MetaChat - What is the friend-hiring-friends word that is like nepotism?

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06 April 2009

What is the friend-hiring-friends word that is like nepotism? →[More:]My brain cannot access this word for some reason. Help.

post by: typewriter at: 12:38 | 20 comments

Wall Street.

I can see myself out, thanks.

posted by Lipstick Thespian 06 April | 12:38

favoritism?

posted by special-k 06 April | 12:40

Cronyism? For what it's worth, I think nepotism works fine for hiring friends as well as family.

posted by grouse 06 April | 12:41

All the definitions say nepotism as it relates to relatives, but it is the closest connotation for me...(I would use it casually for friend-hiring-friends.)

Hmmm. Thinking still.

posted by typewriter 06 April | 12:47

I'm going with grouse. Cronyism.

posted by mudpuppie 06 April | 12:49

Networking!

posted by box 06 April | 12:56

Croynism seems like old men to me. Do young hipsters have cronies?

posted by typewriter 06 April | 13:04

Do young hipsters have cronies?

Yes, but they're ironic cronies.

posted by jason's_planet 06 April | 13:07

Patronage?

posted by misskaz 06 April | 13:07

Cronyism sounds right, but patronage sounds better.

posted by WolfDaddy 06 April | 13:23

How about "the way of the world?"

posted by jason's_planet 06 April | 13:42

Patronage doesn't sound right to me -- it sounds (to me) like it has too much of a class system built in.

I do agree, though, now that others have pointed it out, that I do tend to picture cronies with their plaid pants hitched up too high.

posted by mudpuppie 06 April | 14:02

I do tend to picture cronies with their plaid pants hitched up too high.

Not so different from many hipsters, hm?

Cronyism is the only word I can think of that fits.

posted by Stewriffic 06 April | 14:42

Agreeing with "cronyism". At certain levels of power, the "Old Boys Club".

posted by goshling 06 April | 18:53

Old boy network?

posted by Claudia_SF 06 April | 19:46

Going with "cronyism." You don't have to be old to be a crony.

See also: Good ol' boys' club.

posted by Miko 06 April | 20:32

Texas.

posted by Doohickie 06 April | 20:42

I'm not sure what it's called but it is how I got my last two jobs. And how most of the people I know got their jobs. Pittsburgh's a small town, it's hard to get a job here if you don't know someone.

posted by octothorpe 06 April | 20:58

Reminds me of this similarly baffling AskMe.

Not sure what you mean here. The name of the system? A derisive nickname? (Logrolling? Backscrathing?) The corruption involved (payola?) A more shocking metaphor (incestuous?).

Personally, I think the word you want is favoritism. The boss favors the pal he promotes, or she promotes a favorite.

posted by stilicho 06 April | 23:55

I looked it up in my dictionary (the one on my dashboard, thanks MacBook!) and nepotism works with friends too.

I thought it was depotism before then, but MacBook assures me there is no such word. I think there should be. Mostly because I thought it already WAS a word.

Stupid words not being actual words.

posted by jonathanstrange 07 April | 06:57

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