It's even worse. The educated tech industry workers don't actually make any banter, so any time their prejudices slip through, it's just their actual opinions instead of banter. It's a very bizarre opposite to the supposedly 'uneducated' blue collar way of doing things, which brings levity as a first-class citizen, and communicates boundaries well.

You don't even need to be inappropriate to have workplace banter. Nobody ever said that a light environment has to be built on jokes that bust chops. In fact, busting chops kind of blows. There's plenty of room for clowning around outside of that, and plenty of ways to build camaraderie, too. You don't have to bring racism or sexism to the table to have a good time, and you don't have to have a good time at someone else's expense.

Man, I'm really sick of the robotic culture of tech. It's such a stuffy bummer. We should be making more skeleton jokes and showing each other macaroni art pictures.

There is always a fine line between professionalism and stick in your arse. Of course you need to know when such a culture is adequate and when it is not. If you work in support you probably don't banter with the people calling you. That would indeed be unprofessional.

Professionalism is to keep distance to others, banter is the opposite, as it is a form of bonding.

"Modern" workplaces that advertise themselves as such are very likely toxic. Might seem counter intuitive but it is often the case in reality.

Some Indian immigrants working in tech companies have also alleged they were subject to caste discrimination by other immigrants. I have no idea how common this is but there does seem to be some actual prejudice.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/big-techs-big-pro...