vegetarianism (voluntary for ethical reasons).

Because other Indians will identify your caste based on your last name, food habits, dialect, your family business (etc). They don't need to ask you.

Re: Trapped in Silicon Valley’s hidden caste system

#115

Post by MegaButts »

rajin444 wrote: post #96
jmyeet wrote: post #51

It's crazy to me to see people saying "this doesn't exist because I've never seen it". Here's a good rule to live by: privilege is invisible to those who have it. Just think about that. I'm not Indian so can't speak to that experience but discrimination masquerading as "culture fit" is just as rampant in Silicon Valley as it is in the rest of the US. This includes racism, ageism, misogyny and classism. If you don't t…

> privilege is invisible to those who have it. Just think about that This is not true (very easy to prove it’s false) and I’d question the intent of who taught you this - it’s the kind of method religions/cults/political parties use to indoctrinate.

> This is not true (very easy to prove it’s false)

Please prove it's false.

Re: Trapped in Silicon Valley’s hidden caste system

#116

Post by randomhodler84 »

rajin444 wrote: post #96
jmyeet wrote: post #51

It's crazy to me to see people saying "this doesn't exist because I've never seen it". Here's a good rule to live by: privilege is invisible to those who have it. Just think about that. I'm not Indian so can't speak to that experience but discrimination masquerading as "culture fit" is just as rampant in Silicon Valley as it is in the rest of the US. This includes racism, ageism, misogyny and classism. If you don't t…

> privilege is invisible to those who have it. Just think about that This is not true (very easy to prove it’s false) and I’d question the intent of who taught you this - it’s the kind of method religions/cults/political parties use to indoctrinate.

I think it is true. How can you easily disprove it.

Myself, from a more privileged background, was not even aware of the issues “on the ground” until I saw and lived it for myself. It’s very easy to see where personal bias can cause one to overlook or fail to notice the experience of others.

Is your objection to privileged background failing to notice privilege, or objection to the notion of privilege itself?

Re: Trapped in Silicon Valley’s hidden caste system

#117

Post by lolinder »

rajin444 wrote: post #96
jmyeet wrote: post #51

It's crazy to me to see people saying "this doesn't exist because I've never seen it". Here's a good rule to live by: privilege is invisible to those who have it. Just think about that. I'm not Indian so can't speak to that experience but discrimination masquerading as "culture fit" is just as rampant in Silicon Valley as it is in the rest of the US. This includes racism, ageism, misogyny and classism. If you don't t…

> privilege is invisible to those who have it. Just think about that This is not true (very easy to prove it’s false) and I’d question the intent of who taught you this - it’s the kind of method religions/cults/political parties use to indoctrinate.

> it’s the kind of method religions/cults/political parties use to indoctrinate

This kind of language ("cult" and "indoctrinate") is a conversation-stopper and does nothing to help anyone. If it's so easy to prove the idea is false, could you do that instead of using baseless invectives?

Re: Trapped in Silicon Valley’s hidden caste system

#118

Post by [deleted] »

zxienin wrote: post #67

I am from “upper caste”. My experience might not be commonly heard perspective. In 10th grade of schooling, my parents changed my lastname to avoid that folks figure out the caste. Due to affirmative action (aka reservation) on steroids, upper caste were losing opportunities. My parents wanted to avoid that I lose out on selection, promotions.., where subjective discretion was involved. I do not recall ever seeing ca…

[deleted]

Re: Trapped in Silicon Valley’s hidden caste system

#119

Post by Clubber »

jmyeet wrote: post #51

It's crazy to me to see people saying "this doesn't exist because I've never seen it". Here's a good rule to live by: privilege is invisible to those who have it. Just think about that. I'm not Indian so can't speak to that experience but discrimination masquerading as "culture fit" is just as rampant in Silicon Valley as it is in the rest of the US. This includes racism, ageism, misogyny and classism. If you don't t…

>There is a tendency in the West to view all minorities as somehow being the same.

I think it's because the news and the politicians view them in categories of demographic, then report on that demographic. I've lived in the South and always think it's funny when people say they should "punish the South," by withholding funds for whatever reason, apparently not realizing the South has the largest Black population in the US by far. Of course if funds are ever withheld, that large black population would also be punished, because they are also southerners. This is pertinent because southerners and blacks are pretty large minority demographics in the US that politicians try to garner favor with.

Societies are complex. It seems like a lot of people want to blurt out the first simple answer that comes out of their noggin.

Re: Trapped in Silicon Valley’s hidden caste system

#120

Post by drewwwwww »

gunfighthacksaw wrote: post #108
danans wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Due to historical endogamy of Indian castes, there are very often phenotypes that are associated with relative position in the caste hierarchy. This is highly regional, and far from exact, but leads to examples like the GP gave. These patterns are often used by people as a shorthand for categorizing another's relative caste and often as the basis for discrimination. At a very broad generalization, upper caste individ…

We stamped this kind of thinking out of Europe in the 40s. Shame it wasn’t all over the world, but… scope creep

this is satire, right
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