[kannanvijayan]

It's playful language in observation, not prescriptive. The key distinction is that the caste system is impose on the individual, which when you think about it is actually more analogous to national or religious identity.

These new fragmented identities are self-selected.

[_DeadFred_]

"If" you have the ability to meet the requirements to be in the self-selected group, sure. If you were just living the life everyone around you did previously, and suddenly were replaced by a new 'self-selected' group, you just moved into a caste without choosing to move away from the previous way the society they grew up in, were taught how to live within by their parents and society.

[kannanvijayan]

Oh I understand the problem. But the real issue isn't some external replacement, which is what tends to get focused on.

The real problem is that it's happening from the inside out, and it's happening everywhere. The reality is that Canadians of one stripe or another will identify more with an American of that same stripe, or a European or Asian origin person of that same stripe, than they will with somebody else of a different stripe of their own nationality.

That national association has been fading for a long time. And ironically, it's been driven along by American brand culture, which has done its level best to introduce people to aligning themselves on brand identities because that's a potent source of revenue.

A few generations have come and gone now with people slowly being trained to de-emphasize national identity.

And the internet came along and gave everyone access to an infinite regenerating pool of communities that people can align and re-align with.

This is a phase change in society and it's about as unstoppable as continental drift.