Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Lost Diamonds: How our current system is failing underprivileged talent

shift.newco.co

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 374 posts

Re: Lost Diamonds: How our current system is failing underprivileged talent

#121

Post by gthtjtkt »

Just to offer a slight counter-point re: privilege.

Where I grew up, telling someone "I want to go to vocational school instead of college" was no different from telling them "I want to be a prostitute when I grow up". Hell, even joining any form of armed service was extremely frowned upon.

In many cases, this led to otherwise bright, gifted people becoming "failures" because they were too afraid to do what they wanted and instead followed the socially acceptable path (college) where they never had any hope of succeeding. They struggled to finish useless degrees they never wanted, earned a decent chunk of debt in the process, and ended up with soul-crushing jobs, the main benefit of which was the fact that they earned enough money to continue showing up at their soul-crushing job for many years to come.

Hooray, privilege!

Re: Lost Diamonds: How our current system is failing underprivileged talent

#122

Post by speeder »

marcosdumay wrote: post #97
speeder wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am "half-way" privileged, for my country standards (Brazil), I am part of a tiny elite, having college education, a sister that went to do masters on MIT, money to buy a computer that for brazillian standards is very high end (even if I had to buy the chassis from a junkyard). Also knowing english is a rarity, coding, even less, both, even more uncommon (when I worked in a company that had 50 coders, only 5 knew en…

It's a small point, but personal bankruptcy really does exist in Brazil. The rules are different from the US (may be even better for poor people), and sometimes surprising. But it does exist, and lawyers will help you if you ever need it.

I've read a OAB statements that what exists is "personal insolvency".

If you prove that (yes, you have to prove it, including hiring lawyers and all to do that), then you can't own or manage business for 5 years, all your assets are sold, and all future earnings are used to pay debts.

Also, you can't use banking services and credit cards for 10 years, and can't do any commercial transactions for 5 years.

The deal is so bad, but so bad, that in many Brazillian states the amount of people that ever tried that, is zero.

Re: Lost Diamonds: How our current system is failing underprivileged talent

#123

Post by st3v3r »

forrestthewoods wrote: post #93
pessimizer wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because if you belong to a stable middle class family, it's not only not true, but has never been true for you for a moment?

But, as discussed, this article is about feelings not truths.

Feelings dictate how one acts. Even if you can fail, if you feel you can't, that is going to affect quite a bit how you approach things, or if you approach them at all.

Re: Lost Diamonds: How our current system is failing underprivileged talent

#124

Post by dismantlethesun »

aninhumer wrote: post #111
kamaal wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>What's the saying? Going from $0 to $1M is almost impossible--going from $1M to $2M is almost inevitable. For the very same reasons going from $2M to $0 is easy. It takes a lot of character to handle money and power, if you don't understand the work that goes behind it or it value. You will lose all of it soon. Edit: Why the down votes?

I don't think it takes "character" to handle money. It's a skill like any other, and people who grow up with wealth have more opportunity to learn that skill.

What's meant by character is that your skills with money management won't tell you where to spend money when its discretionary, and what level to set your discretionary shares at.

Some people will fritter away their wealth on useless things, even if they know that they can make guaranteed returns by investing in X. Some people will continually reinvest in bad ventures, each time thinking the risk is worth it.

There's no skill to say what is too much risk. That's a judgement call that everyone has to make for themselves.

Re: Lost Diamonds: How our current system is failing underprivileged talent

#125

Post by cmdrfred »

nugget wrote: post #96
ryandrake wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I knew someone who was so aggressively proud of their success, having founded and grown a successful business. He'd talk your ear off about how people like him were the ones adding value to society and how unsuccessful people are just lazy and don't try hard enough or don't take enough risks, or are just deadbeats, and how successful, hard working people are punished with taxes--you know, the standard soapbox speech.…

> Going from $0 to $1M is almost impossible--going from $1M to $2M is almost inevitable. I know plenty of people who inherited money and blew it all. Very, very few people, even children from ''rich'' families, have an ''infinite money cushion''. People who come from poverty or communities rampant with discrimination often times have to work harder for opportunities. But hard work is hard work, and there is fierce co…

>People who come from poverty or communities rampant with discrimination often times have to work harder for opportunities. But hard work is hard work, and there is fierce competition at every level, no matter who you are. I hesitate to take anything away from anyone's success.

Tell that to the kid making iPhones in the Foxconn facility. Success isn't where you are, it's how far you've come. By that metric the most successful thing you can do in life is have a father like Sam Walton.

Re: Lost Diamonds: How our current system is failing underprivileged talent

#126

Post by hueving »

ap22213 wrote: post #103
nugget wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Going from $0 to $1M is almost impossible--going from $1M to $2M is almost inevitable. I know plenty of people who inherited money and blew it all. Very, very few people, even children from ''rich'' families, have an ''infinite money cushion''. People who come from poverty or communities rampant with discrimination often times have to work harder for opportunities. But hard work is hard work, and there is fierce co…

It depends on where one lives. Where I currently live, it takes about $25M in wealth just to get out of middle class and into lower upper class. And, to get into the true upper class requires maybe $500M to a billion. And, at that level, it is effectively infinite money (like > $250k a day in passive income, at the lowest level). -4 in less than 30 minutes. that's a record for me. I must have said something controver…

I'm not aware of any place on earth where someone who has $24 million in wealth is considered 'middle class'.

That's $180,000 annually at a measly 0.75% interest (what my peon savings bank currently gives) for doing absolutely nothing. If you can quit your job and ride on 180k passive, risk-free income, you're not middle class.

Re: Lost Diamonds: How our current system is failing underprivileged talent

#127

Post by heimatau »

allovera wrote: post #87
mixmastamyk wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, now you can forgive yourself and be proud of what you've accomplished and will continue to.

I find the opposite - I'm deeply ashamed about growing up in poverty and rarely admit it. When it comes up, I find it creates distance between myself and my co workers. They get uncomfortable and I always feel like they think I am judging them somehow. I don't seem poor anymore: thousands of dollars on dental care, I dress OK, I have a fairly polished accent now. I don't talk to most of my family. My old friends live…

I'm with you in a lot of this. I grew up poor and all I've known is poverty. I clinch my pennies but I'm generous when I'm able. But I do have a very real awareness of my impending doom, be it a financial mishap or whatever.

If it wasn't for 'Obama Care' I wouldn't be on Strattera for my ADD. Nor would've I been suggested this [1] for my anxiety, by my doctor. It's helped me significantly, a DIY assistance for coping with anxiety.

I have a mild form PTSD. When you said 'flashbacks...middle of the night screaming'. It triggered an affirmation that I do have PTSD. I've been struggling with this idea for quiet some time but...it's mild and not constant. I know you're not a doctor nor do I want to get into all the details but growing up in an abusive/malnorished home, it's very real. Heck, I became homeless as an adult too.

Finally, I want to gently suggest you look into getting help. Meaning, a shrink. Either doing talk therapy or consider medications, if they are truly needed. Keep in mind, it's not a black/white science. You'll need to experiment with your treatment to find what suits you best. I went on 4 different ADD meds before Strattera was a solid fit. Adderall helped but...the side effects were bad. Also, soonish, I've be working with someone to help aid my psychological restoration. ADD, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and assertiveness will be my topics that I'd like to tackle because even though I'm doing decent now, I do need a helping mind to help me navigate through these issues/challenges in my life.

[1] - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/160623918X/ref=oh_aui_sear...

Re: Lost Diamonds: How our current system is failing underprivileged talent

#128

Post by ap22213 »

hueving wrote: post #126
ap22213 wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends on where one lives. Where I currently live, it takes about $25M in wealth just to get out of middle class and into lower upper class. And, to get into the true upper class requires maybe $500M to a billion. And, at that level, it is effectively infinite money (like > $250k a day in passive income, at the lowest level). -4 in less than 30 minutes. that's a record for me. I must have said something controver…

I'm not aware of any place on earth where someone who has $24 million in wealth is considered 'middle class'. That's $180,000 annually at a measly 0.75% interest (what my peon savings bank currently gives) for doing absolutely nothing. If you can quit your job and ride on 180k passive, risk-free income, you're not middle class.

You're not alone - trust me. Most people don't believe me.

But, then, I grew up in a place where many if not most household incomes are less than $15k / year.

It's all relative though - I have enough saved up to probably live as a rich man in probably 99% of the earth. Yet, I keep pushing myself to get into the upper class of a minuscule area of the world. It's kind of screwed up.

Re: Lost Diamonds: How our current system is failing underprivileged talent

#130

Post by hueving »

cmdrfred wrote: post #125
nugget wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Going from $0 to $1M is almost impossible--going from $1M to $2M is almost inevitable. I know plenty of people who inherited money and blew it all. Very, very few people, even children from ''rich'' families, have an ''infinite money cushion''. People who come from poverty or communities rampant with discrimination often times have to work harder for opportunities. But hard work is hard work, and there is fierce co…

>People who come from poverty or communities rampant with discrimination often times have to work harder for opportunities. But hard work is hard work, and there is fierce competition at every level, no matter who you are. I hesitate to take anything away from anyone's success. Tell that to the kid making iPhones in the Foxconn facility. Success isn't where you are, it's how far you've come. By that metric the most s…

Hard work is requisite, not satisfactory. You can dig ditches in your own yard for 14 hours a day and you aren't going to be successful. Similarly, you can start a business with your $1 million inherited wealth, but it has an extremely high probability of failing without hard work.

>Tell that to the kid making iPhones in the Foxconn facility.

I'm not even sure what your point is. GP was pointing out that competition at every level is fierce. Not sure what that has to do with the Foxconn employee. Are they known for not being competitive?

Post reply on HN