Moldbug wrote this in 2007. I have seen similar systems in New Zealand: the Brahmins have been described as akin to Devonport: the Dalits Mangere, the Helots Papatoetoe, the Optimates Remuera and the Vaisya Waitakere. Sort of.

This is a long moldbug quote, but it is worth noting his original definitions.

Some redefinition, therefore, is necessary. Let’s define a “caste” as a social group with its own internal status system. All hominids crave status and will exchange almost anything for it, but different castes assign status in very different ways – as we’ll see.

Here’s my taxonomy of American castes. I’ve picked names from various historical cultures, hopefully without strong emotional associations for modern readers, for these castes. The implicit analogies these names create should be roughly accurate, but certainly not precise. I have ordered them alphabetically to avoid any implicit ranking.

In the Brahmin caste, status among both men and women is defined by scholarly achievement, success in an intellectual profession, or position of civic responsibility. The highest-status Brahmins are artists and scientists, but Brahmins can also be doctors or lawyers, although it is much better to be a doctor than a lawyer, and much better to be a lawyer than a dentist (a trade which was perhaps once Brahmin, but is now definitely Vaisya). Ideally, as a Brahmin, if you are a doctor you should be primarily concerned with caring for the poor; if you are a lawyer, your practice should focus on civil liberties and social justice – cardiology and corporate law are slightly de trop. An increasing number of young Brahmins consider themselves “activists” and work for “nonprofits” or “NGOs,” lending some credence to the theory that the Brahmins are our ruling or governing caste. Entry into the Brahmin caste is conferred almost entirely by first-tier university admissions, although getting into Harvard doesn’t mean you don’t still need to make something of yourself.

In the Dalit caste, status among men is defined by power, wealth and sexual success, among women by attractiveness and popularity. The favored occupation of Dalit men is crime, preferably of the organized variety. However, Dalit criminals are not generally psychopathic; they perceive crime as guerrilla warfare against an unjust society. Dalit women may support themselves by crime, welfare (which they consider a right), or payments from men. Both male and female Dalits may occasionally support themselves by conventional employment, but this is usually in jobs that other castes (except Helots) would consider demeaning, and Dalits share this association. The Dalit caste is not monolithic; it is divided into a number of ethnic subcastes, such as African-American, Mexican, etc. A few white Dalits exist, notably in the Appalachians. There is little or no solidarity between the various Dalit ethnicities.

The Helot caste is an imported peasant caste, originating primarily in rural Central America. Status among Helot men is conferred primarily by hard work, money and power. Status among Helot women is conferred by attractiveness, motherhood, and association with successful men. The Helot value system does not seem to be sustainable in the US, and the children of Helots tend to grow up as Dalits. New Helots, however, can always be imported to replace them.

The Optimate caste has to be mentioned, because it was until quite recently the US’s ruling caste. It is not clear, however, that the Optimate value system still exists in any meaningful sense, and if it does it is decaying rapidly, with most young Optimates becoming Brahmins. However, status among any men and women who do still follow the Optimate way is conferred by birth, breeding and personal character, with wealth serving as a prerequisite but not a mark of actual distinction. The Bible of the Optimate caste is, of course, the Social Register.

The Vaisya caste is the most difficult to define. It’s tempting to say that a Vaisya is anyone who is not a Brahmin, Dalit, Helot or Optimate. Status among Vaisya men is conferred by productive employment, generally defined in monetary terms; by a successful family life; and by participation in church or other formal social groups. Status among Vaisya women is conferred by attractiveness, motherhood, and social participation, with an increasing number of Vaisya women entering the labor force, typically in unintellectual white-collar jobs.

What tends to happen is that the Brahmin/Optimates set the tone and run things: they use the Dalits as enforcers and the Helots to undercut the economic interests of the Vaisya, who do most of the work and are the majority. This allows the elite to think of themselves as aligned with the working class (thinking in Marxist terms, anyone with success cannot be part of the proletariat) while opposing everything that makes the real workers function.

For this to work, however, you have to not micromanage the majority, but instead give them some honour and value. The current Brahmins (who deny that the aristocrats have any place) think that this is old fashioned, and micro manage away, often out of ignorance, causing significant damage. At this point the vaisya rebel, electing (if possible) one of their own.

The idea of the vaisya running things horrifies them. This inherent, unconscious snobbery explains the never Trump republicans as much as the anitifa and their wealthy enablers.

And it will continue until there is a turning. At that point, the elite have to flee. The alternative is destruction.

I advise people not to be of the elite for a good reason. It is safer for your body in this life and your soul in the next.