How important is nepotism in the grand scheme of things?

The YouTuber I'm linking to below (TheLogicJunkie) developed a theory called "Neponomics." To sum up the theory succinctly, he believes that the dominate factor in everything in all societies is nepotism. How correct is that assessment?

The most obvious example to me of that is royalty which is still a major factor in the world:

In reality, there are 26 monarchies in the world, a fascinating network of kings, queens, sultans, emperors and emirs who rule or reign over 43 countries in all.
Meet the world’s other 25 royal families

Following that kind of obviousness, it gets harder to prove how important nepotism is. My personal belief is that there's a worldwide caste system that works like the Italian Mafia in the following sense:

You can't go beyond a certain rank without being Italian.

It's beyond the scope of this post to prove that my proposed "worldwide caste system" works that way but I believe that clear examples such as that are found everywhere. It should be apparent to everyone that such rules exist within families, races, clubs, societies, etc. I would further assert that that is the dominate factor that controls the world.

Another key aspect of this that TheLogicJunkie points out is how nepotism goes beyond race and family. It includes having a bias for people who are like you. That includes tending to favor and promote others who see the world the way you do and have the same values you have. For evidence of that, just look at the "glass ceiling" that exists in so many places to discriminate against women. I believe there are abundant examples throughout the world of certain groups having special rights and privileges based on the "like you" form of nepotism. Whether it's based on belonging to a certain secret society or belonging to a certain caste/status/strata or simply having graduated from a certain university.

Does nepotism control the world?

Neponomics: How Nepotism Controls the World


www.youtube.com...

Neponomics: How Nepotism Controls the World (Part 2)


www.youtube.com...

100% that's what is happening.

Look at everything declining because of the lack of merit based choices or choices based on performance and not likability or what you do in your free time.

a reply to: Profusion

Yes, nepotism is widespread and is a contributor to corruption of a sort.

In this case, the corruption is inefficiency since it is presumed that the candidate chosen for the task is not qualified for it. If not, then the selectee is just coincidentally associated.

A negative connotation is implied in the use of the term, there isn't anything inherently bad about family businesses for instance.

The only system capable of addressing nepotism is the free market. People don't tolerate poor products or services if they have the power to avoid them by choice.

The only system capable of addressing nepotism is the free market. People don't tolerate poor products or services if they have the power to avoid them by choice.

a reply to: greencmp

I would beg to differ. Look at all the crappy products collectively forced on us by corporations like wal-mart who sell the same things as the dollar store and kmart. The free market is an illusion, and this illusion has been part of americas downfall.

Anti-trust laws are trained on the wanna-be-monopolies who can't cough up enough money or influence, to protect the current head of the totem pole.

"gonna sell my soul to the company store"

a reply to: onequestion

Napoleon had it right, I do believe, with his merit based society.... How else could one nation topple most of europe, and then get them BEHIND his cause (the confederation of the rhine)? It works, and it works well, when the people are treated fairly. and protected by the government from such abuses.

We could do great things if we could just come together.

originally posted by: SharonGlass

The only system capable of addressing nepotism is the free market. People don't tolerate poor products or services if they have the power to avoid them by choice.

a reply to: greencmp

I would beg to differ. Look at all the crappy products collectively forced on us by corporations like wal-mart who sell the same things as the dollar store and kmart. The free market is an illusion, and this illusion has been part of americas downfall.

Anti-trust laws are trained on the wanna-be-monopolies who can't cough up enough money or influence, to protect the current head of the totem pole.

"gonna sell my soul to the company store"

I have lots of information to share with you on markets and economics but, that's kind of outside of the topic here.

He's talking about nepotism, not monopolies.

Nepotism has been around as long as Homo sapiens and probably longer. There is a trend AWAY from it, but it's not all good. For example, it used to be that of you wanted a job with the King County Parks Department (Seattle), you had to know someone in the department. Friend of mine got on because he was dating the Director's daughter. If you wanted a job on the State Ferry System, you had to know someone in the Inland Boatman's Union to get on. my wife's ex was a ferry captain who got on because his father was Vice Prez of the Union, and he got my brother-in-law a job on the tugboats, but he was too proud to take it. He's still pissed.

That's "nepotism," getting jobs because you are related or have connections the typical man on the street does not have. You get on because of who you are.

Because of the "unfairness of it all!!!" that system has largely been replaced buy what they CALL a "meritocracy." You have to apply to those jobs, and you take your place along with everyone else in line. Both systems I mentioned are very careful to recruit the requisite percentage of minorities and women into all positions so they can statistically prove to the EOC that they aren't discriminating. Promotions are carefully monitored to ensure compliance.

And that system has produced a stifling bureaucracy. Why? Because there is little "merit" involved. It's not "merit" that gets you ahead; it's seniority. You can't easily be fired because that might be discriminatory, and if a "minority-class," which makes up way more than 50% of the workforce for various reasons, you are much more likely to NOT be fired, AND to get promoted simply because you fit the right profile.

And your pay is based on a very rigid "salary grid" where you inhabit a "range" based on your job. So if you are a "Clerk 2" your pay ranges from "Step A" in 4% increments up to "Step H" where you are "maxed out" for that range. If you want more money, you have to be promoted to "Clerk 3" whereupon, because of overlap, you wind up at "Step D" of "Clerk 3" which is the same as "Step H" of "Clerk 2" so you have a few more "steps" to climb through before you are again "maxed out" at "Step H."

And that's ALSO a form of nepotism, because you are getting the jobs based on who you are and how long you've been there. It's based on gender, skin color, and whether you can make a case for being in what is called a "protected class." No matter who you are, protected class or not, movement within the system is rigidly controlled based on "qualifications" that can be equally onerous.

The sad part here is that in an attempt to make these issues "fair" a bureaucracy has been created that stifles the individual MORE than in the old system ripe with "nepotism" where at least there was some flexibility involved and people really could move about much more freely.

Now OP may have been thinking more of kings and queens and I understand that, but the fact is that "fixing" this sort of thing may cause more problems than it solves.

Be careful what you ask for.

Nepotism isn't inherently bad. There is nothing wrong with using connections or your "network" to get ahead. My wife is very good at it. She has a great business network and it as allowed her to land plenty of jobs. With that said, she still has to perform well at her job. The connections just open the door.

I work in sales and my graduate school connections have allowed me to be very successful at my job. Most of my clients connect with me through being an alumni of the school.

When people say nepotism, it is usually in a negative light i.e., the boss's son gets a job. This does happen, but not nearly as much as some people think.

With all that said, there most certainly are some people who are where they are in life simply because they were born to the right family i.e., George and Jeb Bush.

Where I see a lot of nepotism, at least here in Chicago, is in government jobs. Politicians freely use these jobs to payback favors. Chicago pols have made it an art form. You put in the work for whatever Democrat is stumping and are rewarded with a plum govie job and pension.

a reply to: Profusion

I think nepotism pertains to families only, and what he is trying to include into that is more or less elitism.

To me, nepotism is more about honoring heritage and maybe a bit of legacy building while elitism is almost strictly egotism. To me, they feel completely different.

e.g. A nepotist might hire his idiot brother-in-law while an elitist would do no such thing.

But that is not to say that someone couldn't be both a nepotist and an elitist, just that, I think they're different passions.

a reply to: Profusion

I couldn't agree more. Nepotism in all it's forms is killing US industry and society. I have experienced it first had and have been trampled by it. It's not just related individuals, it's also homogeneous groups that groom and promote in their own image regardless of performance and merit.

US industry was once built and prospered as a meritocracy. This is disintegrating and is being replaced by rampant nepotism. If you work in a large corporation look at senior management then look around at those that seem to move up inordinately rapidly, never staying in one position long enough to learn the ropes, or they get moved up before they screw things up. If you look closely enough you'll see uniform characteristics with those above them. Performance doesn't matter.

We called them Yaks. If you've ever seen a Yak herd face outward and encircle the inner core you get the idea. Their job is to stand there and obstruct, merit has nothing to do with it. And when they ascend to the inner circle they see their main function is to promote more Yaks.

This is extremely polarizing for the organization. I firmly believe this spills over into society and fosters the polarization we see around us in all aspects of the American experience. When people develop the attitude that their efforts and talents don't matter they first get depressed, they fall into a malaise, then they get pissed off. Guess where we are right now in this country?

If a highly qualified person is the son of the owner of the company and serves in a position of authority, is that bad?

If a union worker who does his job and follows the rules but is otherwise a pain in the ass cannot be fired, is that bad?

a reply to: Phage

What's bad is if the highly qualified person gets the backseat to the cousin or friend.

originally posted by: Bleeeeep
a reply to: Profusion

I think nepotism pertains to families only, and what he is trying to include into that is more or less elitism.

To me, nepotism is more about honoring heritage and maybe a bit of legacy building while elitism is almost strictly egotism. To me, they feel completely different.

e.g. A nepotist might hire his idiot brother-in-law while an elitist would do no such thing.

But that is not to say that someone couldn't be both a nepotist and an elitist, just that, I think they're different passions.

I don't agree that the "like you" form of nepotism that TheLogicJunkie proposed is the same as elitism. The reason is obvious to me, his theoretical construct applies to those who would never think of themselves as elites as much as it applies to those who would.

Examples:

You must be of a certain race to join certain street gangs.

You can't go beyond a certain rank in the Italian Mafia without being Italian.

My understanding: You must be Japanese to join the Japanese Yakuza, you must be Chinese to join the Chinese Triad, and I'm sure there are many other such examples.

That's not elitism and it's not racism in my opinion. I would classify that as "like you" nepotism.

And, if you don't think such things go on in a significant way in America...

I was told by a former military person that he knew for a fact that you couldn't go past a certain rank in the US Navy without being a Freemason.

Is that elitism? I don't think so because my understanding of Freemasonry is that the members do not consider the organization to be elitist. I would classify that as "like you" nepotism.

a reply to: onequestion
Well, yes.
But that would seem to be the owner's problem more than anything. Misuse of resources, like that.

originally posted by: Profusion
The YouTuber I'm linking to below (TheLogicJunkie) developed a theory called "Neponomics." To sum up the theory succinctly, he believes that the dominate factor in everything in all societies is nepotism. How correct is that assessment?

The most obvious example to me of that is royalty which is still a major factor in the world:

In reality, there are 26 monarchies in the world, a fascinating network of kings, queens, sultans, emperors and emirs who rule or reign over 43 countries in all.
Meet the world’s other 25 royal families

Following that kind of obviousness, it gets harder to prove how important nepotism is. My personal belief is that there's a worldwide caste system that works like the Italian Mafia in the following sense:

You can't go beyond a certain rank without being Italian.

It's beyond the scope of this post to prove that my proposed "worldwide caste system" works that way but I believe that clear examples such as that are found everywhere. It should be apparent to everyone that such rules exist within families, races, clubs, societies, etc. I would further assert that that is the dominate factor that controls the world.

Another key aspect of this that TheLogicJunkie points out is how nepotism goes beyond race and family. It includes having a bias for people who are like you. That includes tending to favor and promote others who see the world the way you do and have the same values you have. For evidence of that, just look at the "glass ceiling" that exists in so many places to discriminate against women. I believe there are abundant examples throughout the world of certain groups having special rights and privileges based on the "like you" form of nepotism. Whether it's based on belonging to a certain secret society or belonging to a certain caste/status/strata or simply having graduated from a certain university.

Does nepotism control the world?

Neponomics: How Nepotism Controls the World

www.youtube.com...

Neponomics: How Nepotism Controls the World (Part 2)

www.youtube.com...

The movie and music industry go to great lengths to promote stars who have unstable personal relationships to the 'masses' outside of the elite circle talked about here. Elizabeth Taylor is one of many. Ever since the industrial revolution the agenda has been to eliminate bonding omong family members of the 'common' people. Large families outside of the elite circle, mirror the elite circle's dangerous behavior and pose a threat to them. To reduce the threat they divide. They divide families. We are at a time when we are hearing about thousands of people saying they feel alone, unlike any other time I imagine. To feel alone is now becoming the norm, not to be confused with depression. The family unit has been attacked and significantly reduced in size and then guilt tripped with the over saturation in the media of how important family is and to spend time together. From PBS kid's cartoon's to news caster's talking about it, to politicians talking anout it. All about how important the family is. They know the family - families - are seriously messed up. Seriously broken. They know friends and employers are not loyal. People walk on by homeless people and people begging. What does that tell you about them and the person begging? To keep the individual suffering going, they saturate everything viewable to the general public, with how important family is to inject shame and worthlessness, because that will never be, family disbanned, and then littered in between with movies glamorizing divorce, independence, loneliness and fair weathered sexual relationships. If you just stand back and look, its all a mind screw to ununite.

So why would this happen? Why would they do this? Well, because robots and computers will be taking everyone's jobs and the wealthy elite don't want to share them. We have slowly been introduced to the robot workforce, and when the take over happens, divided families with those family members knowing they are working for unloyal employers, pose less of a threat to them. When people accept that their employer does not have to be loyal to them and can lay them off, not caring how bad it will hurt them, just let them go, never a follow up with "hey, so how have you been?" that causes the cancer that kills compassion. The elite families know this, they would never allow this among themselves.

Gangs and mafias offer the closest resemblance of a family to Americans today. They go the extra mile for a member one wouldn't see in a typical family unit, but in an elite family, which ties into what the OP is saying.

a reply to: Profusion

Nah I can't agree. I could maybe see nepotism being called "like you" elitism but I can't see calling elitism "like you" nepotism - it just doesn't have the same feel of heritage honoring. To me, one is about family heritage, about carrying on your lineage and legacy, while the other is a more finite elitist/power pacts kind of thing.

But again, I am not trying to say that someone wouldn't play both hands - just that I think the notions are different.

e.g. An elitist might deal with other elitist families to put their own family members into power.

Your guy is right, there is nepotism, but at the same time, he is painting too broadly.

I think it's more of an issue than ever before. Prior to mega corps two things kept it in check

1. Productivity and earnings eventually suffer if the company doesn't select the best person.
2. Business leaders understood a strong middle class is NECESSARY for business (think Ford wanting to pay his employees enough to afford a Ford)

With mega corps, CEO STILL make a ton of money even if they run the business in the ground. They aren't interested in profits or the long-term health of their company. They are there to make mega short-term profits and then pull out.

a reply to: Daughter2

CEO STIL make a ton of money even if they run the business in the ground.

Not so much.
www.google.com...

a reply to: Phage

Your link pointed to how they can get fired.....Sure they can get fired but if someone fired you and then gave you a 100 million would you care?

www.bloomberg.com...

“If you have a safety net of this type of gargantuan size, it starts to undermine the CEO’s desire to build long-term value for shareholders,” said Paul Hodgson, a director at corporate governance researcher BHJ Partners in Portland, Maine. “You don’t really care if you’re fired or not.”

Nepotism does play the greater part of the Pyramid structure of control
But not always
Bloodline inheritance is a factor but not always

Truth is that those brought up in powerful organisations are at an advantage ... they are trained to play a part
Yet the rich and powerful are like all Human Beings ... some are smart some are less so
History proves this

Intelligence and skill is the wild card
The elite often look to get the brightest minds "on side"
The archaic idea of Bloodline control often comes to a stutter and requires fresh blood so to speak

No matter what your station in life ... you are shown favour by your family and friends ... it is a natural aspect of the Human condition ...

Yet individuals are their own sovereign
It is a matter of choice if you give your personal power to others
Unfortunately Power structures do not favour Free Thinkers always
And use emotional black mail by way of threat to subjugate them

For example ... I recognise no authority over me
It is only authority that insists on such power over me

The government is not my government ... A King and Queen are not my sovereigns
Only by force can they rule me ... who can respect such a way