Casteism is not a thing of the past, and one would be delusional to think otherwise.
With caste-based stigma still prevalent in our society, Apple became the first tech giant to put an explicit ban on caste-based discrimination in the company. Since the system of caste may not be not as familiar in the US as it is in India, Apple has also begun training its employees on the topic and policy updates.
Reuters reports that the company had already updated its general employee conduct policy around two years ago and added a ban on discrimination on the basis of caste alongside race, religion, gender, age, and ancestry.
Here’s how Twitter welcomed the move as the news broke in the media.
World’s biggest listed company @Apple and @IBM have banned discrimination by caste.
— Sugrive Meena IRS (@MeenasSugrive) August 15, 2022
Hope Indian Corporates follow suit and become equal opportunity employers and stop caste and ethnicity based discrimination.
For the unversed, even IBM has added the issue of caste in their global discrimination rules.
Well done IBM and Apple. This needs to be done everywhere, esp at policy level in places with a large South Asian diaspora. Like Dr A said, Hindus as they migrate, will take caste with them and mechanisms to address it needs to be put in place. https://t.co/JbAGxH0ZVu
— #JusticeforInderMeghwal (she/her/they) (@Bipashaa) August 16, 2022
Companies like IBM and Apple are leading the way in ending caste-based discrimination in technology companies. Kudos to these companies for their leadership in tackling caste discrimination. I hope the rest of the tech industry follows them https://t.co/pbj1yG9YiI
— Krish (@krishnan) August 15, 2022
Great News! 😍 @Apple becomes first tech giant to explicitly banning caste discrimination, and also training employees over Indian caste system.
— Aarav Gautam (@IAmAarav8) August 15, 2022
Thank you @Apple @tim_cook for taking initiative against caste discrimination. We hope your policy work efficiently. pic.twitter.com/P8A1wc4V16
I appreciate this move, identify the disease to find a cure. Hope others follow, at least recognize this barbaric/cruel discrimination that Dalits have faced since 1000s of years and still face its brutality #DalitLivesMatter https://t.co/zC3B5GqjRq
— Hemshekhar Mahadevappa, PhD (@hemshekharm) August 17, 2022
With Apple banning any practice of the Hindu Caste System at work by Indian employees, how far behind can Google and Microsoft be? This is could just be a start to much bigger legislation in the US that calls for Indians to behave civilised when in the West.
— ☭林彪☭ (@LinBiYao) August 17, 2022
They’ll start trending #boycottapple via their iPhone. Just wait and see. 🤣🤣🤣
— Aswath Velayudhan (@AswathVelayudh1) August 16, 2022
People be like,
— KunalKamleshSavita (@KunalKSavita) August 18, 2022
“No bro caste discrimination doesn’t happen anymore”.
Bruh it is so prevalent in silicon valley that apple had to ban caste based discrimination.
Pretty sad that an American company took a lead on this and not an Indian company.
— Anjali Lal (@AnjaliLal14) August 16, 2022
And now we will see Indian companies copy it.
Sigh. https://t.co/bQD4M28laW
This is welcome given how Google, Microsoft and Cisco has behaved over the years on this subject. Hope the measures taken are solid and without compassion https://t.co/sy9mZNc6ca
— Smith (@SurfingDoomguy) August 16, 2022
Great action by @Apple Humanity of the Casteist people are dried, rusted and died! Only uncultured, sick minded and demoniac people can hate love, equality, humanity and do such inhuman evil deeds…#CasteSystem#CasteSystemIsAntiHumanity#CasteSystemIsWorstThanPoisonAndVirus
— 𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙖 𝙇𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙥 (@JampaLhundup) August 15, 2022
Finally Indian Stone Age barbarians getting a taste of civilisation https://t.co/z5IX9haSYk
— പാറശാല പാച്ചന് (@ajith_0787) August 18, 2022
Long overdue need addressed by #BigTech in US.#casteism #discrimination @arstechnicahttps://t.co/WXReJ3u5Ww
— Unni Sankar (@UnniSankar) August 16, 2022
Wherever Indians go, they carry "Caste" virus along with them.. https://t.co/Shso7ADC2x
— Sumedh Ⓥ (@Sumedh____) August 15, 2022
A step long overdue! Here’s wishing Indian companies take the hint.