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Considering what we've seen of homeworld life, with strictly defined roles for gems of a given "caste", and very little patience for those who are different, I'd take a guess and say that social mobility is effectively zero.
I mean, even a straight-up hero and supposedly "perfect" Jasper seemed pretty low on the totempole, all things considered.
EDIT:
Oh, hey, someone with surprisingly similar thoughts.
edited 19th Jun '17 7:52:11 AM by Kayeka
I did briefly think about that, yes, but it occurs to me that we mostly get to see the social structures of Homeworld almost solely through the prism of the victims of it. I did hit a snag, though, when I remembered Peridot pre-Heel–Face Turn discussing the prospect of being given her own Pearl due to what she did on Earth (not to mention, of course, trying to lay claim to Crystal Gem Pearl - not Peri's best moment). Beyond, of course, re-establishing that Pearls in general are among the lowest classes, I did wonder if being able to have a Pearl meant that there was some degree of social mobility for some gems. Admittedly, from what we've seen, guessing towards very limited levels of mobility is a pretty safe guess (which would be a bit far from the Roman Empire - it was much more reasonable for someone who started as a slave to rise out of that status there than in other empires). But I could see a potential curveball being thrown in there. Maybe something akin to the English empire - limited social mobility, and you have to have started at a certain baseline to begin with to be eligible.
Reminder: Offscreen Villainy does not count towards Complete Monster.I am curious why we haven't seen any new Pearl's belonging to any Gem aside from the Diamonds. Peridot did say there were supposed to be hundreds on Homeworld. If they're only for Gems who are exemplary for their specific caste and high-ranking Gems overall, you'd think that Sapphire and Jasper would have one.
Sapphire might have had one and left them on Homeworld when she went to the cloud arena.Jasper being in the warrior caste may mean she's not entitled to one.
Well that or the writers haven't made up their minds over who precisely can have a pearl aside from the Diamonds
edited 19th Jun '17 2:58:06 PM by Ultimatum
have a listen and have a link to my discord serverAs to why we haven't see any others, Aquamarine is the only other known Homeworld gem who'd probably have a Pearl, and if she does she definitely wouldn't bring her to Earth. I can't see Jasper wanting a handmaid (she probably finds their frailty disgusting), whereas Holly Blue implies being sent to the Zoo means she's in the doghouse.
Rutile is a mineral unrelated to any other Gems currently introduced.
The Crystal Caverns A bird's gotta sing.Hmm,so Morganite is named after a wealthy banker,and in this show it's possible for gems to be owned like slaves..
Maybe gem wealth is based off how many gems they personally own?
I think Rutiles and Rubies are from different castes,rubies are in the warrior caste but Rutiles are even further down and are treated like untouchables
edited 19th Jun '17 5:58:35 PM by Ultimatum
have a listen and have a link to my discord serverEven if Jasper (or Eyeball) could get Pearls, I doubt that would have any legal effects on their ranks in society. It may show how accomplished they are, but it wouldn't place them among the aristocratic gems. They'd have the same (Agate?) supervisor.
A cashier can get employee of the month but that doesn't make them outrank the manager, if you want a recognizable but perhaps superficial example.
But gem society is caste based; you can never go beyond your caste. Ever. Indeed, this could provide even more depth to Jasper's frustrations. No matter what she did or how powerful she was, she was just a Jasper. Topaz, a fusion class, outranks her. Always and forever. Simply because one is a Jasper, and the other is a Topaz. There are countless gems, of the warrior class no doubt, that Jasper could defeat. But if they tell Jasper to jump, she best ask how high. Because Jasper is just a Jasper, from Earth. From the bad Kindergarten.
Peridot knew Jasper was tough, but still found her origins positively hilarious until she found out just how tough she was. But it is notable that Peridot had no idea who Jasper was beyond the fact she came from the Beta Kindergarten.
edited 19th Jun '17 6:47:03 PM by SilentColossus

It'd put social mobility for Homeworld as a flat "impossible." If we're comparing it to real societies, the caste system of India would probably be the closest.