[wapz]

I really don't like how racism comes up so often in these situations when I think the closer term is probably familiarity or customs. A lot of bosses like to work with people that have a similar mindset and work ethic that they do. It makes sense that if you've been born and raised in country X and worked there for 15 years and become a boss you will probably prefer people with work ethics similar to your own. In Japan, as a foreigner working for a Japanese company, I can see how Japanese would much prefer to hire a Japanese over me (they don't outwardly complain about long, unpaid overtime, they do mundane tasks that aren't productive, they don't talk back when erroneously attacked). And I can see an American boss much preferring an American who's more likely to bring up points that they think are wrong. I apologize for the stereotyping but meant it as an example.

[rayiner]

Your definition of "familiarity" is what Americans would call racism. Obviously people are more familiar/prefer to work with other people like themselves. In America, you don't get to act on those preferences to the extent those preferences fall along race/gender/national origin lines. Socially, it's merely discouraged, but in the workplace it's illegal.

[fennecfoxen]

> I really don't like how racism comes up so often in these situations when I think the closer term is probably familiarity or customs

As a rule, 90% of what people call "racism" in the US today is closer to xenophobia.

Likewise, 75% of what they call "racist police" is fundamentally a failure of the justice system as a system to restrain, discipline, or be responsible for its own career employees (police, prosecutors, and even judges), let alone properly incentivise them.

[golemotron]

Xenophobia is a negative spin on an evolved response that is very basic to human nature: homophily [1]. You see it in all human societies.

[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophily