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Quitting your job to pursue your passion is a privilege

janellequibuyen.com

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Re: Quitting your job to pursue your passion is a privilege

#61

Post by TeMPOraL »

morgante wrote: post #51
fao_ wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It isn't, and never has been, about apologising. It is about recognising that you had a step-up based on being part of a particular demographic, and then either acknowledging that other people won't necessarily have had those step-ups, helping to level the playing field by giving extra help to those who don't have that step-up, or both. So, basically equalising things a wee bit.

This is a new low. Apparently putting in the work to learn things is now a "privilege." We made the choice to spend our formative years immersed in technology. We suffered as a result. Maybe the bullies should start by apologizing and inviting us to their parties instead of demanding that we give them jobs. To be clear, I do agree that being middle class and having free time as a teenager is a privilege. What I disag…

> Maybe the bullies should start by apologizing and inviting us to their parties instead of demanding that we give them jobs.

They have some nerve. They've already taken over the industry - your average programmer now is someone who picked software as a career path as an adult (starting university), and was not "into tech" as a kid. And now the already marginalized geeks are being called privileged?

Re: Quitting your job to pursue your passion is a privilege

#62

Post by godembodied »

fao_ wrote: post #36
aub3bhat wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My favorite new ridiculous word is "silent technical privilege"[1] , according to which we now must apologize for having interests in technical subjects since childhood, rather than socializing and getting drunk like rest of the "unfortunate" kids. [1] http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2014/01/...

It isn't, and never has been, about apologising. It is about recognising that you had a step-up based on being part of a particular demographic, and then either acknowledging that other people won't necessarily have had those step-ups, helping to level the playing field by giving extra help to those who don't have that step-up, or both. So, basically equalising things a wee bit.

  helping to level the playing field by giving extra help to those who don't have that step-up
Why does someone who is privileged have the obligation to help those that are not?

Re: Quitting your job to pursue your passion is a privilege

#63

Post by khnd »

aub3bhat wrote: post #31
spinPhysician wrote: post #12

Ten years ago, the rhetorical buzzwords of that period had gotten really, really tedious. Words like: - Patriot - Freedom - Terrorism - Never Forget - If we don't do X, they win Ten years later, and I'm glad those words are a joke by now. But only to face new words: - Privilege - Trigger - Victim Blaming - Social Justice - Perpetuating false narratives Buzzwords only have currency with people who want others to stop…

My favorite new ridiculous word is "silent technical privilege"[1] , according to which we now must apologize for having interests in technical subjects since childhood, rather than socializing and getting drunk like rest of the "unfortunate" kids. [1] http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2014/01/...

i don't think its hard to imagine that a lot of people didn't have access to computers during their childhood. also there are lots of people that didn't have the right environment or parenting to name a few. since you mentioned "interests in technical subjects since childhood". i know the guy in the article mentions that he learned to computer from 18 on wards, also he went to MIT which i think says a lot about his childhood. maybe you think the word is ridiculous but i think there is room for more empathy.

Re: Quitting your job to pursue your passion is a privilege

#64

Post by lgessler »

morgante wrote: post #51
fao_ wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It isn't, and never has been, about apologising. It is about recognising that you had a step-up based on being part of a particular demographic, and then either acknowledging that other people won't necessarily have had those step-ups, helping to level the playing field by giving extra help to those who don't have that step-up, or both. So, basically equalising things a wee bit.

This is a new low. Apparently putting in the work to learn things is now a "privilege." We made the choice to spend our formative years immersed in technology. We suffered as a result. Maybe the bullies should start by apologizing and inviting us to their parties instead of demanding that we give them jobs. To be clear, I do agree that being middle class and having free time as a teenager is a privilege. What I disag…

The premise you're assuming only holds if socioeconomics is constant. Imagine being the child of two software engineers living in a house in the suburbs with your own room and computer. Now imagine being the child of a single mother who works two minimum wage jobs and lives in a cramped apartment in the projects.

If the latter child doesn't end up spending as much time programming as the former child, how much of it do you think was choice?

Re: Quitting your job to pursue your passion is a privilege

#65

Post by TeMPOraL »

geofft wrote: post #46
spinPhysician wrote: post #12

Ten years ago, the rhetorical buzzwords of that period had gotten really, really tedious. Words like: - Patriot - Freedom - Terrorism - Never Forget - If we don't do X, they win Ten years later, and I'm glad those words are a joke by now. But only to face new words: - Privilege - Trigger - Victim Blaming - Social Justice - Perpetuating false narratives Buzzwords only have currency with people who want others to stop…

What about words like - Disruption - Free software - DevOps - Dragnet surveillance - Fair use - Intellectual property - Responsive design Are these words politicized buzzwords? Why or why not? They all seem to be shorthand words that deeply embed a particular worldview that not everyone agrees with. Do they also seem to you to be manipulative and pandering and dishonest?

No, but some of them are meaningless or harmful :). Like "disruption", which means everything and nothing nowadays, and is used to justify and glorify illegal behaviour (e.g. Uber). Or "responsive design", which while a good ideal in theory, in practice involves making the website useless for both desktop _and_ mobile at the same time. :).

Re: Quitting your job to pursue your passion is a privilege

#66

Post by morgante »

lgessler wrote: post #64
morgante wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a new low. Apparently putting in the work to learn things is now a "privilege." We made the choice to spend our formative years immersed in technology. We suffered as a result. Maybe the bullies should start by apologizing and inviting us to their parties instead of demanding that we give them jobs. To be clear, I do agree that being middle class and having free time as a teenager is a privilege. What I disag…

The premise you're assuming only holds if socioeconomics is constant. Imagine being the child of two software engineers living in a house in the suburbs with your own room and computer. Now imagine being the child of a single mother who works two minimum wage jobs and lives in a cramped apartment in the projects. If the latter child doesn't end up spending as much time programming as the former child, how much of it…

Maybe you missed the last paragraph of my comment?

I absolutely agree with the notion of socioeconomic privilege. For what it's worth, I ended up making more than my (single) mother in my very first CS internship.

Re: Quitting your job to pursue your passion is a privilege

#67

Post by fucking_tragedy »

withdavidli wrote: post #34
shopkins wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What was the old American Dream, if not exactly that?

Good grades->good college -> good job -> marry -> buy house -> have kids. All on a middle class salary. In the bay area that's probably about 100k/yr for a household. Impossible these days.

I've always interpreted it as earnest hard work and merit would pay off in the end, with the first three examples you listed as making it easier. I saw the American Dream as being inclusive to those without good grades or a college education as well.

Re: Quitting your job to pursue your passion is a privilege

#68

Post by zo1 »

fao_ wrote: post #36
aub3bhat wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My favorite new ridiculous word is "silent technical privilege"[1] , according to which we now must apologize for having interests in technical subjects since childhood, rather than socializing and getting drunk like rest of the "unfortunate" kids. [1] http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2014/01/...

It isn't, and never has been, about apologising. It is about recognising that you had a step-up based on being part of a particular demographic, and then either acknowledging that other people won't necessarily have had those step-ups, helping to level the playing field by giving extra help to those who don't have that step-up, or both. So, basically equalising things a wee bit.

>"helping to level the playing field by giving extra help to those who don't have that step-up, or both."

On a more overall point, I'd say that doing such a thing, even if noble and "well-meaning", actually demeans the work of the people that actually created the difference in "step-ups" as you refer to them in the first place.

Some things are given to you by coincidence of birth and location. But other things, the really important ones, are given to you by your upbringing (notably, effort from your parents and family). I will not go beyond telling others what a difference that effort makes. If you never got it yourself, you have a chance to give it to someone else, and not repeat previous mistakes.

Re: Quitting your job to pursue your passion is a privilege

#69

Post by [deleted] »

fao_ wrote: post #36
aub3bhat wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My favorite new ridiculous word is "silent technical privilege"[1] , according to which we now must apologize for having interests in technical subjects since childhood, rather than socializing and getting drunk like rest of the "unfortunate" kids. [1] http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2014/01/...

It isn't, and never has been, about apologising. It is about recognising that you had a step-up based on being part of a particular demographic, and then either acknowledging that other people won't necessarily have had those step-ups, helping to level the playing field by giving extra help to those who don't have that step-up, or both. So, basically equalising things a wee bit.

[deleted]

Re: Quitting your job to pursue your passion is a privilege

#70

Post by khnd »

lgessler wrote: post #64
morgante wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a new low. Apparently putting in the work to learn things is now a "privilege." We made the choice to spend our formative years immersed in technology. We suffered as a result. Maybe the bullies should start by apologizing and inviting us to their parties instead of demanding that we give them jobs. To be clear, I do agree that being middle class and having free time as a teenager is a privilege. What I disag…

The premise you're assuming only holds if socioeconomics is constant. Imagine being the child of two software engineers living in a house in the suburbs with your own room and computer. Now imagine being the child of a single mother who works two minimum wage jobs and lives in a cramped apartment in the projects. If the latter child doesn't end up spending as much time programming as the former child, how much of it…

i dont think hn can imagine that hard
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