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Websites people say have changed their lives

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Re: Websites people say have changed their lives

#71

Post by cylinder »

codesocomplete wrote: post #56
JohnJamesRambo wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an American I have to say I don't know any Americans that hate Indians. So please don't think that because you have met some portion on Reddit that feel that way!

As an Indian living in the US, I don't know any either. However, there are only a limited number of people I know and I do go to Reddit to gain perspective on a number of things - and advice/opinions there have helped me in real life. So I often tend to trust (well voted) opinions there. Reddit hatred towards India combined with the much revered NYTimes also often showing signs of it has started to make me believe th…

The internet has led me to believe that Indians are extremely sensitive and insecure about their reception and reputation in other countries.

There are 1 billion+ Indians and 330m+ Americans. I'm sure some hate each other and some love each other. If you think America generally as a whole dislikes Indians, perhaps you can explain why they have the highest average incomes of any ethnic group in the US, own most of the hotels, and lead several Fortune500 companies.

This is probably the third thread I've randomly come across in two days where Indians are whining about their supposed reputations abroad. Keep it up and it'll become true!

Re: Websites people say have changed their lives

#72

Post by [deleted] »

erikb wrote: post #36
avasylev wrote: post #32

Mr money mustache After living in US for a year or two, was very interesting to discover alternative view on "typical" lifestyle. While I don't agree with all his recommendation, I did buy cheap small car :)

there are also some subreddits on frugal life, early retirement, management of your finances. While there is a lot of advertisment and untested theory in there as well, I have to agree that it helps a lot to gain some money skills. The one I can recommend the most is learning to write down and track your finances manually (i.e., without Mint). I'm a lazy bum, so I stop doing it after a few months every time I start,…

[deleted]

Re: Websites people say have changed their lives

#73

Post by kerbalspacepro »

perilunar wrote: post #68
H4CK3RM4N wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

4chan(/pol/ and /int/ in particular) is what did it for me. An Indian complaining about Pakistanis looks an awful lot like a German complaining about the French, or an Aussie complaining about Kiwis.

I don't know about that. There's a long history of bloodshed between India and Pakistan, and between Germany and France. Australia and New Zealand have always been close allies. We only complain about each other in jest.

I think that's the point. If two allies complaining about each other in jest is indistinguishable from two enemies complaining about each other in sincerity, then what's do the enemies complaining about each other really mean?

Re: Websites people say have changed their lives

#74

Post by kerbalspacepro »

nonamechicken wrote: post #35
cJ0th wrote: post #4

I am surprised no one mentioned Reddit. Reddit really helped me gain perspective. For one thing, it made me realize how similar people all over the world are. No matter how specific a post is, chances are really high that someone else will chime in and echo the feeling/experience that has been expressed. In short, the positive message is: You're not alone! For another thing, it is (despite the horrible search functio…

Reddit impacted my life negatively and is a site I would never recommend to anybody in my life. It taught me that a lot of Americans hate Indians, and has probably forever changed my feelings to them negatively. It is the only addiction I have that I am trying to get away from, but always find myself going back. And the weird thing is, on some days, I specifically go look for the bad news.

While I want to assure you that Americans (at least, liberal Americans) love Indians and have no hatred towards them, I want to zero in on that throwaway sentence:

>I specifically go look for the bad news.

I've found myself doing that too. It is kind of creepy. I'll hit up /r/worldnews thinking, "Which reef is dying? Who is today's terror target?" It's really screwed up, but I think we're wired to crave that drama, even though real people with damaged lives are at the end of those blue links. Maybe we need to be more intentional about browsing those subreddits which we know collect the day's misery.

Re: Websites people say have changed their lives

#75

Post by nojvek »

cylinder wrote: post #71
codesocomplete wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an Indian living in the US, I don't know any either. However, there are only a limited number of people I know and I do go to Reddit to gain perspective on a number of things - and advice/opinions there have helped me in real life. So I often tend to trust (well voted) opinions there. Reddit hatred towards India combined with the much revered NYTimes also often showing signs of it has started to make me believe th…

The internet has led me to believe that Indians are extremely sensitive and insecure about their reception and reputation in other countries. There are 1 billion+ Indians and 330m+ Americans. I'm sure some hate each other and some love each other. If you think America generally as a whole dislikes Indians, perhaps you can explain why they have the highest average incomes of any ethnic group in the US, own most of the…

Indians is such a big category though. I have Indian DNA, lived most of my life away from parents in western counties. I can't speak hindi to save my life.

But occasionally you'd find the person who'd be a snob and judge you from the skin. Then you'd say something and they'd be like "where are you from". "I'm from here". "No no, wheeeeere are you from?". "From Africa". "Where are your grand parents from?

Re: Websites people say have changed their lives

#76

Post by webnrrd2k »

et-al wrote: post #66
cJ0th wrote: post #4

I am surprised no one mentioned Reddit. Reddit really helped me gain perspective. For one thing, it made me realize how similar people all over the world are. No matter how specific a post is, chances are really high that someone else will chime in and echo the feeling/experience that has been expressed. In short, the positive message is: You're not alone! For another thing, it is (despite the horrible search functio…

I think most Kottke readers are 30+ years old, and formative web sites are those you've frequented when you were younger. So Reddit for most Kottke users came way after MetaFilter or Dreamless.

Please don't forget robotwisdom. It was one of the more important sites for me, right up there with Slashdot. The fact that robotwisdom was run by a semi-homeless guy was a big eye-opener and made it clear that people of great intelligence can have real mental/emotional problems.

Re: Websites people say have changed their lives

#77

Post by Jack000 »

nonamechicken wrote: post #35
cJ0th wrote: post #4

I am surprised no one mentioned Reddit. Reddit really helped me gain perspective. For one thing, it made me realize how similar people all over the world are. No matter how specific a post is, chances are really high that someone else will chime in and echo the feeling/experience that has been expressed. In short, the positive message is: You're not alone! For another thing, it is (despite the horrible search functio…

Reddit impacted my life negatively and is a site I would never recommend to anybody in my life. It taught me that a lot of Americans hate Indians, and has probably forever changed my feelings to them negatively. It is the only addiction I have that I am trying to get away from, but always find myself going back. And the weird thing is, on some days, I specifically go look for the bad news.

China too. Reddit users seem tolerant until you find yourself in the outgroup.

HN is the new reddit for me.

Re: Websites people say have changed their lives

#78

Post by et-al »

webnrrd2k wrote: post #76
et-al wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think most Kottke readers are 30+ years old, and formative web sites are those you've frequented when you were younger. So Reddit for most Kottke users came way after MetaFilter or Dreamless.

Please don't forget robotwisdom. It was one of the more important sites for me, right up there with Slashdot. The fact that robotwisdom was run by a semi-homeless guy was a big eye-opener and made it clear that people of great intelligence can have real mental/emotional problems.

Surprisingly, I never heard of robotwisdom until now. Thanks webnrrd2k!
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